Methods, systems, and devices for bandwidth conservation

• US 8,605,755 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2012
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bedingfield, James C., Kafka, Henry, Small, Eric, Baeza, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shand, Roberta A
• Application Number:
  US13/676,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 391 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/477
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for conserving bandwidth. If a presence of a multimedia device is detected, then a stream of data is delivered to the multimedia device. If the presence of the multimedia device is not detected, then the stream of data is degraded to conserve bandwidth.

Claims

1. A method to conserve bandwidth, comprising:

sending a stream of data to a media device;

degrading by a processor the stream of data to conserve bandwidth in response to a presence of the media device not being detected;

storing a user degradation profile in which the user degradation profile instructs how a user desires to degrade the stream of data delivered to the media device from a server in response to the presence of the media device not being detected; and

consulting the user degradation profile based on the presence of the media device not being detected.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user degradation profile causes the server delivering the stream of data to degrade the stream of data before the stream of data reaches the media device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a video portion of the stream of data is degraded, and an audio portion of the stream of data is not degraded.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a video portion and an audio portion of the stream of data are degraded.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a video portion of the stream of data is degraded, and an audio portion of the stream of data is discarded.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a video portion of the stream of data is discarded, and only an audio portion of the stream of data is transmitted.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising before degrading the stream of data to the media device, causing a presence detection application to consult the user degradation profile in response to the presence of the media device not being detected.

8. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

sending a stream of data to a media device;

degrading the stream of data to conserve bandwidth in response to a presence of the media device not being detected;

storing a user degradation profile in which the user degradation profile instructs how a user desires to degrade the stream of data delivered to the media device from a server in response to the presence of the media device not being detected; and

consulting the user degradation profile based on the presence of the media device not being detected.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the user degradation profile causes the server delivering the stream of data to degrade the stream of data before the stream of data reaches the media device.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein a video portion of the stream of data is degraded, and an audio portion of the stream of data is not degraded.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein a video portion and an audio portion of the stream of data are degraded.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein a video portion of the stream of data is degraded, and an audio portion of the stream of data is discarded.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein a video portion of the stream of data is discarded, and only an audio portion of the stream of data is transmitted.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising before degrading the stream of data to the media device, causing a presence detection application to consult the user degradation profile in response to the presence of the media device not being detected.

15. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

sending a stream of data to a media device;

degrading the stream of data to conserve bandwidth in response to a presence of the media device not being detected;

storing a user degradation profile in which the user degradation profile instructs how a user desires to degrade the stream of data delivered to the media device from a server in response to the presence of the media device not being detected; and

consulting the user degradation profile based on the presence of the media device not being detected.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the user degradation profile causes the server delivering the stream of data to degrade the stream of data before the stream of data reaches the media device.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein a video portion of the stream of data is degraded, and an audio portion of the stream of data is not degraded.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein a video portion and an audio portion of the stream of data are degraded.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein a video portion of the stream of data is degraded, and an audio portion of the stream of data is discarded.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein a video portion of the stream of data is discarded, and only an audio portion of the stream of data is transmitted.