Bonding of multiple concurrent data streams among multiple devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9509743-B1
Application number	US-201615235600-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 12, 2016
Priority date	May 8, 2015
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

Examples are disclosed for conducting an Internet Protocol (IP) communication session between a computer device and a communications server with the assistance of an intermediate communication device. A first communication channel between the computer device and the communications server is established for sending and receiving an IP packet data media stream representative of the IP communication session. The quality of service (QoS) for the IP packet data media stream is monitored to determine whether the they are sufficient to sustain a minimum QoS. A second communication channel that includes the intermediate communication device is established. While continuing to send and receive on the first communication channel, the computer device simultaneously sends and receives a percentage of the IP packet data media stream on the second communication channel wherein an increasing percentage of the IP packet data media stream is sent on the second communication channel as the QoS for the first communication channel degrades and a decreasing percentage of the IP packet data media stream is sent over the second communication channel as the QoS for the first communication channel improves.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of conducting an Internet Protocol (IP) communication session over one or more communication links between a computer device and a communications server with the assistance of an intermediate communication device, the method comprising:
establishing a first communication channel comprised of one or more IP communication links between the computer device and the communications server;
sending and receiving an IP packet data media stream representative of the IP communication session over the first communication channel;
monitoring the quality of service (QoS) for the IP packet data media stream on the first communication channel as determined by multiple communication link parameters;
determining whether the IP communication link parameters are sufficient to sustain a minimum QoS for the IP communication session;
establishing a second communication channel that includes the intermediate communication device, the second communication channel comprised of one or more IP communication links among the computer, the intermediate communication device, and the communications server;
while continuing to send and receive the IP packet data media stream on the first communication channel, simultaneously sending and receiving a percentage of the IP packet data media stream on the second communication channel such that an increasing percentage of the IP packet data media stream is sent on the second communication channel as the QoS for the first communication channel degrades and a decreasing percentage of the IP packet data media stream is sent over the second communication channel as the QoS for the first communication channel improves.

2. The method of claim 1 , the first communication channel and the second communication channel comprising one or more communication links, the communication links comprising one or more of an Ethernet communication link, an 802.11 WiFi network communication link, a cellular IP data communication link, an 802.16 WiMax network communication link, a wireless network communication link operating within a frequency range of 100 MHz and 700 MHz, a wireless network communication link operating within a frequency range of 3.5 GHz and 3.7 GHz, and a wireless network communication link operating at or above 35 GHz.

3. The method of claim 2 , the cellular IP data communication link utilizing a protocol based on one of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), High Speed Packet Data (HSPD), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSPDA), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Voice-over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), or High Rate Packet Data (HRPD).

4. The method of claim 1 , a portion of the second communication channel comprising a wireless communication link between the computer device and the intermediate communication device.

5. The method of claim 1 , the communication link parameters comprising: detected signal strengths, available networks, jitter, latency, dropped packets, access point signal strength, and link speed.

6. The method of claim 1 , the IP packet data media stream comprising a video IP media stream.

7. The method of claim 6 , the video IP media stream comprised of Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) packets.

8. The method of claim 1 , the IP packet data media stream comprising a Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) media stream.

9. The method of claim 8 , the VoIP media stream comprised of Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) packets.

10. A computer device communicable with a communications server and an intermediate communication device, the computer device configured to conduct an Internet Protocol (IP) communication session over one or more communication links between itself and the communications server with the assistance of the intermediate communication device, the computer device comprising:
a memory unit for storing code;
at least one processor for executing the stored code to:
establish a first communication channel comprised of one or more IP communication links between the computer device and the communications server;
send and receive an IP packet data media stream representative of the IP communication session over the first communication channel;
monitor the quality of service (QoS) for the IP packet data media stream on the first communication channel as determined by multiple communication link parameters;
determine whether the IP communication link parameters are sufficient to sustain a minimum QoS for the IP communication session;
establish a second communication channel that includes the intermediate communication device, the second communication channel comprised of one or more IP communication links among the computer, the intermediate communication device, and the communications server;

while continuing to send and receive the IP packet data media stream on the first communication channel, simultaneously send and receive a percentage of the IP packet data media stream on the second communication channel such that an increasing percentage of the IP packet data media stream is sent on the second communication channel as the QoS for the first communication channel degrades and a decreasing percentage of the IP packet data media stream is sent over the second communication channel as the QoS for the first communication channel improves.

11. The computer device of claim 10 , the first communication channel and the second communication channel comprising one or more communication links, the communication links comprising one or more of an Ethernet communication link, an 802.11 WiFi network communication link, a cellular IP data communication link, an 802.16 WiMax network communication link, a wireless network communication link operating within a frequency range of 100 MHz and 700 MHz, a wireless network communication link operating within a frequency range of 3.5 GHz and 3.7 GHz, and a wireless network communication link operating at or above 35 GHz.

12. The computer device of claim 11 , the cellular IP data communication link utilizing a protocol based on one of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), High Speed Packet Data (HSPD), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSPDA), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Voice-over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), or High Rate Packet Data (HRPD).

13. The computer device of claim 10 , a portion of the second communication channel comprising a wireless communication link between the computer device and the intermediate communication device.

14. The computer device of claim 10 , the communication link parameters comprising: detected signal strengths, available networks, jitter, latency, dropped packets, access point signal strength, and link speed.

15. The computer device of claim 10 , the IP packet data media stream comprising a video IP media stream.

16. The computer device of claim 15 , the video IP media stream comprised of Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) packets.

17. The computer device of claim 10 , the IP packet data media stream comprising a Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) media stream.

18. The computer device of claim 17 , the VoIP media stream comprised of Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) packets.

19. At least one machine-readable non-transitory medium for conducting an Internet Protocol (IP) c

Assignees

• Bandwidth Com Inc

Inventors

• Mulcahy James
• Rathnam Sai
• Surmay Stan

Classifications

• H04L45/24

  Multipath · CPC title

• H04L65/80

  Responding to QoS · CPC title

• H04L65/1059

  End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication · CPC title

• H04L65/1069

  Session establishment or de-establishment · CPC title

• H04L12/2863

  Arrangements for combining access network resources elements, e.g. channel bonding (modem pooling H04L25/14; routing of packets H04L45/00; multichannel or multilink protocols H04L69/14) · CPC title