Systems and methods for enhanced data delivery based on real time analysis of network communications quality and traffic

• US 8,019,886 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2010
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Opanga Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Opanga Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Harrang, Jeffrey Paul, Gibbons, David B
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang; Liangche A
• Application Number:
  US12/763,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20110047286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/223, 709/224, 709/227, 709/228, 709/232, 709/237, 709/233
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/083 for increasing network speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• 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 45/123 Evaluation of link metrics techniques for monitoring network metrics H04L43/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/124 using a combination of metrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A system for improving digital data content delivery based on real time analysis of one or more network communications states. The networked computing system may include a network service provider device, a user equipment, a network link monitor, a data transfer agent, and a data communications network facilitating data communications amongst all devices of the networked computing system. The networked computing system may be configured to: detect at least one network communications metric, determine a network communications state associated with diminished communications throughput based on the detected at least one network communications metric, and then select an optimal rate for a data content transfer based on the determined network communications state. The network communications state may relate to either a state of network congestion or a state of reduced regional radio communications quality.

Claims

1. A networked computing system for delivering digital data content, the networked computing system comprising:

a network data sender device;

user equipment;

a network link monitor;

a data transfer agent; and

a data communications network facilitating data communications amongst all devices of the networked computing system,

wherein the networked computing system is configured to;

determine a throughput capacity for a network communication link extending from the data sender device to the user equipment;

detect at least one network communications metric to thereby determine a content delivery throughput for delivering the digital data content from the data sender device to the user equipment;

determining a network communications state and, if the network communications state indicates that the content delivery throughput is less than the throughput capacity, determine whether the diminished content delivery throughput, is caused by network congestion or underperformance of a network element in the network communication link extending from the data sender device to the user equipment; and

cause the data sender device to throttle a transmission rate for delivering the digital data content if the diminished content delivery throughput is caused by network congestion and permitting the user equipment to control the delivery rate and thereby transfer data as fast as the network communication link will allow without throttling the transmission rate if the diminished content delivery throughput is not caused by network congestion.

2. The networked computing system of claim 1, wherein the under performance of the network element relates to a state of reduced regional radio communications quality.

3. The networked computing system of claim 1, wherein the network link monitor determines the network communications state and then communicates the determined network communications state to the data transfer agent.

4. The networked computing system of claim 3, wherein the data transfer agent determines whether to change the rate for the digital data content transfer based on the received network communications state.

5. The networked computing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one network communications metric is selectable from the group consisting of:

an employed modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), a remaining link capacity, and a designated peak throughput for at least one service subscriber.

6. The networked computing system of claim 1, wherein the data transfer agent is a component of the data sender device and the network link monitor is a component of the user equipment.

21. The networked computing system of claim 1 wherein the network communication link includes a non-wireless network portion and a wireless network portion and the network congestion occurs in the non-wireless network portion.

22. The networked computing system of claim 1 wherein the network communication link includes a non-wireless network portion and a wireless network portion and the network congestion occurs in the wireless network portion.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions for delivering digital data content, which when executed, perform a method comprising:

determining a throughput capacity for a network communication link extending from a data sender to a user equipment;

detecting at least one network communications metric to determine a content delivery throughput for delivering the digital data content from the data sender to the user equipment via the network communications link;

determining a network communications state associated with a diminished content delivery throughput, based on the detected at least network communications metric; and

causing the data sender to throttle back a sending rate for the digital data content if the diminished content delivery throughput us caused by congestion on the network communications link and permitting the user equipment to control the sending rate without causing the data sender to throttle back if the diminished content delivery throughput is not caused by congestion on the network communications link.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the network communications state relates to a state of network congestion or a state of reduced regional radio communications quality.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises a network link monitor determining the network communications state and then communicating the determined network communications state to the data sender comprising a data transfer agent.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises the data transfer agent selecting whether to change the rate for a data content transfer with a user equipment based on the communications with the network link monitor.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the at least one network communications metric is selectable from the group consisting of:

an employed modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), a remaining link capacity, and a designated peak throughput for at least one service subscriber.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the network link monitor is a component of a user equipment.

13. A computer-implemented method for delivering digital data content, the method comprising:

determining a data throughput capacity on a network communication link extending from a data sending device to a user equipment;

determining a content delivery throughput for delivery in the digital data content from the data sending device to the user equipment on the network communication link;

determining a network communications state associated with a diminished content delivery throughput, less than the data throughput capacity, based on at least one network communications metric; and

causing the data sender to throttle back a sending rate for the digital data content if the diminished content delivery throughput us caused by congestion on the network communications link and permitting the user equipment to control the sending rate without causing the data sender to throttle back if the diminished content delivery throughput is not caused by congestion on the network communications link.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the network communications state relates to a state of network congestion or a state of reduced regional radio communications quality.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising a network link monitor determining the network communications state and then communicating the determined network communications state to the data sending device comprising a data transfer agent.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising the data transfer agent selecting whether to change the rate for a data content transfer with the user equipment based on the communications with the network link monitor.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the at least one network communications metric is selectable from the group consisting of:

an employed modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), a remaining link capacity, and a designated peak throughput for at least one service subscriber.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the network link monitor is a component of a user equipment.

19. A user equipment for affecting determinations associated with a data content transfer, the user equipment comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory storing a network link monitor; and

a data communications component,

wherein the network link monitor of the user equipment is configured to;

detect at least one network communications metric;

determine a network communications state associated with a content delivery throughput that is less than a data throughput capacity for a network communication link extending from a data sending device to the user equipment, based on the detected at least one network communications metric; and

wherein the user equipment is configured to transfer the determined network communications state to the data sending device in order to facilitate a determination of a rate for a data content transfer.

20. The user equipment of claim 19, wherein the network communications state relates to a state of network congestion or a state of reduced regional radio communications quality, and the determined at least one network communications metric is selectable from the group consisting of:

an employed modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), a remaining link capacity, and a designated peak throughput for at least one service subscriber.

23. A method for delivering digital data content from a data source to user equipment in a communications network having a non-wireless network portion and a wireless network portion, the method comprising:

determining a throughput capacity on a network communication link extending from the data source to the user equipment;

determining a content delivery throughput for delivering the digital data content on the network communication link;

if the content delivery throughput is less than the throughput capacity, determining if the diminished throughput capacity is caused by congestion in the wired network communication link or caused by poor link performance in the wireless network portion;

if the diminished throughput capacity is caused by congestion in the network communication link, causing the network service provider device to throttle a transmission rate for delivering the digital data content to thereby reduce congestion; and

if the diminished throughput capacity is caused by poor link performance in the wireless network portion, permitting the user equipment to control the content delivery throughput without throttling the transmission rate.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the network congestion occurs in the non-wireless network portion.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the network congestion occurs in the wireless network portion.