Signaling Enabling Status Feedback And Selection By A Network Entity Of Portions Of Video Information To Be Delivered Via Wireless Transmission To A UE

• US 20130111052A1
• Filed: 10/26/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Albal, Nandakishore A., Harris, John M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,160,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/57 for mobile receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6137 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6338 directed to network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64784 Data processing by the network data processing in packet switching systems H04L12/56; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90; provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56

Abstract

A method includes exchanging signaling between a first entity providing access by a user equipment to a video stream and a second entity through which the video stream passes prior to being delivered via wireless transmission to the user equipment, the second entity receiving video information corresponding to the video stream, the exchanged signaling associated with the video information received at the second entity. Responsive to the exchanged signaling, sending information from the first entity to the second entity to modify status at the second entity of at least a portion of the video information previously received at the second entity. Another method includes at the first entity, receiving from a second entity an indication the second entity is capable of accepting multiple resolutions of a video in the video stream. Responsive to the received indication, the first entity sends to the second entity multiple resolutions of the video.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

exchanging signaling between a first entity providing access by a user equipment to a video stream and a second entity through which the video stream passes prior to being delivered via wireless transmission to the user equipment, the second entity receiving video information corresponding to the video stream, the exchanged signaling associated with the video information received at the second entity; and

responsive to the exchanged signaling, sending information from the first entity to the second entity to modify status at the second entity of at least a portion of the video information previously received at the second entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the exchanged signaling comprises receiving at the first entity from the second entity one or more indications of how much of the video information was one or more of delivered by the second entity to the user equipment or purged from memory in the second entity, wherein the information comprises one or more requests to one or more of replace not delivered video information with other video information or replace purged video information with other video information, and wherein the method further comprises sending the other video information from the first entity to the second entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the exchanged signaling comprises receiving at the first entity from the second entity a request for more video than is currently pending as part of the video stream, wherein the information comprises an indication that additional video information is in response to the request, and wherein the method further comprises sending from the first entity to the second entity the additional video information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the exchanged signaling comprises receiving at the first entity from the second entity one or more indications of congestion or poor radio frequency conditions, and wherein the information comprises one or more requests to one or both of buffer or delete pending video information at the second entity.

5. The method of claim 6, wherein the information comprises one or more requests to delete video information at the second entity and replace the deleted pending video information with different video information, and wherein the method further comprises the first entity sending to the second entity the different video information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the exchanged signaling comprises receiving at the first entity from the second entity one or more indications that particular video information was or was not swapped with different video information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the information comprises first information;

the exchanged signaling further comprises signaling passing through the second entity from the user equipment to the first entity and comprising second information indicating a video stop event has occurred for the video stream;

the method further comprises, responsive to the signaling, the first entity examining the second information and determining the video stop event has occurred; and

the first information comprises one or more requests to one or both of buffer or delete at least some pending video information at the second entity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the information comprises first information;

the exchanged signaling further comprises signaling passing through the second entity from the user equipment to the first entity and comprising second information indicating a fast forward event has occurred for the video stream;

the method further comprises, responsive to the signaling, the first entity examining the second information and determining the fast forward event has occurred;

the first information comprises one or more requests to delete at least some pending video information at the second entity and to replace the deleted video information with different video information; and

the method further comprises sending from the first entity to the second entity the different video information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the information comprises first information;

the exchanged signaling further comprises signaling passing through the second entity from the user equipment to the first entity and comprising second information indicating a video pause event has occurred for the video stream;

the method further comprises, responsive to the signaling, the first entity examining the second information and determining the video pause event has occurred; and

the first information comprises one or more requests to one or both of buffer or delete at least some pending video information at the second entity.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the exchanged signaling comprises requests from the second entity to the first entity for additional video information and then comprises a lack of requests for additional video information for a predetermined time period;

the method further comprises, responsive to the signaling, the first entity determining from the lack of requests for additional video information for the predetermined time period that video information at the second entity may not be used; and

the first information comprises one or more requests to delete at least some pending video information at the second entity.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first entity comprises one of a media optimizer through which passes the video stream from a video server, an origin video server comprising a video corresponding to the video stream, or a surrogate video server comprising a cached copy of the video.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the second entity comprises a base station, a mobility management entity, a home base station gateway, or an evolved universal terrestrial access network entity.

13. A method, comprising:

exchanging signaling between a first entity providing access by a user equipment to a video stream and a second entity through which the video stream passes prior to being delivered via wireless transmission to the user equipment, the second entity receiving video information corresponding to the video stream, the exchanged signaling associated with the video information received at the second entity; and

responsive to the exchanged signaling, receiving from the first entity and at the second entity information to modify status at the second entity of at least a portion of the video information previously received at the second entity.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the exchanged signaling comprises sending from the second entity to the first entity one or more indications of how much of the video information was one or more of delivered by the second entity to the user equipment or purged from memory in the second entity, wherein the information comprises one or more requests to one or more of replace not delivered video information with other video information or replace purged video information with other video information, and wherein the method further comprises receiving at the second entity the other video information sent from the first entity.

15-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A method, comprising:

at a first entity providing access by a user equipment to a video stream, receiving from a second entity an indication the second entity is capable of accepting multiple resolutions of a video in the video stream, where video information in the video stream is to be delivered via wireless transmission to the user equipment and wherein the video stream passes through the second entity prior to being delivered via wireless transmission to the user equipment; and

responsive to the received indication, the first entity sending to the second entity multiple resolutions of the video in the video stream.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the first entity sending a request to a second entity requesting whether the second entity is capable of accepting the multiple resolutions of the video in the video stream, and wherein the receiving is responsive to the request.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising the first entity receiving signaling from the second entity, the signaling comprising one or more indications that particular video information was or was not swapped with different video information.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the first entity determining, based on the one or more indications, which one or more of the multiple resolutions of video should be sent and which of the multiple resolutions should not be sent for a set of frames of the video, and the first entity sending only the determined one or more multiple resolutions of a set of frames video to the second entity.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the first entity comprises one of a media optimizer through which passes the video stream from a video server, an origin video server comprising a video corresponding to the video stream, or a surrogate video server comprising a cached copy of the video.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the second entity comprises a base station, a mobility management entity, a home base station gateway, or an evolved universal terrestrial access network entity.