Method for evaluating quality of service of a digital network connection

• US 6,801,939 B1
• Filed: 10/10/2000
• Issued: 10/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford University)
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford University)
• Inventors: Chafe, Christopher D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, LAMBERT L
• Application Number:
  US09/686,320
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/227, 709/231, 709/218, 370/230, 370/248, 370/249, 370/252, 370/401, 725/93, 725/126, 379/52, 340/384
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/34 Signalling channels for network management communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

A technique for measuring, evaluating, and presenting virtual network connection latency and virtual network connection stability information allows users to easily evaluate the quality of internet connections in real time. The technique uses audible sounds to represent the round trip time (RTT) of an end-to-end network path as well as other connection qualities. This can be either by sounding tones that depend on momentary measurements obtained by “pinging” a remote host, or by driving the internet connection as the delay loop of a musical tone synthesis process. The synthesized tone is presented to a user in an audio, tactile, and/or visual manner. In a preferred embodiment, the synthesized tone is played to the user. Because the internet connection delay is used in the tone synthesis process, the pitch of the synthesized tone is a direct indicator of the real-time network connection latency. Changes in pitch indicate changes in connection latency.

Claims

1. A method for real time monitoring of network connection latency, the method comprising:

a) establishing a network connection between a first computer and a second computer;

b) transmitting a data stream in a round trip between said first and second computers; and

c) generating a sound having a variable pitch determined by a variable delay of said connection as experienced by said data stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said data stream is a digital code of an audio excitation signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said sound is transformed into a tactile signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting a data stream comprises audio low-pass filtering.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating a sound comprises synthesizing a tone with a physical model having said variable delay as an input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said sound comprises a tone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said data stream recirculates between said first and second computers over said network connection.

8. A method for real time monitoring of network connection latency, the method comprising:

a) establishing a network connection between a first computer and a second computer;

b) transmitting a digital audio data stream in a round trip between said first and second computers; and

c) synthesizing a tone, wherein a variable pitch of the synthesized tone is determined by a variable delay of the digital audio data stream.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising generating an audio signal from the synthesized tone.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising generating a tactile signal from the synthesized tone.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said transmitting further comprises low-pass filtering of said digital audio data stream.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein said synthesizing is performed with a physical model having said variable delay as an input.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein said digital audio data stream recirculates between said first and second computers over said network connection.

14. A method for generating a tone, the method comprising:

a) establishing a network connection between a first computer and a second computer;

b) transmitting a data stream in a round trip between said first and second computers; and

c) synthesizing a tone, wherein a variable pitch of the synthesized tone is determined by a variable delay of said data stream connection.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said synthesizing a tone is performed with a physical model having said variable delay as an input.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said data stream comprises a digital audio data stream.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said data stream recirculates between said first and second computers over said network connection.