Multicast digital video lost packet recovery

• US 8,112,542 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2008
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Hieu
• Application Number:
  US12/327,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20100037270A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 709/232, 709/235
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6375 for requesting retransmission , e.g. of data packets lost or corrupted during transmission from serverARQ protocols H04L1/18; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An electronic communication network supports delivery of video program Internet protocol packets and includes a source device, a first recipient device, and a second recipient device. The source device transmits both first and second video program Internet protocol packets. The first recipient device is assigned as positive acknowledgment leader by the source device and the second recipient device that is assigned as negative acknowledgement leader by the source device. The first recipient device is operable to transmit to the source device a positive acknowledgment of receipt of the first video program Internet protocol packet. The second recipient device is operable to transmit to the source device a negative acknowledgment of non-receipt upon not receiving the first video program Internet protocol packet. The source device responds to the negative acknowledgement of non-receipt by the second recipient device by multicast resending the second video program Internet protocol packet to both the first and second recipient devices.

Claims

1. A method for operating a wireless access point to transmit a video stream having a plurality of independent frames and a plurality of reference frames to a plurality of wireless devices, the method comprising:

the wireless access point selecting a positive reception confirmation leader from the plurality of wireless devices, wherein the positive reception confirmation leader is a first wireless device whose communication path to the wireless access point has second highest transmission error rate among the plurality of the wireless devices;

the wireless access point selecting a negative reception confirmation leader from the plurality of wireless devices, wherein the negative reception confirmation leader is a second wireless device whose communication path to the wireless access point has highest transmission error rate among the plurality of the wireless devices;

the wireless access point transmitting an independent frame of the plurality of independent frames to the plurality of wireless devices using reception confirmation;

the wireless access point either receiving a positive acknowledgment of the independent frame only from the positive reception confirmation leader or the wireless access point receiving a negative acknowledgment of the independent frame only from either the negative reception confirmation leader or the positive reception confirmation leader;

wherein, in response to receiving the negative acknowledgment of the independent frame only from either the negative reception confirmation leader or the positive reception confirmation leader, the wireless access point retransmitting the independent frame of the plurality of independent frames to the plurality of wireless devices using the reception confirmation; and

wherein, the wireless access point transmitting a reference frame of the plurality of reference frames to the plurality of wireless devices without the reception confirmation.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of independent frames and the plurality of reference frames are Internet protocol video program packets.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the wireless access point employing data rights management overlaying.

4. An electronic communication network that supports delivery of video program Internet protocol packets, the electronic communication network comprising:

a source device that is operable to function as a wireless access point to a plurality of recipient devices to transmit the video program Internet protocol packets;

a first recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices, wherein the source device is operable to select the first recipient device as a positive reception confirmation leader for the plurality of recipient devices, due to the first recipient device'"'"'s communication path to the source device having second highest transmission error rate among the plurality of recipient devices; and

a second recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices, wherein the source device is operable to select the second recipient device as a negative reception confirmation leader for the plurality of recipient devices, due to the second recipient device'"'"'s communication path to the source device having highest transmission error rate among the plurality of recipient devices;

wherein the first recipient device is operable to transmit to the source device a positive acknowledgment of receipt or negative acknowledgment of receipt of the video program Internet protocol packet from the source device;

wherein the second recipient device is operable to transmit to the source device a negative acknowledgment of receipt of the video program Internet protocol packet; and

wherein the source device only responds to the positive or negative acknowledgment from the first recipient device and the negative acknowledgment from the second recipient device of the plurality of recipient devices and retransmits the video program Internet protocol packet upon receiving the negative acknowledgment only from either the first recipient device or the second recipient device.

5. The electronic communication network of claim 4, wherein the video frame is an independent frame.

6. The electronic communication network of claim 4, wherein the video frame is a reference frame.

7. The electronic communication network of claim 4, wherein the electronic communication network is operable to employ data rights management overlaying.

8. A method to transmit a video stream having a plurality of frames comprising:

selecting, by a wireless access point, a positive reception confirmation leader from a plurality of wireless devices, wherein the positive reception confirmation leader is a first wireless device whose communication path to the wireless access point has second highest transmission error rate among the plurality of the wireless devices;

selecting, by the wireless access point, a negative reception confirmation leader from the plurality of wireless devices, wherein the negative reception confirmation leader is a second wireless device whose communication path to the wireless access point has highest transmission error rate among the plurality of the wireless devices;

transmitting a frame from the wireless access point to the plurality of wireless devices;

receiving at the wireless access point, either a positive acknowledgment of receipt of the frame only from the positive reception confirmation leader or a negative acknowledgment of receipt of the frame only from either the negative reception confirmation leader or the positive reception confirmation leader; and

retransmitting the frame from the wireless access point in response to receiving the negative acknowledgment of the frame only from either the negative reception confirmation leader or the positive reception confirmation leader.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the frame is an independent frame.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the frame is a reference frame.

11. The method of claim 8, further including employing data rights management overlaying by the wireless access point and the plurality of devices forming a network.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless access point transmits the video stream comprised of video program Internet protocol packets.