Peer-to-peer collaborative streaming among mobile terminals

• US 7,961,694 B1
• Filed: 05/29/2007
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Inventors: Chan, Shueng Han Gary, Leung, Man Fung, Au, Oscar Chi Lim
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang; Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): HTUN, SAN A
• Application Number:
  US11/754,985
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/519, 455/11.1, 455/13.1, 455/445, 455/151.2, 370/278, 370/442, 370/341, 370/310, 370/340, 370/329, 370/310.2, 370/328, 370/338, 370/323, 370/327, 370/492, 370/501
• US Class Current: 370/341
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for collaborative streaming among mobile terminals. Periodically, the mobile terminals may pull a portion of the data stream from a content provider coupled thereto over a primary channel and distribute the pulled data to neighboring mobile terminals, possibly including other mobile terminals pulling portions of the data stream from the content provider and passive mobile terminals that are only receiving pulled data. By transferring data over the secondary channel, the cost to any one terminal to receive the data stream is reduced.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first terminal, from a device, a first portion of a data stream, using a first channel;

determining, by the first terminal, whether to distribute the first portion of the data stream to a second terminal, wherein the second terminal is equipped to communicate with the first terminal via a second channel and the second terminal has not received the first portion of the data stream;

based at least in part on the determining whether to distribute the first portion of the data stream, distributing, by the first terminal, via the second channel, the first portion of the data stream to the second terminal, wherein the determining comprises;

calculating, by the first terminal, a first proportion of terminals communicating with the first terminal which can receive the first portion of the data stream from the first terminal; and

determining, by the first terminal, that the first proportion of terminals is greater than or equal to a pre-determined threshold;

receiving, by the first terminal, a second portion of the data stream;

calculating, by the first terminal, a second proportion of terminals communicating with the first terminal which can receive the second portion of the data stream from the first terminal;

determining, by the first terminal, that the second proportion of terminals is lower than the pre-determined threshold; and

based at least in part on the determining that the second proportion of terminals is lower than the pre-determined threshold, determining, by the first terminal, to not send a packet containing the second portion of the data stream to the second terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein distributing by the first terminal via the second channel comprises distributing by the first terminal to the second terminal via a peer-to-peer connection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving by the first terminal comprises responding by the first terminal to the second terminal via a cellular network'"'"'s data service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving by the first terminal using the first channel is more expensive than distributing by the first terminal to the second terminal via the second channel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, determining, and distributing are performed by the first terminal for a plurality of randomly distributed portions of the data stream.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to distribute the first portion of the data stream to the second terminal comprises determining, by the first terminal, whether the first portion of the data stream has made more than a predetermined number of hops through a network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

determining whether the first portion of the data stream has made more than the predetermined number of hops through a network comprises determining, by the first terminal, that a first time-to-live field associated with the first portion of the data stream is greater than 0; and

distributing the first portion of the data stream to the second terminal comprises;

decrementing, by the first terminal, the first time-to-live field associated with the first portion of the data stream by 1; and

sending, by the first terminal, a packet containing the first portion of the data stream and the first time-to-live field to the second terminal.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining, by the first terminal, that a second time-to-live field associated with the second portion of the data stream has reached 0; and

based at least in part on the determining that the second time-to-live field associated with the second portion of the data stream has reached 0, determining, by the first terminal, to not distribute the second portion of the data stream to the second terminal.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first device, from a second device, a first portion of a data stream, through a wireless channel;

determining, by the first device, whether to distribute the first portion of the data stream to a third device based at least in part on determining whether a density of devices which have received the first portion of the data stream has exceeded a threshold, wherein the determining whether the density of devices has exceeded the threshold comprises;

calculating, by the first device, a first proportion of devices communicating with the first device which can receive the first portion of the data stream from the first device; and

determining, by the first device, that the first portion of devices is greater than or equal to a pre-determined threshold;

wherein the third device is configured to receive the first portion of the data stream from the first device via a peer-to-peer network that is different from the wireless channel; and

based at least in part on the determining whether to distribute the first portion of the data stream, distributing by the first device to the third device, via the peer-to-peer network, the first portion of the data stream;

receiving, by the first device, a second portion of the data stream;

calculating, by the first device, a second proportion of devices communicating with the first device which can receive the second portion of the data stream from the first device;

determining, by the first device, that the second proportion of devices is lower than the pre-determined threshold; and

based at least in part on the determining that the second proportion of devices is lower than the pre-determined threshold, determining, by the first device, to not send a packet containing the second portion of the data stream to the third device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving by the first device via the wireless channel is more expensive than distributing by the first device to the third device over the peer-to-peer network.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving by the first device via the wireless channel comprises receiving by the first device via a cellular network'"'"'s data service.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising repeating the receiving, determining, and distributing by the first device for a plurality of randomly distributed portions of the data stream.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether to distribute the first portion of the data stream to the third device comprises determining, by the first device, whether the first portion of the data stream has made more than a predetermined number of hops through a network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

determining whether the first portion of the data stream has made more than the predetermined number of hops through a network comprises determining, by the first device, that a first time-to-live field associated with the first portion of the data stream is greater than 0; and

distributing the first portion of the data stream comprises;

decrementing, by the first device, the first time-to-live field associated with the first portion of the data stream by 1; and

sending, by the first device, a packet containing the first portion of the data stream and the first time-to-live field to the third device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining, by the first device, that a second time-to-live field associated with the second portion of the data stream has reached 0; and

based at least in part on the determining that the second time-to-live field associated with the second portion of the data stream has reached 0, determining, by the first device, to not distribute the second portion of the data stream to the third device.