Method and system for managing service quality according to network status predictions

• US 9,756,112 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2015
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2015
• 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: Jana, Rittwik, Erman, Jeffrey, Gopalakrishnan, Vijay, Halepovic, Emir, Sinha, Rakesh, Zou, Xuan Kelvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, Randy
• Application Number:
  US14/659,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20160234078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 709217, 709219, 709223, 709224, 3702301, 370235, 370412
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/823 Prediction of resource usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• 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: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, obtaining predicted available bandwidths for an end user device, monitoring buffer occupancy of a buffer of the end user device, determining bit rates for portions of media content according to the predicted available bandwidths and according to the buffer occupancy, and adjusting bit rates for portions of media content according to the predicted available bandwidths and according to the buffer occupancy during streaming of the media content to the end user device over a wireless network. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

obtaining a predicted available bandwidth for an end user device according to first performance data that includes channel quality indicator data, reference signal received quality data or a combination thereof and according to second performance data that includes cell congestion data, wherein the first performance data is of the end user device and the second performance data is associated with a cell of a wireless network in which the end user device is operating;

determining one or more buffer occupancy thresholds associated with the end user device;

determining a buffer occupancy for the end user device;

comparing the buffer occupancy with the one or more buffer occupancy thresholds; and

according to an analysis of the predicted available bandwidth and the comparing of the buffer occupancy with the one or more buffer occupancy thresholds, determining a video bit rate for a portion of media content,

wherein the video bit rate is applied during streaming of the portion of the media content over a wireless network to the end user device.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining a second predicted available bandwidth for the end user device;

determining a second buffer occupancy for the end user device;

comparing the second buffer occupancy with the one or more buffer occupancy thresholds;

determining a second video bit rate for a second portion of the media content according to the second predicted available bandwidth and according to the comparing of the second buffer occupancy with the one or more buffer occupancy thresholds; and

applying the second video bit rate during streaming of the second portion of the media content over the wireless network to the end user device.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the predicted available bandwidth is determined according to the channel quality indicator data, and the reference signal received quality data.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the predicted available bandwidth comprises:

transmitting a request for the predicted available bandwidth; and

responsive to an authentication of the processor, receiving the predicted available bandwidth from a network server of the wireless network.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the predicted available bandwidth is for a time period covering a chunk of the media content and less than an entirety of the media content, and wherein the predicted available bandwidth is determined according to the channel quality indicator data and the reference signal received quality data.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the predicted available bandwidth is determined according to a mobility pattern.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the streaming of the portion of the media content over the wireless network is according to a dynamic adaptation streaming over HTTP protocol.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the predicted available bandwidth comprises accessing bandwidth data from a network server of the wireless network via an application programming interface.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the predicted available bandwidth is determined according to prediction information collected by a network server from an eNodeB, wherein the prediction information includes channel quality, a number of active users, a cell load, and throughput data.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the determining of the video bit rate for the portion of the media content comprises:

selecting a reference video bit rate according to the comparing of the buffer occupancy with the one or more buffer occupancy thresholds,

determining a current video bit rate applied during streaming of a previous portion of the media content over the wireless network, and

comparing the reference video bit rate with the current video bit rate.

11. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a system including a network server, first performance data of an end user device and second performance data associated with a cell of a wireless network in which the end user device is operating, wherein the first performance data includes channel quality indicator data, reference signal received quality data or a combination thereof, and wherein the second performance data includes cell congestion data;

determining, by the system, a predicted available bandwidth for the end user device according to the first and second performance data;

receiving, by the system from a processor, a request for the predicted available bandwidth for the end user device;

providing, by the system to the processor, the predicted available bandwidth for the end user device to cause a video bit rate to be determined for a portion of media content according to the predicted available bandwidth for the end user device and according to a comparison of a buffer occupancy of the end user device with a buffer threshold for the end user device; and

facilitating, by the system over the wireless network, streaming of the portion of the media content to the end user device utilizing the video bit rate.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the providing of the predicted available bandwidth for the end user device to the processor is responsive to a determination that the processor is permitted to access available bandwidth data.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising:

obtaining mobility data associated with the end user device; and

determining a mobility pattern for the end user device, wherein the predicted available bandwidth is determined according to the mobility pattern of the end user device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the streaming of the portion of the media content to the end user device over the wireless network is according to a dynamic adaptation streaming over HTTP protocol, and wherein the predicted available bandwidth is for a time period covering one or more chunks of the media content and less than an entirety of the media content.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the obtaining of the first and second performance data comprises collecting, by the system, data from an eNodeB, and wherein the cell congestion data includes throughput data and a number of active users associated with the cell.

16. A system, comprising:

a hardware processor; and

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

obtaining predicted available bandwidths for an end user device, wherein the predicted available bandwidths are determined according to first performance data that includes channel quality indicator data, reference signal received quality data or a combination thereof and according to second performance data that includes cell congestion data, wherein the first performance data is of the end user device and the second performance data is associated with a cell of a wireless network in which the end user device is operating;

monitoring buffer occupancy of a buffer of the end user device;

determining video bit rates for portions of media content according to the predicted available bandwidths and according to the buffer occupancy; and

adjusting video bit rates for portions of media content according to the predicted available bandwidths and the buffer occupancy during streaming of the media content to the end user device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the obtaining of the predicted available bandwidths for the end user device comprises:

transmitting, to a network server, a request for the predicted available bandwidths for the end user device; and

responsive to an authentication of the system, receiving, from the network server, the predicted available bandwidths.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the streaming of the media content to the end user device is according to a dynamic adaptation streaming over HTTP protocol.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the determining of the video bit rates for the portions of the media content comprises:

selecting a reference bit rate according to comparing the buffer occupancy with a buffer threshold,

determining a second bit rate applied during streaming of a previous portion of the media content to the end user device, and

comparing the reference bit rate with the second bit rate.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the obtaining of the predicted available bandwidths for the end user device comprises accessing bandwidth data from a network server via an application programming interface, and wherein the portions of the media content correspond to chunks of the media content according to a dynamic adaptation streaming over HTTP protocol.