Systems and methods for dynamic bandwidth allocation

• US 10,218,748 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2016
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Pinter, Marco, Chan, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Springer, James E
• Application Number:
  US15/013,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20160156680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 709232
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/02 Capturing of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1086 session scope modification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

Disclosed herein are various embodiments of systems and methods that may be utilized in a variety of videoconferencing applications. According to various embodiments, techniques may be utilized to dynamically allocate and adjust bandwidth utilization during a videoconferencing session. A data network may allow for the transmission of data between two or more endpoints. The data exchanged between the endpoints may include video data, audio data, control data, and status data. Control data may be utilized in various embodiments to operate a robotic videoconferencing endpoint. Accordingly, various components of a data network connecting videoconferencing endpoints may transmit data wirelessly.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring network statistics in a videoconferencing session, comprising:

initiating a videoconferencing session between a first endpoint and a second endpoint via a network;

transmitting data between the first endpoint and the second endpoint;

collecting a first plurality of data samples, each of the plurality of data samples comprising a quantifiable metric representing one or more network conditions;

discarding data samples from the first plurality of data samples that exceed a first percentile of the data samples in a network statistics data set;

adding data samples from the first plurality of data samples to network statistics dataset;

analyzing the network statistics dataset to estimate an available bandwidth of the network;

identifying a network disturbance;

discarding data samples collected for a specified period of time following the network disturbance; and

adjusting the bandwidth used for the videoconferencing session based on the estimated available bandwidth.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of data samples comprises a plurality of latency measurements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first percentile is approximately equal to the 90th percentile of data samples in the network statistics dataset.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a second percentile, the second percentile being lower than the first percentile;

identifying a data sample below the first percentile and above the second percentile;

collecting a second plurality of data samples;

determining that a data sample from among the second plurality of data samples exceeds a third percentile; and

discarding the second plurality of data samples.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a second percentile, the second percentile being lower than the first percentile;

identifying a data sample below the first percentile and above the second percentile;

collecting a second plurality of data samples;

determining that a data sample from among the second plurality of data samples is below a third percentile; and

adding the second plurality of data samples to the network statistics dataset.