Systems and methods for dynamic data transfer management on a per subscriber basis in a communications network

• US 10,367,748 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2015
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nomadix, Inc. (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nomadix, Inc. (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Short, Joel E., Delley, Frederic, Logan, Mark F., Toomey, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Liang Che A
• Application Number:
  US14/879,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20160205031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 709226, 709227, 709232, 709240, 709224, 370348, 370352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1439 time-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/765 triggered by the end-points
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A method of dynamically managing transmission of packets is disclosed. The method, in some embodiments, may comprise establishing a network session over a communication link between a network and a user device of a user and associating a data transmission parameter with the user device. The method may further comprise receiving a packet and calculating a delay period associated with the packet based on the data transmission parameter and delaying transmission of the packet based on the delay period.

Claims

1. A bandwidth management system configured to allow users to dynamically request an amount of bandwidth and further configured to maintain a minimum level of bandwidth for the users, the bandwidth management system comprising:

a hardware memory configured to store one or more queues;

one or more first network interfaces configured to receive a plurality of packets;

a controller configured to;

determine a class of service associated with at least some of the received plurality of packets based on user selection of requested bandwidth or requested connection speed;

add each of the at least some of the received plurality of packets in the one or more queues according to the determined class of service; and

remove one or more outgoing packets associate with a user from the one or more queues based on a quality of service metric determined for the user; and

one or more second network interfaces configured to transmit the one or more outgoing packets removed from the one or more queues,

wherein the controller is further configured to delay transmission of the one or more outgoing packets to prevent the user'"'"'s network enabled device from achieving a bandwidth or connection speed greater than the requested bandwidth or the requested connection speed.

2. The bandwidth management system of claim 1, wherein the quality of service metric comprises a minimum bandwidth or minimum connection speed associated with the user.

3. The bandwidth management system of claim 1, wherein the quality of service metric comprises a measured bandwidth or measured connection speed associated with the user.

4. The bandwidth management system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to monitor throughput at the one or more first network interfaces or the one or more second network interfaces, wherein the throughput is related to the quality of service metric.

5. The bandwidth management system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to use at least one of weighted fair queuing, deficit round robin, or random early detection schemes for the adding or the removing of packets from the one or more queues.

6. The bandwidth management system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to add or remove packets from the one or more queues based on load associated with the one or more queues.

7. The bandwidth management system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to present to the user'"'"'s network enabled device display content that enables the user to select one of a plurality of network connection parameters including a bandwidth parameter amongst two or more available bandwidth parameters.

8. The bandwidth management system of claim 7, wherein the display content is a home page.

9. The bandwidth management system of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth management is performed substantially in real-time and without requiring hardware reconfiguration of any component in a network.

10. A method of managing bandwidth including allowing users to dynamically request an amount of bandwidth and maintaining a minimum level of bandwidth for the users, the method comprising:

storing one or more queues;

receiving a plurality of packets;

determining a class of service associated with at least some of the received plurality of packets based on user selection of requested bandwidth or requested connection speed;

adding each of the at least some of the received plurality of packets in the one or more queues according to the determined class of service; and

removing one or more outgoing packets associated with a user from the one or more queues based on a quality of service metric determined for the user; and

transmitting the one or more outgoing packets removed from the one or more queues,

wherein the transmission of the one or more outgoing packets is delayed to prevent the user'"'"'s network enabled device from achieving a bandwidth or connection speed greater than the requested bandwidth or the requested connection speed.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the quality of service metric comprises a minimum bandwidth or minimum connection speed associated with the user.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the quality of service metric comprises a measured bandwidth or measured connection speed associated with the user.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising monitoring throughput at the one or more first network interfaces or the one or more second network interfaces, wherein the throughput is related to the quality of service metric.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the adding or the removing of packets from the one or more queues comprises using at least one of weighted fair queuing, deficit round robin, or random early detection schemes.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising adding or removing packets from the one or more queues based on load associated with the one or more queues.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising presenting to the user'"'"'s network enabled device display content that enables the user to select one of a plurality of network connection parameters including a bandwidth parameter amongst two or more available bandwidth parameters.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the display content is a home page.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the bandwidth management is performed substantially in real-time and without requiring hardware reconfiguration of any component in a network.