Method and apparatus for content delivery to devices

• US 7,962,182 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: O'Neil, Kevin, Kwan, Wilson, Balatsos, Aris
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): KELLEY, STEVEN SHAUN
• Application Number:
  US11/467,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20080049660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: 455/574, 370/260, 370/318, 348/14.12
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/267 taking into account the information rate

Abstract

A technique for adjusting or modifying content delivery to devices is provided, thereby offering a degree of power consumption control in such devices. The device can determine a need to modify power consumption, either in response to an input or via detection of an unfavorable power supply condition. In response, the device sends a request to an infrastructure for at least one reduced rate data stream. Because the at least one reduced rate data stream requires less processing power when undergoing decoding operations, the device subsequently consumes less power. In one embodiment of the present invention, the determination of the unfavorable power supply condition may be based on a configurable power condition profile. Furthermore, subsequent to receiving the at least one reduced rate data stream, the device may provide a request to the infrastructure for at least one increased rate data stream.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting content delivery to a user device that implements a video teleconferencing application, the method comprising:

determining, in the user device, a need to modify power consumption of the user device by comparing battery power of the user device with a first threshold, a second threshold and a third threshold, wherein the first threshold defines a first level of power consumption below which a video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be degraded and an audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should not be changed, the second threshold defines a second level of power consumption below which the video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be eliminated and the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should be degraded, and the third threshold defines a third level of power consumption below which the video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be eliminated and the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should not be changed;

sending, via the user device, a request to an infrastructure device to reduce or eliminate a data rate of at least one data stream to the user device, wherein a reduction in a data rate of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application is requested responsive to a determination that the battery power satisfies the first threshold, wherein elimination of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application and a reduction in a data rate of the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application is requested responsive to a determination that the battery power satisfies the second threshold, and wherein elimination of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application and no change to the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application is requested responsive to a determination that the battery power satisfies the third threshold; and

receiving, at the user device, the video and audio streams of the video teleconferencing application from the infrastructure device, wherein following the request, the data rate of at least one of the video and audio streams of the video teleconferencing application are reduced or eliminated based on the request.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

sending the request via a wireless communication path.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, in the user device, another need to modify power consumption of the user device;

sending, via user device, another request to the infrastructure device; and

receiving, at the user device, at least one increased rate data stream from the infrastructure device for at least one of the first and second data streams in response to the another request.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining another need to modify power consumption of the user device includes identifying a favorable power supply condition of the user device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a temperature in the user device exceeds a temperature threshold and sending another request to the infrastructure device to reduce or eliminate the data rate of at least one data stream to the user device when the temperature in the user device exceeds the temperature threshold.

6. A method for adjusting content delivery from an infrastructure device to a user device that implements a video teleconferencing application, the method comprising:

receiving, at the infrastructure device, a request from a user device to reduce a data rate of at least one data stream to the user device, wherein the user device determines a need to modify power consumption of the user device by comparing battery power of the user device with a first threshold, a second threshold and a third threshold, wherein the first threshold defines a first level of power consumption below which a video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be degraded and an audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should not be changed, the second threshold defines a second level of power consumption below which the video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be eliminated and the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should be degraded, and the third threshold defines a third level of power consumption below which the video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be eliminated and the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should not be changed;

sending, from the infrastructure device, the video and audio streams of the video teleconferencing application, wherein following the request, the data rate of at least one of the video and audio streams of the video teleconferencing application are reduced or eliminated based on the request from the user device, and wherein a reduction in a data rate of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application occurs when the user device determines that the battery power satisfies the first threshold, wherein elimination of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application and a reduction in a data rate of the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application occurs when the user device determines that the battery power satisfies the second threshold, and wherein elimination of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application and no change to the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application occurs when the user device determines that the battery power satisfies the third threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, the method further comprising:

receiving the request via a wireless communication path.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, from user device, another request; and

sending, to user device, at least one increased rate data stream from the infrastructure device for at least one of the first and second data streams in response to the another request.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the another request is sent from the user device based on the user device determining a favorable power supply condition of the user device.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining at the user device whether a temperature in the user device exceeds a temperature threshold and sending another request from the user device to the infrastructure device to reduce or eliminate the data rate of at least one data stream when the temperature in the user device exceeds the temperature threshold.

11. A user device that implements a video teleconferencing application and receives content from an infrastructure device, the user device comprising:

a controller configured to determine a need to modify power consumption of the user device by comparing battery power of the user device with a first threshold, a second threshold and a third threshold, wherein the first threshold defines a first level of power consumption below which a video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be degraded and an audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should not be changed, the second threshold defines a second level of power consumption below which the video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be eliminated and the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should be degraded, and the third threshold defines a third level of power consumption below which the video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be eliminated and the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should not be changed;

an infrastructure interface, coupled to the controller, configured to send a request to the infrastructure device to reduce or eliminate a data rate of at least one data stream to the user device, wherein a reduction in a data rate of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application is requested responsive to a determination that the battery power satisfies the first threshold, wherein elimination of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application and a reduction in a data rate of the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application is requested responsive to a determination that the battery power satisfies the second threshold, and wherein elimination of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application and no change to the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application is requested responsive to a determination that the battery power satisfies the third threshold,

wherein the infrastructure interface is configured to receive the video and audio streams of the video teleconferencing application from the infrastructure device, wherein following the request, the data rate of at least one of the video and audio streams of the video teleconferencing application are reduced or eliminated based on the request.

