Methods, systems, and devices for bandwidth conservation

• US 8,335,239 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2005
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kafka, Henry J., Small, Eric E., Bedingfield, James C. Sr., Baeza, Daniel M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shand, Roberta A
• Application Number:
  US11/300,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20060222015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,561 Days
• Field of Search: 370/431, 725/58, 725/94, 725/95, 725 34- 35, 725/47, 725/90, 725/116, 725/146, 340/5.1, 340/5.2
• US Class Current: 370/477
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for conserving bandwidth. If a presence of a multimedia device is detected, then a stream of data is delivered to the multimedia device. If the presence of the multimedia device is not detected, then the stream of data is degraded to conserve bandwidth.

Claims

1. A method to conserve bandwidth, comprising:

if a presence of a multimedia device is detected, delivering a stream of data to the multimedia device;

if the presence of the multimedia device is not detected, degrading the stream of data to conserve bandwidth;

storing a user degradation profile in which the user degradation profile instructs how a user desires to degrade the stream of data delivered to the multimedia device from a server in response to the presence of the multimedia device not being detected; and

consulting the user degradation profile based on the presence of the multimedia device not being detected;

wherein the user degradation profile is configured to cause the server delivering the stream of data to degrade the stream of data before the stream of data reaches the multimedia device.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein a video portion of the stream of data is degraded, and an audio portion of the stream of data is not degraded.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein a video portion and an audio portion of the stream of data are degraded.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein a video portion of the stream of data is degraded, and an audio portion of the stream of data is discarded.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein a video portion of the stream of data is discarded, and only an audio portion of the stream of data is transmitted.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the multimedia device is a cellular telephone phone;

and

wherein a presence detection application stored in a subscriber identity module card of the cellular telephone detects the presence of the multimedia device.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising before degrading the stream of data to the multimedia device, causing a presence detection application to consult the user degradation profile in response to the presence of the multimedia device not being detected, instructions in the user degradation profile instructing the presence detection application how the user desires to degrade the stream of data to the multimedia device based on the presence of the multimedia device not being detected.

8. A user electronic device, comprising:

means for detecting presence of a multimedia device; and

a processor communicating with the means for detecting the presence of the multimedia device;

the processor commanding delivery of a stream of data to the multimedia device; and

if the presence of the multimedia device is not detected, the processor degrades the stream of data to conserve bandwidth;

wherein the processor stores a user degradation profile that instructs how a user desires to degrade the stream of data delivered to the multimedia device from a server in response to the presence of the multimedia device not being detected;

wherein the processor is configured to consult the user degradation profile based on the presence of the multimedia device not being detected; and

wherein the user degradation profile is configured to cause the server delivering the stream of data to degrade the stream of data before the stream of data reaches the multimedia device.

9. A device according to claim 8, wherein the processor degrades a video portion of the stream of data, and an audio portion of the stream of data is not degraded.

10. A device according to claim 8, wherein the processor degrades a video portion and an audio portion of the stream of data.

11. A device according to claim 8, wherein the processor degrades a video portion of the stream of data, and an audio portion of the stream of data is discarded.

12. A device according to claim 8, wherein the processor degrades the stream of data by discarding a video portion, and only an audio portion of the stream of data is transmitted.

13. A device according to claim 8, wherein the means for detecting presence of the multimedia device measures frequency of the multimedia device.

14. A device according to claim 8, wherein the means for detecting presence of the multimedia device is capable of detecting the presence of the multimedia device using an impedance measurement of a video output signal delivered to the multimedia device;

and

wherein the impedance measurement detects an impedance change in the video output signal delivered to the multimedia device.

15. A computer program product, tangibly embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product including instructions for causing a computer to execute a method for presence detection of a multimedia device comprising:

if a presence of the multimedia device is detected, delivering a stream of data to the multimedia device;

if the presence of the multimedia device is not detected, degrading the stream of data to conserve bandwidth;

storing a user degradation profile in which the user degradation profile instructs how a user desires to degrade the stream of data delivered to the multimedia device from a server in response to the presence of the multimedia device not being detected; and

consulting the user degradation profile based on the presence of the multimedia device not being detected;

wherein the user degradation profile is configured to cause the server delivering the stream of data to degrade the stream of data before the stream of data reaches the multimedia device.

16. A computer program product according to claim 15, wherein a video portion of the stream of data is degraded, and an audio portion of the stream of data is not degraded.

17. A computer program product according to claim 15, wherein a video portion and an audio portion of the stream of data are degraded.

18. A computer program product according to claim 15, wherein a video portion of the stream of data is degraded, and an audio portion of the stream of data is discarded.

19. A computer program product according to claim 15, wherein a video portion of the stream of data is discarded, and only an audio portion of the stream of data is communicated.

20. A computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the authorization parameters restrict privilege to access and change user preferences in the user degradation profile.