/Patent Tracker
NetflixPatent applicationNetworks & wirelessInterest 4/10

Netflix patents method to adjust video speed based on network congestion

The filing describes a computer method that measures how long it takes to send and receive data packets to calculate a specific rate. It then uses this rate to adjust how quickly new packets are sent to your device, helping manage network traffic.

Why it mattersThis is a technical improvement to how streaming services manage data flow, which could help maintain video quality during busy network times.

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: computing a first slope based on one or more send durations over which one or more first packets are transmitted to a client device and one or more reception durations over which the one or more first packets are received by the client device; computing a second slope using a reactive rate estimation technique; and causing one or more second packets to be transmitted over a network based on a minimum slope selected from the first slope and the second slope.

Facts

Company
Netflix (NETFLIX, INC.)
Official title
TECHNIQUES FOR NETWORK CONGESTION CONTROL
Publication number
US20260292285A1
Application number
19272731
Filed
Jul 17, 2025
Published
Sep 24, 2026
Inventors
1
Claims
20

Classified under

H04N 21/2662 Electricity & electronicsH04N 19/172 Electricity & electronicsH04N 21/2625 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.