System for scalable transmission of content in a data network

• US 7,958,252 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Zhu, Yixin, Nagaraj, Thadi, Chen, An Mei, Chandhok, Ravinder
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu; Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Waqas; Saad A
• Application Number:
  US11/120,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20050251838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,227 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2404 Monitoring of server processing errors or hardware failure error or fault detection G06F11/07; monitoring in general G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440227 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4425 Monitoring of client processing errors or hardware failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64792 Controlling the complexity of the content stream, e.g. by dropping packets intermediate media network packet handling H04L65/765; proxy provisioning conversion or adaptation for reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data H04L67/5651; negotiation of resources in wireless networks H04W28/16

Abstract

System for scalable transmission of content in a data network. A method is provided for transmitting a plurality of content clips. The method includes determining QoS factors for the content clips, and grouping the content clips into groups based on the determined QoS factors. The method also includes coding the content clips in the groups to form coded content clips, interleaving the coded content clips to create a clip stream, and transmitting the clip stream.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a plurality of m content clips from a computing device on a data network, the method comprising:

determining in the computing device a QoS factor v for each content clip i for i=1 to m according to the equation;

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the QoS factors comprises determining the QoS factors based on the demand probability p_i, wherein

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of grouping comprises grouping the content clips so that each group comprises content clips having QoS factors within ten percent of each other.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of coding the content clips comprises coding the content clips in the groups to form coded blocks of content clips wherein the content clips within each group receive the same amount of coding.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting comprises transmitting the clip stream using any combination of unicast, broadcast, and multicast transmission techniques.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more receiving terminals comprise wireless devices.

31. The method of claim 2, wherein coding in the computing device the content clips in the groups to form coded blocks of content clips further comprises coding the content clips into a number of encoding groups G_j and, for j=1 to the number of encoding groups G_j, determining an encoding factor e_j for each encoding group G_j, where j≦

m, such that;

7. Apparatus for transmitting a plurality of m content clips, the apparatus comprising:

processing logic that operates to determine a QoS factor v for each content clip i for i=1 to m according to the equation;

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processing logic operates to determine the QoS factors based on the demand probability p_i,

wherein

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processing logic operates to group the content clips so that each group comprises content clips having QoS factors within ten percent of each other.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the coding logic operates to code the content clips in the groups to form coded blocks of content clips wherein the content clips within each group receive the same amount of coding.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the transmitting logic comprises logic to transmit the clip stream using any combination of unicast, broadcast, and multicast transmission techniques.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more receiving terminals comprise wireless devices.

32. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the coding logic to code the content clips in the groups to form coded blocks of content clips further comprises coding the content clips into a number of encoding groups G and, for j=1 to the number of encoding groups G_j, determining an encoding factor e˜

for each encoding group G3, where j≦

m, such that;

13. Apparatus for transmitting a plurality of m content clips, the apparatus comprising:

means for determining a QoS factor v for each content clip i for i=1 to m according to the equation;

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for determining the QoS factors comprises means for determining the QoS factors based on the demand probability p_i,

wherein

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for grouping comprises mean for grouping the content clips so that each group comprises content clips having QoS factors within ten percent of each other.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for coding the content clips comprises means for coding the content clips in the groups to form coded blocks of content clips wherein the content clips within each group receive the same amount of coding.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for transmitting comprises means for transmitting the clip stream using any combination of unicast, broadcast, and multicast transmission techniques.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more receiving terminals comprise wireless devices.

33. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for coding the content clips in the groups to form coded blocks of content clips further comprises coding the content clips into a number of encoding groups G and, for i=1 to the number of encoding groups G_j, determining an encoding factor e_j for each encoding group G_j, where j≦

m, such that;

19. A non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions, which when executed by processing logic in a server, operate to transmit a plurality of m content clips, the computer-readable media comprising:

instructions for determining a QoS factor v for each content clip i for i=1 to m according to the equation;

20. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the instructions for determining the QoS factors comprise instructions for determining the QoS factors based on the demand probability p_i,

21. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the instructions for grouping comprise instructions for grouping the content clips so that each group comprises content clips having QoS factors within ten percent of each other.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the instructions for coding the content clips comprise instructions for coding the content clips in the groups to form coded blocks of content clips wherein the content clips within each group receive the same amount of coding.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the instructions for transmitting comprise instructions for transmitting the clip stream using any combination of unicast, broadcast, and multicast transmission techniques.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the one or more receiving terminals comprise wireless devices.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 20, wherein the instructions for coding the content clips in the groups to form coded blocks of content clips further comprises instructions for coding the content clips into a number of encoding groups G and, for j=1 to the number of encoding groups G_j, determining an encoding factor e1 for each encoding group G_j where j≦

m, such that;

25. A processor comprising coding logic and interleaving logic for transmitting a plurality of m content clips, the processor operable to perform a method comprising:

determining a QoS factor v for each content clip i for i=1 to m according to the equation;

26. The processor of claim 25, wherein the step of determining the QoS factors comprises determining the QoS factors based on the demand m

probability p_i, wherein

27. The processor of claim 25, wherein the step of grouping comprises grouping the content clips so that each group comprises content clips having QoS factors within ten percent of each other.

28. The processor of claim 25, wherein the step of coding the content clips comprises coding the content clips in the groups to form coded blocks of content clips wherein the content clips within each group receive the same amount of coding.

29. The processor of claim 25, wherein the step of transmitting comprises transmitting the clip stream using any combination of unicast, broadcast, and multicast transmission techniques.

30. The processor of claim 25, wherein the one or more receiving terminals comprise wireless devices.

35. The processor of claim 26, wherein the step of coding the content clips in the groups to form coded blocks of content clips further comprises coding the content clips into a number of encoding groups G and, for i=1 to the number of encoding groups G_j, determining an encoding factor e_j for each encoding group G_j where j≦

m, such that;