REDUCING STREAM INTERRUPTIONS DURING NETWORK HANDOVER

• US 20140269615A1
• Filed: 09/25/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Greenwalt, Robert J. III
• Granted Patent: US 9,398,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for receiving streaming media while switching between different networks is described. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a portion of a streaming media through a data connection on a first communication channel between a mobile device and a first network, and while the portion of the streaming media is being received through the data connection on the first communication channel, detecting that a second communication channel between the mobile device and a second network is available, establishing a data connection on the second communication channel, and receiving data through the second data connection on the second communication channel.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a portion of a streaming media through a data connection on a first communication channel between a mobile device and a first network; and

while the portion of the streaming media is being received through the data connection on the first communication channel;

detecting that a second communication channel between the mobile device and a second network is available,

establishing a data connection on the second communication channel, and

receiving data through the second data connection on the second communication channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network comprises a wireless wide area network, and the second network comprises a wireless local area network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first communication channel comprises a cellular communication channel, and the second communication channel comprises a Wi-Fi communication channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network comprises a wireless network, and the second network comprises a wireline network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first communication channel comprises one of a cellular channel or a Wi-Fi channel, and the second communication channel comprises an Ethernet channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a data connection comprises a TCP connection.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

while the second communication channel between the mobile device and the second network is available;

maintaining the data connection on the first communication channel until all of the streaming media has been received;

closing the data connection on the first communication channel after all of the streaming media has been received; and

reducing power provided to a communication interface of the mobile device that maintained the data connection on the first communication channel.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

while the second communication channel between the mobile device and the second network is available;

maintaining the data connection on the first communication channel for a time period while the portion of the streaming media is being received;

closing the data connection on the first communication channel after the time period has elapsed; and

reducing power provided to a communication interface of the mobile device that maintained the data connection on the first communication channel.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the time period is based on at least one of a transfer data rate of the streaming media that is being received through the data connection on the first communication channel, a number of bits of data that has been received between the mobile device and the first network over a monitored time period, a data type of the streaming media, or an input from a user of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

establishing another data connection on the second communication channel; and

receiving a remaining portion of the streaming media through the other data connection on the second communication channel.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 2, wherein the first communication channel comprises a cellular communication channel, and the second communication channel comprises a Wi-Fi communication channel.

11. A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving a portion of a streaming media through a data connection on a first communication channel between a mobile device and a first network; and

while the portion of the streaming media is being received through the data connection on the first communication channel;

detecting that a second communication channel between the mobile device and a second network is available,

establishing a data connection on the second communication channel, and

receiving data through the second data connection on the second communication channel.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the first network comprises a wireless wide area network, and the second network comprises a wireless local area network.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the first network comprises a wireless network, and the second network comprises a wireline network.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein the first communication channel comprises one of a cellular channel or a Wi-Fi channel, and the second communication channel comprises an Ethernet channel.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein a data connection comprises a TCP connection.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations further comprising:

while the second communication channel between the mobile device and the second network is available;

maintaining the data connection on the first communication channel until all of the streaming media has been received;

closing the data connection on the first communication channel after all of the streaming media has been received; and

reducing power provided to a communication interface of the mobile device that maintained the data connection on the first communication channel.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations further comprising:

while the second communication channel between the mobile device and the second network is available;

maintaining the data connection on the first communication channel for a time period while the portion of the streaming media is being received;

closing the data connection on the first communication channel after the time period has elapsed; and

reducing power provided to a communication interface of the mobile device that maintained the data connection on the first communication channel.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein the time period is based on at least one of a transfer data rate of the streaming media that is being received through the data connection on the first communication channel, a number of bits of data that has been received between the mobile device and the first network over a monitored time period, a data type of the streaming media, or an input from a user of the mobile device.

20. The computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations further comprising:

establishing another data connection on the second communication channel; and

receiving a remaining portion of the streaming media through the other data connection on the second communication channel.

21. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more computers having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving a portion of a streaming media through a data connection on a first communication channel between a mobile device and a first network; and

while the portion of the streaming media is being received through the data connection on the first communication channel;

detecting that a second communication channel between the mobile device and a second network is available,

establishing a data connection on the second communication channel, and

receiving data through the second data connection on the second communication channel.