Patent ID: 7581019

Claim:
An active client buffer management method for transmitting electronic data over a network from a server to a client having a receive buffer, the method comprising: determining a consumption rate of the client for one or more data packets stored in a receive buffer of the client from examining timing information indicating client processing rate contained in the one or more data packets; estimating a delay period at least partially network-based between the determining of the consumption rate for the one or more data packets at the server and a time when the client consumes the one or more data packets; adjusting a transmission rate of the server such that the transmission rate is substantially equal to the consumption rate responsive to the delay period and to feedback using a packet protocol from the client to the server about a current clock state of the client; and determining a ratio of an optimum fill level of the receive buffer and a time to consume current data if the receive buffer does not get any new data; where the consumption rate is a rate at which the client reads the electronic data from the receive buffer.