TELECOMMUNICATION AND MULTIMEDIA MANAGEMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20090103549A1
• Filed: 04/02/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Voxer IP LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rebelvox LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Katis, Thomas E., Panttaja, Mary G., Ranney, Matthew J., Panttaja, James T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,699,678 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/56 Packet switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method for transmitting data over a network. The method includes ascertaining at a first node the need to transmit one or more data streams from the first node to a second node over the network, the one or more data streams including time-based media that is generated either locally or remotely on the network. The method also includes ascertaining at the first node a timeliness preference for reviewing the one or more data streams by one or more recipients respectively. The ascertained timeliness preference for each one of the data streams is either (a) time-sensitive where at least one recipient of the one data stream has indicated an intent to review the one data stream in a near real-time mode as received by the recipient over the network while the time-based media of the one data stream is being generated or (b) less-than time-sensitive. In accordance with the method, one of several transmission techniques is used to transmit the data streams, depending on the ascertained timeliness preference of each data stream. Either a first transmission technique is used for the less-than time-sensitive preference data streams or a second transmission technique is used for data streams with the time-sensitive preference. The first technique uses a larger first packetization interval, which is defined as the amount of time based media contained in each packet, compared to the second packetization interval used by the second technique.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data over a network, comprising:

ascertaining at a first node the need to transmit one or more data streams from the first node to a second node over the network, the one or more data streams including time-based media that is generated either locally or remotely on the network;

ascertaining at the first node a timeliness preference for reviewing the one or more data streams by one or more recipients respectively, the ascertained timeliness preference for each one of the data streams being either;

(a) time-sensitive where at least one recipient of the one data stream has indicated an intent to review the one data stream in a near real-time mode as received by the recipient over the network while the time-based media of the one data stream is being generated;

or

(b) less-than time-sensitive; and

either;

(c) transmitting the one or more data streams with the less-than time-sensitive preference using a first transmission technique, the first transmission technique relying on packets having a first packetization interval;

or

(d) transmitting the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference using a second transmission technique, the second technique relying on packets having a second packetization interval, wherein the first packetization interval is larger than the second packetization interval,

wherein the packetization interval is defined as the amount of time based media contained in each packet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second transmission technique further comprises:

ascertaining a near real-time packetization interval sufficient to substantially allow the one or more recipients to review the time-based media of the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference in a near real-time mode; and

setting the second packetization interval within the near real-time packetization interval.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the time-indexed media is voice media and the second packetization interval is approximately 20 milliseconds of voice media approximately every 20 milliseconds.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second transmission technique further comprises;

ascertaining a media type of the time-based media for each of the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference;

ascertaining the second packetization interval for the media type for each of the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference; and

transmitting the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference at the ascertained second packetization interval for the ascertained media type respectively,

wherein the ascertained second packetization interval is sufficient to substantially allow the one or more recipients to review the time-based media of the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference in the near real-time mode.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the media type comprises one or more of the following:

voice, video, text, position or GPS data, sensor data, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second transmission technique further comprises:

ascertaining available bandwidth on a network interface between the first node and the second node;

determining if the available bandwidth is sufficient to transmit the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference at the second packetization interval; and

transmitting the one or more data streams if the available bandwidth is sufficient.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second transmission technique further comprises:

ascertaining available bandwidth on a network interface between the first node and the second node;

determining if the available bandwidth is sufficient to transmit the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference at the second packetization interval; and

reducing payload quality of the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference during transmission if the available bandwidth is insufficient.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein reducing payload quality further comprises using one or more Codecs.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second transmission technique further comprises:

ascertaining available bandwidth on a network interface between the first node and the second node;

determining if the available bandwidth is insufficient to transmit the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference at the set second packetization interval; and

progressively increasing the second packetization interval until the available bandwidth is sufficient.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein progressively increasing the second packetization interval results in a decrease in the header to packet ratio of the packets of the one or more data streams with the timeliness preference.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second transmission technique further comprises:

ascertaining available bandwidth on a network interface between the first node and the second node;

determining if the available bandwidth is sufficient to transmit the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference at the second packetization interval;

transmitting the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference within the available bandwidth if the available bandwidth is insufficient to enable the recipients to render the media in near real time; and

buffering at the first node the data of the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference as necessary during transmission.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining the timeliness preference for each of the one or more data streams further comprises:

(i) selecting one of the one or more data streams;

