Bandwidth allocation management

• US 9,258,231 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dheap, Vijay, Jape, Suyash S., Nagpal, Abhinay R., Patil, Sandeep R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US12/877,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20120059937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,980 Days
• Field of Search: 709224-226
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control

Abstract

Bandwidth allocation management includes determining current available bandwidth of a network within which a computer system is operating. The bandwidth allocation management also includes using the current available bandwidth and applied feature delivery settings to determine an adjustment in feature delivery to the computer system. At least a portion of the feature delivery settings is specified by an end user of the computer system.

Claims

1. A method for implementing bandwidth allocation management, the method comprising:

determining current available bandwidth of a network within which a computer system is operating;

determining capabilities of a peer computer system with respect to a feature, the peer computer system communicatively coupled to the computer system; and

determining an adjustment in the feature, which is implemented by the computer system, using the current available bandwidth, the capabilities of the peer computer system, and an applied feature setting, the feature comprising one of a plurality of features implemented by an application residing on the computer system, at least a portion of the feature settings specified by an end user of the computer system, the feature comprising a block of software code configured for use with a plurality of applications including the application residing on the computer system, the software code providing a defined functionality to the plurality of applications;

wherein the adjustment in the feature of the computer system includes one of enabling and disabling the feature to derive a network bandwidth commensurate with the feature settings specified by the end user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

implementing the adjustment when a bandwidth threshold value identified from the current available bandwidth has been exceeded as defined by the feature settings.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying the feature settings to historical usage information, the historical usage information including patterns of feature usage and non-usage of the computer system; and

upon determining, from the historical usage information and a current state of the computer system, that the feature is unused for a threshold period of time, disabling the feature.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the historical user information includes patterns of feature usage and non-usage as between the computer system and a peer computer system;

wherein the adjustment in the feature includes disabling the feature upon determining from the patterns of feature usage that the feature is unused between the computer system and the peer computer system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

implementing the adjustment in response to determining a bandwidth threshold value identified from the current available bandwidth has been exceeded and in response to an acceptance of the adjustment by the end user of the computer system upon receiving a suggestion to implement the adjustment.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching system records for the computer system; and

identifying elements in the system records that specify an anticipated need by the computer system to employ a feature of an application at a specified time;

wherein determining an adjustment to the feature includes permitting download of the feature for use by the computer system at the specified time.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a social network status and feature capabilities to determine the adjustment in the feature of the computer system, comprising;

determining availability of a peer computer system on the social network; and

disabling a communication feature on the computer system when it is determined that the peer computer system is unavailable for communication.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the feature includes a widget.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the feature includes a plug-in.

10. A system for implementing bandwidth allocation management, the system comprising:

a computer processor; and

a bandwidth allocation management application executable by the computer processor, the bandwidth allocation management application configured to implement a method, the method comprising;

determining current available bandwidth of a network within which a computer system is operating;

determining capabilities of a peer computer system with respect to a feature, the peer computer system communicatively coupled to the computer system; and

determining an adjustment in the feature, which is implemented by the computer system, using the current available bandwidth, the capabilities of the peer computer system, and applied feature settings, the feature comprising one of a plurality of features implemented by an application residing on the computer system, at least a portion of the feature settings specified by an end user of the computer system, the feature comprising a block of software code configured for use with a plurality of applications including the application residing on the computer system, the software code providing a defined functionality to the plurality of applications;

wherein the adjustment in the feature of the computer system includes one of enabling and disabling the feature to derive a network bandwidth commensurate with the feature settings specified by the end user.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

implementing the adjustment when a bandwidth threshold value identified from the current available bandwidth has been exceeded as defined by the feature settings.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

applying the feature settings to historical usage information, the historical usage information including patterns of feature usage and non-usage of the computer system; and

upon determining, from the historical usage information and a current state of the computer system, that the feature is unused for a threshold period of time, disabling the feature.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the historical user information includes patterns of feature usage and non-usage as between the computer system and a peer computer system;

wherein the adjustment in the feature includes disabling the feature upon determining from the patterns of feature usage that the feature is unused between the computer system and the peer computer system.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

implementing the adjustment in response to determining a bandwidth threshold value identified from the current available bandwidth has been exceeded and in response to an acceptance of the adjustment by the end user of the computer system upon receiving a suggestion to implement the adjustment.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

searching system records for the computer system; and

identifying elements in the system records that specify an anticipated need by the computer system to employ a feature of an application at a specified time;

wherein determining an adjustment to the the feature includes permitting download of the feature for use by the computer system at the specified time.

16. A computer program product for implementing bandwidth allocation management, the computer program product including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon, which when executed by a computer processor cause the computer processor to implement a method, the method comprising:

determining current available bandwidth of a network within which a computer system is operating;

determining capabilities of a peer computer system with respect to a feature, the peer computer system communicatively coupled to the computer system; and

determining an adjustment in the feature, which is implemented by the computer system, using the current available bandwidth, the capabilities of the peer computer system, and applied feature settings, the feature comprising one of a plurality of features implemented by an application residing on the computer system, at least a portion of the feature settings specified by an end user of the computer system, the feature comprising a block of software code configured for use with a plurality of applications including the application residing on the computer system, the software code providing a defined functionality to the plurality of applications;

wherein the adjustment in the feature of the computer system includes one of enabling and disabling the feature to derive a network bandwidth commensurate with the feature settings specified by the end user.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

implementing the adjustment when a bandwidth threshold value identified from the current available bandwidth has been exceeded as defined by the feature settings.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

applying the feature settings to historical usage information, the historical usage information including patterns of feature usage and non-usage of the computer system; and

upon determining, from the historical usage information and a current state of the computer system, that the feature is unused for a threshold period of time, disabling the feature.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the historical user information includes patterns of feature usage and non-usage as between the computer system and a peer computer system;

wherein the adjustment in the feature includes disabling the feature upon determining from the patterns of feature usage that the feature is unused between the computer system and the peer computer system.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

implementing the adjustment in response to determining a bandwidth threshold value identified from the current available bandwidth has been exceeded and in response to an acceptance of the adjustment by the end user of the computer system upon receiving a suggestion to implement the adjustment.

21. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

searching system records for the computer system; and

identifying elements in the system records that specify an anticipated need by the computer system to employ a feature of an application at a specified time;

wherein determining an adjustment to the feature includes permitting download of the feature for use by the computer system at the specified time.