Channel changes between services with differing bandwidth in a switched digital video system

• US 8,099,756 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2005
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Versteeg, William C., Wall, William E., Rovira, Luis A., Zauzig, Don Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirl, Joseph P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peng, Fred
• Application Number:
  US11/164,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20070107023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,259 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• 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 21/266 Channel or content management, e.g. generation and management of keys and entitlement messages in a conditional access system, merging a VOD unicast channel into a multicast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Channel changes between services with differing bandwidth in a switched digital video system. A services map published by the headend and distributed to all of the edge devices, allows a bandwidth requirement to be correlated with each request from a device in the home. The bandwidth requirement is passed upstream along with the request for service and is subject to a system resource management validation.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a device located at a customer premise, the method comprising:

receiving a service map from a headend containing a plurality of entries, each entry including a service identifier, a location from which the service can be received from, a quality of service priority status and a corresponding bandwidth requirement, wherein the quality of service priority status is associated with a predetermined quality of service priority status scheme;

receiving a request for a service;

determining, based on the service map, required bandwidth for the requested service, wherein determining the require bandwidth comprises;

parsing the request for service of each device at the customer premise requesting service, and

adding a bandwidth management status of each device together; and

providing the required bandwidth and the requested service to a bandwidth allocation device, wherein the required bandwidth and the requested service are conveyed using an Internet group management protocol (IGMP) request, wherein each device at the customer premise is configured to read and evaluate the request in determining the required bandwidth.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the service map comprises:

receiving the service map through a multicast group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request for the requested service comprises:

receiving a user selection for a channel associated with the requested service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth allocation device is associated with the requested service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth allocation device allocates bandwidth for the requested service.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

distributing the service map to a collocated customer premise device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each entry further includes an identifier of a switched digital video (SDV) device associated with the corresponding service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each entry further includes an identifier of a switched digital video (SDV) device providing the corresponding service.

9. A computing device comprising:

a processor executing instructions retrieved from a memory, the instructions comprising;

logic configured to receive a service map containing a plurality of entries, each entry including a service identifier, a location from which the service can be received from, a quality of service priority status and a corresponding bandwidth requirement, wherein the quality of service priority status is associated with a predetermined quality of service priority status scheme;

logic configured to receive a request for a service;

logic configured to determine, based on the service map, required bandwidth for the requested service, wherein determining the require bandwidth comprises;

parsing the request for service of each device at the customer premise requesting service, and

adding a bandwidth management status of each device together; and

logic configured to transmit a request for the requested service to a bandwidth allocation device, the request for the requested service including the required bandwidth, wherein the required bandwidth and the requested service are conveyed using an Internet group management protocol (IGMP) request,

wherein each device at the customer premise is configured to read and evaluate the request in determining the required bandwidth.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the bandwidth allocation device is associated with the requested service.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the bandwidth allocation device performs bandwidth allocation for the requested service.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein each entry further includes an identifier of a switched digital video (SDV) device associated with the corresponding service.

13. The computing device of claim 9, wherein each entry further includes an identifier of a switched digital video (SDV) device providing the corresponding service.

14. The computing device of claim 9, further comprising a receiver configured to receive media streams, and wherein the instructions further comprise:

logic configured to receive a response to the request; and

logic configured to instruct the receiver to receive the requested service, responsive to the received response being indicative of a grant of the request.

15. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the computing device is a set-top box.

16. A method implemented in a switched digital video (SDV) device, the method comprising:

transmitting a service map to a plurality of devices located in a customer premise, the service map containing a plurality of entries, each entry including a service identifier, a location from which the service can be received from, a quality of service priority status and a corresponding bandwidth requirement, wherein the quality of service priority status is associated with a predetermined quality of service priority status scheme;

receiving service requests from at least a portion of the plurality of devices, each service request including one of the services from the transmitted service map and the corresponding bandwidth requirement from the service map, wherein the received service requests are conveyed using Internet group management protocol (IGMP) requests, wherein each of the plurality of devices in the customer premise is configured to read and evaluate the received service request in determining the required bandwidth;

evaluating each of the received service requests by comparing the required bandwidth in the service request to available bandwidth for the customer premise, wherein comparing the required bandwidth in the service request comprises determining, based on the service map, required bandwidth for the requested service, wherein determining the require bandwidth comprises;

parsing the request for service of each of the plurality of devices located in the customer premise requesting service, and

adding a bandwidth management status of each device together; and

granting or denying each of the received service requests based on the respective evaluation, wherein each of the plurality of devices in the customer premise can grant or deny each of the received service requests.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

tracking the available bandwidth for the customer premise based on granted service requests.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the SDV device is one of a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), a digital content manager (DCM), or an optical line terminal (OLT).