Patent Publication Number: US-2012040682-A1

Title: Prioritization of data communication

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Many types of devices and systems communicate data between one another via one or more communication links. These communication links typically have a limited bandwidth available to communicate data and other information. When multiple devices (or multiple data streams) share a common communication link, the bandwidth associated with that link is allocated among the multiple devices (or multiple data streams). In some situations, this allocation of bandwidth may result in delayed communication of certain data. 
     When allocating bandwidth among multiple devices, or multiple data streams, certain devices or types of data may be given priority over other devices or data types. For example, time-critical data associated with a live-streamed event may be given priority over other types of data that are not time-critical, such as email messages. Therefore, in situations where bandwidth is shared among multiple devices or multiple data streams, it is desirable to prioritize data for communication using the available bandwidth. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the Figures, the left-most digit of a component reference number identifies the particular Figure in which the component first appears. 
         FIG. 1  shows an exemplary environment capable of implementing the systems and methods described herein, according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing various components of an exemplary data communication gateway, according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  shows an exemplary procedure for assigning a data handling priority to received data, according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  shows an exemplary procedure for determining a data handling priority to assign to received data, according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram showing an exemplary local device, according to one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Overview 
     The systems and methods described herein relate to the assignment of communication bandwidth to different types of data. These systems and methods use a data prioritization approach that assigns higher data communication priority to certain types of data. For example, voice data may be given higher priority than other types of data. Additionally, data having a particular format can be given a higher priority than data having other formats. Other data prioritization approaches assign a higher priority to data associated with devices from a particular manufacturer. 
     Although particular examples discussed herein relate to a data communication gateway, the present invention is applicable to any type of data communication device. The specific devices and communication links discussed herein are provided for purposes of discussion and to provide an exemplary implementation of the invention. The present invention is applicable to any type of data received from any type of device in any operating environment. 
     An Exemplary System for Prioritizing Data Communication 
       FIG. 1  shows an exemplary environment  100  capable of implementing the systems and methods described herein, according to one embodiment. Environment  100  includes a data communication gateway  102  that operates as a central hub for voice, data services and messaging communication between multiple devices. Data communication gateway  102  includes router functionality for communicating data between various networks and devices. Data communication gateway  102  further includes WiFi functionality for sending and receiving data using a WiFi network. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , data communication gateway  102  is coupled to two portable phones  104 ( 1 ) and  104 ( 2 ), a television  106 , a computer  108  and two telephones  110 ( 1 ) and  110 ( 2 ). In alternate environments, any type of device can be coupled to data communication gateway  102 , such as tablet computers, game consoles, portable entertainment systems, and so forth. In a particular embodiment, portable phones  104 ( 1 ) and  104 ( 2 ) are DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) phones, which are cordless phones that can be used in a local environment. DECT phones typically communicate with a base station, which is connected to a phone line or data communication network. In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the base station functionality is contained within data communication gateway  102 , thereby eliminating the need for a separate base station. Although two portable phones  104 ( 1 ) and  104 ( 2 ) are shown in  FIG. 1 , particular implementations of data communication gateway  102  can support any number of portable phones. 
     In an alternate embodiment, phones  104 ( 1 ) and  104 ( 2 ) communicate with data communication gateway  102  via a WiFi communication link. In this embodiment, the data communicated between phones  104 ( 1 ),  104 ( 2 ) and data communication gateway  102  may be native UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) voice data. 
     Television  106  displays various data received from data communication gateway  102 , such as program information, video content, audio content, web site content, and so forth. In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , television  106  communicates with data communication gateway  102  via a WiFi communication link using the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) specification. Through the communication link with data communication gateway  102 , television  106  is capable of communicating with Internet-based web servers to retrieve content and interact with those servers. 
     Computer  108  is shown in  FIG. 1  as a laptop or netbook style of computing device. Alternate embodiments may include any type of computing device, such as a desktop computer, a tablet, a handheld computer, a set top box, a game console, and the like. Computer  108  communicates with data communication gateway  102  via a WiFi communication link or other wireless communication system. In alternate embodiments, computer  108  may communicate with data communication gateway  102  via a wired communication link using any data communication protocol. 
     Telephones  110 ( 1 ) and  110 ( 2 ) are traditional telephones that are coupled to data communication gateway  102  via a traditional telephone cable. In a particular implementation, data communication gateway  102  includes support for two telephones. Alternate embodiments of data communication gateway  102  include support for any number of telephones. In one implementation, voice data associated with telephones  110 ( 1 ) and  110 ( 2 ) is communicated to other telephones via the Internet or other data communication network. 
     Data communication gateway  102  is also coupled to a modem  112 , which is coupled a data communication network  114 , such as the Internet. Modem  112  communicates with a variety of web servers and other resources accessible via data communication network  114 . Data communication network  114  may include any number of data communication networks, such as local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and the like. 
