# US 9,438,483 B2 · System and method of implementing quality of service over a packet-based Network > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,438,483 B2 - Document ID: US9438483B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/652,196 - Filed: 2012-10-15 - Published: 2014-04-17 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2012-10-15 - Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. - Applicants: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. - Inventors: Thomas Anschutz - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9438483B2 ## CPC - H04L 65/80: Responding to QoS - H04L 1/0057: {Block codes (H04L1/0061, H04L1/0064 take precedence)} - H04L 1/0076: {Distributed coding, e.g. network coding, involving channel coding (coding in both space and time H04L1/0618; cooperative diversity H04B7/022)} - H04L 1/1819: {with retransmission of additional or different redundancy} - H04L 1/203: {Details of error rate determination, e.g. BER, FER or WER} - H04L 41/5019: Ensuring fulfilment of SLA - H04L 43/0835: {One way packet loss} - H04L 65/613: for the control of the source by the destination (control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637) - H04L 41/5009: Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF] - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A method includes, at a first network endpoint, determining whether a second network endpoint supports receipt of a stream of packets having a quality of service indicator. The method further includes, at the first network endpoint, in response to determining that the second network endpoint supports receipt of the stream of packets having the quality of service indicator, generating and sending the stream of packets having the quality of service indicator and including forward error correction data to the second network endpoint. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: receiving a first stream of packets at a second network endpoint, the first stream of packets corresponding to a subset of a second stream of packets sent from a first network endpoint to the second network endpoint, wherein the first stream of packets is received by the second network endpoint, wherein the first stream of packets includes a quality of service indicator and forward error correction information, wherein a packet of the second stream of packets is not received at the first network endpoint; determining, at the second network endpoint, an error tolerance based on the quality of service indicator; determining, at the second network endpoint, whether a packet loss rate associated with the first stream exceeds the error tolerance; in response to the packet loss rate exceeding the error tolerance, sending a retransmission request to the first network endpoint; and in response to the packet loss rate not exceeding the error tolerance, initiating a forward error correction decode operation to recover data of the packet by use of the forward error correction information. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the retransmission request signals the first network endpoint to reduce a transmission rate of the second stream of packets. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first stream of packets is received at the second network endpoint via a transport layer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the first stream of packets is associated with a transmission control protocol session. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the transport layer includes a quality of service layer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the quality of service indicator is distinct from the forward error correction information. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising sending from the second network endpoint to the first network endpoint in response to a handshake from the first network endpoint, a reply handshake indicating that the second network endpoint is ready to receive the quality of service indicator. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the quality of service indicator is associated with an expedited forwarding service level. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the quality of service indicator is associated with an assured forwarding service level. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the quality of service indicator is associated with a best effort service level. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, at the second network endpoint, a third stream of packets that corresponds to a fourth stream of packets sent from the first network endpoint to the second network endpoint, the third stream of packets having a second quality of service indicator and including second forward error correction information, wherein at least a portion of the first stream of packets is received at the second network endpoint concurrently with at least a portion of the third stream of packets, and wherein a particular packet of the fourth stream of packets is not received at the second network endpoint; and in response to detecting that the particular packet is not received at the second network endpoint and based on the second quality of service indicator, initiating a second forward error correction decode operation to recover data of the particular packet by use of the second forward error correction information. ### Claim 12 An apparatus comprising: a processor; and a memory accessible to the processor, wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the processor to perform operations including: receiving a first stream of packets at a second network endpoint, the first stream of packets corresponding to a subset of a second stream of packets sent from a first network endpoint to the second network endpoint, wherein the first stream of packets is received by the second network endpoint, wherein the first stream of packets includes a quality of service indicator and forward error correction information, wherein a packet of the second stream of packets is not received at the first network endpoint; determining, at the second network endpoint, an error tolerance based on the quality of service indicator; determining, at the second network endpoint, whether a packet loss rate associated with the first stream exceeds the error tolerance; in response to the packet loss rate exceeding the error tolerance, sending a retransmission request to the first network endpoint; and in response to the packet loss rate not exceeding the error tolerance, initiating a forward error correction decode operation to recover data of the packet by use of the forward error correction information. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the retransmission request signals the first network endpoint to reduce a transmission rate of the second stream of packets. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first stream of packets is received at the second network endpoint via a transport layer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first stream of packets is associated with a transmission control protocol session. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the transport layer includes a quality of service layer. ### Claim 17 A computer-readable memory device that stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: receiving a first stream of packets at a second network endpoint, the first stream of packets corresponding to a subset of a second stream of packets sent from a first network endpoint to the second network endpoint, wherein the first stream of packets is received by the second network endpoint, wherein the first stream of packets includes a quality of service indicator and forward error correction information, wherein a packet of the second stream of packets is not received at the first network endpoint; determining, at the second network endpoint, an error tolerance based on the quality of service indicator; determining, at the second network endpoint, whether a packet loss rate associated with the first stream exceeds the error tolerance; in response to the packet loss rate exceeding the error tolerance, sending a retransmission request to the first network endpoint; and in response to the packet loss rate not exceeding the error tolerance, initiating a forward error correction decode operation to recover data of the packet by use of the forward error correction information. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computer-readable memory device of claim 17, wherein the retransmission request signals the first network endpoint to reduce a transmission rate of the second stream of packets. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The computer-readable memory device of claim 17, wherein the first stream of packets is received at the second network endpoint via a transport layer. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The computer-readable memory device of claim 19, wherein the first stream of packets is associated with a transmission control protocol session.