12. The user device of claim 11, wherein the infrastructure interface sends the request via a wireless communication path.

13. The user device of claim 11, further wherein:

the controller determines another need to modify power consumption of the user device;

the infrastructure interface sends another request to the infrastructure device; and

the infrastructure interface receives at least one increased rate data stream from the infrastructure device for at least one of the first and second data streams in response to the another request.

14. The user device of claim 13, wherein in determining another need to modify power consumption of the user device, the controller identifies a favorable power supply condition of the user device.

15. The user device of claim 11, wherein the controller further determines whether a temperature in the user device exceeds a temperature threshold and sends another request to the infrastructure device to reduce or eliminate the data rate of at least one data stream to the user device when the temperature in the user device exceeds the temperature threshold.

16. A user device that receives content from an infrastructure device and implements a video teleconferencing application, the user device comprising:

means for determining a need to modify power consumption of the user device by comparing battery power of the user device with a first threshold, a second threshold and a third threshold, wherein the first threshold defines a first level of power consumption below which a video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be degraded and an audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should not be changed, and the second threshold defines a second level of power consumption below which the video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be eliminated and the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should be degraded, and the third threshold defines a third level of power consumption below which the video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be eliminated and the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should not be changed;

means for sending a request to an infrastructure device to reduce or eliminate a data rate of at least one data stream to the user device, wherein a reduction in a data rate of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application is requested responsive to a determination that the battery power satisfies the first threshold, wherein elimination of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application and a reduction in a data rate of the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application is requested responsive to a determination that the battery power satisfies the second threshold, and wherein elimination of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application and no change to the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application is requested responsive to a determination that the battery power satisfies the third threshold; and

means for receiving the video and audio streams of the video teleconferencing application from the infrastructure device, wherein following the request, the data rate of at least one of the video and audio streams of the video teleconferencing application are reduced or eliminated based on the request.

17. The user device of claim 16, wherein the user device further comprises means for determining whether a temperature in the user device exceeds a temperature threshold and means for sending another request to the infrastructure device to reduce or eliminate the data rate of at least one data stream to the user device when the temperature in the user device exceeds the temperature threshold.

18. An infrastructure device that adjusts content delivery to a user device that implements a video teleconferencing application, the infrastructure device comprising:

means for receiving a request from a user device to reduce a data rate of at least one data stream to the user device, wherein the user device determines a need to modify power consumption of the user device by comparing battery power of the user device with a first threshold, a second threshold and a third threshold, wherein the first threshold defines a first level of power consumption below which a video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be degraded and an audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should not be changed, the second threshold defines a second level of power consumption below which the video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be eliminated and the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should be degraded, and the third threshold defines a third level of power consumption below which the video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be eliminated and the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should not be changed;

means for sending the video and audio streams of the video teleconferencing application, wherein following the request, the data rate of at least one of the video and audio streams of the video teleconferencing application are reduced or eliminated based on the request from the user device, and wherein a reduction in a data rate of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application occurs when the user device determines that the battery power satisfies the first threshold, wherein elimination of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application and a reduction in a data rate of the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application occurs when the user device determines that the battery power satisfies the second threshold, and wherein elimination of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application and no change to the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application occurs when the user device determines that the battery power satisfies the third threshold.

19. The infrastructure device of claim 18, wherein the user device further determines whether a temperature in the user device exceeds a temperature threshold and the infrastructure device includes means for receiving another request from the user device to reduce or eliminate the data rate of at least one data stream when the temperature in the user device exceeds the temperature threshold.

20. A system comprising a user device and an infrastructure device, wherein the user device receives content from the infrastructure device,

wherein the user device is configured to determine a need to modify power consumption of the user device by comparing battery power of the user device with a first threshold, a second threshold and a third threshold, wherein the first threshold defines a first level of power consumption below which a video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be degraded and an audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should not be changed, the second threshold defines a second level of power consumption below which the video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be eliminated and the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should be degraded, and the third threshold defines a third level of power consumption below which the video stream of the video teleconferencing application should be eliminated and the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application should not be changed;

wherein the user device is configured to send a request to the infrastructure device to reduce or eliminate a data rate of at least one data stream to the user device, wherein a reduction in a data rate of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application is requested responsive to a determination that the battery power satisfies the first threshold, wherein elimination of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application and a reduction in a data rate of the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application is requested responsive to a determination that the battery power satisfies the second threshold, and wherein elimination of the video stream of the video teleconferencing application and no change to the audio stream of the video teleconferencing application is requested responsive to a determination that the battery power satisfies the third threshold,

wherein the infrastructure device is configured to send the video and audio streams of the video teleconferencing application, wherein following the request, the data rate of at least one of the video and audio streams of the video teleconferencing application are reduced or eliminated based on the request.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the user device sends the request to the infrastructure device via a wireless communication path.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein:

the user device determines another need to modify power consumption of the user device;

the user device sends another request to the infrastructure device; and

the infrastructure device sends at least one increased rate data stream to the user device for at least one of the first and second data streams in response to the another request.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein in determining another need to modify power consumption of the user device, the user device identifies a favorable power supply condition of the user device.

24. The user device of claim 20, wherein the user device further determines whether a temperature in the user device exceeds a temperature threshold and sends another request to the infrastructure device to reduce or eliminate the data rate of at least one data stream to the user device when the temperature in the user device exceeds the temperature threshold.