Systems and methods for dynamic bandwidth allocation

• US 9,264,664 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2010
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Pinter, Marco, Chan, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph E
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONAWAY, JAMES E
• Application Number:
  US12/959,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20120144336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 709/232
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/02 Capturing of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1086 session scope modification
• 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: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

Disclosed herein are various embodiments of systems and methods that may be utilized in a variety of videoconferencing applications. According to various embodiments, techniques may be utilized to dynamically allocate and adjust bandwidth utilization during a videoconferencing session. A data network may allow for the transmission of data between two or more endpoints. The data exchanged between the endpoints may include video data, audio data, control data, and status data. Control data may be utilized in various embodiments to operate a robotic videoconferencing endpoint. Accordingly, various components of a data network connecting videoconferencing endpoints may transmit data wirelessly.

Claims

1. A mobile videoconferencing endpoint, comprising:

a bus;

a wireless network transceiver in communication with the bus and configured to wirelessly communicate data with a network;

a processor in communication with the bus;

a robotic element in communication with the bus;

a robotics driver in communication with the bus and configured to receive an instruction for controlling the robotic element via the wireless network transceiver and to control the robotic element according to the instruction for controlling the robotic element;

a video input source in communication with the bus;

an audio input source in communication with the bus; and

a computer readable storage medium in communication with the bus, comprising;

a network statistics dataset module executable on the processor and configured to generate a network statistics dataset, and configured to compare a plurality of data samples to the network statistics dataset, each of the plurality of data samples comprising a quantifiable metric representing one or more network conditions;

a bandwidth allocation module executable on the processor and configured to dynamically adjust a data communication bandwidth between the videoconferencing endpoint and the network based upon comparison of the plurality of data samples to the network statistics dataset; and

,

a data prioritization module executable on the processor and configured to prioritize data based upon classifying the data as one of a plurality of types of data, wherein the data prioritization module prioritizes an audio data type over a video data type.

2. The videoconferencing endpoint of claim 1, wherein the data prioritization module operates at an application layer and is in communication with the bandwidth allocation module.

3. The videoconferencing endpoint of claim 2, wherein the plurality of types of data comprise video data, audio data, control data, and status data.

4. The videoconferencing endpoint of claim 1, comprising:

a patient sensor interface in communication with the bus and configured to receive information from a patient sensor and to transmit information received from the patient sensor via the wireless network transceiver.

5. The videoconferencing endpoint of claim 1, wherein the computer readable storage medium further comprises:

an encoding module executable on the processor and configured to encode at least one of audio and video data, such that total data transmitted from the videoconferencing endpoint is less than a portion of the data communication bandwidth allocated for transmitting data.

6. The videoconferencing endpoint of claim 5, wherein the encoding module encodes audio and video data, and the encoding module is further configured to adjust at least one of a frame rate and a resolution of video data.

7. The videoconferencing endpoint of claim 5, wherein the encoding module encodes audio and video data, and the encoding module is further configured to adjust at least one of a video frame rate, a video compression ratio, an audio compression ratio and the resolution of video data, such that a data transmission rate is less than the difference between a portion of the data communication bandwidth allocated for transmission of data by the videoconferencing endpoint and a combined data transmission rate of audio data and status data.

8. The videoconferencing endpoint of claim 1, wherein the plurality of data samples comprise a plurality of latency measurements associated with transmission of data on the network.

9. The videoconferencing endpoint of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth allocation module is further configured to establish a minimum allowable data communication bandwidth.

10. The videoconferencing endpoint of claim 9, wherein the bandwidth allocation module is further configured to establish a first minimum allowable data communication bandwidth, and wherein the data communication bandwidth between the videoconferencing endpoint and the network exceeds the minimum allowable data communication bandwidth.

11. The videoconferencing endpoint of claim 10, wherein the bandwidth allocation module is further configured to receive a second minimum allowable data communication bandwidth associated established by a remote videoconferencing endpoint.

12. The videoconferencing endpoint of claim 11, wherein the first minimum allowable data communication bandwidth and the second minimum allowable data communication bandwidth are asymmetrical.

13. The videoconferencing endpoint of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth allocation module is further configured to display a first graphical indicator representing an estimated data communication bandwidth capacity between the video conferencing endpoint and the network;

and to display a second graphical indicator representing a current data transmission rate, the current data transmission rate being less than the estimated data communication bandwidth capacity between the video conferencing endpoint and the network.