CHANGING A DATA STREAM CHARACTERISTIC BASED ON A DATA USAGE RATE

摘要

An approach is provided for adjusting a characteristic of a data stream. A rate of data usage provided by one or more data streams within a time period that has not ended is determined. An amount of time remaining in the time period is determined. Based at least in part on the amount of time remaining in the time period and the rate of data usage, an expected amount of data usage within the entire time period is determined. Whether the expected amount of data usage exceeds a limit on data usage within the entire time period is determined. If the expected amount of data usage exceeds the limit, the characteristic of the data stream is adjusted so that actual data usage within the entire time period does not exceed the limit. The actual data usage is based in part on the adjusted characteristic.

主权项

1. A method of adjusting a characteristic of a data stream to a computer, the method comprising the steps of:
a computer system recording an amount of data usage provided by one or more data streams to the computer within a first portion of a time period, the first portion having elapsed and the time period not having elapsed, and the computer system having at least one processor and at least one memory; based on the recorded amount of data usage and an amount of time in the first portion, the computer system determining a current rate of data usage provided by the one or more data streams within the first portion of the time period; the computer system determining a limit on actual data usage by the computer during an entirety of the time period; the computer system determining an amount of time in a second portion of the time period, which is subsequent to the first portion and has not elapsed; based at least in part on the amount of time in the second portion and the current rate of data usage, the computer system determining an expected amount of data usage provided by all data streams to the computer within the first and second portions of the time period; the computer system determining whether the expected amount of data usage exceeds the limit; and based at least in part on the expected amount of data usage exceeding the limit, the computer system adjusting the characteristic of the data stream so that a new expected data usage does not exceed the limit, the new expected data usage based in part on the adjusted characteristic and provided by at least the one or more data streams in the first portion of the time period and the data stream in the second portion of the time period.