Server-side scheduling for media transmissions

• US 9,363,333 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gibbon, David Crawford, Basso, Andrea
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khan, Atta
• Application Number:
  US14/092,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20150149590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A server that incorporates the subject disclosure may perform, for example, operations including monitoring current transport characteristics of an internet protocol network communicatively coupled to the server and to a mobile device. Data packets are transported to the device according to a dynamic adaptive streaming over hypertext transfer protocol. A future transport characteristic of the network is predicted according to the trajectory of the device. A request is received from the device for transmission of a data packet, and a time for fulfilling the request is scheduled according to the current and predicted transport characteristics. The operations further comprise selecting a transmission rate for transmission of the data packet to the mobile device responsive to detecting the time for fulfilling the request. The device performs buffering of the data packet for a future presentation of the media content. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A server comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

monitoring current transport characteristics of a network communicatively coupled to the server and to a mobile device, wherein data packets representing media content are transported by the network to the mobile device according to an adaptive streaming protocol, wherein the network comprises an internet protocol network;

monitoring movement of the mobile device;

predicting a future location of the mobile device;

predicting future transport characteristics of the network with respect to the mobile device, in accordance with a trajectory of the mobile device;

receiving a request from the mobile device for transmission over the network of a data packet;

scheduling a time for fulfilling the request in accordance with the future transport characteristics of the network and the current transport characteristics of the network to avoid a degradation in a viewing quality of media content presented by the mobile device;

selecting a transmission rate for transmission of the data packet to the mobile device responsive to detecting the time for fulfilling the request, wherein the data packet is transmitted using the adaptive streaming protocol,

wherein the mobile device performs buffering of the data packet for a future presentation of the media content,

wherein varying transmission rates are available to the mobile device along the trajectory, and

wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring a rate of arrival at the server of requests for the media content, the requests originating from the mobile device and being directed to the server, to determine a first network throughput associated with a current location of the mobile device;

predicting a second network throughput associated with the predicted future location of the mobile device; and

in accordance with the second network throughput being less than the first network throughput, transmitting data packets to the mobile device for buffering at the mobile device.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the future transport characteristics of the network comprise traffic, delays, jitter, throughput or a combination thereof.

3. The server of claim 1, wherein the request from the device comprises a request for a first representation of a media segment at a first bit rate, and wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a network throughput characteristic applicable to the request; and

fulfilling the request by transmitting a second representation of the media segment at a second bit rate different from the first bit rate, in accordance with the network throughput characteristic.

4. The server of claim 1, wherein the monitoring is performed by monitoring a connection of an individual client device with the network.

5. The server of claim 4, wherein the individual client device is connected with the network in a dynamic adaptive streaming session.

6. The server of claim 1, wherein the media content comprises packets of video data.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise predicting the future transport characteristics of the network based on historical data relating to performance of the network.

15. The server of claim 1, wherein the scheduling further comprises increasing a request processing time, thereby delaying processing of the request.

16. The server of claim 3, wherein the second representation of the media segment has a reduced spatial resolution, a reduced temporal resolution, or a combination thereof, relative to the first representation of the media segment.

8. A method comprising:

monitoring, by a server comprising a processor, current transport characteristics of a network communicatively coupled to the server and to a mobile device, wherein data packets representing media content are transported by the network to the mobile device according to an adaptive streaming protocol, wherein the network comprises an internet protocol network;

monitoring, by the server, movement of the mobile device;

predicting, by the server, a future location of the mobile device;

predicting, by the server, a future transport characteristic of the network with respect to the mobile device, in accordance with a trajectory of the mobile device;

receiving, by the server, a request from the mobile device for transmission over the network of a data packet;

scheduling, by the server, a time for fulfilling the request in accordance with the future transport characteristic of the network and the current transport characteristics of the network to avoid a degradation in a viewing quality of media content presented by the mobile device,

selecting a transmission rate for transmission of the data packet to the mobile device responsive to detecting the time for fulfilling the request;

wherein the mobile device performs buffering of the data packet for a future presentation of the media content,

wherein varying transmission rates are available to the mobile device along the trajectory, and

wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring a rate of arrival at the server of requests for the media content, the requests originating from the mobile device and being directed to the server, to determine a first network throughput associated with a current location of the mobile device;

predicting, by the server, a second network throughput associated with the predicted future location of the mobile device; and

in accordance with the second network throughput being less than the first network throughput, transmitting, by the server, data packets to the mobile device for buffering at the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data packet is transmitted using the adaptive streaming protocol.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the predicted future transport characteristic of the network comprises traffic, delay, jitter, throughput or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising predicting the future transport characteristics of the network based on historical data relating to performance of the network.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein the request from the device comprises a request for a first representation of a media segment at a first bit rate, and further comprising:

determining a network throughput characteristic applicable to the request; and

fulfilling the request by transmitting a second representation of the media segment at a second bit rate different from the first bit rate, in accordance with the network throughput characteristic.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the second representation of the media segment has a reduced spatial resolution, a reduced temporal resolution, or a combination thereof, relative to the first representation of the media segment.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising executable instructions which, when executed by a processor of a server, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

monitoring current transport characteristics of a network communicatively coupled to the server and to a mobile device, wherein data packets representing media content are transported by the network to the mobile device according to an adaptive streaming protocol;

monitoring, movement of the mobile device;

predicting a future location of the mobile device;

predicting a future transport characteristic of the network with respect to the mobile device, in accordance with a trajectory of the mobile device;

receiving a request from the mobile device for transmission over the network of a data packet representing media content;

scheduling a time for fulfilling the request in accordance with the future transport characteristic of the network and the current transport characteristics of the network to avoid a degradation in a viewing quality of media content presented by the mobile device;

selecting a transmission rate for transmission of the data packet to the mobile device responsive to detecting the time for fulfilling the request,

wherein the mobile device performs buffering of the data packet for a future presentation of the media content,

wherein varying transmission rates are available to the mobile device along the trajectory, and

wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring a rate of arrival at the server of requests for the media content, the requests originating from the mobile device and being directed to the server, to determine a first network throughput associated with a current location of the mobile device;

predicting a second network throughput associated with the predicted future location of the mobile device; and

in accordance with the second network throughput being less than the first network throughput, data packets to the mobile device for buffering at the mobile device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the network comprises an internet protocol network.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the data packet is transmitted using the adaptive streaming protocol.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the request from the device comprises a request for a first representation of a media segment at a first bit rate, and wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a network throughput characteristic applicable to the request; and

fulfilling the request by transmitting a second representation of the media segment at a second bit rate different from the first bit rate, in accordance with the network throughput characteristic.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the second representation of the media segment has a reduced spatial resolution, a reduced temporal resolution, or a combination thereof, relative to the first representation of the media segment.