Method of ensuring continuity for services supplied by a residential gateway

• US 10,594,595 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2016
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Boucadair, Mohamed, Binet, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Anh Vu H
• Application Number:
  US15/770,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20180316603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/30 Routing of multiclass traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/66 Layer 2 routing, e.g. in Ethernet based MAN's
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/741 Routing in networks with a plurality of addressing schemes, e.g. with both IPv4 and IPv6
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point

Abstract

A service continuity method includes a step of detecting a fault consisting in at least one service to which a residential gateway normally provides access no longer being accessible or in the quality of service of at least one service to which a residential gateway normally gives access being degraded. The method further includes, after detection: a) a supervision center (CSC) selecting at least one mobile relay; b) the supervision center (CSC) communicating at least one instruction to the selected mobile relay for the purpose of ensuring continuity of the service; c) the mobile relay setting up a session association with the gateway or with an intermediate device; and d) the traffic relating to the service being redirected to the mobile relay.

Claims

1. A service continuity method comprising:

a step of detecting a fault comprising at least one service to which a residential gateway normally provides access no longer being accessible or in a quality of service of at least one service to which the residential gateway normally gives access being degraded, then performing the following steps;

a) a supervision center (CSC) selecting at least one mobile relay;

b) said supervision center (CSC) communicating at least one instruction to the selected mobile relay for the purpose of ensuring continuity of said service;

c) said mobile relay executing said at least one instruction communicated by the supervision center and setting up a session association with said residential gateway or with an intermediate device; and

d) traffic relating to said service being redirected to the mobile relay,

wherein, following step b), the supervision center (CSC) adjusts where necessary the geographical position of said mobile relay as a function of a geographical position of the residential gateway for which the mobile relay is providing service continuity.

2. The service continuity method according to claim 1, wherein said session association is performed using:

a backup identifier that is broadcast by said mobile relay, and that is listened for and recognized by said residential gateway or by said intermediate device;

or

a backup identifier that is broadcast by said residential gateway or by said intermediate device and that is listened for and recognized by said mobile relay.

3. The service continuity method according to claim 1, wherein said mobile relay is onboard a drone or an autonomous vehicle.

4. A mobile relay, comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor configure the mobile relay to perform acts comprising;

following detection of a fault comprising at least one service to which a residential gateway normally gives access no longer being accessible or in a quality of at least one service to which said gateway normally gives access being degraded;

receiving from a supervision center (CSC) at least one instruction for providing continuity of said service;

where necessary, upon being instructed by said supervision center (CSC), adjusting a geographical position of the mobile relay as a function of the geographical position of the residential gateway;

establishing a session association with the residential gateway or with an intermediate device between the mobile relay and the residential gateway; and

take charge of traffic relating to said service.

5. The mobile relay according to claim 4, wherein the mobile relay is further configured to broadcast a backup identifier.

6. The mobile relay according to claim 4, wherein the mobile relay is further configured to listen for and recognize a backup identifier broadcast by said residential gateway or by said intermediate device.

7. The mobile relay according to claim 4, wherein the mobile relay is onboard a drone or an autonomous vehicle.

8. A service continuity system, comprising:

at least one mobile relay, comprising;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor configure the mobile relay to perform acts comprising;

following detection of a fault comprising at least one service to which a residential gateway normally gives access no longer being accessible or in a quality of at least one service to which said residential gateway normally gives access being degraded;

receiving from a supervision center (CSC) at least one instruction for providing continuity of said service;

where necessary, upon being instructed by said supervision center (CSC), adjusting a geographical position of the mobile relay as a function of the geographical position of the residential gateway;

establishing a session association with the residential gateway or with an intermediate device between the mobile relay and the residential gateway; and

charge of traffic relating to said service; and

the residential gateway, which comprises;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor of the residential configure the residential gateway to perform acts comprising;

acting, after a fault has been detected, to establish the session association with said mobile relay or with the intermediate device between the residential gateway and said mobile relay, and to transfer thereto the traffic relating to said service.

10. The service continuity system according to claim 8, wherein said residential gateway is further configured to broadcast a backup identifier.

11. The service continuity system according to claim 8, wherein said residential gateway is further configured to listen for and recognize a backup identifier broadcast by said mobile relay.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer program code instructions stored thereon for executing a service continuity method when the instructions are executed by a processor of a mobile relay, wherein the instructions configure the mobile relay to perform acts comprising:

following detection of a fault comprising at least one service to which a residential gateway normally gives access no longer being accessible or in a quality of at least one service to which said residential gateway normally gives access being degraded;

receiving from a supervision center (CSC) at least one instruction for providing continuity of said service;

where necessary, upon being instructed by said supervision center (CSC), adjusting a geographical position of the mobile relay as a function of the geographical position of the residential gateway;

establishing a session association with the residential gateway or with an intermediate device between the mobile relay and the residential gateway; and

take charge of traffic relating to said service.

12. A service continuity method comprising:

a step of detecting a fault comprising at least one service to which a residential gateway normally provides access no longer being accessible or in a quality of service of at least one service to which the residential gateway normally gives access being degraded, then performing the following steps;

a) a supervision center (CSC) selecting at least one mobile relay;

b) said supervision center (CSC) communicating at least one instruction to the selected mobile relay for the purpose of ensuring continuity of said service, wherein said supervision center (CSC) adjusts the geographical position of said mobile relay as a function of a geographical position of the residential gateway for which the mobile relay is providing service continuity;

c) said mobile relay setting up a session association with said residential gateway or with an intermediate device; and

d) traffic relating to said service being redirected to the mobile relay.