Method in a communication system, a communication system and a communication device

• US 8,161,158 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2002
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Curcio, Igor D., Hannuksela, Miska, Varsa, Viktor
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAIR, DOUGLAS B
• Application Number:
  US10/255,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20040057412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,492 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/231, 709/233, 709/227, 709/228, 709/237
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and a communication system for transmission of multimedia streams. Multimedia streams are transmitted in the communication system from a sending communication device to a receiving communication device at least partly via a wireless communication network. Information about the multimedia stream is transmitted to the receiving communication device comprising at least one parameter of the transmission of the multimedia stream for reservation of network resources. The parameter is the maximum bit rate which is needed for the transmission or the maximum service data unit size to be used in the transmission. It is also possible that both the mentioned parameters will be transmitted as attributes of the session description protocol. In an advantageous embodiment the receiving communication device informs the sending communication device about the QoS profile parameters which the wireless communication network granted for the transmission.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a receiving communication device, selecting a multimedia presentation to be transmitted from a sending communication device to the receiving communication device,

sending a request for the multimedia presentation from the receiving communication device to the sending communication device,

on the basis of the request for the selected multimedia presentation, determining at least one resource requirement regarding the transmission of the selected multimedia presentation,

transmitting, at least partly via a wireless communication network, to the receiving communication device, information on said at least one resource requirement for the selected multimedia presentation from the sending communication device,

sending a request from the receiving communication device to the wireless communication network, wherein the request includes the information on said at least one resource requirement,

receiving from the receiving communication device information regarding resources reserved for the receiving communication device, wherein said received information comprises at least one of the following;

a granted maximum bit rate,

a granted maximum service data unit size, and

a granted transfer delay, and

transmitting the information on said at least one reserved resource to the sending communication device.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein information about the multimedia stream is transmitted by using a session description protocol, and an attribute field of the session description protocol is used to inform the receiving communication device of said at least one parameter.

3. A method according to claim 1 comprising:

selecting a multimedia stream for transmission to the receiving communication device,

informing the sending communication device of the selection of the multimedia stream,

examining the maximum bit rate of the selected multimedia stream,

informing the maximum bit rate of the selected multimedia stream to the receiving communication device, and

reserving communication resources for the receiving communication device for receiving the selected multimedia stream.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said reserving communication resources for the receiving communication device is performed by using said maximum bit rate.

5. A method according to claim 3 wherein the selected multimedia stream is a streaming multimedia application.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the sending communication device is a server being in a data transmission connection with Internet, the streaming multimedia application is stored on said server, wherein the streaming multimedia application is transmitted from the server to the Internet and further to the wireless communication network, from which the streaming multimedia application is transmitted to the receiving communication device by using the reserved resources.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the streaming multimedia application is transmitted from the server as serving data units having a defined maximum size, wherein the maximum size of the serving data unit is informed to the receiving communication device, wherein the receiving communication device reserves storage capacity for the serving data units according to the maximum serving data unit size.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the request for selection of the multimedia stream is informed from the receiving communication device by using a describe message of the session description protocol, the maximum bit rate of the selected multimedia stream is informed to the receiving communication device by using a response message of the session description protocol, information on reserved communication resources for the receiving communication device is transmitted to the sending communication device by using a SETUP message or a PLAY message of a real-time transmission protocol.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum bit rate parameter contains a value in kbits for the maximum bit rate.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum service data unit size parameter contains an integer value for the maximum service data unit size.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein a suggested maximum transfer delay for any packet of the transmission is also informed.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving communication device is informed of at least one of the following parameters of the transmission of the multimedia stream for reservation of network resources:

the maximum bit rate,

the maximum service data unit size.

13. A communication system comprising:

a sending communication device,

a receiving communication device, and

a communication network to transmit multimedia streams from the sending communication device to the receiving communication device at least partly via a wireless communication network,

wherein the receiving communication device comprises;

a receiver that receives information on at least one resource requirement determined on the basis of the multimedia streams for the transmission of a selected multimedia stream requested from the receiving communication device and receives information on at least one reserved resource from the wireless communication network in response to a request from the receiving communication device including the information on at least one resource requirement; and

a transmitter for sending information on said at least one reserved resource to the sending communication device, said received information comprising at least one of the following;

a granted maximum bit rate,

a granted maximum service data unit size, and

a granted transfer delay.

14. A communication system according to claim 13, in which information on said at least one resource requirement is described with a session description protocol, wherein the communication system comprises a message composer to set an attribute field of the session description protocol to the value of said information on said at least one resource requirement.

15. A communication system according to claim 13, wherein the sending communication device is configured to transmit information about a maximum bit rate of the multimedia stream to the receiving communication device, and wherein the communication system further comprises a radio access node configured to reserve communication resources for the receiving communication device for receiving the multimedia stream, wherein the radio access node is arranged to use said maximum bit rate with the reservation of communication resources for the receiving communication device for receiving the multimedia stream.

16. A communication system according to claim 13, wherein the multimedia stream is used in a streaming multimedia application.

