Patent ID: 7876696
Filing Date: 2011-01-25
Classification: H04L,Y02D

Abstract:
1. A method for adaptively estimating available upstream bandwidth in a network, the method comprising: monitoring data indicative of a number of lost packets at a near-end communication device, the data indicative of a number of lost packets being transmitted from a far-end communication device; increasing an amount of upstream bandwidth transmission from the near-end device to the far-end device until the monitored data exceeds a first threshold comprising generating purely a plurality of synthetic packets and transmitting a first portion of the plurality of synthetic packets at an increasing rate, wherein the plurality of synthetic packets have no purpose other than network congestion; calculating an estimated available upstream bandwidth based on a portion of a maximum amount of the upstream bandwidth transmission; transmitting a second portion of the plurality of synthetic packets at a decreasing amount of bandwidth until the filtered data decreases below a second threshold that is less than the first threshold, upon the monitored data exceeding the first threshold; and estimating the available upstream bandwidth in response to the monitored data decreasing below the second threshold, the available upstream bandwidth being estimated by the bandwidth estimation logic based on a sum of the amount of bandwidth associated with the synthetic packets and an amount of bandwidth associated with transmitted voice packets.