Process of increasing source rate on acceptable side of threshold

• US 7,606,164 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2004
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Viswanathan, Vishu R., McCree, Alan V., Anandakumar, Krishnasamy
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Jr.; Michael J
• Application Number:
  US10/816,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20040252701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,029 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/06 at the transmitting station
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]

Abstract

A process (111,101) of sending packets of real-time information at a sender (311) includes initially generating packets of real-time information with a source rate (s11) greater than zero kilobits per second, and a time or path or combined time/path diversity rate (d11) initially being at least zero kilobits per second. Sending the packets results in a quality of service QoS, optionally measured at the sender (311). Rate/diversity adaptation decision may be performed at receiver (361′) instead. When the QoS is on an unacceptable side of a threshold of acceptability (Th1), the sender increases the diversity rate (d11 to d22) and sends not only additional ones of the packets of real-time information but also sends diversity packets at the increased diversity rate (d22). Increasing the diversity rate (d11 to d22) while either reducing or maintaining the overall transmission rate (sij+dij) is an important new improvement.

Claims

1. A process of sending packets of voice information comprising:

A. initially generating at a sender the packets of voice information, the packets of voice information including source packets with an initial source rate greater than zero kilobits per second, and a diversity packets with an initial diversity rate, the initial diversity rate being at least zero kilobits per second;

B. sending the packets, thereby resulting in a quality of service QoS;

C. comparing the QoS with a threshold of acceptability;

D. when the Qos is on an unacceptable side of the threshold, increasing the diversity rate; and

E. when the Qos returns to an acceptable side of the threshold, increasing the source rate.

2. The process of claim 1 including generating a report of quality of service at a receiver and sending the report of quality of service to the sender.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the comparing step includes comparing the quality of service with a threshold of acceptability at the sender.

4. The process of claim 1 including generating a report of quality of service at a receiver, wherein the comparing step includes comparing the quality of service with a threshold of acceptability at the receiver.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the comparing step includes comparing the quality of service with a threshold of acceptability at the receiver.

6. The process of claim 1 in which sending the packets includes sending the diversity packets as time-diversity packets.

7. The process of claim 1 in which sending the packets includes sending the diversity packets as media-specific time-diversity packets.

8. The process of claim 1 in which sending the packets includes sending the diversity packets as forward error correction time-diversity packets.

9. The process of claim 1 in which sending the packets includes sending the diversity packets as multiple description coding time-diversity packets.

10. The process of claim 1 in which sending the packets includes sending the diversity packets as multiple description data partitioning time-diversity packets.

11. The process of claim 1 in which sending the packets includes sending the diversity packets as path-diversity packets.

12. The process of claim 1 in which sending the packets includes sending the diversity packets with combined time-and-path diversity.

13. The process of claim 1 in which the comparing is executed at a receiver computer, and in which the sending packets includes sending the diversity packets with combined time-and-path diversity.

14. The process of claim 1 in which the diversity packets include path diversity packets.

15. The process of claim 1 further including sending the packets for packet broadcasting to multiple destinations.