Load balancing in a central conferencing routing server

• US 9,374,400 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2015
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellison, Gregory Thomas, Broadworth, Andrew James
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thai
• Application Number:
  US14/887,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20160050078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 246 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/44 Distributed routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure involve systems, methods, computer program products, and the like, for collaboration conferencing with multiple participants over a communications network, and more specifically for a conferencing routing service for managing and routing collaboration participants. In one embodiment, the conferencing routing service may maintain a database of information or preferences associated with the conference requester and attempt to select a conference bridge based on the requester'"'"'s information. Further, the conferencing routing service may receive performance information from a plurality of conference bridges that are able to conduct the collaboration conference and select a conference bridge in response to the performance information.

Claims

1. A system for selecting a conference bridge associated with a network for hosting a collaboration conference event, the system comprising:

a network interface unit configured to receive communications from users of the network to establish collaboration conferences on the network;

a processing device in communication with the network interface unit; and

a memory connected to the processing device configured to store information and instructions that, when executed by the processing device, performs the operations of;

maintaining a list of a plurality of conference bridges associated with the network;

determining a new conference bridge associated with the network, wherein determining a new conference bridge associated with the network comprises;

determining that the new conference bridge had been temporarily removed from the network;

adding the new conference bridge to the list;

receiving a request to initiate a new collaboration conference event associated with the new conference bridge; and

determining whether to add the new collaboration conference event to the new conference bridge based on a throttling rule, wherein the throttling rule comprises limiting a number of active ports of the new conference bridge for a given time frame.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein determining a new conference bridge associated with the network comprises:

determining that the new conference bridge has rebooted after failing.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the throttling rule comprises:

limiting a number of consecutive new collaboration conference events that can be initiated on the new conference bridge for a given time frame.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining to not add the new collaboration conference event to the new conference bridge based on the throttling rule;

determining that no other conference bridges in the list are available to host the new collaboration conference event; and

overriding the throttling rule thereby adding the new collaboration conference event to the new conference bridge.