Video on demand delivery optimization over combined satellite and wireless broadband networks

• US 8,973,068 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2011
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kotecha, Lalit R., Stone, William H., Nelson, Matthew W., Kamdar, Kamlesh S., Aguirre, Sergio, Kamel, Raafat Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): IDOWU, OLUGBENGA O
• Application Number:
  US13/083,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20120260299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 725/96, 725/118, 370229-240
• US Class Current: 725/96
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/826 Involving periods of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64738 Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

Video content may be delivered in a wireless network based on network load information relating to radio interfaces for the wireless network. A method may include receiving a request, from a set-top box, for video content from the set-top box to the wireless network and determining, based on the load information, whether a portion of the wireless network corresponding to the set-top box is in a first state or a second state. The network may further include transmitting the video content when the portion of the network corresponding to the set-top box is in the first state and delaying transmission of the video content when the portion of the network corresponding to the set-top box is in the second state, until the portion of the network corresponding to the set-top box enters the first state.

Claims

1. A method implemented by one or more devices, the method comprising:

receiving, by the one or more devices, load information regarding network traffic load at radio interfaces for a long term evolution (LTE) network;

receiving, by the one or more devices, a request made by a subscriber, from a set-top box that receives television programming content from a satellite network and video on demand content from the LTE network, for video content corresponding to the video on demand content from the LTE network;

determining, by the one or more devices and based on the load information, whether a portion of the LTE network corresponding to the subscriber is in a first state or a second state;

transmitting, based on the request and by the one or more devices over the LTE network, the video content when the portion of the network corresponding to the subscriber is in the first state;

delaying transmission, over the LTE network and by the one or more devices, of the video content when the portion of the network corresponding to the subscriber is in the second state, until the portion of the network corresponding to the subscriber enters the first state;

pausing transmission, by the one or more devices, of the video content when the portion of the LTE network corresponding to the request enters the second state from the first state, the pausing occurring after transmission of the video content begins;

transmitting, by the one or more devices, based on the pausing of the transmission, a progress update providing an estimation of when the paused transmission of the video content will resume; and

resuming transmission, by the one or more devices, of the paused video content when the portion of the LTE network corresponding to the request enters the first state from the second state.

2. The method of claim 1, where the portion of the LTE network corresponding to the subscriber includes a base station through which the subscriber connects to the LTE network.

3. The method of claim 2, where determining whether the portion of the LTE network corresponding to the subscriber is in the first state or the second state further includes:

comparing an indication of load of the base station to a threshold and determining that the base station is in the first state when the indication of load is below the threshold and determining that the base station is in the second state when the indication of load is above the threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, where determining whether the portion of the LTE network corresponding to the subscriber is in the first state or the second state further includes:

determining that the portion of the network corresponding to the subscriber is in the first state when a current time falls within a predetermined time window; and

determining that the portion of the network corresponding to the subscriber is in the second state when the current time falls outside the predetermined time window.

5. The method of claim 4, where a start time and an end time defining the predetermined time window are set by a network administrator based on an analysis of historical network traffic.

6. The method of claim 4, where a start time and an end time defining the predetermined time window are set based on automatic analysis of historical network traffic.

7. The method of claim 4, where the predetermined time window corresponds to a period of historically low network load.

8. The method of claim 1, where the determination of whether the portion of the LTE network corresponding to the subscriber is in the first state or the second state is performed by a policy charging and rules function (PCRF) server in the LTE network.

9. The method of claim 1, where receiving the load information further includes:

receiving the load information from base stations or packet data network gateways in the LTE network.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the progress update further includes:

an estimate of when the video content will be available for viewing;

or

an indication of whether the video content can be watched while the video content is downloading.

10. A system comprising:

a traffic monitor to store load information regarding network traffic load at radio interfaces for a cellular wireless network; and

a video server to;

receive a request, over the cellular wireless network and from a set-top box that receives television programming content from a satellite network and video on demand content from the cellular wireless network, for a video content item corresponding to the video on demand content, for playback by a set-top box, the video server determining, in response to the request, and based on the load information, whether a portion of the cellular wireless network through which the set-top box connects is in a first state or a second state, where the first and second state relate to network load,

transmit, based on the request, the video content item when the portion of the network to which the outdoor broadband unit connects is in the first state,

delay transmission of the video content item when the portion of the network through which the set-top box connects is in the second state, until the portion of the network enters the first state,

pause transmission of the video content item when the portion of the cellular wireless network enters the second state, the pausing occurring after transmission of the video content begins;

transmit, based on the pausing of the transmission, a progress update providing an estimation of when the paused transmission of the video content will resume, and

resume transmission of the paused video content item when the portion of the cellular wireless network enters the first state from the second state.

11. The system of claim 10, where the cellular wireless network includes a long term evolution (LTE) network.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a policy charging and rules function (PCRF) server to provide, to the video server, the determination of whether the portion of the wireless network through which the set-top box connects is in the first state or the second state.

13. The system of claim 12, where the PCRF server determines the state of the portion of the cellular wireless network through which the set-top box connects by comparing the load information to a threshold and determining that the portion of the cellular wireless network through which the set-top box connects is in the first state when the load information is below the threshold and determining that the portion of the cellular wireless network is in the second state when the load information is above the threshold.

14. The system of claim 12, where the PCRF server:

determines that the portion of the cellular wireless network is in the first state when a current time falls within a predetermined time window; and

determine that the portion of the cellular wireless network is in the second state when the current time falls outside the predetermined time window.

15. The system of claim 14, where a start time and an end time defining the predetermined time window are set by a network administrator based on an analysis of historical network traffic.

16. The system of claim 14, where the predetermined time window corresponds to a period of historically low network load.

21. The system of claim 10, wherein the progress update further includes:

an estimate of when the video content will be available for viewing;

or

an indication of whether the video content can be watched while the video content is downloading.

22. The system of claim 10, wherein the progress update further includes:

an estimate of when the video content will be available for viewing;

or

an indication of whether the video content can be watched while the video content is downloading.

17. A device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories, coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memories storing instructions, that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive load information regarding network traffic load at radio interfaces for a long term evolution (LTE) network,

determine, based on the load information, whether a portion of the LTE network corresponding to a set-top box that receives television programming content from a satellite network and video on demand content from the LTE network, is in a first state, the set-top box requesting video on demand content from the LTE network,

permit the video on demand content to be downloaded to the set-top box when the portion of the LTE network is in the first state,

delay downloading of the video on demand content, to the set-top box, when the portion of the LTE network is not in the first state,

pause downloading of the video on demand content when the portion of the LTE network corresponding to the set-top box exits the first state, the pausing occurring after downloading of the video on demand content begins,

transmit, based on the pausing of the transmission, a progress update providing an estimation of when the paused transmission of the video content will resume; and

resume downloading of the paused video on demand content when the portion of the LTE network corresponding to the set-top box enters the first state.

18. The device of claim 17, where the device includes a policy charging and rules function (PCRF) server.

19. The device of claim 17, where the instructions additionally cause the one or more processors to:

compare the load information to a threshold and determine that the portion of the LTE network corresponding to the set-top box is in the first state when the load information indicates that network traffic load is below the threshold, and determine that the portion of the LTE network corresponding to the set-top box is not in the first state when the load information indicates that network traffic load is above the threshold.