Reducing congestion of media delivery over a content delivery network

• US 9,025,458 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2012
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Chan, Yee Sin, Aksu, Arda, Sun, Lin, Kotecha, Lalit R., Yang, Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bunjob
• Application Number:
  US13/658,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20140112140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12

Abstract

A device may receive a packet that includes priority information that is based on a priority assigned to bits included in the packet. The priority may be assigned based on scalable code used to encode the bits for transmission. The device may determine that an indicator of network congestion satisfies a threshold, and may schedule the packet for transmission to a user device based on the priority information and the determination that the indicator satisfies the threshold.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

one or more processors to;

receive a packet that includes priority information that is based on a priority assigned to a plurality of bits included in the packet,

the priority being assigned based on scalable code used to encode the plurality of bits for transmission;

determine a percentage of physical resource blocks assigned to transmit scheduled packets out of a total quantity of physical resource blocks;

determine an indicator of network congestion based on the percentage;

determine that the indicator satisfies a threshold; and

schedule the packet for transmission to a user device based on the priority information and based on determining that the indicator satisfies the threshold.

2. The device of claim 1, where the scalable code includes layered code that assigns the priority to each of the plurality of bits.

3. The device of claim 1, where the scalable code includes progressive code that assigns the priority to each of the plurality of bits by sequencing the plurality of bits in order of priority.

4. The device of claim 1, where the priority information includes a differentiated services code point (DSCP) value or an assured forwarding (AF) value included in the packet.

5. The device of claim 1,

where the one or more processors are further to:

receive a user classification that specifies a subscription level for a user associated with the user device; and

where the one or more processors, when scheduling the packet for transmission, are further to;

schedule the packet for transmission based on the user classification.

6. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when scheduling the packet for transmission, are further to at least one of:

prioritize the packet for transmission;

or

drop the packet.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a device, a packet that includes priority information based on a priority assigned to one or more bits included in the packet,

the priority being assigned based on scalable code used to encode the one or more bits for transmission;

determining, by the device, that an indicator of network congestion satisfies a threshold,

the indicator of network congestion including a percentage of physical resource blocks assigned to transmit scheduled packets; and

scheduling, by the device, the packet for transmission to a user device based on the priority information and based on determining that the indicator satisfies the threshold.

8. The method of claim 7, where the scalable code includes layered code that assigns the priority to the one or more bits.

9. The method of claim 7,

where the scalable code includes progressive code that assigns the priority to the one or more bits by placing the one or more bits in a sequence, and

where the position in the sequence indicates the priority of the one or more bits.

10. The method of claim 7, where the priority information includes a differentiated services code point (DSCP) value or an assured forwarding (AF) value included in the packet.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a user classification that specifies a quality of service level for a user associated with the user device,

where scheduling the packet for transmission comprises;

scheduling the packet for transmission based on the user classification.

12. The method of claim 7, where scheduling the packet for transmission further comprises at least one of:

prioritizing the packet for transmission;

or

dropping the packet.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving rules for scheduling from a policy charging and rules function (PCRF) server,

where scheduling the packet comprises;

scheduling the packet based on the priority information, based on determining that the indicator satisfies the threshold, and based on the rules.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to;

receive a packet that includes priority information that is based on a priority assigned to each of a plurality of bits included in the packet,

the priority being assigned based on scalable code used to encode the plurality of bits for transmission;

determine a quantity of physical resource blocks assigned to transmit scheduled packets;

determine a total quantity of physical resource blocks;

determine an indicator of network congestion based on the quantity and the total quantity;

determine that the indicator of network congestion satisfies a threshold; and

schedule the packet for transmission to a user device based on the priority information and based on determining that the indicator satisfies the threshold.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the scalable code includes layered code that assigns the priority to each of the plurality of bits.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the priority information includes a differentiated services code point (DSCP) value or an assured forwarding (AF) value included in the packet.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the one or more instructions, to schedule the packet for transmission comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to at least one of;

prioritize the packet for transmission;

or

drop the packet.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the scalable code includes progressive code that assigns the priority to each of the plurality of bits by sequencing each of the plurality of bits in order of priority.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14,

where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a user classification associated with the user device; and

where the one or more instructions to schedule the packet for transmission comprise;

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

schedule the packet for transmission based on the priority information, based on the user classification, and based on determining that the indicator satisfies the threshold.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, where the user classification comprises one or more of:

a subscription level associated with a user of the user device, or

a quality of service level associated with the user of the user device.