Method and system for providing alternative communication paths

• US 10,326,689 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2016
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Liu, Ken, Bennett, Robert, Bogdan, Pamela A. M., Barnickel, Donald J., Willis, III, Thomas M., Lubranski, Leon, Van Brakle, Tracy, Blandino, George, Barzegar, Farhad, Gerszberg, Irwin, Henry, Paul Shala
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Xavier Szewai
• Application Number:
  US15/372,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20180167312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0226 based on location or mobility handoff or reselection H04W36/00; mobile application services making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0236 radio quality, e.g. interference, losses or delay
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/16 based on interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/244 using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, detecting an issue associated with data communications between a first node and a second node of a distributed communications system, wherein the issue is related to a change in a condition between the first node and the second node. Locations of the first and second nodes are determined. An intermediary node is identified, based on the locations of the first and second nodes and the detecting of the issue, wherein equipment of the intermediary node is operable to engage in wireless communications with the first and second nodes, and a redirection of data communications is facilitated between the first and second nodes responsive to the detecting of the issue. The redirection of the data communications places the equipment of the intermediary node in communications between the first node and the second node. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a processing system including a processor, a degradation of data communications between a first node and a second node of a distributed communications system, wherein the degradation of the data communications is related to a change in an environmental condition between the first node and the second node;

determining, by the processing system, locations of the first node and the second node;

identifying, by the processing system, customer premises equipment based on the locations of the first node and the second node and responsive to the detecting of the degradation of the data communications; and

facilitating, by the processing system, a redirection of the data communications between the first node and the second node through the customer premises equipment responsive to the detecting of the degradation of the data communications, wherein the redirection causes the data communications from one of the first node or the second node to be directed to the customer premises equipment utilizing wireless communications, wherein responsive to receiving the data communications from the one of the first node or the second node, the customer premises equipment directs the data communications to the other of the first node or the second node utilizing the wireless communications, and wherein prior to the redirection, the data communications were exchanged between the first node and the second node without utilizing the customer premises equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the degradation of data communications further comprises determining, by the processing system, a performance parameter associated with one of the first node, the second node or both.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the performance parameter comprises one of a received signal strength, a bit error rate, a packet error rate, a signal to noise ratio, a propagation loss, a loss of synchronization, a loss of status, a heartbeat signal, or any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the customer premises equipment further comprises:

determining, by the processing system, a location of a source of the degradation of the data communications;

determining, by the processing system, a distance threshold; and

identifying, by the processing system, a plurality of customer premises separated from the location of the source of the degradation by a distance that falls within the distance threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining of the source of the degradation is based on one of the location of the first node, the location of the second node, or the location of the first node and the location of the second node.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining of the distance threshold is based on one of a type of service conveyed by the data communications, a volume of network traffic, environmental conditions, or any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributed communications system comprises a distributed antenna system, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the first node, a first wireless signal including a reference signal and a modulated signal at a carrier frequency, the modulated signal including communications data provided by a base station and directed to a mobile communication device;

converting, by the first node, the modulated signal at the carrier frequency to the modulated signal in a spectral segment based on signal processing of the modulated signal and utilizing the reference signal to reduce distortion during the converting;

transmitting, by the first node, a second wireless signal including the modulated signal at the spectral segment to the mobile communication device; and

generating, by the first node, a third wireless signal based at least in part on the first wireless signal, the third wireless signal directed to the second node of the distributed antenna system without performing frequency conversion of the first wireless signal.

8. A system, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

determining a degradation of data communications between a first node and a second node of a distributed communications system, wherein the degradation of the data communications is related to a change in a condition between the first node and the second node;

determining locations of the first node and the second node;

identifying back-up equipment based on the locations of the first node and the second node and responsive to the determining of the degradation of the data communications, wherein the back-up equipment is located at a customer premises; and

facilitating a redirection of data communications between the first node and the second node through the back-up equipment responsive to the determining of the degradation of the data communications, wherein the redirection causes the data communications from one of the first node or the second node to be directed to the back-up equipment utilizing wireless communications, wherein responsive to receiving the data communications from the one of the first node or the second node, the back-up equipment directs the data communications to the other of the first node or the second node utilizing the wireless communications, and wherein prior to the redirection, the data communications were exchanged between the first node and the second node without utilizing the back-up equipment.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the back-up equipment comprises customer premises equipment, and wherein the determining of the degradation of the data communications further comprises determining a performance parameter associated with one of the first node, the second node or both.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the condition comprises network congestion, and wherein the performance parameter comprises one of a received signal strength, a bit error rate, a packet error rate, a signal to noise ratio, a propagation loss, a loss of synchronization, a loss of status, a heartbeat signal, or any combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the back-up equipment comprises customer premises equipment, and wherein the identifying of the customer premises equipment further comprises:

determining a location of a source of the degradation of the data communications;

determining a distance threshold; and

identifying a plurality of customer premises separated from the location of the source of the degradation by a distance that falls within the distance threshold.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the determining of the source of the degradation is based on one of the location of the first node, the location of the second node, or the location of the first node and the location of the second node, and where the distributed communications system comprises guided wave propagation.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the determining of the distance threshold is based on one of a type of service conveyed by the data communications, a volume of network traffic, environmental conditions, or any combination thereof.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the first node and the second node are remote from the customer premises and wherein the facilitating of the redirection of the data communications further comprises facilitating the redirection of the data communications through a portion of a direct broadcast satellite terminal of customer premises equipment.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

detecting an issue associated with data communications between a first node and a second node of a distributed communications system, wherein the issue associated with the data communications is related to a change in a condition between the first node and the second node;

determining locations of the first node and the second node;

determining an intermediary node based on the locations of the first node and the second node and responsive to the detecting of the issue, wherein customer premise equipment of the intermediary node is operable to engage in wireless communications with the first node and the second node; and

responsive to the detecting of the issue, facilitating a redirection of data communications between the first node and the second node to the customer premise equipment, wherein the redirection causes the data communications from one of the first node or the second node to be directed to the customer premise equipment of the intermediary node, wherein responsive to receiving the data communications from the one of the first node or the second node, the customer premise equipment of the intermediary node directs the data communications to the other of the first node or the second node, and wherein prior to the redirection, the data communications were exchanged between the first node and the second node without utilizing the customer premise equipment of the intermediary node.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the detecting of the issue further comprises determining a performance parameter associated with one of the first node, the second node or both, and wherein the processing system is located in the first node or the second node.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the performance parameter comprises one of a received signal strength, a bit error rate, a packet error rate, a signal to noise ratio, a propagation loss, a loss of synchronization, a loss of status, a heartbeat signal, or any combination thereof.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the determining of the intermediary node further comprises:

identifying a location of a source of the issue associated with the data communications;

determining a threshold value; and

determining a plurality of customer premises separated from the location of the source of the issue associated with the data communications by a distance that falls within the threshold value.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the identifying of the location of the source of the issue associated with the data communications is based on one of the location of the first node, the location of the second node, or the location of the first node and the location of the second node.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the determining of the threshold value is based on one of a type of service conveyed by the data communications, a volume of network traffic, environmental conditions, or any combination thereof.