Bandwidth adaptive communication event scheduling

• US 9,515,838 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2014
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: McCoy, David C., Lewis, Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant
• Application Number:
  US14/566,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20160173292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 370259-271, 370351-357, 37920101-20105, 37920201-20701, 379/221.15, 709201-207, 709217-248
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/127 by using congestion prediction
• 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: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate to a bandwidth adaptive communication event scheduling system. The system can provide an availability recommendation for a communication event based on bandwidth usage. A user can request to schedule a communication event at a future time based on the availability recommendation, and the system can determine whether to approve or deny the request based the details of the request and predicted or real-time bandwidth usage.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a first computing device, an availability recommendation for a plurality of time periods for a communication event based on scheduled communication events of other users and bandwidth usage of the other users;

receiving, from a second computing device, a request to initiate scheduling of a communication event between a first user of the second computing device and a second user;

transmitting, to the second computing device, the availability recommendation of the plurality of time periods in response to the request;

receiving, from the second computing device, a request to schedule a communication event between the first user and the second user based on the availability recommendation, the request comprising communication event information;

determining, by the first computing device, whether to approve scheduling of the communication event between the first user and the second user based on the communication event information and the scheduled communication events of other users, the determining whether to approve scheduling of the communication event including determining whether communication events are enabled;

in response to determining to approve scheduling of the communication event based on the communication event information;

determining a time period for the communication event and a customer category of at least one user associated with the communication event;

based on the determined time period and customer category, determining a minimum video quality for the communication event; and

providing, to the second computing device, an indication that scheduling of the communication event with the determined video quality is approved.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication event comprises a video conference between the first user and the second user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises a request to schedule a communication event at a future time, and

wherein determining whether to approve scheduling of the communication event further includes:

determining, by the first computing device, whether to approve scheduling of the communication event based on the communication event information, predicted network conditions, and scheduled communication events of other users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises a request to schedule a real-time communication event, and

wherein determining whether to approve scheduling of the communication event further includes:

determining, by the first computing device, whether to approve scheduling of the communication event at a current time based on real-time network conditions.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether to approve scheduling of the communication event at the current time further includes determining whether to approve scheduling of the communication event at the current time based on one or more currently active communication events, the real-time network conditions, and scheduled communication events starting within a predetermined time window from the current time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the availability recommendation comprises:

for each time period of the plurality of time periods, determining, by the first computing device, the availability recommendation of the time period for a communication event based on at least one of a number of scheduled communication events during a same time period, presence of a maintenance block, and estimated bandwidth usage of scheduled communication events during the same time period.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user is at a first location, and wherein the scheduled communication events of other users comprise scheduled communication events of other users at the first location.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining whether to approve scheduling of the communication event between the first user and the second user further includes:

determining whether to approve scheduling of the communication event between the first user and the second user based on the communication event information, the scheduled communication events of other users, and network conditions of a network at the first location.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to;

receive an input from a user of the apparatus requesting to view an availability recommendation of a plurality of time periods for a communication event based on scheduled communication events of other users and bandwidth usage of the other users;

transmit, to a second apparatus, a request to initiate scheduling of a communication event between the user and a second user remote from the apparatus;

receive, from the second apparatus, the availability recommendation of the plurality of time periods in response to the request;

present, on a display device, the availability recommendation of the plurality of time periods in a schedule format;

receive a second input from the user indicating a selection of at least one first time period of the plurality of time periods for scheduling the communication event;

in response to receiving the second input, transmit a request, to the second apparatus, to schedule a communication event between the user and the second user;

determine, by the second apparatus, whether to approve scheduling the communication event between the user and the second user, determining whether to approve scheduling the communication event including determining whether communication events are enabled;

in response to determining to approve scheduling the communication event;

determine a time period for the communication event and a customer category of at least one user associated with the communication event;

based on the determined time period and customer category, determine a minimum video quality for the communication event; and

receive, from the second apparatus, an indication that scheduling of the communication event with the determined video quality is approved.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second input comprises communication event information.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the communication event information comprises a proposed start time and end time for the communication event.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the memory further stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive real-time communication event availability information; and

present the real-time communication event availability information to the user.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the real-time communication event availability information indicates that capacity is available for a real-time communication event, and

wherein present the real-time communication event availability information to the user comprises:

present, to the user, an available capacity indicator on a communication event dashboard.

14. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause at least one computing device to:

determine, by a first computing device, an availability recommendation for a plurality of time periods for a communication event based on scheduled communication events of other users and bandwidth usage of the other users;

receive, from a second computing device, a request to initiate scheduling of a communication event between a first user of the second computing device and a second user;

transmit, to the second computing device, the availability recommendation of the plurality of time periods in response to the request;

receive, from the second computing device, a request to schedule a communication event between the first user and the second user based on the availability recommendation, the request comprising communication event information;

determine, by the first computing device, whether to approve scheduling of the communication event between the first user and the second user based on the communication event information and the scheduled communication events of other users, the determining whether to approve scheduling of the communication event including determining whether communication events are enabled;

in response to determining to approving scheduling of the communication event based on the communication event information;

determine a time period for the communication event and a customer category of at least one user associated with the communication event;

based on the determined time period and customer category, determine a minimum video quality for the communication event; and

provide, to the second computing device, an indication that scheduling of the communication event with the determined video quality is approved.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the communication event comprises a video conference between the first user and the second user.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the request comprises a request to schedule a communication event at a future time, and

wherein determine whether to approve scheduling of the communication event further includes:

determine, by the first computing device, whether to approve scheduling of the communication event based on the communication event information, predicted network conditions, and scheduled communication events of other users.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the request comprises a request to schedule a real-time communication event, and

wherein determine whether to approve scheduling of the communication event further includes:

determine, by the first computing device, whether to approve scheduling of the communication event at a current time based on one or more currently active communication events and real-time network conditions.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein determine whether to approve scheduling of the communication event at the current time further includes determining whether to approve scheduling of the communication event at the current time based on the one or more currently active communication events, real-time network conditions, and scheduled communication events starting within a predetermined time window from the current time.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein determine the availability recommendation comprises:

for each time period of the plurality of time periods, determining, by the first computing device, the availability recommendation of the time period for a communication event based on at least one of a number of scheduled communication events during a same time period, presence of a maintenance block, and estimated bandwidth usage of scheduled communication events during the same time period.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the first user is at a first location, and wherein the scheduled communication events of other users comprise scheduled communication events of other users at the first location.