Quality of service for distribution of content to network devices

• US 9,986,062 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Salinger, Jorge Daniel, Francisco, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Angela
• Application Number:
  US14/870,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20160255171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/55 Testing of service level quality, e.g. simulating service usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

A gateway device configured to receive IP video content may select and use transmission methods that maintain a certain quality of service for delivering the content. A transmission method may be selected based on a network to which the client device is connected. The gateway device may select a network through which the content is to be delivered depending on a variety of factors including bandwidth availability, client compatibility, quality of service provided and the like. A gateway device may further be configured to convert multicast transmissions to unicast, to provide dynamic storage of content for pre-positioning and other purposes and/or to provide other functions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a content item;

determining, by the computing device, that the content item has a first media content type; and

in response to determining that a first network has insufficient available bandwidth to transfer the content item,

determining whether a first bandwidth, of a second network and prioritized for transmitting media having the first media content type, has sufficient available bandwidth to transfer the content item;

in response to determining that the first bandwidth has insufficient available bandwidth to transfer the content item, determining whether a second bandwidth, of the second network and prioritized for transmitting media having a second media content type, has sufficient available bandwidth to transfer the content item, wherein the second media content type is different from the first media content type; and

in response to determining that the second bandwidth has sufficient available bandwidth to transfer the content item, transferring, via the second bandwidth, the content item.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a different content item comprises Internet Protocol video content; and

in response to determining that the different content item does not comprise Internet Protocol video content, encapsulating the different content item into Internet Protocol format and scheduling delivery of the different content item through the second network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the second bandwidth of the second network has insufficient available bandwidth to transfer a different content item, storing the different content item in a queue prioritized over other queued content items having a lower priority than a priority of the different content item, and wherein at least one of the other queued content items has been stored in the queue for a longer duration than the different content item; and

in response to determining that the second network has sufficient bandwidth to transfer the different content item, transferring the different content item from the queue and using the second network prior to transferring any of the other queued content items having the lower priority than the priority of the different content item.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second network transfers content using a reservation transmission scheme different from a time division multiple access transmission scheme.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the computing device and to client user device, a notification of a channel over which the content item is to be delivered to the user device, wherein the channel is associated with the second bandwidth.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a different content item has the first media content type;

determining that the first bandwidth, of the second network and prioritized for transmitting media having the first media content type, has insufficient available bandwidth to transfer the different content item;

determining that the second bandwidth, of the second network and prioritized for transmitting media having the second media content type, has insufficient available bandwidth to transfer the different content item; and

transmitting, via available un-prioritized bandwidth of the second network and using a best effort delivery transmission scheme, the different content item.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first bandwidth and the second bandwidth are associated with particular channels.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a content item;

determining, by the computing device, that the content item has a first media content type;

determining that a first bandwidth, of a network and prioritized for transmitting media having the first media content type, has insufficient bandwidth to transfer the content item;

in response to determining that the first bandwidth has insufficient available bandwidth to transfer the content item, determining whether a second bandwidth, of the network and prioritized for transmitting media having a second media content type, has sufficient available bandwidth to transfer the content item, wherein the second media content type is different from the first media content type;

in response to determining that the second bandwidth has insufficient available bandwidth to transfer the content item, determining whether a third bandwidth, of the network has sufficient available bandwidth to transfer the content item; and

in response to determining that the third bandwidth has sufficient available bandwidth to transfer the content item, transmitting, via the third bandwidth, the content item.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the transmitting is performed using a best effort transmission scheme.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, a different content item;

determining, by the computing device, that the different content item has the first media content type;

determining whether the first bandwidth, of the network and prioritized for transmitting media having the first media content type, has sufficient available bandwidth to transfer the different content item;

in response to determining that the first bandwidth has insufficient available bandwidth to transfer the different content item, determining whether the second bandwidth, of the network and prioritized for transmitting media having the second media content type, has sufficient available bandwidth to transfer the different content item; and

in response to determining that the second bandwidth has sufficient available bandwidth to transfer the different content item, transmitting, via the second bandwidth, the different content item.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether a different content item comprises Internet Protocol video content; and

in response to determining that the different content item does not comprise Internet Protocol video content, encapsulating the different content item into Internet Protocol format and scheduling delivery of the different content item through the network.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

in response to determining that the second bandwidth of the network has insufficient available bandwidth to transfer a different content item, storing the different content item in a queue prioritized over other queued content items having a lower priority than a priority of the different content item, and wherein at least one of the other queued content items has been stored in the queue for a longer duration than the different content item; and

in response to determining that the network has sufficient bandwidth to transfer the different content item, transferring the different content item from the queue and using the network prior to transferring any of the other queued content items having the lower priority than the priority of the different content item.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting, by the computing device and to a client device, a notification of a channel over which the content item is to be delivered to the client device.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first bandwidth, the second bandwidth, and the third bandwidth are associated with particular channels.

15. A system comprising:

a first network;

a second network; and

a computing device comprising one or more processors and memory, wherein the memory comprises computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to;

receive a content item;

determine that the content item has a first media content type; and

in response to determining that the first network has insufficient available bandwidth to transfer the content item,

determine whether a first bandwidth, of the second network and prioritized for transmitting media having the first media content type, has sufficient available bandwidth to transfer the content item;

in response to determining that the first bandwidth has insufficient available bandwidth to transfer the content item, determine whether a second bandwidth, of the second network and prioritized for transmitting media having a second media content type, has sufficient available bandwidth to transfer the content item, wherein the second media content type is different from the first media content type; and

in response to determining that the second bandwidth has sufficient available bandwidth to transfer the content item, transfer, via the second bandwidth, the content item.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to:

determine whether a different content item comprises Internet Protocol video content; and

in response to determining that the different content item does not comprise Internet Protocol video content, encapsulate the different content item into Internet Protocol format and schedule delivery of the different content item through the second network.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a queue,

wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to;

in response to determining that the second bandwidth of the second network has insufficient available bandwidth to transfer a different content item, store the different content item in the queue prioritized over other queued content items having a lower priority than a priority of the different content item, and wherein at least one of the other queued content items has been stored in the queue for a longer duration than the different content item; and

in response to determining that the second network has sufficient bandwidth to transfer the different content item, transfer the different content item from the queue and use the second network prior to transferring any of the other queued content items having the lower priority than the priority of the different content item.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a user device,

wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to;

transmit, to the user device, a notification of a channel over which the content item is to be delivered to the user device, wherein the channel is associated with the second bandwidth.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the first media content type comprises one of a video type or a gaming type, and wherein the second media content type comprises an audio type.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the first bandwidth and the second bandwidth are associated with particular channels.