Adaptive video white spot learning and user bandwidth delivery control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9444870-B2
Application number	US-201314036841-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2013
Priority date	Sep 25, 2013
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

A system and method that utilize a learning system to maintain a set of geographical locations indicating an area where network data coverage is poor. When it is determined that a client device is moving towards such an area, the client is forced or instructed to switch to a lower delivery bitrate for video segments in order to force the client's Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) playback buffer to fill itself with enough low-quality video segments to enable the client to cross the area without video playback interruption. Thus, the client mobile device may be preemptively forced to choose the lowest bitrate specified in a manifest file for the delivered video segments as the bitrate for downloading video segments when approaching the poor coverage area. Hence, the client device can maintain a minimum level of Quality of Service (QoS) when moving through network areas with poor data coverage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for delivering an audio-visual content to a mobile device operating in a cellular network, wherein the method comprises performing the following using a network entity in the cellular network:
monitoring a direction and speed of travel of the mobile device to ascertain whether the mobile device is approaching a geographical location in the cellular network that has a less-than-desired radio coverage;
determining that the mobile device is approaching the geographical location with the less-than-desired radio coverage;
responsive to the determining that the mobile device is approaching the geographical location with the less-than-desired radio coverage, forcing the mobile device to switch to a delivery bitrate for receiving the audio-visual content, wherein the delivery bitrate is lower than a bitrate currently being used by the mobile device to receive the audio-visual content;
determining that a manifest file associated with the audio-visual content is encrypted; and
responsive to the determining that the manifest file associated with the audio-visual content is encrypted, setting a predefined default bitrate as the delivery bitrate, the default bitrate being independent of one or more bitrates specified in the manifest file and being based on at least one of (i) prior observations of lowest bitrates in unencrypted manifest files associated with content substantially same as the audio-visual content currently being delivered, and (ii) actually-used lowest bitrates for delivery of substantially same audio-visual content to other users over a given period of time.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the delivery bitrate comprises, when the manifest is unencrypted, a first bitrate that forces the mobile device to switch to the lowest bitrate specified in the manifest file.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising performing one of the following using the network entity:
when the manifest file is unencrypted, performing the following:
parsing the manifest file to obtain the lowest bitrate contained therein; and
setting the first bitrate as a bitrate obtained by subtracting a predefined adjustment value from a bitrate that is next to the lowest bitrate contained in the manifest file.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein monitoring the direction and speed of travel of the mobile device includes at least one of:
periodically receiving geographical location information of the mobile device from the mobile device;
using a cellular network-based positioning method to determine the direction and speed of travel of the mobile device; and
obtaining information about the direction and speed of travel of the mobile device from a satellite-based system.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing the following using the network entity to ascertain whether the mobile device is approaching the geographical location with the less-than-desired radio coverage:
based on the direction and speed of travel of the mobile device, determining whether a prospective position of the mobile device falls within or in close geographical proximity to a pre-stored set of positional coordinates representing the geographical location that has the less-than-desired radio coverage; and
concluding that the mobile device is approaching the geographical location when the prospective position of the mobile device falls within or in close geographical proximity to the pre-stored set of positional coordinates representing the geographical location.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein forcing the mobile device to switch to the delivery bitrate includes:
based on the direction and speed of travel of the mobile device, calculating a time period needed by the mobile device to reach the geographical location with the less-than-desired radio coverage; and
forcing the mobile device to switch to the delivery bitrate prior to or upon conclusion of the time period.

7. A network entity in a cellular network facilitating delivery of an audio-visual content to a first mobile device operating in the cellular network, wherein the network entity is configured to perform the following:
maintain access to a database that contains identifications of those geographical locations within the cellular network that have a less-than-desired radio coverage;
monitor a direction and speed of travel of the first mobile device and consult the database to ascertain whether the first mobile device is approaching a geographical location in the cellular network that has the less-than-desired radio coverage;
determine that the first mobile device is approaching the geographical location with the less-than-desired radio coverage;
responsive to the determining that the first mobile device is approaching the geographical location with the less-than-desired radio coverage, force the first mobile device to receive the audio-visual content at a first delivery bitrate that is lower than a bitrate currently being used by the first mobile device to receive the audio-visual content;
determine that a manifest file associated with the audio-visual content is encrypted: and
responsive to the determining that the manifest file associated with the audio-visual content is encrypted, setting a predefined default bitrate as the first delivery bitrate, the default bitrate being independent of one or more bitrates specified in the manifest file and being based on at least one of (i) prior observations of lowest bitrates in unencrypted manifest files associated with content substantially same as the audio-visual content currently being delivered, and (ii) actually-used lowest bitrates for delivery of substantially same audio-visual content to other users over a given period of time.

8. The network entity of claim 7 , wherein the first delivery bitrate comprises, when the manifest is unencrypted, a first bitrate that forces the mobile device to switch to the lowest bitrate specified in the manifest file.

9. The network entity of claim 7 , wherein the network entity is configured to perform at least one of the following to monitor the direction and speed of travel of the first mobile device:
periodically receive geographical location information of the first mobile device from the mobile device;
use a cellular network-based positioning method to determine the direction and speed of travel of the first mobile device; and
obtain information about the direction and speed of travel of the first mobile device from a satellite-based system.

10. The network entity of claim 7 , wherein the network entity is configured to perform the following to ascertain whether the first mobile device is approaching the geographical location with the less-than-desired radio coverage:
based on the direction and speed of travel of the first mobile device, consult the database to determine whether a prospective position of the first mobile device falls within or in close geographical proximity to a set of positional coordinates stored in the database representing the geographical location that has the less-than-desired radio coverage; and
conclude that the first mobile device is approaching the geographical location when the prospective position of the first mobile device falls within or in close geographical proximity to the database-stored set of positional coordinates representing the geographical location.

11. The network entity of claim 7 , wherein the network entity is configured to perform the following to force the first mobile device to receive the audio-visual content at the first delivery bitrate:
based on the direction and speed of travel of the first mobile device, calculate a time period needed by the first mobile device to reach the geo

Assignees

• Ericsson Television Inc
• Ericsson Ab

Inventors

• Phillips Chris
• Dasher Charles Hammett
• Huber Michael
• Kölhi Johan

Classifications

• H04L65/80

  Responding to QoS · CPC title

• H04N21/6332

  directed to client · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• H04N21/2402

  Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available (traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876) · CPC title

• H04N21/6131

  involving transmission via a mobile phone network (wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006) · CPC title