Method and apparatus for multimedia streaming in a limited bandwidth network with a bottleneck link
First Claim
1. A method, comprising:
- a server communicating sender information to a client device over a communication path used by the server for communicating information units, the communication path including a packet scheduler followed by a bottleneck link path,the packet scheduler having a buffer for holding the information units as needed, the sender information indicating a last information unit sent to the client, and the server communicating the sender information via a mechanism by which the sender information is communicated over the bottleneck path link ahead of information units already in the buffer of the packet scheduler but not already scheduled to be communicated;
the client performing a buffer-size calculation, using the last information unit sent to the client as indicated by the sender information, to estimate the number of information units in the buffer, and using the result of the buffer-size calculation to provide information useful in effecting rate adaptation to control the number of information units in the buffer; and
the client communicating to the server over the bottleneck path link the information useful in effecting rate adaptation to control the number of information units in the buffer.
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Abstract
A method used for communicating packets or other information units from a server (11) to a client (15) over a communication path including a packet scheduler (14-1) followed by a bottleneck path (14-2), with the packet scheduler (14-1) having a buffer for holding packets so as not to transmit over the bottleneck path (14-2) at a rate either too high or too low, the method providing that the server (11) communicate to the client (15) sender information indicating the last packet sent to the client (11) by the server (11) and do so via a mechanism by which the sender information is communicated over the bottleneck path (14-2) ahead of substantially all packets already in the buffer. The client (11) then uses the sender information to provide, as needed, information useful in adapting the rate at which the packets arrive at the packet scheduler (14-1)
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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a server communicating sender information to a client device over a communication path used by the server for communicating information units, the communication path including a packet scheduler followed by a bottleneck link path,the packet scheduler having a buffer for holding the information units as needed, the sender information indicating a last information unit sent to the client, and the server communicating the sender information via a mechanism by which the sender information is communicated over the bottleneck path link ahead of information units already in the buffer of the packet scheduler but not already scheduled to be communicated; the client performing a buffer-size calculation, using the last information unit sent to the client as indicated by the sender information, to estimate the number of information units in the buffer, and using the result of the buffer-size calculation to provide information useful in effecting rate adaptation to control the number of information units in the buffer; and the client communicating to the server over the bottleneck path link the information useful in effecting rate adaptation to control the number of information units in the buffer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A client device,comprising:
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means for receiving information units communicated by a server over a communication path leading from the server to the client device, said communication path including a packet scheduler followed by a bottleneck link path, the packet scheduler having a buffer for holding information units as needed, and for receiving sender information indicating the last information unit sent to the client by the server; means for performing a buffer-size calculation to estimate the number of information units in the buffer using the sender information, and for then communicating over the bottleneck path link information useful in effecting rate adaptation to control the number of information units in the buffer based on the buffer size calculation, wherein the client is capable of receiving the sender information over the bottleneck path link ahead of information units already in the buffer of the packet scheduler but not already scheduled to be communicated. - View Dependent Claims (7, 13)
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8. A system, comprising a server, a client, a packet scheduler and a bottleneck path link, the system for communicating information units from the server to the client over a communication path leading from the server to the client with said communication path including the packet scheduler followed by the bottleneck link path, the packet scheduler having a buffer for holding the information units as needed, wherein:
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the server is capable of communicating to the client sender information indicating the last information unit sent to the client and to do so via a mechanism by which the sender information is communicated over the bottleneck path link ahead of information units already in the buffer of the packet scheduler but not already scheduled to be communicated; and the client is capable of performing a buffer-size size calculation using the sender information, to estimate the number of information units in the buffer; and
the client is capable of determining information useful in effecting rate adaptation to control the number of information units in the buffer based on the buffer size calculation and to communicate the information over the bottleneck path link. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 14)
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15. A method, comprising:
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a client device performing a buffer-size calculation, using a last information unit indicated in sender information sent to the client by a server over a communication path used by the server for communicating information units, the communication path including a packet scheduler followed by a bottleneck link path, the packet scheduler having a buffer for holding the information units as needed, the client device using the last information unit indication to estimate the number of information units in the buffer, and using the result of the buffer-size calculation to provide information useful in effecting rate adaptation to control the number of information units in the buffer; and the client device communicating to the server over the bottleneck path link the information useful in effecting rate adaptation to control the number of information units in the buffer. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A client device, comprising:
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a receiver, for receiving information units communicated by a server over a communication path leading from the server to the client device, said communication path including a packet scheduler followed by a bottleneck link path, the packet scheduler having a buffer for holding information units as needed, and for receiving sender information indicating the last information unit sent to the client by the server; and a computing component, for performing a buffer-size calculation to estimate the number of information units in the buffer using the sender information, and for then communicating over the bottleneck path link information useful in effecting rate adaptation to control the number of information units in the buffer based on the buffer size calculation. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification