Patent · US Expired

Method for handing off streaming media sessions between wireless base stations in a mobile streaming media system

US7200402B2 · kind B2 · utility

9Cited by
4References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 3, 2001
Grant dateApr 3, 2007
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 20, 2024

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04W36/08
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method for performing a soft-handoff in a mobile streaming media system, and a method for performing a hard-handoff in a mobile streaming media system are is disclosed. In the soft-handoff embodiment, the present invention detects that a channel quality between a mobile client and a first base station remains above a drop threshold and that a channel quality between the mobile client and a second base station increases from below to above an add threshold. The present embodiment then sends a first multiple description bitstream from the first base station to the mobile client and sends a complementary second multiple description bitstream from the second base station to the mobile client. This method thereby provides improved utilization of wireless bandwidth during soft-handoffs, in contrast to conventional systems where the same bitstream is transmitted from each base station. In both the cases of soft-handoffs and hard-handoffs, when a mobile client enters a cell whose base station has no free capacity, the base station may prevent call dropping by reducing the number of descriptions being served to the existing clients and thereby providing capacity (at least one description)…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.