Priority mechanism for distributed sending of media data
First Claim
1. One or more processor-accessible storage media comprising processor-executable instructions that, when executed, direct at least one device to perform actions comprising:
- transmitting a send request having a priority;
receiving a threshold priority,wherein the threshold priority is calculated from a variety of factors including whether media data requested in the send request comprises deadline media data versus relatively sooner early media data or relatively later early media data;
comparing the priority of the send request to the threshold priority;
determining if the send request is selected for sending responsive to the comparing, wherein if the priority of the send request is more important than the threshold priority, the send request is selected for sending, and if the priority of the send request is not more important than the threshold priority, the send request is not selected for sending; and
scheduling the sending, if the send request is selected,wherein scheduling includes stipulating a particular media portion to be sent to a designated destination client, andwherein the action of transmitting a send request comprises an action of transmitting the send request which is associated with a unique priority;
wherein the send request stipulates media data, and the unique priority is dependent at least in part on whether the stipulated media data is associated with fewer capable senders versus many capable senders, with association with fewer capable senders having a relatively higher priority.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Media data is distributed across multiple devices, and multiple schedulers and senders are installed across the multiple devices. Schedulers formulate send requests that stipulate particular media data portions and designate destination clients. Each send request is associated with a send priority. The send requests are transmitted from the multiple schedulers to the multiple senders. The senders rank respective received send requests according to their associated send priorities. Based on the ranked respective send requests and responsive to a respective send bandwidth of each sender, the senders ascertain respective threshold priorities. Each respective threshold priority corresponds to the lowest send priority of all send requests that have been accepted for sending by a respective sender. By comparing individual send priorities associated with individual send requests to respective threshold priorities, the schedulers are able to determine which send requests are selected for sending by respective senders.
57 Citations
30 Claims
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1. One or more processor-accessible storage media comprising processor-executable instructions that, when executed, direct at least one device to perform actions comprising:
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transmitting a send request having a priority; receiving a threshold priority, wherein the threshold priority is calculated from a variety of factors including whether media data requested in the send request comprises deadline media data versus relatively sooner early media data or relatively later early media data; comparing the priority of the send request to the threshold priority; determining if the send request is selected for sending responsive to the comparing, wherein if the priority of the send request is more important than the threshold priority, the send request is selected for sending, and if the priority of the send request is not more important than the threshold priority, the send request is not selected for sending; and scheduling the sending, if the send request is selected, wherein scheduling includes stipulating a particular media portion to be sent to a designated destination client, and wherein the action of transmitting a send request comprises an action of transmitting the send request which is associated with a unique priority;
wherein the send request stipulates media data, and the unique priority is dependent at least in part on whether the stipulated media data is associated with fewer capable senders versus many capable senders, with association with fewer capable senders having a relatively higher priority. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. One or more processor-accessible storage media comprising processor-executable instructions that, when executed, direct at least one device to perform actions comprising:
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receiving a plurality of send requests, each respective send request of the plurality of send requests having a respective priority; ascertaining a threshold priority based on the respective priorities of the respective send requests and responsive to a send bandwidth, wherein the action of ascertaining a threshold priority comprises actions of;
accumulating bandwidth consumption of the plurality of send requests from a send request that is most important to those that are less important in accordance with the respective priorities thereof, and determining a last send request at which the accumulated bandwidth consumption is less than or equal to the send bandwidth, and setting the threshold priority to a priority corresponding to the last send request at which the accumulated bandwidth consumption is less than or equal to the send bandwidth, andwherein the threshold priority is calculated from a variety of factors including whether media data requested in the send request comprises deadline media data versus relatively sooner early media data or relatively later early media data; and broadcasting the threshold priority. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An arrangement for prioritized distributed sending of media data, the arrangement comprising:
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scheduler means for requesting sending of media data via send requests having send priorities;
the scheduler means including determination means for determining if the send requests have been selected for sending using the send priorities and a threshold priority, wherein if the priority of a send request is more important than the threshold priority, the send request is selected for sending, and if the priority of the send request is not more important than the threshold priority, the send request is not selected for sending, and checking means for checking whether another threshold priority is lower than the send priorities of send requests that are not selected for sending; andsender means for sending media data portions in response to the send requests in accordance with the send priorities;
the sender means including ascertainment means for ascertaining the threshold priority based on the send priorities of the send requests and responsive to a send bandwidth of the sender means,wherein the threshold priority is calculated from a variety of factors including whether media data requested in the send request comprises deadline media data versus relatively sooner early media data or relatively later early media data. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system that is configured to perform actions comprising:
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transmitting a send request associated with a send priority from a scheduler to a sender; ascertaining a threshold priority at the sender based on a ranking of send requests and responsive to a send bandwidth of the sender, the ranking of send requests including the send request from the scheduler, wherein the threshold priority is calculated from a variety of factors including whether media data requested in the send request comprises deadline media data versus relatively sooner early media data or relatively later early media data; transmitting the threshold priority to the scheduler; determining at the scheduler if the send request is being honored by the sender using the threshold priority and the send priority associated with the send request;
wherein if the priority of the send request is more important than the threshold priority, the send request is determined to be honored and selected for sending, and if the priority of the send request is not more important than the threshold priority, the send request is not determined to be honored and not selected for sending;and if the send request is not determined to be honored by the sender, then; checking, at the scheduler, if another sender having media data as stipulated in the send request has transmitted another threshold priority that is less important than the send priority associated with the send request, and if so; transmitting a subsequent send request associated with the send priority from the scheduler to the other sender. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. One or more processor-accessible storage media comprising processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a system to create schedulers that formulate send requests having send priorities in order to provide media data streams to clients;
- to establish senders that are respectively associated with respective media data portions and ascertain respective threshold priorities calculated in part based on whether media data requested in the send requests comprises deadline media data versus relatively sooner early media data or relatively later early media data, each time slot based on respective prioritized rankings of the respective send requests received at each sender from the schedulers and responsive to respective send bandwidths of each respective sender; and
to enable the schedulers to determine if send requests are being honored by respective senders using the respective ascertained threshold priorities thereof, wherein if the priority of a send request is more important than the threshold priority, the send request is determined to be honored and selected for sending, and if the priority of the send request is not more important than the threshold priority, the send request is not determined to be honored and not selected for sending,wherein the schedulers transmit subsequent send requests to the senders in response to the ascertained threshold priorities, and wherein the subsequent send requests are at least one of (i) transmitted to different senders as compared to original send requests and/or (ii) assigned a more important send priority as compared to the original send requests. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
- to establish senders that are respectively associated with respective media data portions and ascertain respective threshold priorities calculated in part based on whether media data requested in the send requests comprises deadline media data versus relatively sooner early media data or relatively later early media data, each time slot based on respective prioritized rankings of the respective send requests received at each sender from the schedulers and responsive to respective send bandwidths of each respective sender; and
Specification