Patent ID: 9439093
Filing Date: 2016-09-06
CPC Classification: H04L,H04W

Claim Text:
1. A method of estimating available bandwidth at a base station communicating a plurality of flows of cellular traffic through a communication channel, said method comprising: the base station utilizing a processor to execute computer code configured to perform the steps of: sending a first probe flow into the communication channel, wherein the communication channel having a capacity equal to a total bandwidth and the first probe flow comprises a first set of packets; measuring a first bandwidth quantity, equal to a first portion of the total bandwidth, achieved by the first probe flow; sending a second probe flow into the communication channel while the first probe flow is in the communication channel, wherein the second probe flow having a bandwidth equal to a second portion of the total bandwidth and comprises a second set of packets separate from the first set of packets; measuring a second bandwidth quantity, the second bandwidth quantity equal to a value of the first portion of the total bandwidth achieved by the first probe flow while the first probe flow is in the communication channel during presence of the second probe flow in the communication channel; comparing the first bandwidth quantity and the second bandwidth quantity, wherein said comparing comprises: determining whether the sum of the second bandwidth quantity and a fraction of the second portion of the total bandwidth is greater than the first bandwidth quantity or less than or equal to the first bandwidth quantity; making a determination, based on said comparing, that the estimated available bandwidth is equal to the first bandwidth quantity and there is one or more backlogged flows at the base station; determining a likelihood of the determination to be true by comparing a first parameter with a second parameter, performing communication through the communication channel at the base station based on the determination and the determined likelihood.