Upstream bandwidth management methods and apparatus

• US 20060212917A1
• Filed: 03/16/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications Management LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Liberate Technologies
• Inventors: Lodberg, Allan, Boucher, Antoine
• Granted Patent: US 8,201,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/105
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1881 with schedule organisation, e.g. priority, sequence management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/28 in relation to timing considerations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/781 Centralised allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/821 Prioritising resource allocation or reservation requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A system and method for managing bandwidth of an upstream communications channel in a communications system.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

adapting upstream communications channel transmissions within a set top box (STB) in response to a determination that a utilization level of the upstream communications channel exceeds a threshold level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said determination comprises counting a number of packets conveyed by said upstream communications channel during a predetermined amount of time to establish thereby said utilization level, said threshold level comprising a predefined packet transmission rate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said determination comprises sampling traffic conveyed by said upstream communications channel during a predetermined amount of time to establish thereby said utilization level, said threshold level comprising a predefined packet transmission rate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said determination comprises an estimation of present utilization of said upstream communications channel based upon at least one of scheduled interactive television programming and scheduled termination of non-interactive television programming.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said determination comprises an estimation of future utilization of said upstream communications channel based upon at least one of scheduled interactive television programming and scheduled termination of non-interactive television programming.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said adapting comprises at least one of delaying and canceling the transmission of a message via said upstream communications channel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said adapting comprises transmitting only those data messages associated with a priority level above a threshold priority level.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

said data message priority level is defined by one of a priority level of an application providing said data message and a priority level associated with said message type.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing, in a transmit delay queue, those data messages having a priority level below said threshold priority level; and

transmitting said stored data messages when said utilization level of the upstream communications channel does not exceed a threshold level.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

increasing a priority level of a data message each time the data message denied transmission and stored in said transmit delay queue.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

indicium of said upstream communications channel utilization level is received at said STB via a downstream communications channel.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

said indicium of said upstream communications channel utilization level is provided by at least one of a server, a head-end and a communications network node.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

indicium of said upstream communications channel utilization level is determined at said STB.

14. In a set top box (STB) supporting at least one application communicating via an upstream communications channel, a method comprising:

determining a likelihood of successful transmission via said upstream communications channel; and

prioritizing upstream transmissions associated with each of at least one application such that a likelihood of success is above a threshold level.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said step of determining used indicium of said upstream communications channel utilization level received at said STB via a downstream communications channel.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

said indicium of said upstream communications channel utilization level is provided by at least one of a server, a head-end and a communications network node.

17. An applications programming interface (API) adapted for use within a set top box (STB), said API performing the steps of:

adapting upstream communications channel transmissions within a set top box (STB) in response to a determination that a utilization level of the upstream communications channel exceeds a threshold level.

18. The API of claim 17, wherein:

said determination comprises counting a number of packets conveyed by said upstream communications channel during a predetermined amount of time to establish thereby said utilization level, said threshold level comprising a predefined packet transmission rate.

19. The API of claim 17, wherein:

said determination comprises sampling traffic conveyed by said upstream communications channel during a predetermined amount of time to establish thereby said utilization level, said threshold level comprising a predefined packet transmission rate.

20. A signal bearing medium including a representation of software instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform a method, comprising:

adapting upstream communications channel transmissions within a set top box (STB) in response to a determination that a utilization level of the upstream communications channel exceeds a threshold level.