Measuring call quality

• US 20110141925A1
• Filed: 05/18/2010
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Skype S.Ã R.L. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Rodbro, Christoffer Asgaard, Mahrt, Ole, Oruaas, Mart, Velenko, Mihails
• Granted Patent: US 8,670,336 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

Provided is a method, computer program product, and apparatus for estimating the quality of a call in which a first user terminal will comprise an end point. The method comprises establishing an end-to-end connection between a first user terminal and a node, which end-to-end connection is via an access point of a network by which the first user terminal is connected to the network; displaying information indicative of an expected quality of a call in which the first user terminal will comprise an end point, in dependence on information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection; and providing call initiation means for enabling a user to then selectively establish a call between the first user terminal and a callee. Also provided is a method, computer program product, and apparatus for estimating the quality of a call between a first user terminal and a potential callee.

Claims

1. A method for estimating the quality of a call in which a first user terminal will comprise an end point, the method comprising:

establishing an end-to-end connection between a first user terminal and a node, which end-to-end connection is via an access point of a network by which the first user terminal is connected to the network;

displaying information indicative of an expected quality of a call in which the first user terminal will comprise an end point, in dependence on information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection; and

providing call initiation means for enabling a user to then selectively establish a call between the first user terminal and a callee.

2. A method according to claim 1 comprising sending, from the first user terminal to another user terminal, information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection between the first user terminal and the node.

3. A method according to claim 1 comprising receiving, at the first user terminal from another user terminal, information indicative of the quality of a second end-to-end connection between the another user terminal and a node.

4. A method according to claim 3, comprising displaying information indicative of an expected quality of a call in which the first user terminal and the another user terminal will comprise the end points, on the basis of the information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection between the first user terminal and the node and the information indicative of the quality of the second end-to-end connection.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the node comprises one of a server and a user terminal other than a user terminal of the callee.

6. A method according to claim 1, comprising establishing plural respective end-to-end connections between the first user terminal and a plurality of respective nodes via the access point;

wherein the information indicative of the expected quality of a call in which the first user terminal will comprise an end point is determined on the basis of information indicative of the quality of the respective end-to-end connections.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of respective nodes comprises a plurality of user terminals.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of respective nodes comprises a plurality of servers.

9. A method according to claim 1, comprising:

determining, at the first user terminal, information relating to a potential callee;

wherein the end-to-end connection between the first user terminal and the node is established in dependence on the information relating to a potential callee;

wherein the displaying information comprises displaying information indicative of an expected quality of a call between the first user terminal and the potential callee; and

wherein the providing call initiation means comprises providing call initiation means for enabling a user to then selectively establish a call with the potential callee.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the node comprises a user terminal of the potential callee.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the node comprises one of a server and a user terminal other than a user terminal of the potential callee.

12. A method according to claim 9, comprising receiving, at the first user terminal, the information relating to the potential callee.

13. A method according to claim 9, wherein the information relating to the potential callee comprises an indication of an identity of the potential callee.

14. A method according to claim 9, comprising selecting the node in dependence on the information relating to the potential callee.

15. A method according to claim 1, comprising determining, at the first user terminal, the information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection between the first user terminal and the node.

16. A method according to claim 1, comprising receiving, at the first user terminal, the information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection between the first user terminal and the node.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection between the first user terminal and the node comprises information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection in an uplink direction from the first user terminal to the node.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection between the first user terminal and the node comprises information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection in a downlink direction towards the first user terminal from the node.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection between the first user terminal and the node comprises information indicative of one or more of:

a bandwidth of the end-to-end connection,

round trip time over the end-to-end connection,

packet loss rate over the end-to-end connection, and

end-to-end throughput of a dataset with stream properties over the end-to-end connection.

20. A method according to claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection between the first user terminal and the node is determined using a method that comprises round trip time between the first user terminal and the node.

