Methods systems, and products for conserving bandwidth

• US 9,432,710 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2007
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hill, Peter N., Weaver, Timothy H.
• Primary Examiner(s): BEDNASH, JOSEPH A
• Application Number:
  US11/703,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20070294717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,492 Days
• Field of Search: 370/234, 370/235, 370/328, 370/390, 370/394, 370/395.42, 375/240.1, 455/450, 705/1, 709/201, 709/232, 709/233, 715/835, 717/170, 725/91, 725/95, 725/114, 725/115, 725/133
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2625 for delaying content or additional data distribution, e.g. because of an extended sport event
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for conserving bandwidth. A notification is received from a customer'"'"'s device that indicates media will be recorded/saved to memory. The available bandwidth is compared to required bandwidth to deliver the media to the customer'"'"'s device. When the required bandwidth exceeds the available bandwidth, then delivery of the media is deferred to a period of lesser demand.

Claims

1. A method to conserve bandwidth, comprising:

at a server, receiving a notification from a customer device that indicates media will be recorded;

the server executing a bandwidth optimization application for comparing available bandwidth in a communications network serving a population of customers to required bandwidth to deliver the media to the customer device; and

the server sending a network command message to the customer device when the required bandwidth exceeds the available bandwidth, the network command message providing an option to reschedule recording of the media to a period of lesser bandwidth demand in the communications network, the network command message further providing an option of selecting lesser bandwidth-intensive media for recording;

wherein, when the option is selected for the lesser bandwidth-intensive media, the server delivers the media at a reduced bit rate that is a fraction of an original bit rate to conserve bandwidth;

wherein, when the option is selected to reschedule recording of the media, the server stores the media in a network storage device as deferred media for deferred delivery at the period of lesser bandwidth demand, the server sending a notification message to the customer device, the notification message including a viewing time the user may begin viewing the deferred media in response to a rate at which the deferred media is sent, the viewing time being prior to complete delivery of the deferred media to the customer device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising comparing a scheduled time of recording to periods of bandwidth demand.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein when the scheduled time of recording coincides with a period of high bandwidth demand, then deferring delivery of the media to the period of lesser demand.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising adding an entry to a schedule to deliver the media at a later time.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising i) selecting a time of deferred delivery and ii) sending an instruction to the customer device to alter a customer recording schedule to record the media at the time selected by a provider.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein all high-definition programming is stored on the network storage device for deferred delivery at the period of lesser bandwidth demand.

6. A system for conserving bandwidth, comprising:

a processor in a server communicating with memory, the memory storing processor-executable instructions for receiving a notification from a customer device that indicates media will be recorded;

the processor executing a bandwidth optimization application for comparing available bandwidth in a communications network serving a population of customers to required bandwidth to deliver the media to the customer device; and

the server sending a network command message to the customer device when the required bandwidth exceeds the available bandwidth, the network command message providing an option to reschedule recording of the media to a period of lesser bandwidth demand in the communications network, the network command message further providing an option of selecting lesser bandwidth-intensive media for recording;

wherein, when the option is selected for the lesser bandwidth-intensive media, the server delivers the media at a reduced bit rate that is a fraction of an original bit rate to conserve bandwidth;

wherein, when the option is selected to reschedule recording of the media, the server stores the media in a network storage device as deferred media for deferred delivery at the period of lesser bandwidth demand, the server sending a notification message to the customer device, the notification message including a viewing time the user may begin viewing the deferred media in response to a rate at which the deferred media is sent, the viewing time being prior to complete delivery of the deferred media to the customer device.

7. The system according to claim 6, the memory further storing instructions for comparing a scheduled time of recording to periods of bandwidth demand.

8. The system according to claim 7, the memory further storing instructions for when the scheduled time of recording coincides with a period of high bandwidth demand, then deferring delivery of the media to the period of lesser demand.

9. The system according to claim 6, the memory further storing instructions for adding an entry to a schedule to deliver the media at a later time.

10. The system according to claim 6, the memory further storing instructions for i) selecting a time of deferred delivery and ii) sending an instruction to the customer device to alter a customer recording schedule to record the media at the time selected by a provider.

11. A computer program product storing processor-executable instructions for:

at a server, receiving a notification from a customer device that indicates media will be recorded;

the server executing a bandwidth optimization application for comparing available bandwidth in a communications network serving a population of customers to required bandwidth to deliver the media to the customer device; and

the server sending a network command message to the customer device when the required bandwidth exceeds the available bandwidth, the network command message providing an option to reschedule recording of the media to a period of lesser bandwidth demand in the communications network, the network command message further providing an option of selecting lesser bandwidth-intensive media for recording;

wherein, when the option is selected for the lesser bandwidth-intensive media, the server delivers the media at a reduced bit rate that is a fraction of an original bit rate to conserve bandwidth;

wherein, when the option is selected to reschedule recording of the media, the server stores the media in a network storage device as deferred media for deferred delivery at the period of lesser bandwidth demand, the server sending a notification message to the customer device, the notification message including a viewing time the user may begin viewing the deferred media in response to a rate at which the deferred media is sent, the viewing time being prior to complete delivery of the deferred media to the customer device.

12. A The computer program product according to claim 11, further comprising instructions for comparing a scheduled time of recording to periods of bandwidth demand.

13. The A computer program product according to claim 12, further comprising instructions for when the scheduled time of recording coincides with a period of high bandwidth demand, then deferring delivery of the media to the period of lesser demand.

14. The computer program product according to claim 11, further comprising instructions for adding an entry to a schedule to deliver the media at a later time.

15. The computer program product according to claim 11, further comprising instructions for i) selecting a time of deferred delivery and ii) sending an instruction to the customer device to alter a customer recording schedule to record the media at the time selected by a provider.