Patent ID: 9609276
Date: 2017-03-28
CPC Classifications: H04N

Claim:
1. In a multimedia communications system, a method of allocating one or more of processor resources and memory resources of a multimedia communications server, the multimedia communications server including at least a first video encoder, the multimedia communications system including a plurality of multimedia participant devices communicably coupleable to the multimedia communications server over at least one network, the method comprising: receiving, at the multimedia communications server in a process of joining a multimedia session, a request for use of a video encoder from a respective multimedia participant device, the request including one or more video encoder attributes; determining, by the multimedia communications server using at least some of the one or more video encoder attributes, a first cost of sharing the first video encoder among the respective multimedia participant device and at least one other multimedia participant device participating in the multimedia session; determining, by the multimedia communications server, a second cost of implementing an additional video encoder for use with the respective multimedia participant device; comparing the first cost with the second cost to obtain a comparison result; and based at least upon the comparison result, performing, by the multimedia communications server, one of sharing the first video encoder with the respective multimedia participant device, and implementing the additional video encoder for use with the respective multimedia participant device.