Content stream management

• US 8,626,621 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2010
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cooper, Paul R., Van der Staay, Matt Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Iwarere, Seye
• Application Number:
  US12/715,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20110218897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 705/34, 709/231
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

Content stream management techniques are described. In an implementation, a communication is examined at a client device from at least one other client device that describes per stream usage of network bandwidth by the at least one other client device to receive content. Usage of the network bandwidth at the client device is managed based on the communication and a determination of per stream usage of the network bandwidth to receive content by the client device that also consumes at least a portion of the network bandwidth.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

examining, by a client device, a communication from at least one other client device that describes per stream usage of network bandwidth by the at least one other client device to receive content; and

managing usage of the network bandwidth by the client device based on the communication and a determination of per stream usage of the network bandwidth to receive content by the client device that also consumes at least a portion of the network bandwidth, the client device is configured to manage the usage to arrive at a usage result that matches a usage result determined by the at least one other client device.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the communication describes usage of a plurality of said streams at the at least one other client device.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the content is television content streamed over a network configured in accordance with one or more Internet protocols.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the managing is based at least in part on an amount of time that a user has interacted with the at least one other client device as indicated by the described usage of the communication.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the managing is based at least in part on a priority that is assigned to the per stream usage described in the communication from the at least one other client device in comparison to a priority that is assigned to the determined per stream usage of the network bandwidth to receive content by the client device.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the managing is based at least in part on a type of usage.

7. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising determining the per stream usage of content by the client device that consumes at least the portion of the network bandwidth.

8. A method as described in claim 7, further comprising forming a communication to be communicated to the at least one other client device that described the determined per stream usage of content by the client device.

9. A method as described in claim 8, wherein the communication is configured to enable the at least one other client device to manage usage of the network bandwidth at the at least one other client device.

10. A method as described in claim 9, wherein one or more techniques used to perform the managing of the usage of the bandwidth at the client device match one or more techniques used to manage the usage of the bandwidth at the other client device.

11. A client device comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory, communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform operations comprising;

determining per stream usage of content at the client device that consumes at least a portion of network bandwidth that is available at a location;

forming a communication to be communicated to at least one other client device that shares the network bandwidth that is available at the location with the client device, the communication describing per stream usage by the client device;

examining another communication, from the at least one other client device, that describes per stream usage of the other client device that consumes at least a portion of the network bandwidth, the communication from the at least one other client device describing usage of a plurality of streams, each said stream used to communicate television content, such that the communication describes consumption of the plurality of streams of television content; and

managing, at the client device, the per stream usage of the client device based at least in part on the determination of the per stream usage of content at the client device and the described per stream usage of the other client device described by the other communication, the management of the per stream usage including determining which streams used by the client device and which of the plurality of streams used by the other client device are permitted to continue consuming said network bandwidth.

12. A client device as described in claim 11, wherein the location is a single building used as a residence and the network bandwidth is provided to the residence for a fee.

13. A client device as described in claim 11, wherein the location is a single building used as a business and the network bandwidth is provided to the business for a fee.

14. A client device as described in claim 11, wherein the per stream usage is managed based at least in part on an amount of time that a user has interacted with the at least one other client device as indicated by the described usage of the communication.

15. A client device as described in claim 11, wherein the per stream usage is managed based at least in part on a priority that is assigned to the usage by the at least one other client device in comparison to the usage assigned to the client device.

16. A client device as described in claim 11, wherein the per stream usage is managed based at least in part on a type of usage.

17. One or more computer-readable media storage memories comprising instructions that are stored thereon that, responsive to execution by a client device, cause the client device to perform operations comprising:

comparing, at the client device, per stream usage of content that consumes network bandwidth with per stream usage of a plurality of streams of content used by another client device that shares bandwidth that is assigned to a location that includes the client device and the other client device, the comparing performed using a communication received from the other client device which describes that the content usage of other client device comprises one or more video streams and one or more audio streams;

prioritizing the per stream usage of the client device and the other client device based, at least in part, on the comparing;

determining, based on the prioritizing, which streams used by the client device and which of the plurality of streams used by the other client device are permitted to continue consuming said network bandwidth; and

implementing the prioritized per stream usage at the client device based, at least in part, on the determining.

18. One or more computer-readable storage memories as described in claim 17, wherein the implementing of the prioritized per stream usage causes the client device to cease reception of at least one said stream at the client device.

19. One or more computer-readable storage memories as described in claim 17, wherein the implementing of the prioritized per stream usage causes the client device to maintain consumption at the client device of one or more said streams.

20. One or more computer-readable storage memories as described in claim 17, wherein the prioritizing of the per stream usage of the client device is based, at least in part, on a last monitored interaction with the client device.