Network accelerator for controlled long delay links

• US 20060109788A1
• Filed: 11/17/2005
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ViaSat Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ViaSat Incorporated
• Inventors: Eidenschink, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,769,863 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/185 Space-based or airborne stations; Stations for satellite systemsH04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5608 Satellite
• 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 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/781 Centralised allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/826 Involving periods of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• 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 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/004 : in the uplink, i.e. towards network

Abstract

A communication system for providing network access over a shared communication link is disclosed. The communication system includes a user access point, a network access point and a communications link. The user access point is coupled to one or more user terminals that access a remote network. The network access point is coupled to the remote network. The communications link couples the user access point and the network access point. The communications link is at least partially controlled by the network access point, which monitors information passed between the remote network and the user access point to create an estimate of future usage of the communications link by the user access point based on the information. The network access point allocates communications link resources for the user access point based on the estimate.

Claims

1. A communication system for providing network access over a shared communication link, the communication system comprising:

a user access point coupled to one or more user terminals that access a remote network;

a network access point coupled to the remote network; and

a communications link coupling the user access point and the network access point, wherein;

the communications link is at least partially controlled by the network access point,

the network access point monitors information passed between the remote network and the user access point to create an estimate of future usage of the communications link by the user access point based on the information, and

the network access point allocates communications link resources for the user access point based on the estimate.

2. The communication system for providing network access over the shared communication link as recited in claim 1, wherein the information comprises in-line elements of a web page that, at least in part, affects the estimate.

3. The communication system for providing network access over the shared communication link as recited in claim 1, wherein the communications link passes through a satellite.

4. The communication system for providing network access over the shared communication link as recited in claim 1, wherein the estimate of future usage is based upon past requests from other user access points.

5. The communication system for providing network access over the shared communication link as recited in claim 1, wherein the estimate is based, at least in part, on a similarity between a plurality of requests in the information.

6. The communication system for providing network access over the shared communication link as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the information includes a request and a response to the request, and

the response can be used to estimate the number of future requests.

7. The communication system for providing network access over the shared communication link as recited in claim 1, wherein the allocation is communicated to the user access point to allow increasing bandwidth from the user access point to the network access point.

8. The communication system for providing network access over the shared communication link as recited in claim 1, wherein the information includes a web page request contained in said information that, at least in part, affects the estimate.

9. A method for allocating resources over a shared communication link, the method comprising steps of:

receiving an information request from the shared communication link;

correlating the information request to similar requests;

determining communication link resources from the similar requests;

predicting an allocation of resources adequate to service the information request based, at least in part, on the determining step; and

changing an allocation of resources associated with the information request.

10. The method for allocating resources over the shared communication link as recited in claim 9, wherein the shared communication links a plurality of user access points to a network access point.

11. The method for allocating resources over the shared communication link as recited in claim 9, further comprising steps of:

determining if the allocation can be accommodated on the shared communication link; and

reducing the allocation based, at least in part, on the immediately-preceding determining step.

12. The method for allocating resources over the shared communication link as recited in claim 9, further comprising steps of:

storing a new entry for the information request where correlating step fails; and

updating the new entry upon receiving a response for information request.

13. The method for allocating resources over the shared communication link as recited in claim 9, further comprising a step of passing the information request to a network for fulfillment.

14. A machine-readable medium having machine-executable instructions for performing the machine-implementable method for allocating resources over the shared communication link of claim 9.

15. A system adapted to perform the machine-implementable method for allocating resources over the shared communication link of claim 9.

16. A data signal embodied in a carrier wave having machine-executable instructions for allocating resources over the shared communication link of claim 9.

17. A communication system for providing network access over a communication link, the communication system comprising:

a network access point adapted for coupled to a network and a user access point, wherein;

a communications link is used to couple the user access point and the network access point, wherein;

the communications link is at least partially controlled by the network access point,

the network access point monitors information passed between the network and the user access point to create an estimate of future usage of the communications link by the user access point based on the information, and

the network access point allocates communications link resources for the user access point based on the estimate.

18. The communication system for providing network access over the communication link as recited in claim 17, wherein the information comprises in-line elements of a web page that, at least in part, affects the estimate.

19. The communication system for providing network access over the communication link as recited in claim 17, wherein the estimate of future usage is based upon past requests from other user access points.

20. The communication system for providing network access over the communication link as recited in claim 17, wherein:

the information includes a request and a response to the request, and

the response can be used to estimate the number of future requests.

21. The communication system for providing network access over the communication link as recited in claim 17, wherein the allocation is communicated to the user access point to allow increasing bandwidth from the user access point to the network access point.