Method and system for facilitating transition from broadcast to unicast
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- receiving into a unicast gateway a request to establish a unicast bearer between the unicast gateway and a user equipment device (UE);
responsive to the request, (a) the unicast gateway engaging in signaling to facilitate establishment of the unicast bearer between the unicast gateway and the UE, and (b) the unicast gateway determining whether the UE is a broadcast recipient of an ongoing transmission of a media sequence from a broadcast server; and
responsive to the determining being that the UE is a broadcast recipient of the ongoing transmission of the media sequence from the broadcast server, (a) the unicast gateway determining a transition point in the media sequence, and (b) the unicast gateway beginning to unicast the media sequence to the UE, via the unicast bearer, starting at a point in the media sequence based on the determined transition point,wherein the method further comprises the unicast gateway receiving from a content synchronizer a report of which one or more UEs are each a broadcast recipient of the ongoing transmission of the media sequence, wherein determining that the UE is a broadcast recipient of the ongoing transmission of the media sequence is based on the received report.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed is a method and system to help facilitate transition from broadcast to unicast. A broadcast server provides a copy of session content to a unicast gateway, and a content-synchronizer keeps track of which UEs are broadcast recipients and what the progress of the broadcast is over time. In response to unicast attachment of a UE with the unicast gateway, as when the UE moves from broadcast coverage to unicast coverage, the unicast server determines based on information from the content synchronizer (i) that the UE is a broadcast recipient and (ii) the progress of the broadcast so far. The unicast gateway then begins transmitting to the UE the media content received from the broadcast server, starting at a point in the media content based on the determined progress. This process may thereby help to facilitate a seamless transition from broadcast to unicast, with at most a brief interruption.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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receiving into a unicast gateway a request to establish a unicast bearer between the unicast gateway and a user equipment device (UE); responsive to the request, (a) the unicast gateway engaging in signaling to facilitate establishment of the unicast bearer between the unicast gateway and the UE, and (b) the unicast gateway determining whether the UE is a broadcast recipient of an ongoing transmission of a media sequence from a broadcast server; and responsive to the determining being that the UE is a broadcast recipient of the ongoing transmission of the media sequence from the broadcast server, (a) the unicast gateway determining a transition point in the media sequence, and (b) the unicast gateway beginning to unicast the media sequence to the UE, via the unicast bearer, starting at a point in the media sequence based on the determined transition point, wherein the method further comprises the unicast gateway receiving from a content synchronizer a report of which one or more UEs are each a broadcast recipient of the ongoing transmission of the media sequence, wherein determining that the UE is a broadcast recipient of the ongoing transmission of the media sequence is based on the received report. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A communication system comprising:
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a content synchronizer configured to monitor transmission of a media sequence over a broadcast bearer from a broadcast server to at least one base station, to determine (i) broadcast recipients of the media sequence and (ii) transmission progress of the media sequence over the broadcast bearer; and a unicast gateway configured (i) to receive from the broadcast server a copy of the media sequence being transmitted over the broadcast bearer, (ii) to detect establishment of a unicast bearer between the unicast gateway and a user equipment device (UE), (iii) to make a first determination, based on the content synchronizer monitoring, that the UE is one of the broadcast recipients of the media sequence, (iv) to make a second determination, based on the content synchronizer monitoring, that transmission of the media sequence over the broadcast bearer has reached at least a particular point, and (v) based at least in part on the first determination and the second determination, to begin transmission of the media sequence over the unicast bearer to the UE starting at the particular point. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A communication system comprising:
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a broadcast server configured to transmit a media sequence over a broadcast bearer to at least one base station for broadcast of the media sequence, in turn, by the at least one base station to multiple broadcast recipients in coverage of the at least one base station; and a unicast gateway configured to engage in unicast communication with one or more unicast recipients, the unicast communication with each unicast recipient being over a respective unicast bearer between the unicast gateway and the unicast recipient, and wherein the broadcast server is configured to transmit to the unicast gateway a copy of the media sequence that the broadcast gateway transmits over the broadcast bearer, and the unicast gateway is configured to receive and buffer the transmitted copy of the media sequence, and wherein, the unicast gateway is configured to carry out a transition process in response to establishing of a unicast bearer between the unicast gateway and a particular user equipment device (UE), wherein the transition process comprises;
(a) making a first determination that the 15 particular UE is one of the broadcast recipients of the media sequence, wherein making the first determination that the particular UE is one of the broadcast recipients of the media sequence comprises making the first determination based on the broadcast participation data provided by a content synchronizer, (b) making a second determination that transmission of the media sequence over the broadcast bearer has reached at least a particular point in the media sequence, and (c) responsive to the first determination and the second determination, beginning to transmit the media sequence over the unicast bearer to the UE, starting at the particular point. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification