Communication system and techniques for transmission from source to destination

• US 8,804,754 B1
• Filed: 11/06/2012
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bai, Junfeng, Sivakumar, Raghupathy, Jayant, Nikil
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, DUC CHI
• Application Number:
  US13/669,608
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/412
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/30 Routing of multiclass traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/263 Rate modification at the source after receiving feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/27 Evaluation or update of window size, e.g. using information derived from acknowledged [ACK] packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2404 Monitoring of server processing errors or hardware failure error or fault detection G06F11/07; monitoring in general G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 : Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 : Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6373 : for rate control , e.g. request to the server to modify its transmission rate flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• 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 21/6377 : directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64769 : for rate control flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64776 : for requesting retransmission, e.g. of data packets lost or corrupted during transmission from server ARQ 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 21/658 : Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 : in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A system and method for transmitting and presenting streaming digital information signals that optimizes performance in the context of goodput, throughput, delay, receiver buffer requirements and tolerance to loss and jitter. The method provides ordering packets of information based on a priority associated with each of the packets; managing the flow of the packets into and out of a buffer; adjusting the rate at which the packets are provided to a communication medium; and transmitting and retransmitting the packets as needed.

Claims

1. A method of fast caching packets transmitted from a source to a destination, comprising:

requesting the current status of a destination buffer;

calculating a future status of the destination buffer;

determining if any reversed bandwidth is unused; and

increasing the rate at which packets are transmitted to the destination if there is unused bandwidth and the future status indicates that the destination buffer is not full, wherein the rate at which packets are transmitted to the destination is increased such that the number of additional packets transmitted is the lessor of the unused bandwidth and the available buffer space.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting a retransmission credit equal to the number of additional packets transmitted.

3. A method of fast caching packets transmitted from a source to a destination, comprising:

requesting the current status of a destination buffer;

calculating a future status of the destination buffer;

determining if any reversed bandwidth is unused; and

increasing the rate at which packets are transmitted to the destination if there is unused bandwidth and the future status indicates that the destination buffer is not full;

wherein calculating the future status of the destination buffer comprises;

receiving the current status of the destination buffer to seconds after the beginning of an op window; and

setting the future buffer status equal to current buffer status−

((T−

tc+RTT)*(sending rate−

encoding rate)).

4. A method of transmitting data between a source and at least one destination, comprising:

transmitting the data as a series of packets to the at least one destination over a communications medium;

determining if one or more of the transmitted packets needs to be retransmitted;

requesting retransmission of a packet if it is determined that retransmission is required;

determining if there is available bandwidth to retransmit the request packet;

transmitting the request packet if there is available bandwidth;

determining if there is a retransmission credit available if it is determined that there is not any available bandwidth;

transmitting the request packet if there is a retransmission credit available; and

otherwise denying retransmission of the requested packet.

5. The method of claim 4, where the retransmission credit is generated by fast caching packets.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining if one or more of the transmitted packets needs to be retransmitted comprises:

receiving information regarding the packets to be received;

waiting a specific time period for receipt of an expected packet; and

sending a retransmission request if the expected packet is not received within the specified time period.