/Patent Tracker
NetflixPatent applicationNetworks & wirelessInterest 4/10

Netflix patents method to smooth video streams by adjusting packet timing

Netflix has filed a patent for a technique that manages network congestion by analyzing how long it takes to send and receive data packets. The system calculates a slope to predict optimal timing, then adjusts the speed at which packets are sent to the user's device to prevent buffering.

Why it mattersThis is a standard engineering improvement for streaming services, aiming to make video playback smoother during periods of high internet traffic.

In the filing’s own words

A computer-implemented technique for controlling network congestion includes determining a first slope that relates (i) reception durations over which packets are received by a client device and (ii) send durations over which packets are transmitted to the client device; interpolating a first send duration over which packets are transmitted to the client device and a first reception duration over which packets are received by the client device based on the first slope to determine a second send duration; and causing one or more first packets to be transmitted over a network based on the second send duration.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling network congestion, the method comprising: determining a first slope that relates (i) reception durations over which packets are received by a client device and (ii) send durations over which packets are transmitted to the client device; interpolating a first send duration over which packets are transmitted to the client device and a first reception duration over which packets are received by the client device based on the first slope to determine a second send duration; and causing one or more first packets to be transmitted over a network based on the second send duration.

Facts

Company
Netflix (NETFLIX, INC.)
Official title
TECHNIQUES FOR NETWORK CONGESTION CONTROL
Publication number
US20260291877A1
Application number
19272709
Filed
Jul 17, 2025
Published
Sep 24, 2026
Inventors
1
Claims
20

Classified under

H04L 47/283 Electricity & electronicsH04L 43/062 Electricity & electronicsH04L 47/32 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

More from Netflix in Networks & wireless

Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.