Multi-interface adaptive bit rate session management

• US 9,014,027 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2012
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hayes, Richard Christopher, Shatzkamer, Kevin, Grayson, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Charles C
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAMARA, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US13/408,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20130223240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 370/395.61, 370/338, 370/329, 370/392, 370/395.43, 370/395.64, 709/233, 455450-451, 725/95, 725/109, 725/116
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5678 Traffic aspects, e.g. arbitration, load balancing, smoothing, buffer management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1066 Session management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0215 based on user or device properties, e.g. MTC-capable devices services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] H04W4/70; wireless resource selection or allocation plan definition based on terminal or device properties H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0231 based on communication conditions dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition based on channel quality criteria H04W72/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Systems and method are provided that allow an application layer client in a mobile device to manage multiple interfaces in a communication network. The multiple interfaces can include WiFi, cellular, Femto, WiMAX, Bluetooth, infrared, Ethernet, and other types of interfaces for communication in a network. The client on the mobile device can use intelligence and rules to determine how and when request fragments are communicated over the various interfaces available to the client. The intelligence can include parameters such as performance information for a particular interface and subscriber preferences. Based on this information the client can decide to use a combination of the interfaces to obtain multimedia content and render the content for display on the mobile device. By using a combination of interfaces and tracking the advantages and disadvantages of each interface, the client can make intelligent decisions in providing multimedia content to the user.

Claims

1. A user equipment comprising:

a transceiver for communicating over at least a first interface and a second interface; and

a processor in conjunction with memory for providing an adaptive bitrate (ABR) client;

wherein the user equipment is configured to;

manage a plurality of interfaces for communicating data, wherein the plurality of interfaces includes the first interface and the second interface,

select which interface to send specific ABR requests over, using parameters available to the ABR client, wherein the parameters include at least (i) performance information for the first interface and the second interface and (ii) subscriber preference information, and

send a plurality of ABR requests for different fragments of a multimedia file across both the first interface and the second interface,

wherein one of the plurality of ABR requests for one fragment of the multimedia file is sent over a selected one of the first interface and the second interface based on a playback time of another fragment of the multimedia file previously sent over one of the first interface and the second interface to the user equipment.

2. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the first interface includes an interface to a WiFi network and the second interface includes an interface to a cellular network.

3. The user equipment of claim 2, wherein the ABR client uses a combination of ABR fragment requests on the WiFi network interface and the cellular network to provide a unified video rendering experience.

4. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the ABR client measures the performance information for the first interface and the second interface by tracking metrics for past ABR fragment requests.

5. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the ABR client includes a set of rules that use the parameters available to the ABR client to make the determination as to how to use each interface available at the ABR client in an application layer.

6. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the performance information includes bandwidth and latency of an interface and the subscriber preference information includes information about preferred interfaces and cost.

7. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the ABR client sends an ABR fragment request over the first interface and retransmits the ABR fragment request over the second interface.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a request for media content at an adaptive bitrate (ABR) client;

fragmenting the request for media content into a plurality of ABR fragment requests for the media content;

managing a plurality of interfaces for communicating the plurality of ABR fragment requests at the ABR client;

selecting, at the ABR client, which interface to send specific ABR requests over, using parameters available to the ABR client, wherein the parameters include at least (i) performance information for the plurality of interfaces and (ii) subscriber preference information; and

sending the plurality of ABR fragment requests for the media content across both a first interface and a second interface of the plurality of interfaces,

wherein one of the plurality of ABR fragment requests for one fragment of the media content is sent over a selected one of the first interface and the second interface based on a playback time of another fragment of the media content previously sent over one of the first interface and the second interface.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first interface includes an interface to a WiFi network and the second interface includes an interface to a cellular network.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising using a combination of ABR fragment requests on the WiFi network interface and the cellular network to provide a unified video rendering experience.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising measuring, at the ABR client, the performance information for the first interface and the second interface by tracking metrics for past ABR fragment requests.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the ABR client includes a set of rules that use the parameters available to the ABR client to make the determination as to how to use each interface available at the ABR client in an application layer.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the performance information includes bandwidth and latency of an interface and the subscriber preference information includes information about preferred interfaces and cost.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising managing the first interface and the second interface at the ABR client so that ABR fragment requests are sent over the first interface and retransmission requests are sent over the second interface.

15. Logic encoded on at least one non-transitory medium for execution and when executed is configured to:

receive a request for media content at an adaptive bitrate (ABR) client;

fragment the request for media content into a plurality of ABR fragment requests for the media content;

manage a plurality of interfaces for communicating the plurality of ABR fragment requests at the ABR client;

select, at the ABR client, which interface to send specific ABR requests over, using parameters available to the ABR client, wherein the parameters include at least (i) performance information for the plurality of interfaces and (ii) subscriber preference information; and

send the plurality of ABR fragment requests for the media content across both a first interface and a second interface of the plurality of interfaces,

wherein one of the plurality of ABR fragment requests for the media content is sent over a selected one of the first interface and the second interface based on a playback time of a fragment of the media content previously sent over one of the first interface and the second interface.

16. The logic of claim 15, wherein the first interface includes an interface to a WiFi network and the second interface includes an interface to a cellular network.

17. The logic of claim 16, further comprising using a combination of ABR fragment requests on the WiFi network interface and the cellular network to provide a unified video rendering experience.

18. The logic of claim 15, further comprising measuring, at the ABR client, the performance information for the first interface and the second interface by tracking metrics for past ABR fragment requests.

19. The logic of claim 15, wherein the ABR client includes a set of rules that use the parameters available to the ABR client to make the determination as to how to use each interface available at the ABR client in an application layer.

20. The logic of claim 15, wherein the performance information includes bandwidth and latency of an interface and the subscriber preference information includes information about preferred interfaces and cost.