Media Stream Prioritization in Communications Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media stream management technologies do not allow for relative prioritization of media streams within a multimedia communication session, leading to inadequate handling of network congestion and inability to differentiate stream importance.
Innovation Solution
A method that generates and transmits relative priority information for media streams within a communication session, enabling control entities to prioritize streams based on their type, content, or network conditions, and modify priorities dynamically.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single priority level is assigned to all media streams in a session, then implementation is simple, but relative prioritization between streams is impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the priority management function by introducing stream-specific priority attributes that can be individually assigned to each media stream within a session. This allows different priority levels to be assigned to different streams (e.g., audio vs. video) without requiring complex overall session prioritization, thus enabling relative prioritization while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized attribute assignment.
2Productivity
If network resources are allocated without stream prioritization, then resource allocation is uniform, but high-priority streams cannot be protected during congestion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by assigning priority attributes to media streams during session setup and modification phases, before network congestion occurs. This allows control entities to pre-identify high-priority streams (such as emergency call audio or critical video feeds) and ensure they receive preferential treatment during resource allocation, thereby protecting service quality during congestion while maintaining efficient overall resource utilization.
3Device complexity
If stream priority information is not transmitted to network entities, then network processing is straightforward, but end-to-end priority handling cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses control entities as intermediaries to transmit stream priority information from session participants to network elements. The control entities extract priority attributes from session control messages and include them in resource control messages sent to media entities. This intermediary approach allows priority information to be propagated through the network without requiring direct modification of all message types, thus achieving end-to-end priority handling while maintaining relatively simple processing at each network node.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of prioritizing a media stream belonging to a plurality of media streams associated with a communication session. The method includes: a first control entity generating or obtaining from a session control message priority information giving a relative priority to the stream within the session relative to the other streams of the plurality of media streams; and a second control entity inserting the priority information into a resource control message for sending to a media entity.