     As used herein, the term “local device” collectively refers to phones  104 ( 1 ) and  104 ( 2 ), television  106 , computer  108  and telephones  110 ( 1 ) and  110 ( 2 ). These devices are generally referred to as “local devices” due to their proximate location to data communication gateway  102  and their ability to communicate with the gateway. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing various components of an exemplary data communication gateway, according to one embodiment. Data communication gateway  102  includes a processor  202 , a memory  204 , and a communication module  206 . Processor  202  executes various instructions to implement the functions described herein. Memory  204  stores the instructions and other data used by processor  202  and other modules contained in data communication gateway  102 . Communication module  206  allows data communication gateway  102  to communicate with other devices and systems, such as the systems and devices shown in  FIG. 1 . Additionally, communication module  206  allows data communication gateway  102  to communicate with devices and systems via data communication network  114  shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     Data communication gateway  102  also includes a display  208 , a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface  210  and user interface controls  212 . Display  208  presents information to a user of data communication gateway  102 , such as operating information, configuration settings and menu navigation information. USB interface  210  allows data communication gateway  102  to communicate with other devices using a USB port. A particular implementation of data communication gateway  102  includes two USB ports. User interface controls  212  include buttons, LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and the like to receive instructions from a user of data communication gateway  102  and to communicate information to the user in combination with display  208 , as discussed above. 
     Data communication gateway  102  also includes a telephone interface  214  for communicating with one or more conventional telephones, such as telephones  110 ( 1 ) and  110 ( 2 ) shown in  FIG. 1 . Data received via telephone interface  214  is communicated to other devices or systems connected directly to data communication gateway  102  or coupled to the gateway via data communication network  114 . Data communication gateway  102  further includes a data priority table  216  that contains information used to prioritize data communications. Data priority table  216  assigns various data throughput handling priorities based on the source of the received data, the type of received data and the manufacturer of the device communicating the received data. Additional details regarding the application of the information in data priority table  216  are discussed herein. 
     An Exemplary Procedure for Prioritizing Data Communication 
       FIG. 3  shows an exemplary procedure  300  for assigning a data handling priority to received data, according to one embodiment. Initially, procedure  300  determines a current available bandwidth in a data communication gateway (block  302 ). This available bandwidth may be shared by multiple devices and/or multiple data streams. For example, the available bandwidth may be shared by live voice data, data services and messaging communications. Certain types of data, such as live voice data, may require a minimum bandwidth to ensure a particular quality of service (e.g., intelligible voice transmission) for that type of data. Thus, procedure  300  continues by identifying a bandwidth threshold value associated with a particular quality of service for various types of data supported by the system (block  304 ). Certain types of data, such as live voice data, may have a bandwidth threshold value (e.g., minimum bandwidth needed to ensure acceptable voice quality) while other types of data may not have a bandwidth threshold value. 
     The procedure of  FIG. 3  continues by receiving data associated with a local device (block  306 ). As mentioned above, a local device is any device coupled to data communication gateway  102  shown in  FIG. 1 . Receiving data associated with a local device includes data received by the data communication gateway from the local device or data received by the data communication gateway for communication to the local device. In particular implementations, the received data is a request to establish a communication link between a local device and another system or device. Such request may be referred to as a “reservation request” or a “bandwidth reservation request”. 
     Procedure  300  then determines a priority associated with the received data (block  308 ). The procedure for determining this priority is discussed herein with respect to  FIG. 4 . Based on the priority associated with the received data (block  310 ), a data handling priority is assigned to the received data. In a particular embodiment, the assigned priority is “high”, “medium”, or “low” (blocks  312 ,  314  and  316 , respectively). The data communication gateway uses the assigned priority to allocate available bandwidth to the received data as well as other data being handled by the data communication gateway. 
       FIG. 4  shows an exemplary procedure  400  for determining a data handling priority to assign to received data, according to one embodiment. Initially, procedure  400  receives data associated with a local device (block  402 ). The procedure then determines whether the received data is associated with a DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) device (block  404 ). This determination may include inspecting the type and size of data packet received as well as a destination port associated with the data. In other embodiments, the data may be tagged with metadata or other information that indicates the data type, data source, or data format. If the received data is associated with a DECT device, the data handling priority is set to “High” (block  406 ). DECT devices, such as DECT phones, are assigned the highest data handling priority to ensure that the live voice data associated with the DECT device is communicated in a manner that provides a clear understanding of the voice data to a user. 
     If the received data is not associated with a DECT device, procedure  400  determines whether the received data is native UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) voice data (block  408 ). If the received data is native UMA voice data, the data handling priority is set to “Medium” (block  410 ). The native UMA voice data is assigned a Medium priority to provide a good quality of data handling for the voice data. Thus, data associated with a DECT device is higher priority than native UMA voice data, but native UMA voice data has a higher priority than non-voice data discussed below. 
