Methods and apparatus for dynamic bandwidth adjustment

A browser-enabled communications device comprising:

• an communications interface;
• a memory system;
• a processor;
• and
• an interconnection mechanism coupling the communications interface, the memory system, and the processor;
• wherein the memory system is configured with a bandwidth manager application, that when performed on the processor, provides a bandwidth manager process that dynamically adjusts bandwidth of a communications channel operating on the communications interface by performing the operations of:
• detecting a first event indicating a first anticipated change in a bandwidth requirement of the communications channel, the first event indicating a browser event requiring a browser in the communications device to access content from a remote computer system;
• calculating a first new value for a bandwidth setting of the communications channel in response to detecting the first event, the first new value of the bandwidth setting of the communications channel being calculated to accommodate additional bandwidth used to receive the content from the remote computer system;
• adjusting a bandwidth characteristic of the communications channel according to the first new value of the bandwidth setting such that communications channel can accommodate the first anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement;
• detecting a second event indicating a second anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement of a communications channel;
• calculating a second new value for a bandwidth setting of the communications channel in response to detecting the second event;
• and
• further adjusting the bandwidth characteristic of the communications channel according to the second new value of the bandwidth setting such that communications channel accommodates the second anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement.

A computer program product having a computer-readable medium including bandwidth manager application computer program logic encoded thereon for adjusting bandwidth of a communications channel, such that the computer program logic, when performed on at least one processor within a browser-enabled communications device, causes the at least one processor to perform the operations of:

• detecting a first event indicating a first anticipated change in a bandwidth requirement of the communications channel, the first event indicating a browser event requiring a browser in the communications device to access content from a remote computer system;
• calculating a first new value for a bandwidth setting of the communications channel in response to detecting the first event, the first new value of the bandwidth setting of the communications channel being calculated to accommodate additional bandwidth used to receive the content from the remote computer system;
• adjusting a bandwidth characteristic of the communications channel according to the first new value of the bandwidth setting such that communications channel can accommodate the first anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement;
• detecting a second event indicating a second anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement of a communications channel;
• calculating a second new value for a bandwidth setting of the communications channel in response to detecting the second event;
• and
• further adjusting the bandwidth characteristic of the communications channel according to the second new value of the bandwidth setting such that communications channel accommodates the second anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement.

A browser-enabled communications device comprising:

• an communications interface;
• a memory system;
• a processor;
• and
• an interconnection mechanism coupling the communications interface, the memory system, and the processor;
• wherein the memory system is configured with a bandwidth manager application, that when performed on the processor, provides a means to dynamically adjust bandwidth of a communications channel operating on the communications interface, such means including:
• means for detecting a first event indicating a first anticipated change in a bandwidth requirement of the communications channel, the first event indicating a browser event requiring a browser in the communications device to access content from a remote computer system;
• means for calculating a first new value for a bandwidth setting of the communications channel in response to detecting the first event, the first new value of the bandwidth setting of the communications channel being calculated to accommodate additional bandwidth used to receive the content from the remote computer system;
• means for adjusting a bandwidth characteristic of the communications channel according to the first new value of the bandwidth setting such that communications channel can accommodate the first anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement;
• means for detecting a second event indicating a second anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement of a communications channel;
• means for calculating a second new value for a bandwidth setting of the communications channel in response to detecting the second event;
• and
• means for further adjusting the bandwidth characteristic of the communications channel according to the second new value of the bandwidth setting such that communications channel accommodates the second anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement.

A method of managing the use of a communications channel of a network by a network application, the communications channel utilizing bandwidth allocated by a network communications device in the network, comprising:

• detecting activity of the network application indicating that a new communications session will be established requiring a first anticipated change in bandwidth allocated to the communications channel;
• calculating a first new value for an allocated bandwidth setting of the communications channel in response to detecting the network application activity;
• negotiating with the network communications device to adjust a bandwidth characteristic of the communications channel according to the first new value of the allocated bandwidth setting to effect the first anticipated change in the bandwidth allocated to the communications channel;
• detecting a second event indicating a second anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement of a communications channel;
• calculating a second new value for a bandwidth setting of the communications channel in response to detecting the second event;
• and
• further adjusting the bandwidth characteristic of the communications channel according to the second new value of the bandwidth setting such that communications channel accommodates the second anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement.

