Abstract:
A Wireless Service Provider (WSP) receives a request for a video stream from a user device. The WSP determines if the video stream should have the video portion modified or removed, based upon a user&#39;s manual request or a predetermined condition being met. The modification can be removal of the video portion or the replacement of the original video portion with a lower bandwidth video portion. The modified video stream is then sent to the user device.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to communication systems. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Wireless data traffic has increased greatly in recent years and is projected to grow rapidly. Video traffic will continue to be the biggest drain on wireless network resources. This is obviously an issue for the Wireless Service Provider (WSP), and reducing the impact of carrying video over a wireless network is desirable. At the same time, heavy video users are also confronted with limits on their monthly data accounts. Anything that can reduce their consumption of data bits is desirable. 
         [0003]    Many users utilize their wireless devices as media players. In particular, many wireless users utilize video websites to listen to music provided by the website. In order to hear the music, the user receives both the audio and video from the website in order to listen to the music. This is a huge usage of network resources, which not only consumes network resources but also utilizes a large portion of a user&#39;s data plan. And this comes at a time when more network providers are providing limited data plans, which do not allow users to utilize unlimited data bandwidth. 
         [0004]    Therefore, a need exists for a way of providing wireless users with desired content without utilizing too much of their data plans. In addition, a need exists for WSPs to provide desired content without bogging down their networks and without requiring the need to build out their networks to provide additional bandwidth. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a method that allows for a WSP to provide a user with a mechanism to request that only the audio portion of a video feed be transmitted to the requesting user. The video stream, which includes both audio and video, is routed to a filtering device in the WSP&#39;s network that strips out the video content and forwards only the audio content. Alternately, a user can request that a lower bandwidth video portion is returned to the user so that less data is used by the requester. 
         [0006]    An exemplary embodiment works as follows. A user&#39;s device settings menu provides an interface to the user to indicate whether an audio-only feed is desired for a particular application or website, for example YouTube. In an alternate exemplary embodiment, applications or websites themselves supply such an interface. In a further exemplary embodiment, instead of the WSP transcoding the video, YouTube provides an interface to notify it to send audio only for this particular instance. For example, a user registers with the WSP that he wants audio only under certain conditions, for example during times of network congestion or when the user is near or over his monthly data allowance. The WSP notifies the user when this condition is met. Thereafter, until cancelled, when the user starts YouTube his preference for audio-only is sent with the video request. Of course, the user could simply select audio-only in the YouTube app at any time. 
         [0007]    In accordance with a further exemplary embodiment, a user initially sets his preferences with the WSP. When predetermined conditions are met, the WSP server tells the filtering device. In this exemplary embodiment the filtering device detects and intercepts the video request from the user and modifies the request to be audio-only and passes it along to the website or server, such as YouTube. Alternately, the filtering device specifies audio-only to the website or server via a RESTful API. 
         [0008]    In turn, the WSP provisions a filtering device to route data traffic from the specified application provider or server to a transcoding device that strips the video content from the data stream and forwards the audio content. This provisioning is preferably done in advance based on the user settings, or alternately may be done in real-time, for example via a RESTful API, when triggered by the user that is currently viewing, or at least receiving, a video from an application. 
         [0009]    In an alternate exemplary embodiment, lower bandwidth content replaces the video content of the video stream. This lower bandwidth content can comprise a visual pattern, the lyrics to an associated song, a picture or photograph, or the like. 
         [0010]    In a further exemplary embodiment, a user can subscribe to a service where video content is either removed or reduced to a lower bandwidth only when certain predetermined conditions are met. For example, the predetermined conditions may include network congestion or a determination that the requesting user device, such as a mobile unit, is traveling faster than a predetermined threshold. In this case, the assumption is that the user of the user device is traveling in a vehicle, and any video content could distract the driver of the vehicle. In such a scenario, the video is removed prior to sending the stream to the requesting user. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  depicts the functional architecture of a communication network in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  depicts a call flow diagram in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]      FIG. 1  depicts the functional architecture of communication network  100  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Communication network  100  includes Wireless Service Provider (WSP) network  110 , user device  121 , and Internet  111 . 
         [0014]    WSP network  110  preferably includes PDN (Packet Data Network) Gateway (PGW)  101 , Radio Access Network (RAN)  103 , WSP Server  105 , Filtering Device  107 , and Transcoder  109 . 
         [0015]    PGW  101  preferably performs policy enforcement, packet filtering for each user, charging support, lawful interception and packet screening. PGW  101  can also act as the anchor for mobility between 3GPP and non-3GPP technologies such as WiMAX and 3GPP2, i.e., CDMA 1X and EvDO. 
         [0016]    RAN  103  implements a radio access technology. RAN  103  preferably couples user device  121  with WSP network  110 . 
