Network service selection

• US 20060149854A1
• Filed: 01/31/2003
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Van Nieuwenhuizen, Peter, Rudkin, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 8,260,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13039 Asymmetrical two-way transmission, e.g. ADSL, HDSL
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1313 Metering, billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13138 Least cost routing, LCR
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13251 Restricted service, class of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1329 Asynchronous transfer mode, ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13332 Broadband, CATV, dynamic bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13335 Simulation, emulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13384 Inter-PBX traffic, PBX networks, e.g. corporate networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13399 Virtual channel/circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 Traffic distributors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/665 Circuit arrangements therefor

Abstract

A method of selecting a suitable service for the delivery of a communication across an integrated network is disclosed. Before now, users had to select the service that best suited their needs at the time of each delivery. By providing a computer programmed to act as a purchasing agent with data indicating the desirability of stability in the network service (that data representing the price the user is prepared to pay for stability) an automatic selection of the service to be provided to the communication is enabled. An embodiment is described in which different degrees of stability are given to different content file deliveries in dependence on the importance attached to the recipient by a content provider. The invention could equally be used to provide an appropriate services for many different types of network traffic.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a network service from a plurality of network services available for a communication, said method comprising:

storing utility data representing the utility of one or more corresponding levels of communication resource provided for said communication during said communication;

storing an indication of the stability in the amount of said communications resource provided for a communication by one or more services offered by said network;

calculating, from said service stability data, one or more measures of the likelihood of a predetermined variation occurring in the amount of resource provided for said communication by a service at a future time during said communication;

selecting, in dependence upon said likelihood measures and said utility data, a network service for said communication.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said selection step involves a determination of what service to request for said communication.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein said selection step involves a determination of what service to provide for said communication.

4. A method according to claim 1 in which said service stability data comprises data defining a probability density function defining the likelihood of a variable lying within a range of values at a time after said selection, wherein said variable determines the amount of resource provided for a communication by a service.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the maximum of said probability density function is set to the value of said variable at the time of said selection.

6. A method according to claim 4 wherein said variable represents the price of a dynamically-priced service.

7. A method according to claim 4 in which said variable represents the amount of bandwidth available for said communication in a variable-bandwidth service.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein:

said stability desirability data comprises one or more utility indications each comprising a transmission rate and an associated utility accumulation rate for that rate;

said likelihood calculation involves calculating measures of the likelihood of said service type providing said communication with said transmission rate at said future time; and

said selection involves calculating an expectation of the surplus which would be accumulated by said communication over a predetermined period were said service type to be selected, the calculation of said expectation involving calculating the sum of the products of said likelihood, the associated utility accumulation rate and the duration of said predetermined period.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein said selection step involves selecting the network service which offers the highest expectation of surplus for said communication over said predetermined period.

10. A method according to claim 8 wherein said network offers a variable-bandwidth service type, wherein said likelihood determination step involves calculating the likelihood that said variable-bandwidth falls below said transmission rate.

11. A method according to claim 8 wherein said network offers a dynamically priced service type, said method further comprising:

calculating a marginal price to which the price of said dynamically-priced service type would need to rise to result in said transmission rate not being provided to said communication by said dynamically-priced service type;

wherein said likelihood determination step involves calculating the likelihood that said price rises above said marginal price.

12. A method according to claim 8 wherein said network offers a constant bit-rate service type, said expectation of surplus over said predetermined period being calculated as the utility accumulation rate less the price, times the duration of said predetermined period.

13. A method according to claim 8 wherein said predetermined time period equals the duration of the communication after said selection.

14. A method according to claim 8 wherein:

said stability desirability data comprises a plurality of said utility indications and penalty data representing a utility penalty data associated with moving from one of those transmission rates to a lower one of those transmission rates; and

said calculation of said expectation of the surplus involves the subtraction of utility penalties associated with moving from an initial rate at the time of selection to a different rate after said future time.

15. A method of sharing, between a plurality of communications, the resources of a network offering a plurality of services, said method comprising carrying out a method according to claim 3 for each of said plurality of communications.

16. A program storage device readable by a processing apparatus, said device embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform the steps of claim 1.

17. A network service selection apparatus comprising:

a storage medium having recorded therein processor readable code processable to select a network service for a communication, said code comprising;

stability desirability data reading code processable to read one or more stored utility accumulation rates representing the utility of one or more corresponding levels of communication resource provided for said communication during said communication;

likelihood calculation code processable to calculate, from stored service stability data representing an indication of the stability in the amount of said communications resource provided for a communication by one or more services offered by said network, one or more measures of the likelihood of a predetermined variation occurring in the amount of resource provided for said communication by a service at a future time during said communication; and

network service selection code processable to select, in dependence upon said likelihood measures and said one or more utility accumulation rates, a network service for said communication.

18. A method of selecting a network service from a plurality of network services available for a communication, said method comprising:

storing one or more acceptable risk indications representing the acceptable risk of a predetermined variation occurring in the amount of resource provided for said communication during said communication;

storing an indication of the stability in the amount of said communications resource provided for a communication by one or more services offered by said network;

calculating, from said service stability data, one or more measures of the likelihood of a predetermined variation occurring in the amount of resource provided for said communication by a service at a future time during said communication;

selecting, in dependence upon a comparison of said likelihood measures and said acceptable risk indications, a network service for said communication.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein said predetermined variation is the variation which leads to said communication being terminated prematurely.

20. A program storage device readable by a processing apparatus, said device embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform the steps of claim 18.

21. A method of selecting, during a communication, a network service from a plurality of network services available for said communication, said method comprising:

storing stability desirability data representing the importance of stability in the amount of communication resource provided for said communication during said communication;

identifying the service currently being provided for said communication;

selecting, in dependence upon said stability desirability data and said identified service, a network service for some or all of the remainder of said communication.

22. A method according to claim 21 wherein:

said stability desirability data comprises one or more utility indications each comprising a transmission rate and an associated utility accumulation rate for that transmission rate and penalty data representing a utility penalty associated with moving from one of those transmission rates to a lower one of those transmission rates; and

said selection involves calculating a measure of utility of said service which includes an associated penalty value where the transmission rate changes after said selection.

23. A program storage device readable by a processing apparatus, said device embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform the steps of claim 21.