Automatic quality of service based resource allocation

• US 20050064873A1
• Filed: 06/24/2004
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, James D., Karaoguz, Jeyhan
• Granted Patent: US 7,221,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/452.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A system and method for providing quality-of-service based network resource allocation and utilization in a dynamic network environment. For example, a wireless communication network may comprise a first system and a second system. The first system may provide a current service to a user at a current quality level. The first system and second system may establish a wireless communication link. At least one of the first and second systems may determine whether utilizing one or more resources of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher level of quality than the current quality level. One or more resources of the second system may be allocated for providing the current service to a user at a higher quality level. The allocated resources may be utilized to provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level.

Claims

1. In a wireless communication network that comprises a first system providing a current service at a current quality level to a user, a method for allocating a resource of a second system to provide improved quality of service to the user, the method comprising:

establishing a wireless communication link between the first system and the second system;

determining whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level; and

if it is determined that utilizing the resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level, then allocating the resource of the second system for such utilization.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing the allocated resource of the second system to provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level comprises determining whether the second system has processing capability to provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level comprises determining whether at least one of the first and second systems has communication capability necessary for utilizing resources of the second system to provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level comprises determining whether the second system has access to higher quality information than information to which the first system has access.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein utilizing the allocated resource of the second system to provide the current service to the user comprises utilizing the allocated resource to communicate information to the first system for presentation to the user, the information being based on data obtained from a storage device communicatively coupled to the second system.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second systems perform the establishing, determining, allocating and utilizing automatically.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing the allocated resource of the second system comprises utilizing the allocated resource of the second system to communicate audio information to the first system.

9. In a first system in a wireless communication network, a method for obtaining allocation of a resource of a second system to provide improved quality of service to a user, the method comprising:

providing a current service at a current quality level to a user;

establishing a wireless communication link with a second system in the wireless communication network;

determining whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level; and

if it is determined that utilizing the resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level, then requesting allocation of the resource of the second system for such utilization.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising utilizing the resource of the second system to provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level comprises:

communicating information of processing capability with the second system; and

determining, based at least in part on the information of processing capability, whether the second system has processing capability that will result in the current service being provided to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level comprises determining whether at least one of the first and second systems has communication capability necessary for utilizing the resource of the second system to provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether utilizing the resource of the second system to provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level comprises determining whether the resource of the second system has access to higher quality information than information to which the first system has access.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein utilizing the resource of the second system to provide the current service to the user comprises receiving information from the resource of the second system that is based on data that the resource of the second system obtained from a storage device communicatively coupled to the resource of the second system.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the first system performs the establishing, determining, requesting and utilizing automatically.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein utilizing the resource of the second system to provide the current service to the user comprises receiving audio information from the resource of the second system.

17. In a second system in a wireless communication network, a method for allocating a resource of the second system to provide improved quality of service to a user, the method comprising:

establishing a wireless communication link with a first system, the first system currently providing a current service at a current quality level to a user;

communicating with the first system to determine whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level; and

if it is determined that utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level, then allocating the resource of the second system for such use.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising utilizing the allocated resource of the second system to provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein communicating with the first system to determine whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level comprises communicating process capability information with the first system, wherein the process capability information is analyzed to determine whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein communicating with the first system to determine whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level comprises communicating communication capability information with the first system, wherein the communication capability information is analyzed to determine whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein communicating with the first system to determine whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level comprises communicating with the first system an indication of the quality of information to which at least one of the first and second systems has access, wherein the indication of the quality of information is analyzed to determine whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein utilizing resources of the second system to provide the current service to the user comprises:

obtaining data corresponding to the current service from a storage device communicatively coupled to the second system; and

communicating information based on the obtained data to the first system.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein utilizing resources of the second system to provide the current service to the user comprises automatically utilizing resources of the second system to provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level.

24. A first system for providing a service to a user in a wireless communication network, the first system comprising:

a communication module that establishes a communication link with a second system in the wireless communication network;

a user interface module;

a local processing module, communicatively coupled to the user interface module, that utilizes the user interface module to provide a current service to a user at a current quality level;

a quality control module, communicatively coupled to the communication module, that communicates capability information with the second system to determine whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level; and

a distributed processing module, communicatively coupled to the communication module, that requests allocation of the resource of the second system for providing the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level.

25. The first system of claim 24, wherein the distributed processing module utilizes the allocated resource of the second system to provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level.

26. The first system of claim 24, wherein the quality control module communicates processing capability information with the second system, the processing capability information being analyzed to determine whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level.

27. The first system of claim 24, wherein the quality control module communicates communication capability information with the second system, the communication capability information being analyzed to determine whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level.

28. The first system of claim 24, wherein the quality control module communicates with the second system an indication of the quality of information to which at least one of the first and second systems has access, the indication of the quality of information being analyzed to determine whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level.

29. The first system of claim 25, wherein the distributed processing module receives information from the second system, the information being based on data that the second system obtained from a data storage device communicatively coupled to the second system.

30. The first system of claim 25, wherein the distributed processing module utilizes the allocated resource of the second system automatically.

31. A second system for providing a service to a user in a wireless communication network, the wireless communication network comprising a first system providing a current service to the user at a current quality level, the second system comprising:

a communication module that establishes a communication link with the first system in the wireless communication network;

a quality control module, communicatively coupled to the communication module, that communicates capability information with the first system to determine whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level; and

a resource allocation module that allocates the resource of the second system for providing the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level.

32. The second system of claim 31, further comprising a distributed processing module that utilizes the allocated resource of the second system to provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level.

33. The second system of claim 31, wherein the quality control module communicates processing capability information with the first system to determine whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level.

34. The second system of claim 31, wherein the quality control module communicates communication capability information with the first system to determine whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level.

35. The second system of claim 31, wherein the quality control module communicates with the first system an indication of the quality of information to which at least one of the first and second systems has access to determine whether utilizing a resource of the second system will provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level.

36. The second system of claim 32, further comprising a storage device communicatively coupled to the distributed processing module, and wherein the distributed processing module obtains data corresponding to the current service from the storage device and communicates information based on the obtained data to the first system.

37. The second system of claim 32, wherein the distributed processing module automatically utilizes the allocated resource of the second system to provide the current service to the user at a higher quality level than the current quality level.