A communications device comprising:

• an communications interface;
• a memory system;
• a processor;
• and
• an interconnection mechanism coupling the communications interface, the memory system, and the processor;
• wherein the memory system is configured with a bandwidth manager application, that when performed on the processor, provides a bandwidth manager process that manages the use of a communications channel of a network by a network application, the communications channel utilizing bandwidth allocated by the network communications device in the network, the bandwidth manager process performing the operations of:
• detecting activity of the network application indicating that a new communications session will be established requiring a first anticipated change in bandwidth allocated to the communications channel;
• calculating a first new value for an allocated bandwidth setting of the communications channel in response to detecting the network application activity;
• negotiating with the network communications device to adjust a bandwidth characteristic of the communications channel according to the first new value of the allocated bandwidth setting to effect the first anticipated change in the bandwidth allocated to the communications channel;
• detecting a second event indicating a second anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement of a communications channel;
• calculating a second new value for a bandwidth setting of the communications channel in response to detecting the second event;
• and
• further adjusting the bandwidth characteristic of the communications channel according to the second new value of the bandwidth setting such that communications channel accommodates the second anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement.

In a communications device, the communications device being a browser enabled device, a method for dynamically adjusting bandwidth of a communications channel, the method comprising the steps of:

• detecting a first event indicating a first anticipated change in a bandwidth requirement of the communications channel, the first event indicating a browser event requiring a browser in the communications device to access content from a remote computer system;
• calculating a first new value for a bandwidth setting of the communications channel in response to detecting the first event, the first new value of the bandwidth setting of the communications channel being calculated to accommodate additional bandwidth used to receive the content from the remote computer system, calculating a first new value for a bandwidth setting of the communications channel in response to detecting the first event further comprising:
• determining if the bandwidth event contains a bandwidth determination factor, and if the bandwidth event contains a bandwidth determination factor:
• i) extracting the bandwidth determination factor from the bandwidth event;
• and
• ii) calculating the new value for the bandwidth setting based on the bandwidth determination factor;
• and if the bandwidth event contains a bandwidth determination factor, adjusting the bandwidth setting to at least one of a next higher level and a next lower level based on the bandwidth event;
• adjusting a bandwidth characteristic of the communications channel according to the first new value of the bandwidth setting such that the communications channel can accommodate the first anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement;
• detecting a second event indicating a second anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement of a communications channel;
• calculating a second new value for a bandwidth setting of the communications channel in response to detecting the second event;
• and
• further adjusting the bandwidth characteristic of the communications channel according to the second new value of the bandwidth setting such that communications channel accommodates the second anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement, the first bandwidth event indicating an increased anticipated change in the bandwidth requirement of the communications channel and the second bandwidth event indicates a decreased anticipated change in the bandwidth requirements of the communications channel, the first new value of the bandwidth setting being greater than a former value of the bandwidth setting and the second new value of the bandwidth setting being less than the first new value of the bandwidth setting, such that:
• i) the bandwidth characteristic of the communications channel is dynamically adjusted to raise the bandwidth of the communications channel in response to the first bandwidth event;
• and
• ii) the bandwidth characteristic of the communications channel is dynamically adjusted to lower the bandwidth of the communications channel in response to the second bandwidth event, the first bandwidth event indicating a browser event for at least one of:
• i) a beginning of a communications session;
• ii) a beginning of content processing;
• and wherein the second bandwidth event indicating a browser event for at least one of:
• i) an end of a communications session;
• ii) an end of content processing;
• and
• iii) a timeout associated with an earlier bandwidth event.