Telecommunication and multimedia management method and apparatus

• US 8,682,336 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2008
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Voxer IP LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Voxer IP LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Katis, Thomas E., Panttaja, James T., Panttaja, Mary G., Ranney, Matthew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): SIVJI, NIZAR N
• Application Number:
  US12/197,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20090104915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,038 Days
• Field of Search: 455/452.2, 370/352, 370/395, 709/203, 709/223, 709/224, 709/231, 709/217, 709/232, 725/25
• US Class Current: 455/452.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4053 without floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355

Abstract

An apparatus for transferring a complete copy of media designated as time-sensitive over a network. The apparatus includes a sending node including a transmitter configured to transmit media designated as time-sensitive to a receiving node. The sending node also includes a network-ascertaining element that is configured to receive receipt reports from the receiving node, the receipt reports identifying any missing media designated as time sensitive lost during the transmission. In response, the transmitter of the sending node retransmits the media corresponding to the identified missing media, the retransmission occurring when bandwidth on the network in excess of what is needed to transmit time-sensitive media becomes available. A complete copy of the media is eventually received at the receiving node after the retransmission.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transmitting media over a network, the apparatus comprising:

a sending node, the sending node including;

a transmitter configured to transmit media from the sending node to a receiving node over the network; and

a network element configured to receive receipt reports from the receiving node, the receipt reports including a first priority request for retransmission of transmitted voice media, for consumption in either a real-time or time-shifted mode, noted as missing as a result of media loss during transmission between the sending node and the receiving node, the first priority request defining a request for the retransmission of missing media to occur at a low priority when bandwidth on the network is available in excess of what is needed to transmit media that is being consumed by a recipient in real-time;

the transmitter further configured to monitor available network bandwidth between the sending node and the receiving node and determine, based on available network bandwidth, when to retransmit the noted missing media in response to the first priority request for retransmission, the retransmission occurring when bandwidth on the network is available in excess of what is needed to transmit media that is being consumed by the recipient in real-time so that the retransmission does not interfere with the media consumed by the recipient in real time, while guaranteeing that the noted missing media is eventually received at the receiving node and is available for rendering a complete copy of the voice media in a time-shifted mode by the recipient.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiving node further comprises a data quality store configured to note missing media transmitted by the sending node but not received by the receiving node.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the receiving node further comprises a receipt report generator configured to generate the receipt reports by:

scanning the data quality store;

ascertaining the media noted as missing in the data quality store; and

generating the receipt reports requesting the retransmission of the missing media noted in the data quality store.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the receipt report generator at the receiving node is further configured to remove the notation for the missing media in the data quality store as the missing media is received after retransmission.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the receipt report generator at the receiving node is further configured to note in the data quality store any corrupted media received at the receiving node.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the receiving node is further configured to generate a second priority request, which is of a higher priority relative to the first priority request, for retransmission of media noted as missing when the media loss on the network falls below a predetermined acceptable threshold.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network element at the sending node is further configured to:

receive the receipt reports, the receipt reports alternatively including a second priority request, which is of higher priority than the first priority request, for the retransmission of media noted as missing when the media loss over the network exceeds a predetermined acceptable threshold; and

the transmitter further configured to prioritize in response to the second priority request the retransmission of the media noted as missing over the transmission of other media that is being consumed by the recipient in real-time.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sending node comprises a communication device, the communication device consisting of one of the following:

land-line phone, wireless phone, cellular phone, satellite phone, computer, radio, server, satellite radio, tactical radio or tactical phone.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiving node comprises a communication device, the communication device consisting of one of the following:

land-line phone, wireless phone, cellular phone, satellite phone, computer, radio, server, satellite radio, tactical radio or tactical phone.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the media is locally generated at the sending node.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sending node is a hop on the network between a remote device transmitting the media and the receiving node.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiving node is a hop on the network between the sending node and the recipient.

