Universal QoS adaptation framework for mobile multimedia applications

• US 7,076,552 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2001
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony International Europe Gmbh (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mandato, Davide
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHILLIPS, HASSAN A
• Application Number:
  US09/864,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20020010771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,875 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709226-231, 370/239, 370/328, 370/338, 37039521- 51, 455450-453
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/745 Reaction in network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/765 triggered by the end-points
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/767 after changing the attachment point, e.g. after hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/781 Centralised allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention relates to a processing system and to pieces of software for one or more communication networks. Applications are provided with a platform and a network-independent framework for achieving cross-adaptability by providing components for QoS management in the communication network(s) by means of a component coordinator unit.

Claims

1. A wireless mobile device for communication in a wireless communication network, said wireless mobile device comprising:

a processing system with a component coordinator unit for providing applications of the wireless mobile device with a generic platform and network-independent framework that uses a platform and network-neutral set of application adaptation mechanisms, including a Qos negotiation and re-negotiation protocol; and

a Qos broker unit being managed by the component coordinator unit and coordinating management of resources of the wireless mobile device and of remote resources by using said negotiation and re-negotiation protocol,

wherein the wireless mobile device is a resource constrained wireless mobile unit having no additional support from the network.

2. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein said protocol uses piggyback mechanisms for Qos negotiating and re-negotiating.

3. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein said generic framework addresses different types of applications including existing applications and applications that rely on middleware.

4. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein said generic framework is based on an application model in which each application is allocated to one of a set of application classes having different QoS level with respect to resource usage.

5. The processing system according to claim 4, wherein fallback mechanisms are provided for a backward-compatibility between the application classes.

6. The processing system according to claim 4, wherein said generic framework is based on a communication model with different functional communication levels for exploiting the various resources in a coordinated manner so as to achieve the desired overall QoS level.

7. The processing system according to claim 6, wherein said communication levels include an application, a session, an association and a stream level.

8. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein the QoS broker unit coordinates an external network resource booker unit which manages network resource reservation mechanisms in an implementation independent way.

9. The processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a session manager unit being coordinated by the QoS broker unit for establishing and managing sessions in an implementation independent way.

10. The processing system according to claim 9, further comprising one or more chain coordinator units being managed by the QoS broker unit through the session manager unit and managing one or more component chains, each chain being associated with a stream.

11. The processing system according to claim 10, further comprising one or more CPU-manager units coordinated by the chain coordinator units for managing CPU-resource usage.

12. The processing system according to claim 11, further comprising a CPU-resource controller unit providing said CPU-manager units with platform independent resource status information retrieval and control.

13. The processing system according to claim 10, further comprising one or more memory manager units coordinated by the chain coordinator units for managing memory resource usage.

14. The processing system according to claim 13, further comprising a memory controlling unit for providing the memory manager units with platform-independent resource status information retrieval and control.

15. The processing system according to claim 10, further comprising one or more network protocol manager units coordinated by the chain coordinator units for managing network protocol resource usage.

16. The processing system according to claim 15, further comprising a network protocol controller unit for providing the network protocol manager units with resource status information retrieval and control.

17. The processing system according to claim 10, further comprising one or more multimedia components coordinated by the chain coordinator units for managing multimedia resources.

18. The processing system according to claim 17, further comprising a multimedia controller providing the multimedia component units with platform independent resource status information retrieval and control.

19. A computer readable storage medium for a wireless mobile device for communication in a wireless communication network, being loadable in memory means of the wireless mobile device, said wireless mobile device comprising a component coordinator unit, said storage medium having a program stored therein for the purpose of performing a method of providing applications, said method comprising the steps of:

providing applications of the wireless mobile device with a generic platform and network-independent framework which uses a platform and network-neutral set of application adaptation mechanisms including a QoS negotiation and re-negotiation protocol; and

providing a QoS broker unit being managed by the component coordinator unit and coordinating the management of resources of the wireless mobile device and of remote resources by using said negotiation and re-negotiation protocol,

wherein said wireless mobile device is a resource constrained wireless mobile unit without additional support from the network.

20. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein said protocol uses piggyback mechanisms for Qos negotiating and re-negotiating.

21. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein said generic framework addresses different types of applications including existing applications and applications that rely on middleware.

22. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein said generic framework is based on an application model in which each application is allocated to one of a set of application classes having different QoS level with respect to resource usage.

23. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 22, wherein fullback mechanisms are provided for a backward-compatibility between the application classes.

24. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 22, wherein said generic framework is based on a communication model with different functional communication levels for exploiting the various resources in a coordinated manner so as to achieve the desired overall QoS level.

25. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 24, wherein said communication levels include an application, a session, an association and a stream level.

26. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 19, further comprising a network resource booker unit being coordinated by the Qos broker unit and managing network resource reservation mechanisms in an implementation independent way.

27. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 19, further comprising a session manager unit being coordinated by the QoS broker unit for establishing and managing sessions in an implementation independent way.

28. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 27, further comprising one or more chain coordinator units being managed by the QoS broker unit through the session manager unit and managing one or more component chains, each chain being associated with a stream.

29. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 28, further comprising one or more CPU-manager units coordinated by the chain coordinator units for managing CPU-resource usage.

30. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 29, further comprising a CPU-resource controller unit providing said CPU-manager units with platform independent resource status information retrieval and control.

31. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 28, further comprising one or more memory manager units coordinated by the chain coordinator units for managing memory resource usage.

32. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 31, further comprising a memory controlling unit for providing the memory manager units with platform-independent resource status information retrieval and control.

33. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 28, further comprising one or more network protocol manager units coordinated by the chain coordinator units for managing network protocol resource usage.

34. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 33, further comprising a network protocol controller unit for providing the network protocol manager units with resource status information retrieval and control.

35. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 28, further comprising one or more multimedia components coordinated by the chain coordinator units for managing multimedia resources.

36. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 35, further comprising a multimedia controller providing the multimedia component units with platform independent resource status information retrieval and control.

37. A method for communicating with a wireless mobile device in a wireless communication network, said method comprising:

providing applications of the wireless mobile device with a generic platform and network-independent framework which uses a platform and network-neutral set of application adaptation mechanisms including a QoS negotiation and re-negotiation protocol; and

providing a QoS broker unit being managed by a component coordinator unit and coordinating the management of resources of the wireless mobile device and of remote resources by using said negotiation and re-negotiation protocol,

wherein said wireless mobile device is a resource constrained wireless mobile unit without additional support from the network.