System and method for dynamic quality-of-service-based billing in a peer-to-peer network
AssigneeRoxbeam Media Network Corporation
InventorsYongqi Yang, Xinyan Zhang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method facilitate dynamic QoS-based billing in a P2P network. According to one embodiment, a peer node identifies a plurality of partner peer nodes that transiently stage streaming media data the peer node requests and receives from the partner peer nodes. The peer node further collects QoS information for the received data and communicates a QoS information report to a remote node to facilitate QoS-based billing.
Claims12
A computer-implemented method for facilitating quality-of-service (QoS)-based billing in a peer-to-peer overlay (P2P) network, the method comprising:
- identifying, by a computing device, a plurality of partner peer nodes in a P2P network that transiently stage subsequently requested streaming media data;
- receiving a plurality of streaming media segments, of the streaming media data, from the plurality of partner peer nodes in the P2P network;
- measuring QoS information including average playback time latency and data rate for the received streaming media data from the plurality of partner peer nodes in the P2P network, wherein the data rate is measured based on the streaming media data drawn from a sliding-window buffer, and wherein measuring the average playback time latency involves:
- determining playback times for the plurality of streaming media segments received from the plurality of partner peer nodes;
- and
- comparing a playback time of a respective streaming media segment to a timestamp of the streaming media segment, wherein the timestamp indicates an expected playback time for the steaming media segment;
- and
- communicating a report which indicates a QoS level computed based on the measured QoS information to a billing node, wherein communicating the report to the billing node facilitates the billing node to compare the QoS level in the report against a predefined threshold, to debit a corresponding user account based on the QoS level in response to the QoS level exceeding a predefined threshold, and to credit the corresponding user account in response to the QoS level not exceeding the predefined threshold.
A system for facilitating quality-of-service (QoS)-based billing in a peer-to-peer overlay (P2P) network, the system comprising:
- a processor;
- a P2P engine, coupled to the processor, configured to identify a plurality of partner peer nodes in a P2P network that transiently stage subsequently requested streaming media data;
- a receiving mechanism configured to receive a plurality of streaming media segments, of the streaming media data, from the plurality of partner peer nodes in the P2P network;
- a QoS monitoring mechanism configured to measure QoS information including average playback time latency and data rate for the received streaming media data from the plurality of partner peer nodes in the P2P network, wherein the data rate is measured based on the streaming media data drawn from a sliding-window buffer, and wherein measuring the average playback time latency involves:
- determining playback times for the plurality of streaming media segments received from the plurality of partner peer nodes;
- and
- comparing a playback time of a respective streaming media segment to a timestamp of the streaming media segment, wherein the timestamp indicates an expected playback time for the steaming media segment;
- and
- a QoS reporting mechanism configured to communicate a report which indicates a QoS level computed based on the measured QoS information to a billing node, wherein communicating the report to the billing node facilitates the billing node to compare the QoS level in the report against a predefined threshold, to debit a corresponding user account based on the QoS level in response to the QoS level exceeding a predefined threshold, and to credit the corresponding user account in response to the QoS level not exceeding the predefined threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.