Methods, systems, and computer program products for implementing bandwidth control services

• US 20060222008A1
• Filed: 12/14/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aaron, Jeffrey A., Bedingfield, James Carlton Sr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,098,582 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/468
• 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 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• 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 43/091 Measuring contribution of individual network components to actual service level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for implementing bandwidth control services are provided. The method includes assigning a quality of service preference to a device. The method also includes associating a service session with the device. The method further includes executing a control action for at least one other simultaneously occurring service session when a quality of service level of the service session differs from the quality of service preference by a specified degree. The control action is operable for producing and maintaining the quality of service preference.

Claims

1. A method for implementing bandwidth control services, comprising:

assigning a quality of service preference to a device;

associating a service session with the device; and

executing a control action for at least one other simultaneously occurring service session when a quality of service level of the service session differs from the quality of service preference by a specified degree, the control action operable for producing and maintaining the quality of service preference.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting at least one resource to facilitate the control action, the selecting performed by;

evaluating a current state of the service session and the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session; and

factoring in to the evaluating at least one of;

user preferences associated with at least one of the device and the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session;

sensitivities associated with at least one of the device and the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session; and

capabilities associated with the at least one of the device and the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session;

wherein the executing a control action is performed in response to the selecting.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one resource includes:

network elements providing the service session and the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session;

the device;

at least one of the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session;

an application executing on at least one of the device and the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session;

a peripheral component in communication with at least one of the device and the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session; and

an entity providing the service session and the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the control action includes at least one of:

a policy-based action including at least one rule that when executed, limits a transfer of traffic to and from the device; and

an operating mode-based action including at least one rule that when executed, modifies a mode of operation of the device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the policy-based action specifies prioritization of bandwidth allocation to the device and the operating mode-based priority specifies a change in a ratio of data compression functions performed at the device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the service session is a communications session utilizing bandwidth including at least one of:

video content;

audio content;

generic or unspecified data;

gaming interactions;

encrypted data;

interactive media content; and

multi-media content.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a quality of service preference to a user of the device via at least one of;

an identifier of the user;

a relationship between the user and an entity;

an identifier of the device;

a relationship between the device and another entity; and

location of the device; and

associating the service session with the user of the device.

8. A system for implementing bandwidth control services, comprising:

a processor;

a bandwidth control application executing on the processor, performing;

assigning a quality of service preference to a device;

associating a service session with the device; and

executing a control action for at least one other simultaneously occurring service session when a quality of service level of the service session differs from the quality of service preference by a specified degree, the control action operable for producing and maintaining the quality of service preference.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the bandwidth control application further performs:

selecting at least one resource to facilitate the control action, the selecting performed by;

evaluating a current state of the service session and the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session; and

factoring in to the evaluating at least one of;

user preferences associated with at least one of the device and the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session;

sensitivities associated with at least one of the device and the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session; and

capabilities associated with the at least one of the device and the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session;

wherein the executing a control action is performed in response to the selecting.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one resource includes:

network elements providing the service session and the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session;

the device;

at least one of the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session;

an application executing on at least one of the device and the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session;

a peripheral component in communication with at least one of the device and the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session; and

an entity providing the service session and the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the control action includes at least one of:

a policy-based action including at least one rule that when executed, limits a transfer of traffic to and from the device; and

an operating mode-based action including at least one rule that when executed, modifies a mode of operation of the device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the policy-based action specifies prioritization of bandwidth allocation to the device and the operating mode-based priority specifies a change in a ratio of data compression functions performed at the device.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the service session is a communications session utilizing bandwidth including at least one of:

video content;

audio content;

generic or unspecified data;

gaming interactions;

encrypted data;

interactive media content; and

multi-media content.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the bandwidth control application further performs:

assigning a quality of service preference to a user of the device via at least one of;

an identifier of the user;

a relationship between the user and an entity;

an identifier of the device;

a relationship between the device and another entity; and

location of the device; and

associating the service session with the user of the device.

15. A computer program product for implementing bandwidth control services, the computer program product including instructions for implementing a method comprising the steps of:

assigning a quality of service preference to a device;

associating a service session with the device; and

executing a control action for at least one other simultaneously occurring service session when a quality of service level of the service session differs from the quality of service preference by a specified degree, the control action operable for producing and maintaining the quality of service preference.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising instructions for implementing:

selecting at least one resource to facilitate the control action, the selecting performed by;

evaluating a current state of the service session and the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session; and

factoring in to the evaluating at least one of;

user preferences associated with at least one of the device and the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session;

sensitivities associated with at least one of the device and the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session; and

capabilities associated with the at least one of the device and the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session;

wherein the executing a control action is performed in response to the selecting.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the at least one resource includes:

network elements providing the service session and the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session;

the device;

at least one of the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session;

an application executing on at least one of the device and the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session;

a peripheral component in communication with at least one of the device and the devices engaged in the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session; and

an entity providing the service session and the at least one other simultaneously occurring service session.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the control action includes at least one of:

a policy-based action including at least one rule that when executed, limits a transfer of traffic to and from the device; and

an operating mode-based action including at least one rule that when executed, modifies a mode of operation of the device.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the policy-based action specifies prioritization of bandwidth allocation to the device and the operating mode-based priority specifies a change in a ratio of data compression functions performed at the device.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the service session is a communications session utilizing bandwidth including at least one of:

video content;

audio content;

generic or unspecified data;

gaming interactions;

encrypted data;

interactive media content; and

multi-media content.

21. A method for implementing bandwidth control services, comprising:

measuring characteristics of a service session associated with a device, the device assigned a preference; and

executing a control action upon the occurrence of an event detected in response to the measuring, the event determined to impact a quality of service level specified in the preference.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the control action includes modifying a distribution of traffic targeted for a destination.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the characteristics include at least one of:

voltage;

power level;

data rate;

data delay;

latency; and

data loss.