Method, system, and apparatus for receiving contents through multiple channels

• US 9,485,524 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2012
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KT Corporation
• Original Assignee: KT Corporation
• Inventors: Park, Ju-Won, Yoo, Jaehyoung, Hwang, Chan-Kyou, Kim, Dong-Il
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Viet
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chambers, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US13/667,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20130110988A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-204, 709/213, 709/231, 370/229, 370/232
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/238 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6373 for rate control , e.g. request to the server to modify its transmission rate flow control in packet networks H04L47/10

Abstract

An apparatus for receiving contents through multiple channels includes a content manager configured to receive, from multiple content providing servers through the multiple channels, multiple packet data related to appropriate contents which is suitable for a user device, and transmit the appropriate contents to the user device by using the received multiple packet data and a transmission rate manager configured to set each of reference transmission rate ranges of each of the multiple content providing servers, wherein the content manager is further configured to receive the multiple packet data from the multiple content providing servers based on the reference transmission rate ranges set by the transmission rate manager.

Claims

1. An apparatus for receiving contents through multiple channels, the apparatus comprising:

a first manager configured to receive, from at least two servers through the multiple channels, data related to contents which is suitable for a user device, and transmit the contents to the user device by using the received data; and

a second manager configured to set reference transmission rate ranges of each of the at least two servers,

wherein the first manager is further configured to receive the data from the at least two servers based on a ratio of the reference transmission rate ranges set by the second manager.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first manager comprises:

a searcher configured to search for the contents appropriate for a hardware specification of the user device;

a selector configured to select, from among a plurality of servers, the at least two servers that have all or a part of the contents;

a receiver configured to receive the data from the selected at least two servers; and

a provider configured to transmit the contents to the user device by using the received data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second manager comprises:

a calculator configured to calculate each reference transmission rate range of each of the at least two servers;

a measurer configured to measure a real transmission rate of each of the at least two servers; and

an adjuster configured to adjust one of the reference transmission rate range and a real transmission rate of each of the at least two servers by comparing at least one calculated reference transmission rate and at least one measured real transmission rate.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the adjuster is configured to respectively adjust the real transmission rates of each of the at least two servers to fall within the calculated reference transmission rate ranges of each of the at least two servers.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the reference transmission rate range comprises a lower reference transmission rate, and

if the measured real transmission rate of a first server is smaller than the lower reference transmission rate of the first server, the adjuster is configured to adjust the lower reference transmission rate of the first server based on the real transmission rate of the first server.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the reference transmission rate range comprises an upper reference transmission rate, and

if the measured real transmission rate of a first server is greater than the upper reference transmission rate of the first server, the adjuster is configured to adjust the real transmission rate of the first server to be equal to or smaller than the upper reference transmission rate of the first server.

7. A method of receiving contents through multiple channels, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a user device;

determining contents which is suitable for the user device from among multiple contents corresponding to requested data;

selecting at least two servers from among a plurality of servers, the selected at least two servers having all or a part of the contents;

setting reference transmission rate ranges of each of the selected at least two servers;

receiving the requested data related to the contents from the selected at least two servers based on a ratio of the set reference transmission rate ranges; and

transmitting the contents to the user device by using the received data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving the requested data comprises:

measuring a real transmission rate of each of the at least two servers; and

adjusting one of the reference transmission rate range and a real transmission rate of each of the multiple contents providing servers by comparing a calculated reference transmission rate of at least one of the selected at least two servers and the measured real transmission rate of the at least one of the selected at least two servers.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the reference transmission rate range comprises a lower reference transmission rate, and

if the measured real transmission rate of a first server is smaller than the lower reference transmission rate of the first server, adjusting the lower reference transmission rate of the first server.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the reference transmission rate range comprises an upper reference transmission rate, and

if the measured real transmission rate of a first server is greater than an upper reference transmission rate of the first server, adjusting the real transmission rate of the first server to be equal to or smaller than the upper reference transmission rate of the first server.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the adjusting the real transmission rate comprises:

adjusting the real transmission rate to be equal to or smaller than the upper reference transmission rate by disregarding a real transmission rate increasing event of the first server.

12. An apparatus for receiving contents through multiple channels, the apparatus comprising:

a first manager configured to receive, from at least two servers through the multiple channels, data which is suitable for a user device, and transmit the data to the user device; and

a second manager configured to set reference transmission rate ranges of each of the at least two servers,

wherein the first manager receives the data from the at least two servers based on a ratio of the reference transmission rate ranges set by the second manager.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the reference transmission rate ranges of other servers are recalculated based on a reference transmission rate range of at least one from among the at least two servers.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the reference transmission range of the at least one from among the at least two servers comprises a lower reference transmission rate, and

if an actual transmission rate of the at least one from among the at least two servers is lower than the lower reference transmission rate, lower reference transmission rates of the other servers are adjusted based on the actual transmission rate of the at least one from among the at least two servers.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the reference transmission range of the at least one from among the at least two servers comprises an upper reference transmission rate, and

if an actual transmission rate of the at least one from among the at least two servers is greater than the upper reference transmission rate, actual transmission rates of the other servers are adjusted to be equal to or smaller than the upper reference transmission rate of the at least one from among the at least two servers.

16. A system for providing contents through multiple channels, the system comprising:

two or more servers which provide data to an apparatus, contents of the data being based on a user device; and

the apparatus which receives the data from the two or more servers, assigns each of the two or more servers an amount of the data to transmit to the apparatus, based on a ratio of the reference transmission rate ranges of the two or more servers, and transmits the data to the user device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein one of an actual rate of transmission of other servers and a reference transmission rate range of other servers is adjusted based on a reference transmission rate range of at least one of the two or more servers.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the reference transmission range of the one of the two or more servers comprises a lower reference transmission rate, and

if an actual transmission rate of the one of the two or more servers is lower than the lower reference transmission rate, lower reference transmission rates of the other servers are adjusted based on the actual transmission rate of the one of the two or more servers.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the reference transmission range of the one of the two or more servers comprises an upper reference transmission rate, and

if an actual transmission rate of the one of the two or more servers is greater than the upper reference transmission rate, actual transmission rates of the other servers are adjusted to be equal to or smaller than the upper reference transmission rate of the one of the two or more servers.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the actual transmission rates of the other servers are adjusted regardless of a transmission increasing event occurring in the other servers.