Conference resource allocation and dynamic reallocation

• US 8,526,336 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2006
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sarkar, Shantanu, Chotai, Ashish, Vadlakonda, Sravan, Asthana, Aseem
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): OH, ANDREW CHUNG SUK
• Application Number:
  US11/501,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20080063173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,582 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/261
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• 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: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0086 Network resource allocation, dimensioning or optimisation

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system for conducting a conference session among a group of participants includes a server for establishing communication channels over a network connected with endpoint devices of the participants. The server operates to allocate initial resources on the network to conduct the conference session, the initial resources including the communication channels and at least one conferencing bridge. Code running on the server selects one or more different resources currently available during the conference session. The one or more different resources is selected to optimize a quality of service (QoS) criteria. Execution of the code causes the server to move the conference session to the one or more different resources responsive to a triggering event. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

fetching, by a system that includes a conference resource allocator, prior to a conference session starting, history and/or presence information about a set of participants to the conference session;

predicatively determining, by the system, based on the history and/or presence information, a probable current physical call location of each of the participants; and

selecting, by the system, from a set of available resources on a communications network, a resource having an optimal physical location for the conference session based on the probable current physical call location of each of the participants and an average roundtrip signal transmission time between the resource and each endpoint device respectively associated with each of the participants to the conference session, wherein the optimal physical location of the resource provides each of the participants with a substantially equal chance of grabbing a slot in a next available talk burst during the conference session by approximately equalizing latency among the participants.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the selecting of the resource comprises calculating, by the system, the average roundtrip signal transmission time.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the resource comprises a conferencing bridge.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the resource comprises a mixer.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein fetching the history and/or presence information comprises accessing, by the conference resource allocator, a database that stores the history and/or presence information about the participants.

6. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining a probable current physical call location of each participant to a conference session based on history and/or presence information of the participant, the conference session including a plurality of participants;

allocating an initial resource for the conference session from a set of available resources on a communications network, the initial resource providing an initial optimal physical location based on the probable current physical call location of each participant and an average roundtrip signal transmission time between the resource and each endpoint device respectively associated with each participant to the conference session, wherein the initial optimal physical location of the resource provides each participant with a substantially equal chance of grabbing a slot in a next available talk burst during the conference session by approximately equalizing latency among the participants; and

during the conference session, allocating a different resource for the conference session to replace the initial resource responsive to a triggering event, the different resource providing a current optimal physical location based on a current condition of the communications network and the average roundtrip signal transmission time.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein the triggering event comprises an input command from a moderator of the conference session.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 further comprising periodically measuring latency from an actual current physical call location of each participant with respect to one or more newly available resources, wherein the triggering event comprises an improved latency value with respect to the one or more newly available resources relative to a latency value associated with the initial resource.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein reallocating one of more different resources for the conference session comprises:

identifying a set of most active participants to the conference session; and

finding a resource that minimizes the average latency with respect to the most active participants.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, is operable to:

initially allocate one or more resources on a communications network to facilitate a conference session among a set of participants, the initial allocation providing an initial optimal physical location of the one or more resources based on a probable current physical call location of each participant and an average roundtrip signal transmission time between the one or more resources and each endpoint device respectively associated with each participant to the conference session, wherein the initial optimal physical location of the one or more resources provides each participant with a substantially equal chance of grabbing a slot in a next available talk burst during the conference session by approximately equalizing latency among the participants; and

dynamically move the conference session to one or more different resources on the communications network responsive to a triggering event, the one or more different resources providing a current optimal physical location of the one or more different resources based on a current condition of the communications network and an actual current physical call location of each participant.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the triggering event comprises a quality of service issue that diminishes or decreases conferencing system performance below a certain detectable threshold level.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, is further operable to periodically measure latency from the actual current physical call locations of each participant with respect to currently available resources on the communications network, and wherein the triggering event comprises an improved latency value with respect to the one or more of the currently available resources relative to a latency value associated with the one or more resources initially allocated.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the current optimal physical location of the one or more different resources is further based on an average latency with respect to a subset of the participants.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the subset comprises a group of most active speakers.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, is further operable to determine the probable current physical call location of each participant to the conference session based on history and/or presence information of the participant.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, is further operable to fetch the history and/or presence information of each participant from a database.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the triggering event comprises an input command from a moderator of the conference session.

18. A system comprising:

a server for establishing communication channels over a network connected with endpoint devices of a group of participants, the server being operable to allocate initial resources on the network to conduct a conference session, the initial resources including the communication channels and at least one conferencing bridge, the initial resources having an initial optimal physical location with respect to a probable current physical call location of each participant and an average roundtrip signal transmission time between the initial resources and each endpoint device respectively associated with each participant to the conference session, wherein the initial optimal physical location of the initial resources provides each participant with a substantially equal chance of grabbing a slot in a next available talk burst during the conference session by approximately equalizing latency among the participants; and

code that runs on the server to select one or more different resources currently available during the conference session, the one or more different resources being selected to provide a current optimal physical location of the one or more different resources based on an actual current physical call location of each participant and a new average roundtrip signal transmission time between the one or more different resources and each endpoint device respectively associated with each participant to the conference session, execution of the code causing the server to move the conference session to the one or more different resources responsive to a triggering event.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the triggering event comprises an input command from a moderator of the conference session.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the triggering event comprises a quality of service issue that diminishes or decreases conferencing system performance below a certain detectable threshold level.