         [0017]    WSP Server  105  is responsible for receiving user requests to filter out video for a specific application. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a user of user device  121  starts an application and the settings for that application are received at WSP server  105 , which in turn configures the settings on filtering device  107 . WSP  110  routes all streams from the content provider, such as Internet  111 , to filtering device  107 . 
         [0018]    Filtering Device  107  selectively routes the video stream requested by the user device to transcoder  109  according to the settings configured above. 
         [0019]    Transcoder  109  removes the video content from audio/video streams. In an exemplary embodiment, multimedia streams are packaged into containers, such as MP 4 , FLV, 3GP, that preferably encode the audio and video components in an object oriented format synchronized with the time base. Transcoder  109  preferably parses the format headers to identify the video data boundaries and removes it. Transcoder  109  also makes necessary updates to the headers to reflect the changed content. 
         [0020]    User device  121  is a wireless communication device that can communicate with WSP network  110 . Depending on the standard, mobile phones and other wireless connected devices are varyingly known as user equipment (UE), terminal equipment, mobile station (MS), etc. 
         [0021]    User device  121  preferably includes a subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module (SIM), which is an integrated circuit that securely stores the IMSI and the related key used to identify and authenticate subscribers on user device  121 . 
         [0022]    User device  121  can be a mobile device, such as a cell phone or smart phone, but may alternately be a device or sensor in a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, or the device or sensor of the Internet of Things (IoT). 
         [0023]    Interface  125  between user device  121  and WSP network  110  is preferably a “RESTful” API, typically implemented as messages in the XML format over the HTTP protocol used for web traffic. Interface  125  preferably sends data to WSP Server  105  via RAN  103  and PGW  101 . 
         [0024]    Internet  111  is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to serve several billion users worldwide. Internet  111  is a network of networks that includes millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks, of local to global scope, that are linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless and optical networking technologies. Internet  111  carries an extensive range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web. 
         [0025]      FIG. 2  depicts a call flow diagram  200  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, user device  121  turns on the video filtering service by alerting WSP server  105 . Alternately, indicates that it will accept filtering of video only when WSP network  110  detects congestion in the network. In a further exemplary embodiment, video content is filtered based upon policy. For example, video may be removed from a stream when it is determined that user device  121  is being used in a vehicle, making the video content not only be unnecessary but dangerous. This is preferably done after calculating the speed at which user device  121  is travelling. In a further exemplary embodiment, video content is filtered after a determination that the display is not currently powered on or is not functional. Still further, video content can be filtered when it is determined that the user device is currently locked. Additionally, video content can be filtered when it is determined that a user of user device is not currently watching the display utilizing recognition technology. 
         [0026]    The user, or an application on user device  121 , requests the video stream from application server  105  by sending Audio-only Request  201  to WSP Server  105 . WSP server  105  routes all streams from the content provider to filtering device  107 . 
         [0027]    WSP Server  105  sends Audio-only Request  203  to Filtering Device  107 . 
         [0028]    Filtering Device  107  sends Audio-only Request  204  to Transcoder  109 . 
         [0029]    User Device  121  sends Video Request  205  to Internet  111 . 
         [0030]    Internet  111  sends Video stream  207  to Filtering Device  107 . 
         [0031]    Filtering Device  107  is aware of the request to remove video from the requested stream, and so sends Video stream  209  to Transcoder  109 . In an alternate exemplary embodiment, Filtering Device  107  may default to filtering video from all audio/video requests and allow video to be transmitted only of specifically requested by the user or based upon an individual user&#39;s settings. 
         [0032]    Transcoder  109  sends Audio stream  211  to Filtering Device  107 . Audio stream  211  includes the audio portion of Video stream  209  without the video portion of Video stream  209 . In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, Transcoder  109  removes the video content by packaging the multimedia streams into containers, such as MP4, FLV, or 3GP. The containers encode the audio and video components in an object oriented format synchronized with the time base. Transcoder  109  preferably parses the format headers to identify the video data boundaries and removes the video. Transcoder  109  also preferably makes necessary updates to the headers to reflect the changed content. 
         [0033]    In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, Transcoder  109  replaces the existing video content of Video stream  209  with low-bandwidth video content. For example, for a music video, the original video could be replaced with a simple, moving visual pattern or song lyrics. 
         [0034]    Filtering Device  107  sends Audio stream  213  to User Device  121 . 
         [0035]    An exemplary embodiment therefore reduces bandwidth consumption for WSPs, which leads to reductions in resource allocation and capital expenditure. By filtering the video from a downloaded data stream, users reduce bandwidth usage for intended music streams. This allows the user to download more desired data within their monthly data plan, and/or pay less for a particular quantity of desired data. 
         [0036]    While this invention has been described in terms of certain examples thereof, it is not intended that it be limited to the above description, but rather only to the extent set forth in the claims that follow.