(ii) ascertaining if at least one of the recipients of the selected data stream has indicated the intent to review the data of the selected data stream upon receipt over the network as the data of the selected data stream is being generated;

(iii) defining the selected data stream as having the time-sensitive preference if at least one of the recipients of the selected data stream has indicated the intent to review the data of the selected data stream upon receipt over the network as the data of the selected data stream is being generated; and

(iv) repeating (i) through (iii) for each of the one or more data streams respectively.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining the timeliness preference for each of the one or more data streams further comprises:

(i) selecting one of the one or more data streams;

(ii) ascertaining if all of the one or more recipients of the selected data stream indicate an intent to review the time-based media of the selected data stream some time after receipt by the recipient in a time shifted mode;

(iii) defining the selected data stream as having the less-than time-sensitive preference if all of the one or more recipients of the selected data stream indicate an intent to review the time-based media of the selected data stream some time after receipt by the recipient in a time shifted mode; and

(iv) repeating (i) through (iii) for each of the one or more data streams respectively.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining the timeliness preference for each of the one or more data streams further comprises:

(i) selecting one of the one or more data streams;

(ii) ascertaining if the selected data stream is being sent to the one or more recipients from a storage or memory location on the network, wherein the selected data stream was stored at the storage or memory location some time after the time-based media of the selected data stream was generated;

(iii) defining the selected data stream as having the less-than time-sensitive preference if the selected data stream is being sent to the one or more recipients from the storage or memory location on the network; and

(iv) repeating (i) through (iii) for each of the one or more data streams respectively.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transmission technique further comprises:

ascertaining a maximum packetization interval for the network;

constructing packets at the first packetization interval of data from the one or more data streams with the less-than time-sensitive preference within the maximum packetization interval for the network; and

transmitting the constructed packets.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising ascertaining available bandwidth on a network interface between the first node and the second node, the available bandwidth ascertained by:

monitoring the network interface between the first node and the second node;

receiving reports at the first node regarding the status of the network interface between the first node and the second node, the reports including information pertaining to network conditions between the first node and the second node; and

ascertaining the available bit rate on the network interface between the first node and the second node from the received reports.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the information pertaining to the network interface comprises one or more of the following:

data throughput over the network interface between the first node and the second node;

data loss over the network interface between the first node and the second node; and

jitter over the network interface between the first node and the second node.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein ascertaining the available bandwidth further comprises continuously ascertaining an instantaneous available bandwidth on the network between the first node and the second node by:

continually monitoring a network interface between the first node and the second node;

continually receiving reports at the first node regarding the status of the network interface between the first node and the second node, the reports including information pertaining to network conditions between the first node and the second node; and

continually ascertaining the instantaneous available bit rate on the network interface between the first node and the second node from the information pertaining to the network conditions contained in the continually received reports.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the one or more data streams further comprises:

(i) defining a transmission loop;

(ii) defining data in the one or more data streams to be transmitted in the defined transmission loop;

(iii) ascertaining available bandwidth on a network interface between the first node and the second node on the network;

(iv) ascertaining an aggregate bandwidth for the defined data to be transmitted in the defined transmission loop; and

(iiv) removing the data from the one or more data streams with the less-than time-sensitive preference from the defined data to be transmitted in the defined loop if the aggregate bandwidth is greater than the ascertained available bandwidth.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising continually repeating (iii) through (vii) during transmission of the one or more data streams.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more recipients indicate a registered intent to review the one or more data streams as received respectively.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the intent of each of the one or more recipients is inferred by the behavior of the one or more recipients respectively.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the one or more data streams at a storage or memory location on the network after the time-based media is received and encoded; and

transmitting the one or more data streams with the less-than time-sensitive preference using the first transmission technique from the storage or memory location.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node comprises a communication device, the communication device consisting of one of the following:

a land-line phone, a wireless or cellular phone, a satellite phone, a computer or a radio, a server, a satellite radio, or a tactical radio or phone.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the second node comprises a communication device, the communication device consisting of one of the following:

a land-line phone, a wireless or cellular phone, a satellite phone, a computer or a radio, a server, a satellite radio, or a tactical radio or phone.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the time-based media is locally generated at the first node.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node is a hop on the network between a remote device where the time-based media is being generated and the second node.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node is a hop on the network between a memory or storage location on the network which is storing the time-based media after being generated.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the second node is one of the one or more recipients.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the second node is a hop on the network between the first node and at least one of the one or more recipients.