Interleaving VoIP/VIP transmission in multiple sessions to increase quality of service in mobile devices having multiple interfaces

• US 8,467,377 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2005
• Issued: 06/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Kottilingal, Sudeep Ravi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jensen, Nicholas A
• Application Number:
  US11/211,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20070064684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,855 Days
• Field of Search: 370/356
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A first mobile device has two air interfaces. The first mobile device uses its first interface to transmit VoIP/VIP packets to a second device in a first session. If a quality of service decreases, then the first device causes a second session to be set up where the second session uses the second air interface. Both the first and second air interfaces are then used to communicate packets of a single media stream from the first device to the second device. The packets are transmitted in the first and second sessions in interleaved fashion, where the ratio of packets communicated in one session versus the other per unit time is adjusted in accordance with a quality of service afforded by one session versus a quality of service afforded by the other session. The second device orders the data payloads of the packets, thereby reconstructing the single media stream.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a first data payload, a second data payload, a third data payload, and a fourth data payload, wherein the first data payload includes data of a media stream, wherein the second data payload includes data subsequent to the first data payload in the media stream, wherein the third data payload includes data subsequent to the second data payload in the media stream, and wherein the fourth data payload includes data subsequent to the third data payload in the media stream, the method comprising:

transmitting, from a first device to a second device via a first wireless communication link between the first device and a first network, a first VoIP/VIP (voice over Internet Protocol or video over Internet Protocol) packet in a first application layer session between a first IP address associated with the first device and a second IP address associated with the second device, the first VoIP/VIP packet including the first data payload;

transmitting a SPAWN SIP (Session Initialization Protocol) message in the first application layer session from the first device to the second device via the first wireless communication link, wherein the SPAWN SIP message identifies the first application layer session;

receiving at the first device a first SIP OK message from the second device via the first wireless communication link, the first SIP OK message including a SPAWN identifier that comprises a hash of a FROM field, a TO field, a CALL-ID field, and a CSEQ number of the first application layer session;

transmitting a SIP INVITE message from the first device to the second device via a second wireless communication link, wherein the SIP INVITE message includes the SPAWN identifier;

receiving a second SIP OK message from the second device;

transmitting, from the first device to the second device via the second wireless communication link between the first device and a second network, a second VoIP/VIP packet in a second application layer session between a third IP address associated with the first device and the second IP address, wherein the first application layer session and the second application layer session are active simultaneously, the second VoIP/VIP packet including the second data payload;

transmitting a third VoIP/VIP packet in the first application layer session via the first wireless communication link, the third VoIP/VIP packet including the third data payload; and

transmitting a fourth VoIP/VIP packet in the second application layer session via the second wireless communication link, the fourth VoIP/VIP packet including the fourth data payload.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and third VoIP/VIP packets are transmitted over the first wireless communication link in accordance with a wireless LAN (local area network) communication protocol, wherein the second and fourth VoIP/VIP packets are transmitted over the second wireless communication link in accordance with a cellular telephone communication protocol, and wherein the first device is at least one of:

an IP phone, a cellular telephone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a computer having a wireless communication capability.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first, second, third and fourth VoIP/VIP packets are RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol) packets each of which includes an RTP timestamp.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first, second, third and fourth VoIP/VIP packets are RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol) packets each of which includes an RTP sequence number.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a Real-Time Control Protocol (RTCP) receiver report by the first device, the RTCP receiver report comprising an assessment of a quality of service of the first application layer session.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the assessment of the quality of service of the first application layer session comprises a signal strength of the first wireless communication link.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data of the first data payload, the data of the second data payload, the data of the third data payload, and the data of the fourth data payload include at least one of:

voice data, still image data, or video data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reconstructing at least a portion of the media stream in the second device by ordering the first, second, third and fourth data payloads in the order;

first data payload, second data payload, third data payload, fourth data payload.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the reconstructing step involves using RTP timestamps to perform said ordering.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the reconstructing step involves using RTP sequence numbers to perform said ordering.

11. A method of transmitting a plurality of data payloads of a media stream, the method comprising:

setting up a first VoIP/VIP (Voice over Internet Protocol or Video over Internet Protocol) communication path between a mobile communication device and a second device;

setting up a second VoIP/VIP communication path between the mobile communication device and the second device;

transmitting a SPAWN SIP (Session Initialization Protocol) message from the mobile communication device to the second device via the first VoIP/VIP communication path, wherein the SPAWN SIP message identifies a first application layer session corresponding to the first VoIP/VIP communication path;

receiving at the mobile communication path device a first SIP OK message from the second device via the first VoIP/VIP communication path, the first SIP OK message including a SPAWN identifier that comprises a hash of a FROM field, a TO field, a CALL-ID field, and a CSEQ number of the first application layer session;

transmitting a SIP INVITE message from the mobile communication device to the second device via the second VoIP/VIP communication path, wherein the SIP INVITE message includes the SPAWN identifier;

receiving a second SIP OK message from the second device;

transmitting a first subset of the data payloads from the mobile communication device to the second device across the first VoIP/VIP communication path;

transmitting a second subset of the data payloads from the mobile communication device to the second device across the second VoIP/VIP communication path; and

adjusting a ratio of a first plurality of data payloads transmitted across the first VoIP/VIP communication path from the mobile communication device to the second device in the first application layer session between the mobile communication device and the second device versus a second plurality of data payloads transmitted across the second VoIP/VIP communication path from the mobile communication device to the second device in a second application layer session between the mobile communication device and the second device, wherein the ratio is based on a ratio of a first assessment of a quality of service of the first application layer session versus a second assessment of a quality of service of the second application layer session.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the mobile communication device is a cellular telephone, the mobile communication device includes an 802.11 interface, and the first VoIP/VIP communication path includes a wireless communication link between the 802.11 interface and a local area network (LAN).