     If the received data is not associated with a DECT device and is not native UMA voice data, procedure  400  determines whether the received data is associated with a preferred manufacturer (or a preferred service provider) at block  412 . If the data is associated with a preferred manufacturer or preferred service provider, the data handling priority is set to “Low” (block  414 ). If the data is not associated with a preferred manufacturer or preferred service provider, the data handling priority is set to “Very Low” (block  416 ). Thus, non-voice data associated with one or more preferred manufacturers or service providers may be given priority over non-voice data associated with other manufacturers or service providers. In alternate embodiments, all non-voice data is assigned a “Low” data handling priority, regardless of the manufacturer or service provider associated with the data. 
     Although the example of  FIG. 4  assigns one of four different data handling priorities to specific data, alternate embodiments may use any number of data handling priorities associated with various types of data. In a particular embodiment, bandwidth is allocated to the different data handling priorities on a percentage basis. For example, if a DECT device has voice data to communicate and other devices are communicating non-voice data, the DECT device is allocated a percentage of bandwidth sufficient to communicate the voice data with the desired level of quality. The remaining bandwidth is allocated to the other devices communicating non-voice data. In this embodiment, if the available bandwidth is less than the minimum bandwidth required for the DECT device, the system will allocate 90% of the bandwidth to the DECT device and share the remaining 10% with the other devices. 
     The systems and method described herein are intended to give priority to voice data to ensure a good user experience when communicating voice data through the data communication gateway. This data priority is particularly important in situations where the available bandwidth is insufficient to handle all data simultaneously. For example, if a user is talking on a DECT phone and another user is browsing the Internet using the same data communication gateway, the data associated with the DECT phone is given priority over the Internet browser data. If there is sufficient bandwidth to handle both data streams simultaneously, then both users will have full access to the necessary bandwidth for their communications. However, if there is insufficient bandwidth to handle both data streams, the DECT phone data will be allocated a threshold bandwidth amount necessary to ensure a clear phone communication. In this situation, the Internet browser data will be restricted to the remaining bandwidth. 
       FIG. 5  is a block diagram showing an exemplary local device  500 , according to one embodiment. Local device  500  may be used to perform various operations and functions, such as those discussed herein. Local device  500  can be any of a wide variety of devices, such as a portable phone, television, computing device, telephone, and the like. 
     Local device  500  includes one or more processor(s)  502 , one or more memory device(s)  504 , one or more interface(s)  506 , one or more mass storage device(s)  508 , one or more Input/Output (I/O) device(s)  510 , and a display device  528  all of which are coupled to a bus  512 . Processor(s)  502  include one or more processors or controllers that execute instructions stored in memory device(s)  504  and/or mass storage device(s)  508 . Processor(s)  502  may also include various types of processor-readable media, such as cache memory. 
     Memory device(s)  504  include various processor-readable media, such as volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM))  514  and/or nonvolatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM)  516 ). Memory device(s)  504  may also include rewritable ROM, such as Flash memory. 
     Mass storage device(s)  508  include various processor-readable media, such as magnetic tapes, magnetic disks, optical disks, solid state memory (e.g., Flash memory), and so forth. As shown in  FIG. 5 , a particular mass storage device is a hard disk drive  524 . Various drives may also be included in mass storage device(s)  508  to enable reading from and/or writing to the various processor-readable media. Mass storage device(s)  508  include removable storage  526  and/or non-removable media. 
     I/O device(s)  510  include various devices that allow data and/or other information to be input to or retrieved from local device  500 . Example I/O device(s)  510  include cursor control devices, keyboards, keypads, microphones, monitors or other display devices, speakers, printers, network interface cards, modems, lenses, CCDs or other image capture devices, and the like. 
     Display device  528  includes any type of device capable of displaying information to one or more users of local device  500 . Examples of display device  528  include a display screen, monitor, display terminal, video projection device, and the like. 
     Interface(s)  506  include various interfaces that allow local device  500  to interact with other systems, devices, or computing environments. Example interface(s)  506  include any number of different network interfaces  520 , such as interfaces to local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), wireless networks, and the Internet. Other interfaces include user interface  518  and peripheral device interface  522 . 
     Bus  512  allows processor(s)  502 , memory device(s)  504 , interface(s)  506 , mass storage device(s)  508 , and I/O device(s)  510  to communicate with one another, as well as other devices or components coupled to bus  512 . Bus  512  represents one or more of several types of bus structures, such as a system bus, PCI bus, IEEE 1394 bus, USB bus, and so forth. 
     For purposes of illustration, programs and other executable program components are shown herein as discrete blocks, although it is understood that such programs and components may reside at various times in different storage components of local device  500 , and are executed by processor(s)  502 . Alternatively, the systems and procedures described herein can be implemented in hardware, or a combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. For example, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) can be programmed to carry out one or more of the systems and procedures described herein. 
     Conclusion 
     Although the systems and methods for communicating data have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological operations or actions, it is understood that the implementations defined in the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described. Rather, the specific features and operations of communicating data are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claimed subject matter.