Method for reducing congestion in packet-switched networks

• US 20030137938A1
• Filed: 02/24/2003
• Published: 07/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Caceres, Ramon, Bellovin, Steven Michael, Nagel, David C., Belanger, David Gerald
• Granted Patent: US 7,227,843 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1489 dependent on congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1496 involving discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/28 in relation to timing considerations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

The present invention permits a network service provider to detect an operational condition—such as congestion—in a packet-switched network and to alleviate such congestion by providing customer incentives to avoid use of the network. The detection mechanism triggers an incentive such as the modification of the user'"'"'s access charges and the customer can be immediately notified of either the occurrence of the congestion or of information regarding the incentive. Usage of the network during congested periods can be deterred by imposing additional access charges during such periods—similarly, customers can be given a discount to encourage usage during periods of low congestion. An incentive schedule can be tailored to dynamically change the usage patterns of the customers of the network to accommodate the operational conditions in the network. The present invention has application in the Internet, where a detection/notification mechanism, for example, can be implemented in a network node such as a router or in a network endpoint such as a client machine or a proxy or mail server.

Claims

1. A method, for use by a network service provider which provides a customer with access to a communication network, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting an operational condition in the network;

detecting usage of the network by a customer; and

recording incentive information related to the customer based on the operational condition.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the incentive is a modification in an access charge collected by the network service provider from the customer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the operational condition is congestion in the network.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein congestion is detected by determining that a packet has been dropped in the network.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein congestion is detected by determining that a network endpoint has failed to receive an acknowledgment in reply to sending a packet.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein congestion is detected by determining that a network endpoint has received a packet out of sequence.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein congestion is detected by determining the size of a buffer queue of a network node.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein congestion is detected by determining that a packet has been marked by explicit congestion notification.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of detecting the operational condition in the network occurs in a network endpoint.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the network endpoint is a server.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the network endpoint is a proxy server.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the network endpoint is a mail server.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the network endpoint is a news server.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the network endpoint is a tamper-resistant modem.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of detecting the operational condition in the network occurs in a network node.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the network node is a router.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

providing notification to the customer of the operational condition or the incentive information.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of notification occurs prior to the step of detecting usage.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the notification is a window displayed on a customer terminal.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the customer is another network service provider.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the notification uses a congestion indication protocol.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the network is a packet-switched network.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the network is a hybrid network.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the network uses the Internet protocol suite.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the network uses a multicast communication protocol.

26. The method of claim 22 wherein the network is the Internet.

27. A method, for use by a network service provider which provides a customer with access to a service through a network, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting an operational condition in the service;

detecting usage of the service by a customer; and

recording incentive information related to the customer based on the operational condition

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the incentive is a modification in an access charge collected by the network service provider from the customer.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the operational condition is load on a server providing the service.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein the service is e-mail.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the service is netnews.

32. The method of claim 27 further comprising the step of:

providing notification to the customer of the operational condition or the incentive information.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the step of notification occurs prior to the step of detecting usage.