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the ratio is not a calculated value and is a result of said adjusting.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving the first and second subsets of data payloads by the second device and ordering the data payloads of the first and second subsets to reconstruct the media stream.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first VoIP/VIP communication path includes a first wireless communication link between a first air interface on the mobile communication device and an access point on a first network.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the second VoIP/VIP communication path includes a second wireless communication link between a second air interface on the mobile communication device and an access point on a second network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second network is a cellular telephone network and the second air interface is a cellular telephone interface.

18. A mobile communication device comprising:

a first air interface;

a second air interface; and

a processor that executes a stack of protocol processing layers, wherein the processor is configured to;

transmit first VoIP/VIP (Voice over Internet Protocol or Video over Internet Protocol) data payloads via the first air interface to a second device in a first application layer session between the mobile communication device and the second device;

transmit a SPAWN SIP (Session Initialization Protocol) message to the second device via the first application layer session, wherein the SPAWN SIP message identifies the first application layer session;

receive a first SIP OK message from the second device via the first air interface, the first SIP OK message including a SPAWN identifier comprising a hash of a FROM field, a TO field, a CALL-ID field, and a CSEQ number of the first application layer session;

transmit a SIP INVITE message via the second air interface to the second device in a second application layer session between the mobile communication device and the second device, wherein the SIP INVITE message includes the SPAWN identifier;

receive a second SIP OK message;

transmit second VoIP/VIP data payloads, via the second air interface to the second device in the second application layer session between the mobile communication device and the second device;

adjust a ratio of a number of first VoIP/VIP data payloads transmitted via the first air interface per unit time to a number of second VoIP/VIP data payloads transmitted via the second air interface per the unit time during the transmission of the first VoIP/VIP data payloads and the second VoIP/VIP data payloads, wherein the first VoIP/VIP data payloads and the second VoIP/VIP data payloads are payloads of a single media stream, wherein the ratio is based on a ratio of a first assessment of a quality of service of the first application layer session versus a second assessment of a quality of service of the second application layer session.

19. The mobile communication device of claim 18, wherein the processor executes a set of processor-executable instructions to:

determine the first assessment of a quality of service of the first application layer session; and

determine the second assessment of a quality of service of the second application layer session.

20. The mobile communication device of claim 18, wherein:

the first assessment of the quality of service of the first application layer session comprises first signal strength information from a first access point, wherein the first access point is involved in transmitting the first VoIP/VIP data payloads; and

the second assessment of the quality of service of the second application layer session comprises second signal strength information from a second access point, wherein the second access point is involved in transmitting the second VoIP/VIP data payloads.

21. The mobile communication device of claim 18, wherein:

the first assessment of the quality of service of the first application layer session comprises first data rate information from a first access point, wherein the first access point is involved in transmitting the first VoIP/VIP data payloads; and

the second assessment of the quality of service of the second application layer session comprises second data rate information from a second access point, wherein the second access point is involved in communicating transmitting the second VoIP/VIP data payloads.

22. The mobile communication device of claim 18, wherein the mobile communication device is a cellular telephone, wherein the first application layer session is set up using SIP, and wherein the second application layer session is set up using SIP.

23. The mobile communication device of claim 18, wherein the ratio is not a calculated value and is a result of adjustment.

24. A mobile communication device comprising:

a first air interface;

a second air interface;

means for transmitting a SPAWN SIP (Session Initialization Protocol) message to a second device via a first application layer session, wherein the SPAWN SIP message identifies the first application layer session;

means for receiving a first SIP OK message from the second device via the first air interface, the first SIP OK message including a SPAWN identifier comprising a hash of a FROM field, a TO field, a CALL-ID field, and a CSEQ number of the first application layer session;

means for transmitting a SIP INVITE message, via the second air interface, to the second device in a second application layer session between the mobile communication device and the second device, wherein the SIP INVITE message includes the SPAWN identifier;

means for receiving a second SIP OK message from the second device; and

means for adjusting a ratio of first VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) packets transmitted to the second device via the first air interface versus second VoIP packets transmitted to the second device via the second air interface, wherein the first VoIP packets are transmitted via the first air interface in the first application layer session between the mobile communication device and the second device, and wherein the second VoIP packets are transmitted via the second air interface in the second application layer session between the mobile communication device and the second device, the first application layer session and the second application layer session being active simultaneously, and wherein the first VoIP packets and the second VoIP packets contain voice data for a single voice data media stream.

25. The mobile communication device of claim 24, wherein the means for adjusting is a processor that executes a set of processor-executable instructions.