Playback Stall Expectation Reporting for Proactive Radio Resource Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless communication devices face challenges in maintaining accurate signal transmission and reception while reducing power consumption, particularly in scenarios where playback stalls occur, which can negatively impact user experience and strain battery life.

Innovation Solution

An application on the wireless device predicts playback stalls and generates an expectation event, providing information to the baseband processor, which then communicates this to the cellular base station through radio access network visible quality of experience metrics, allowing the network to adjust radio resource configuration to prevent or mitigate playback stalls.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If playback stall expectation information is reported to the base station, then the network can respond to prevent or mitigate playback stalls, but this may cause unnecessary radio resource reconfigurations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplayback continuityVSAvoidradio resource management

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces specific parameters (expected stall time, buffered playback time) to quantify playback stall expectations, enabling the base station to make informed decisions about resource allocation without triggering unnecessary reconfigurations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The application layer measurement report message provides feedback from the user equipment to the base station about predicted playback stalls, allowing the network to adjust resources proactively based on actual playback conditions rather than reacting to stalls after they occur

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If the base station adjusts radio resource configuration based on playback stall expectations, then playback stalls can be prevented or reduced, but this requires additional signaling overhead and processing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplayback stabilityVSAvoidsignaling efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential information needed for playback stall prediction (expected stall time, buffered playback time) from the application layer and includes it in the measurement report message, avoiding transmission of unnecessary data while maintaining prediction accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The baseband processor acts as an intermediary that receives playback stall expectation information from the application, processes it into standardized measurement report format, and transmits it to the base station, simplifying the interface between application layer and radio access network

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12621840B2Playback stall expectation reporting

Publication Date: 2026.05.05 APPLE INC

AI summary

This disclosure relates to techniques for reporting a playback stall expectation in a wireless communication system. A wireless link may be established between a wireless device and a cellular base station. The wireless device may receive an indication of a playback stall expectation event from an application executing on the wireless device. The wireless device may transmit information indicating the playback stall expectation event to the cellular base station.