# US 10,455,261 B2 · Signaling scheme for improved video streaming > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,455,261 B2 - Document ID: US10455261B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/677,116 - Filed: 2017-08-15 - Published: 2019-02-21 - Granted: 2019-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2017-08-15 - Assignees: Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy - Applicants: Nokia Solutions and Networks OY - Inventors: Shahid Akhtar; Kamakshi Sridhar - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10455261B2 ## CPC - H04N 21/2385: Channel allocation (H04N21/266 takes precedence); Bandwidth allocation (H04N21/24 takes precedence {; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16}) - H04L 65/70: Media network packetisation - H04L 65/765: {intermediate} - H04L 65/80: Responding to QoS - H04N 21/23418: {involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics (television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59)} - H04N 21/235: Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors - H04N 21/2662: Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities - H04N 21/64738: {Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level (data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10)} - H04N 21/64784: {Data processing by the network (data processing in packet switching systems H04L12/56; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90; provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56)} - H04W 80/06: Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless {(transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16)} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract In one embodiment, a mobile communications system has a plurality of radio access network (RAN) nodes communicating wirelessly with a plurality of wireless user devices, a video server transmitting one or more packetized video streams to one or more of the wireless user devices, and a packet core routing packets of video data from the video server to the one or more wireless user devices via the RAN nodes. For each packetized video stream, the video server transmits in-band information related to the packetized video stream, such as relative screen size, relative video activity level, and minimum and maximum video quality levels, and each RAN node extracts and uses the in-band information to schedule transmission of the packets of video data to its one or more corresponding wireless user devices. The system can provide higher-quality video experience without wasting bandwidth on user devices that don't require much communication resources. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A video server for a mobile communications system comprising: a plurality of radio access network (RAN) nodes, each RAN node configured to communicate wirelessly with a plurality of wireless user devices; a video server configured to transmit one or more packetized video streams to one or more of the wireless user devices; and a packet core configured to route packets of video data from the video server to the one or more wireless user devices via the RAN nodes, wherein: the video server is configured to determine corresponding information related to each of the one or more packetized video streams; and the video server is configured to transmit, in each packetized video stream, the corresponding determined information as in-band information; and the in-band information is usable by each RAN node to schedule transmission of the packets of video data to the one or more wireless user devices. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The video server of claim 1, wherein: the packets of video data are Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) packets; and the video server is configured to transmit the in-band information in TCP Options fields in the TCP packets. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The video server of claim 1, wherein the video server is configured to transmit the in-band information at the start of a video chuck of each packetized video stream. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The video server of claim 1, wherein, when a wireless user device receiving a packetized video stream moves from a first RAN node to a second RAN node, such that subsequent packets of video data for the packetized video stream get routed to the wireless user device via the second RAN node instead of the first RAN node: the video server includes the in-band information in one or more of the subsequent packets of video data; and the in-band information is used by the second RAN node to schedule transmission of the subsequent packets of video data to the wireless user device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The video server of claim 1, wherein, for each packetized video stream, the in-band information comprises: a minimum video quality (VQ) level value; a maximum VQ level value; a relative screen size value; and a relative video activity value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The video server of claim 5, wherein, for each packetized video stream: the video server is configured to determine the minimum and maximum VQ level values from a video manifest received from a corresponding wireless user device; the video server is configured to determine the relative screen size value from a user agent field in an HTTP request received by the video server from the corresponding wireless user device; and the video server is configured to determine the relative video activity value by analyzing content of the packetized video stream. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The video server of claim 6, wherein the video server is configured to (i) determine the relative video activity value by analyzing the content of the packetized video stream off line and (ii) store the relative video activity value for subsequent transmission with the packetized video stream. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The video server of claim 7, wherein: the packets of video data are TCP packets; the video server is configured to transmit the in-band information in TCP Options fields in the TCP packets; the video server is configured to transmit the in-band information at the start of a video chuck of each packetized video stream; when a wireless user device receiving a packetized video stream moves from a first RAN node to a second RAN node, such that subsequent packets of video data for the packetized video stream get routed to the wireless user device via the second RAN node instead of the first RAN node: the video server includes the in-band information in one or more of the subsequent packets of video data; and the in-band information is usable by the second RAN node to schedule transmission of the subsequent packets of video data to the wireless user device. ### Claim 9 A method for a video server that transmits one or more packetized video streams to one or more wireless user devices in a mobile communications system further comprising (i) a plurality of radio access network (RAN) nodes, each RAN node configured to communicate wirelessly with a plurality of wireless user devices and (ii) a packet core configured to route packets of video data from the video server to the one or more wireless user devices via the RAN nodes, the method comprising: (a) the video server determining information related to each packetized video stream, wherein each packetized video stream is transmitted by the video server toward a wireless user device via the packet core and a corresponding RAN node; and (b) the video server transmitting the information as in-band information in the packetized video stream, wherein the in-band information is usable by the corresponding RAN node to schedule transmission of the packets of video data to the wireless user device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein, for each packetized video stream, the in-band information comprises: a minimum video quality (VQ) level value; a maximum VQ level value; a relative screen size value; and a relative video activity value. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein, for each packetized video stream: the video server determines the minimum and maximum VQ level values from a video manifest received from a corresponding wireless user device; the video server determines the relative screen size value from a user agent field in an HTTP request received by the video server from the corresponding wireless user device; and the video server determines the relative video activity value by analyzing content of the packetized video stream. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the video server (i) determines the relative video activity value by analyzing the content of the packetized video stream off line and (ii) stores the relative video activity value for subsequent transmission with the packetized video stream. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein: the packets of video data are TCP packets; and the video server transmits the in-band information in TCP Options fields in the TCP packets. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the video server transmits the in-band information at the start of a video chuck of each packetized video stream. ### Claim 15 A method for a RAN node that communicates wirelessly with a plurality of wireless user devices in a mobile communications system further comprising (i) one or more other RAN nodes, (ii) a video server configured to transmit one or more packetized video streams to one or more of the wireless user devices and (iii) a packet core configured to route packets of video data from the video server to the one or more wireless user devices via the RAN nodes, the method comprising: (a) the RAN node receiving packets of video data for each packetized video stream being transmitted by the video server to a wireless user device via the packet core and the RAN node, wherein each packetized video stream includes in-band information related to the packetized video stream; (b) the RAN node extracting the in-band information; (c) the RAN node using the extracted in-band information to schedule transmission of the packets of video data to the one or more corresponding wireless user devices; and (d) the RAN node transmitting the packets of video data to the one or more corresponding wireless user devices. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein, for each packetized video stream, the in-band information comprises: a minimum video quality (VQ) level value; a maximum VQ level value; a relative screen size value; and a relative video activity value. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein: the packets of video data are TCP packets; and the in-band information is transmitted in TCP Options fields in the TCP packets. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein, when a wireless user device receiving a packetized video stream moves from a different RAN node to the RAN node, such that subsequent packets of video data for the packetized video stream get routed to the wireless user device via the RAN node instead of the other RAN node: the in-band information is included by the video server in one or more of the subsequent packets of video data; and the RAN node uses the in-band information to schedule transmission of the subsequent packets of video data to the wireless user device.