Patent ID: 8780823

Claim:
A method for event-driven predictive scheduling of a return link in a communication system comprising: detecting, at a provider side of the communications system, an event predictor corresponding to a download packet associated with an HTTP object destined for a user terminal over a forward link of the communications system, the event predictor indicating a future event to occur in association with receipt of the download packet at the user terminal; selecting a prediction model according to the detected event predictor from a plurality of prediction models maintained at the provider side of the communications system, wherein each prediction model of the plurality of prediction models estimates a size or timing of a future communications event associated with the HTTP object; generating a resource allocation according to the selected prediction model at the provider side of the communications system, the resource allocation indicating a magnitude by which to adjust resources of the return link of the communications system associated with the user terminal, and the resource allocation indicating a timing offset at which to adjust the resources by the magnitude, the timing offset corresponding to an amount of time after occurrence of the event; scheduling the resources of the return link of the communications system associated with the user terminal at least according to the resource allocation; and communicating data corresponding to the data packet and data corresponding to the resource allocation to the user terminal over the forward link of the communications system; wherein selecting the prediction model according to the detected event predictor comprises: scanning the download packet to extract metadata, the metadata indicating at least one HTTP object likely to be requested subsequent to receiving the download packet at the user terminal; and selecting the prediction model at least according to the metadata.