17. A communication system according to claim 16, wherein the sending communication device is a server being in a data transmission connection with Internet, the streaming multimedia application is stored on said server, wherein the multimedia streams of the streaming multimedia application is transmitted from the server to the Internet and further to the wireless communication network, from which the multimedia stream is transmitted to the receiving communication device by using the reserved resources.

18. A communication system according to claim 13, wherein a describe message of the session description protocol is arranged to be used to inform the selection of the multimedia stream, a response message of the session description protocol is arranged to be used to inform the maximum bit rate of the selected multimedia stream to the receiving communication device, information on reserved communication resources for the receiving communication device is transmitted to the sending communication device as a SETUP message or a PLAY message of a real-time transmission protocol.

19. A communication system according to claim 13, wherein the communication system comprises:

a detector to define at least one of the following parameters of the transmission of the multimedia stream;

the maximum bit rate required by the transmission of the multimedia stream,

the maximum service data unit size, and

a transmitter to send at least said parameter to the receiving communication device for reservation of network resources.

20. A sending communication device, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a request for a selected multimedia stream from a receiving communication device;

a transmitter configured to transmit information on at least one resource requirement regarding the transmission of the selected multimedia stream determined on the basis of the multimedia stream; and

said receiver further configured to receive information on at least one resource reserved for a receiving communication device and transmitted from the receiving communication device, the received information comprising at least one of the following;

a granted maximum bit rate,

a granted maximum service data unit size, and

a granted transfer delay.

21. A sending communication device according to claim 20, further comprising:

a detector configured to define at least one of the following parameters of the transmission of the multimedia stream;

the maximum bit rate required by the transmission of the multimedia stream,

the maximum service data unit size, and

a message composer configured to set an attribute field of a session description protocol to the value of the at least one defined parameter,

wherein the transmitter is configured to send at least said attribute field to the receiving communication device for reservation of network resources.

22. A receiving communication device, comprising:

a multimedia stream selector configured to select a multimedia stream for transmission from a sending communication device to the receiving communication device,

a transmitter configured to send a request for the selected multimedia stream to the sending communication device;

a receiver configured to receive information on at least one resource requirement determined on the basis of the selected multimedia stream for the transmission of the selected multimedia stream by the sending communication device in response to the request from the transmitter; and

said transmitter further configured to send information on said at least one resource requirement to a communication network for reservation of resources for the transmission of the selected multimedia stream to the receiving communication device;

said receiver further configured to receive information on at least one reserved resource from the communication network; and

said transmitter further configured to transmit information on said at least one reserved resource to the sending communication device, the received information comprising at least one of the following;

a granted maximum bit rate,

a granted maximum service data unit size, and

a granted transfer delay.

23. A receiving communication device according to claim 22, wherein the transmitter is configured for:

sending information on the selection to the sending communication device and

requesting information on at least one of the following parameters of the transmission of the multimedia stream;

the maximum bit rate required by the transmission of the multimedia stream,

the maximum service data unit size.

24. The receiving communication device according to claim 23, further comprising a memory configured to reserve storage capacity for serving data units according to the maximum serving data unit size.

25. A method comprising:

selecting a multimedia presentation to be transmitted from a sending communication device to a receiving communication device;

sending a request for the multimedia presentation from the receiving communication device to the sending communication device;

receiving information on at least one resource requirement regarding the transmission of the selected multimedia presentation, said at least one resource requirement having been determined on the basis of the selected multimedia presentation;

transmitting information on said at least one resource requirement to a communication network for reservation of resources for the transmission of the selected multimedia stream to the receiving communication device;

receiving from the communication network information regarding resources reserved for the receiving communication device; and

transmitting information on said at least one reserved resource to the sending communication device, wherein said transmitted information comprises at least one of the following;

a granted maximum bit rate,

a granted maximum service data unit size, and

a granted transfer delay.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein information about the selected multimedia stream is received by using a session description protocol, and an attribute field of the session description protocol is used to inform the receiving communication device of said at least one parameter.

27. A method according to claim 25 comprising:

selecting a multimedia stream for transmission to the receiving communication device,

informing the sending communication device of the selection of the multimedia stream,

receiving information of a maximum bit rate of the selected multimedia stream from the sending communication device,

reserving communication resources for the receiving communication device for receiving the selected multimedia stream.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein said reserving communication resources for the receiving communication device is performed by using said maximum bit rate.

29. A method according to claim 27 wherein the selected multimedia stream is a streaming multimedia application.

30. A method according to claim 25, wherein the request for selection of the multimedia stream is informed from the receiving communication device by using a describe message of the session description protocol, the maximum bit rate of the selected multimedia stream is informed to the receiving communication device by using a response message of the session description protocol, information on reserved communication resources for the receiving communication device is transmitted to the sending communication device by using a SETUP message or a PLAY message of a real-time transmission protocol.

31. A method according to claim 25, wherein the maximum bit rate parameter contains a value in kbits for the maximum bit rate.

32. A method according to claim 25, wherein the maximum service data unit size parameter contains an integer value for the maximum service data unit size.

33. A method according to claim 25, wherein a suggested maximum transfer delay for any packet of the transmission is also informed.