21. A method according to claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection between the first user terminal and the node is determined using a method that comprises:

determining a transmission time for each of a plurality of packets in a queue received at the first user terminal, based on information received with the packets;

determining a reception time for each of the plurality of packets;

receiving, at an estimation function, successive sets of observations including in each set transmission time, reception time and packet size; and

determining the information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection by using a relationship between the information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection, an amount of data in the queue, packet size, and an interval between packet transmissions.

22. A method according to claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection is determined using a method that comprises:

determining a transmission time for each of a plurality of packets in a queue, each packet having a packet size based on data in the packet;

receiving a reception time for each packet, based on a reception clock located at the node;

receiving, at an estimation function, successive sets of observations including in each set transmission time, reception time and packet size; and

determining the information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection by using a relationship between the information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection, an amount of data in the queue, packet size, and an interval between packet transmissions.

23. A method according to claim 1, wherein the call comprises one or both of a voice over internet protocol call and a video over internet protocol call.

29. A computer program product for estimating the quality of a call in which a first user terminal will comprise an end point, the program comprising code embodied on a computer-readable medium arranged so as, when executed on a processor, to implement a method as in claim 1.

24. A method for estimating the quality of a call between a first user terminal and a potential callee, the method comprising:

determining, at a first user terminal, information relating to a potential callee;

determining an indication of the quality of an end-to-end connection between the first user terminal and the potential callee, in dependence on the information determined;

displaying information indicative of an expected quality of a call between the first user terminal and the potential callee, in dependence on the indication of the quality of the end-to-end connection; and

providing call initiation means for enabling a user to then selectively establish a call with the potential callee.

25. A method according to claim 24, comprising receiving, at the first user terminal, the indication of the quality of an end-to-end connection.

26. A method according to claim 24, comprising sending, from the first user terminal, information indicative of the quality of a local connection by which the first user terminal is connected to a network.

27. A method according to claim 24, comprising receiving, at the first user terminal, information indicative of the quality of a local connection by which a second user terminal of the potential callee is connected to a network.

28. A method according to claim 24, wherein said determining an indication of the quality of an end-to-end connection is in dependence on one or both of information indicative of the quality of a local connection by which the first user terminal is connected to a network, and information indicative of the quality of a local connection by which the second user terminal is connected to a network.

30. A computer program product for estimating the quality of a call between a first user terminal and a potential callee, the program comprising code embodied on a computer-readable medium arranged so as, when executed on a processor, to implement a method as in claim 24.

31. An apparatus for estimating the quality of a call in which a first user terminal will comprise an end point, the apparatus comprising:

means for establishing an end-to-end connection between a first user terminal and a node, which end-to-end connection is via an access point of a network by which the first user terminal is connected to the network;

means for causing information indicative of an expected quality of a call in which the first user terminal will comprise an end point to be displayed, in dependence on information indicative of the quality of the end-to-end connection; and

means for providing call initiation means for enabling a user to then selectively establish a call between the first user terminal and a callee.

32. An apparatus according to claim 31, comprising:

means for determining, at the first user terminal, information relating to a potential callee;

wherein the means for establishing the end-to-end connection between the first user terminal and the node comprises means for establishing the end-to-end connection in dependence on the information relating to a potential callee;

wherein the means for causing information to be displayed comprises means for causing information indicative of an expected quality of a call between the first user terminal and the potential callee to be displayed; and

wherein the means for providing call initiation means comprises means for providing call initiation means for enabling a user to then selectively establish a call with the potential callee.

33. An apparatus for estimating the quality of a call between a first user terminal and a potential callee, the apparatus comprising:

means for determining information relating to a potential callee;

means for determining an indication of the quality of an end-to-end connection between the first user terminal and the potential callee, in dependence on the information determined;

means for causing information indicative of an expected quality of a call between the first user terminal and the potential callee to be displayed, in dependence on the indication of the quality of the end-to-end connection; and

means for providing call initiation means for enabling a user to then selectively establish a call with the potential callee.