# US 8,474,000 B2 · Managing upstream bandwidth > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,474,000 B2 - Document ID: US8474000B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/858,352 - Filed: 2010-08-17 - Published: 2012-02-23 - Granted: 2013-06-25 - Earliest claimed: 2010-08-17 - Assignees: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Applicants: Andrew J. Patti; Wai-Tian Tan - Inventors: Andrew J. Patti; Wai-Tian Tan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8474000B2 ## CPC - H04N 21/2365: Multiplexing of several video streams - H04N 21/2402: {Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available (traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876)} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A computer-implemented method for managing upstream bandwidth of a network including changing QoS settings, by a router, of a video device of a plurality of video devices in the network to a higher priority than other of the plurality of video devices. The plurality of video devices concurrently transmit video data. The computer-implemented method further includes estimating an overall upstream bandwidth by the higher priority video device and determining operating rates, by the router, for the plurality of video devices, such that said modem buffer is not backlogged. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-implemented method for managing upstream bandwidth of a network comprising: changing QoS settings, by a router, of a video device of a plurality of video devices in said network to a higher priority than other video devices of said plurality of video devices, wherein said plurality of video devices concurrently transmit video data; estimating an overall upstream bandwidth, wherein said estimating is performed by said higher priority video device; and determining operating rates, by said router, for said plurality of video devices, such that said modem buffer is not backlogged. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising: informing said plurality of video devices of their respective operating rates via a control protocol. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said determining an overall upstream bandwidth comprises: determining an upstream bandwidth for each of said plurality of video devices together with an aggregate bandwidth for all data sources, such that said modem buffer is not backlogged. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The computer-implemented method of claim 3, comprising: communicating said upstream bandwidth estimated by each of said plurality of video devices to said router. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein said determining an upstream bandwidth comprises: determining an upstream bandwidth based on a reliable estimated upstream bandwidth by said higher priority video device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein said method comprises: limiting aggregate data traffic by said router such that a sum of rates for said plurality of video devices and all of said data sources are below said upstream bandwidth. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said modem buffer is not backlogged by a group consisting of: non-time critical data or video data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said changing QoS settings comprises: changing QoS settings in a round-robin modulation. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of video devices determines an estimated upstream bandwidth. ### Claim 10 A computer-implemented method for managing upstream bandwidth of a network comprising: changing QoS settings in a round-robin manner, by a router, of each video device of a plurality of video devices in said network to a higher priority than other video devices of said plurality of video devices, wherein said plurality of video devices concurrently transmit video data; and determining an overall upstream bandwidth, by said router, such that a modem buffer is not backlogged. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The computer-implemented method of claim 10, comprising: monitoring said video data and associated feedback of each of said plurality of video devices with said higher priority, by said router, wherein said determining said overall upstream bandwidth is based on said monitored video data and said associated feedback. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The computer-implemented method of claim 10, comprising: limiting said other video devices of said plurality of video devices to a fair-sharing bandwidth based on said determined overall upstream bandwidth, ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The computer-implemented method of claim 10, comprising: using IP TOS bits to identify said video data from said video devices. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The computer-implemented method of claim 10, comprising: each of said plurality of video devices determining its own operating upstream bandwidth by using a median filter to remove an estimate while being a highest priority video device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The computer-implemented method of claim 10, comprising: limiting aggregate data traffic by said router such that a sum of rates for said plurality of video devices and all of said data sources are below said upstream bandwidth.