13. The apparatus claim 1, wherein the media further comprises one or more of the following types of media:

voice, video, text, sensor data, position or GPS information, radio signals, or a combination thereof.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the recipient of the transmitted media is a person.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the recipient of the transmitted media is a service running on a device connected to the network.

16. A method for transmitting media over a network, comprising:

transmitting media from a sending node to a receiving node over the network;

receiving a first priority request at the sending node retransmission of transmitted voice media, for consumption in either a real-time or time-shifted mode, noted as missing as a result of media loss during transmission between the sending node and the receiving node, the first priority request defining a request for the retransmission at a low priority of the missing media when bandwidth on the network is available in excess of what is needed to transmit media that is being consumed by a recipient in real-time;

monitoring available network bandwidth between the sending node and the receiving node;

determining when bandwidth on the network is available in excess of what is needed to transmit media that is being consumed by the recipient in real time; and

retransmitting the missing media in response to the first priority request when bandwidth on the network is available in excess of what is needed to transmit media that is being consumed by the recipient in real-time so that the retransmission does not interfere with the media consumed by the recipient in real time, while guaranteeing that the noted missing media is eventually received at the receiving node and a complete copy of the voice media is available for rendering in a time-shifted mode by the recipient.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving at the sending node a second priority request, which is of a higher priority relative to the first priority request, for retransmission of media noted as missing.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

prioritizing, in response to the second priority request, the retransmission of the media noted as missing over the transmission of media that is being consumed by the recipient in real-time; and

retransmitting the media noted as missing.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the sending node comprises a communication device, the communication device consisting of one of the following:

land-line phone, wireless phone, cellular phone, satellite phone, computer, radio, server, satellite radio, tactical radio or tactical phone.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the receiving node comprises a communication device, the communication device consisting of one of the following:

land-line phone, wireless phone, cellular phone, satellite phone, computer, radio, server, satellite radio, tactical radio or tactical phone.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the media transmitted by the sending node is locally created at the sending node.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving the media at the sending node before transmitting the media to the receiving node.

23. The method claim 16, wherein the media comprises one or more of the following types of media:

voice, video, text, sensor data, position or GPS information, radio signals, or a combination thereof.

24. A computer readable application embedded in a non-transitory computer readable medium and intended to run on a sending node on a network, the application comprising:

a transmission module configured to transmit media from the sending node to a receiving node over the network; and

a receiving module configured to receive a first priority request at the sending node for retransmission of transmitted voice media, for consumption in either a real-time or time-shifted mode, noted as missing as a result of media loss during transmission between the sending node and the receiving node, the first priority request defining a request for the retransmission of missing media to occur at a low priority when bandwidth on the network is available in excess of what is needed to transmit media that is being consumed by a recipient in real-time,

the transmission module monitoring available network bandwidth between the sending node and the receiving node and retransmitting the missing media in response to the first priority request when the transmission module determines that bandwidth on the network is available in excess of what is needed to transmit media that is being consumed by the recipient in real-time so that the retransmission does not interfere with the media consumed by the recipient in real time while guaranteeing that the noted missing media is eventually received at the receiving node and a complete copy of the voice media is available for rendering in a time-shifted mode by the recipient.

25. The application of claim 24, wherein the receiving module is further configured to receive a second priority request, which is of a higher priority relative to the first priority request, for retransmission of media noted as missing.

26. The application of claim 25, wherein the transmission module is further configured to prioritized retransmission of the media noted as missing over the transmission of media that is being consumed by the recipient in real-time in response to the second priority request.

27. The application of claim 24, wherein the sending node configured to run the application consisting of one of the following:

land-line phone, wireless phone, cellular phone, satellite phone, computer, radio, server, satellite radio, tactical radio or tactical phone.

28. The application of claim 24, further comprising a media generating module configured to generate the media transmitted from the sending node to the receiving node.

29. The application of claim 24, further comprising a network receiving module configured to receive the media at the sending node before transmitting the media to the receiving node.

30. The application claim 24, wherein the media comprises one or more of the following types of media:

voice, video, text, sensor data, position or GPS information, radio signals, or a combination thereof.