Method and Apparatus for Prioritizing Media within an Electronic Conference According to Utilization Settings at Respective Conference Participants
AssigneeTelefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (publ)
InventorsMarcus Nyberg, Kristofer Dovstam, Caroline Hägglund, Cristian Norlin
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Abstract
In one aspect, the teachings herein address the changing network capacity requirements that arise in electronic conferencing systems not hosted in a fully dedicated network using a clever prioritization scheme that is determined in view of which source streams (26) available in the electronic conference are being used by respective conference clients (22) and how they are being used by those clients (22). In one non-limiting example, the electronic conference is a video conference managed by an electronic conferencing server (10) in a host network (20).
Claims23
1-22. (canceled)
A method of controlling clients in an electronic conference, the method comprising:
- receiving source streams at an electronic conferencing server hosting the electronic conference in a host network, each the source stream originating from a respective one among a plurality of clients participating in the electronic conference;
- determining a source stream utilization within the electronic conference for each source stream, based on collecting configuration settings from each client that indicate which source streams are selected for utilization at the client;
- prioritizing the source streams according to their respective source stream utilizations to determine relative priorities of the source streams;
- selectively reducing an amount of host network capacity consumed by the electronic conference by:
- selecting one or more clients that are originating lower-priority source streams, as determined based on the relative priorities;
- and
- directing the selected clients to stop sending their respective source streams, or to reduce a bandwidth of their respective source streams.
An electronic conferencing server configured to control clients in an electronic conference hosted by the electronic conferencing server, the electronic conferencing server comprising:
- one or more communication interfaces configured to receive source streams through a host network in which the electronic conferencing server operates, each the source stream originating from a respective one among a plurality of clients participating in the electronic conference;
- a control circuit operatively associated with the one or more communication interfaces and configured to:
- determine a source stream utilization within the electronic conference for each source stream, based on collecting configuration settings from each client that indicate which source streams are selected for utilization at the client;
- prioritize the source streams according to their respective source stream utilizations to determine relative priorities of the source streams;
- and
- selectively reduce an amount of host network capacity consumed by the electronic conference by:
- selecting one or more clients that are originating lower-priority source streams, as determined based on the relative priorities;
- directing the selected clients to stop sending their respective source streams, or to reduce a bandwidth of their respective source streams.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.