Distribution request control method and unit, and program for distribution request control method

• US 7,899,908 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2005
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone KK (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kagoshima, Tetsuro, Miyayama, Shinsuke, Iida, Yutaka, Tanaka, Satoru, Terauchi, Keiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): YI, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US10/576,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20080208949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,031 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-203, 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2396 characterized by admission policies admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for network security using user profiles for access control H04L63/102; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation

Abstract

To provide a distribution request management method and so on in which a communication service providing side can perform data signal distribution while keeping high reliability.

A maximum number of distributable requests is set arbitrarily for requests from a mobile communication network 10 to one or plural contents providing servers 31 provided on a communication network 30, the requests being made for distribution of signals including data of contents, and a request management apparatus sends the signal distribution requests to the contents providing servers as long as the number of the requests is within a range not larger than the maximum number of distributable requests.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented distribution request management method, comprising:

setting a maximum number of distributable requests arbitrarily for requests from a mobile communication network performing wireless communication with mobile terminal devices to one or plural content providing servers provided on another communication network, taking into account an amount of data that is able to be distributed by the mobile communication network, said requests being made for distribution of signals including data of contents; and

sending said signal distribution requests to said content providing servers as long as a number of said requests is not larger than said maximum number,

wherein a reserved number is set arbitrarily to be not larger than said maximum number, and a space for requests for distribution of signals including data of each of one or plural specific contents is held to correspond to said reserved number, and

wherein an upper limit reserved number not smaller than said reserved number is set arbitrarily to be not larger than said maximum number for each of said specific contents, and requests for distribution of signals including data of said specific contents, the number of which requests is larger than said reserved number and not larger than said upper limit reserved number, are sent to said content providing servers as long as the number of said signal distribution requests is within a range of a number obtained by subtracting said reserved numbers assigned for said specific contents from said maximum number,

said method further comprising receiving data showing a bit rate of the content included in a response to the distribution request and preventing distribution of the signals including data of the content when the data showing the bit rate is out of an arbitrarily defined range.

2. A distribution request management method according to claim 1, wherein for contents for which said upper limit reserved number is set at 0, said signal distribution requests are not sent to said content providing servers.

3. A distribution request management method according to claim 1, wherein, when it is concluded that reservation start conditions are satisfied for requests for distribution of signals including data of one of said specific contents, a free space is assigned to said requests so as to hold a space corresponding to said set reserved number until said assigned free space reaches said reserved number as long as said assigned free space is within a range of a number obtained by subtracting said reserved numbers assigned for said specific contents from said maximum number.

4. A distribution request management method according to claim 1, wherein:

when it is concluded that reservation termination conditions are satisfied for requests for distribution of signals including data of one of said specific contents,

said held space corresponding to said reserved number is released.

5. A distribution request management apparatus comprising a processor and a memory and being provided on a communication network between a mobile communication network performing wireless communication with mobile terminal devices and another communication network, wherein requests for distribution of signals including data of contents are sent from said mobile communication network performing wireless communication with mobile terminal devices to a content providing server provided on said another communication network when the processor determines that the number of said requests for distribution of signals is not larger than a maximum number of distributable requests set arbitrarily, taking into account an amount of data that is able to be distributed by the mobile communication network,

wherein a space for requests for distribution of signals including data of each of one or plural specific contents is held to correspond to a reserved number set arbitrarily to be not larger than said maximum number,

wherein when it is concluded that the number of requests for distribution of signals including data of each of said specific contents is larger than said reserved number and not larger than an upper limit reserved number set arbitrarily within a range not smaller than said reserved number, said requests for distribution of signals are sent to said content providing server as long as the number of said requests is within a range of a number obtained by subtracting said reserved numbers assigned for said specific contents from said maximum number,

and wherein data is received showing a bit rate of the content included in a response to the distribution request and distribution of the signals including data of the content is prevented when the data showing the bit rate is out of an arbitrarily defined range.

6. A distribution request management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when it is concluded that said upper limit reserved number for a specific one of said contents is set at 0, said requests for signal distribution including data of said specific one of said contents are not sent.

7. A distribution request management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when it is concluded that reservation start conditions are satisfied for requests for distribution of signals including data of one of said specific contents, a free space is assigned to said requests so as to secure a space corresponding to said set reserved number until said assigned free space reaches said reserved number as long as said assigned free space is within a range of a number obtained by subtracting said reserved numbers assigned for said specific contents from said maximum number.

8. A distribution request management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when it is concluded that reservation termination conditions are satisfied for requests for distribution of signals including data of one of said specific contents, said held space corresponding to said reserved number is released.

9. A non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium storing a program which, when executed by a computer, performs a distribution request management method, the method comprising:

determining whether a number of signals transmitted from a mobile communication network performing wireless communication with mobile terminal devices and including instructions of requests to distribute signals including data of contents is a number that is not larger than a maximum number of distributable signals set arbitrarily, or not, taking into account an amount of data that is able to be distributed by the mobile communication network; and

sending said signals transmitted including said instructions of requests to a content providing server provided on another communication network when it is concluded that said number of said signals transmitted is not larger than said maximum number of distributable signals,

wherein the method further comprises;

determining whether said distribution request instructions included in the signals transmitted are instructions of requests to distribute signals including data of a specific one of said contents or not;

determining whether the number of said signals transmitted is not larger than a reserved number set arbitrarily for said specific one of said contents when it is concluded that said distribution request instructions included in said signals transmitted are instructions of requests to distribute signals including data of said specific one of said contents;

sending said signals including said request instructions to said content providing server provided on said another communication network when it is concluded that the number of said signals transmitted is not larger than said reserved number;

wherein the method further comprises;

determining whether the number of said signals transmitted is a number within a range not larger than an upper limit reserved number set to be not smaller than said reserved number, or not, when it is concluded that the number of said signals transmitted is not a number within a range not larger than said reserved number;

determining whether the number of said signals transmitted is not larger than a remaining number obtained by subtracting reserved numbers assigned to specific ones of said contents from said maximum number of distributable signals, or not, when it is concluded that the number of said signals transmitted is not larger than said upper limit reserved number; and

sending said signals transmitted including said request instructions to said content providing server provided on said another communication network when it is concluded that the number of said signals transmitted is not larger than said remaining number,

wherein data is received showing a bit rate of the content included in a response to the distribution request and distribution of the signals including data of the content is prevented when the data showing the bit rate is out of an arbitrarily defined range.

10. A non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium storing a program of a distribution request management method according to claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

preventing said signals transmitted including said request instructions from being sent to said content providing server provided on said another communication network when it is concluded that said upper limit reserved number is set at 0 for said signals transmitted including said instructions of requests to distribute signals including data of said specific one of said contents.

11. A non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium storing a program of a distribution request management method according to claim 9, wherein said method further comprises:

if it is concluded that reservation start conditions are satisfied for requests for distribution of signals including data of a specific one of said contents,

sending said signals transmitted including said request instructions to said content providing server until the number of said signals transmitted reaches said set reserved number only when it is concluded that said instructions are instructions of requests for distribution of signals including data of said specific one of said contents.

12. A non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium storing a program of a distribution request management method according to claim 9, wherein said method further comprises:

if it is concluded that reservation termination conditions are satisfied for requests for distribution of signals including data of a specific one of said contents,

preventing said determining of whether said instructions are instructions of requests for distribution of signals including data of said specific one of said contents.