Patent ID: 7301955

Claim:
One or more computer-readable media having computer executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for preparing a schedule for transmitting a file from a sender to a receiver, said schedule providing at least one time interval during which a reserved bandwidth (among a plurality of possible reserved bandwidths) and a transmission rate (among a plurality of possible transmission rates) will be utilized to send said file, said file including a plurality of frames, said receiver including a decoder having a buffer, said method comprising: performing a process of determining an optimal set of feasible ambiguity zones, wherein an ambiguity zone is an amount of information that is received at said buffer subject to a given bandwidth and to a given transmission rate, the process comprising: (1) determining a set of one or more potential ambiguity zones for said file (or portion thereof) by considering different combinations of possible reserved bandwidths and possible transmission rates associated with communicating the frames of said file; (2) determining one or more sets of feasible ambiguity zones from said set of potential ambiguity zones; (3) from said one or more sets of feasible ambiguity zones, selecting a set of optimal feasible ambiguity zones that minimizes a financial cost to the sender based on costs associated with at least one of the following: the reserved bandwidth, a number of reserved-bandwidth changes, a subsequent reserved bandwidth, a frame size, a duration of transmission, the stated transmission rate, a number of transmission-rate changes and a subsequent transmission rate; and preparing a transmission schedule for transmitting said file utilizing said set of optimal feasible ambiguity zones that minimizes said financial cost.