Method of transmitting data in a communication system

• US 9,509,618 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2011
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Skype S.Ã R.L. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Jefremov, Andrei
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Jr., Michael J
• Application Number:
  US13/022,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20120033586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,122 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0858 One way delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/26 using explicit feedback to the source, e.g. choke packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/263 Rate modification at the source after receiving feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/267 sent by the destination endpoint network streaming of media packets with control of the source by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/38 by adapting coding or compression rate

Abstract

A method, terminal and program, the method comprising: at a second terminal, receiving a first signal transmitted from a first terminal via a communication network; transmitting a second signal from the second terminal to the first terminal; outputting the first signal from an output device associated with the second terminal; determining a balance between a characteristic of the first signal and a characteristic of the second signal, wherein the characteristics affect a processing resource required to process the first and second signals, the determined balance comprising a decision concerning the characteristic of the first signal; and sending the decision to the first terminal so as to advise the first terminal to adjust the characteristic of the first signal as transmitted from the first terminal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a second terminal, a first signal transmitted from a first terminal via a communication network;

transmitting a second signal from the second terminal to the first terminal;

outputting the first signal from an output device associated with the second terminal;

determining, at the second terminal, a balance between a signal quality of the first signal and a signal quality of the second signal based on processing resources used by the second terminal to transmit the second signal and processing resources used by the second terminal to receive the first signal from the first terminal, the determined balance comprising a decision concerning the signal quality of the first signal; and

sending the decision from the second terminal to the first terminal to cause the first terminal to adjust the signal quality of the first signal as transmitted from the first terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of said balance is further based on an estimation of a processing resource of the first terminal used to tansmit the first signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of said balance is further based on an estimation of a processing resource of the first terminal used to receive the second signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second terminals are participants of a conference call comprising the first and second signals, and the determination of said balance is further based on a processing resource of at least one other participating terminal of the conference call used to participate in the conference call.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal quality of the second signal comprises at least one of a frame rate, a bit rate, or a frame resolution.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing resources used by the second terminal to receive the first signal comprises processing resources used to decode the first signal at the second terminal, and the processing resources used by the second terminal to transmit the second signal comprises processing resources used to encode the second signal at the second terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal is received and the second signal is transmitted as part of a same communication event.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second signals are part of a voice or video call between the first and second terminals.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication network comprises the internet, the first signal is received by the second terminal from the first terminal via the internet, the second signal is transmitted from the second terminal to the first terminal via the internet, and said decision is sent to the first terminal via the internet.

5. The method of claim l, wherein the signal quality of the first signal comprises at least one of a frame rate, a bit rate, or a frame resolution.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, at a second terminal, a first signal from a first terminal via a. communication network;

transmitting a second signal from the second terminal to the first terminal;

outputting the first signal from an output device associated with the second terminal;

estimating a. processing resource of the second terminal used to receive the first signal;

estimating a processing resource of the second terniinal used to transmit the second signal; and

determining, at the second terminal, a decision concerning a transmission quality of the first signal based on the estimate of the processing resource used to receive the first signal and the estimate of the processing resource used to transmit the second signal; and

sending the decision from the second terminal to the first terminal to request that the first terminal transmit the first signal with said transmission quality.

12. A second terminal comprising:

receiving circuitry configured to receive a first signal transmitted from a first terminal via a communication network;

transmitting circuitry configured to transmit a second signal from the second terminal to the first terminal;

an output device configured to output the first signal; and

a resource manager configured to determine a balance between a signal quality of the first signal and a signal quality of the second signal based on processing resources used by the second terminal to transmit the second signal and processing resources used by the second terminal to receive the first signal from the first terminal, the determined balance comprising a decision concerning the signal quality of the first signal;

the transmitting circuitry further configured to send the decision to the first terminal to request that the first terminal adjust the signal quality of the first signal as transmitted from the first terminal.

13. The second terminal of claim 12, wherein the resource manager is further configured to determine said balance based on an estimation of a processing resource of the first terminal used to transmit the first signal.

14. The second terminal of claim 12, wherein the resource manager is further configured to determine said balance based on an estimation of a processing resource of the first terminal used to receive the second signal.

15. The second terminal of claim 12, wherein the first and second terminals are participants of a conference call comprising the first and second signals, and the resource manager is further configured to determine said balance based on a processing resource of at least one other participating terminal of the conference call used to participate in the conference call.

16. The second terminal of claim 12, wherein the signal quality of the first signal comprises at least one of a frame rate, a bit rate, or a frame resolution.

17. The second terminal of claim 12, wherein the signal quality of the second signal comprises at least one of:

a frame rate, a bit rate, or a frame resolution.

18. The second terminal of claim 12, comprising at least one of:

a decoder configured to decode the first signal received from the first terminal, wherein the processing resources used to receive the first signal comprises processing resources used by the decoder to decode the first signal; and

an encoder configured to encode the second signal for transmission to the first terminal, wherein the processing resources used to transmit the second signal comprises processing resources used by the encoder to encode the second signal.

19. The second terminal of claim 12, wherein the transmitting and receiving circuitry s arranged such that the first signal is received and the second signal is transmitted as part of a same communication event.

20. The second terminal of claim 12, wherein the transmitting and receiving circuitry is arranged such that the first and second signal are part of a voice or video call between the first and second terminals.

21. The second terminal of claim 12, wherein said communication network comprises the internet;

and

the transmitting and receiving circuitry is arranged such that the first signal is received by the second terminal from the first terminal via the internet, the second signal is transmitted from the second terminal to the first terminal via the internet, and said decision is sent to the first terminal via the internet.

22. A second terminal comprising:

receiving circuitry configured to receive a first signal from a first terminal via a communication network;

transmitting circuitry configured to transmit a second signal from the second terminal to the first terminal;

an output device configured to output the first signal;

a resource manager configured to estimate a processing resource of the second terminal used to receive the first signal, and to estimate a processing resource of the second terminal used to transmit the second signal;

the resource manager further configured to determine a decision concerning a transmission quality of the first signal based on the estimate of the processing resource used to receive the first signal and the estimate of the processing resource used to transmit the second signal; and

the transmitting circuitry further configured to send the decision to the first terminal to request that the first terminal transmit the first signal with said transmission quality.

23. A computer-readable storage device comprising computer readable instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by a computer, perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a second terminal, a first signal transmitted from a first terminal via a communication network;

transmitting a second signal from the second terminal to the first terminal;

outputting the first signal from an output device associated with the second terminal;

determining, at the second terminal, a balance between a signal quality of the first signal and a signal quality of the second signal based on processing resources used by the second terminal to transmit the second signal and processing resources used by the second terminal to receive the first signal from the first terminal, the determined balance comprising a decision concerning the signal quality of the first signal; and

sending the decision from the second terminal to the first terminal to cause the first terminal to adjust the signal quality of the first signal as transmitted from the first terminal.

24. The computer-readable storage device of claim 23, wherein determining the balance is further based on an estimation of a processing resource of the first terminal used to transmit the first signal.

25. The computer-readable storage device of claim 23, wherein determining the balance is further based on an estimation of a processing resource of the first terminal used to receive the second signal.

26. The computer-readable storage device of claim 23, wherein the first and second terminals are participants of a conference call comprising the first and second signals, and determining the balance is further based on a processing resource of at least one other participating terminal of the conference call used to participate in the conference call.

27. The computer-readable storage device of claim 23, wherein the signal quality of the first signal comprises at least one of a frame rate, a bit rate, or a frame resolution.

28. The computer-readable storage device of claim 23, wherein the signal quality of the second signal comprises at least one of a frame rate, a bit rate, or a frame resolution.