Data packets scrambling module and method

• US 20060268696A1
• Filed: 09/22/2005
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Ormsby, Kenneth, Konstantinov, Alain
• Application Number:
  US11/231,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20060268696A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2475 for supporting traffic characterised by the type of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A method and scrambling module for degrading delay-sensitive traffic quality in a telecommunications network, wherein data packets that meet a pre-defined rule are detected and delayed by inducing a delay. The scrambling module comprises an access list comprising the pre-defined rule(s) for detecting certain data packets, a packet detector configured to detect the data packets that meet the pre-defined rule, and a delay inducer module acting to induce a delay to the data packets. The delay is variable for consecutive data packets and may follow a seesaw-like function, a random function, or any other type of function for consecutive data packets. The data packets are detected based on the rule, which may contain indications for intercepting the data packets based on their origination from a certain application port number, destination to a certain application port number, origination from an address identified in the pre-defined rule, or destination to a certain address.

Claims

1. A method for degrading delay-sensitive data traffic quality in a telecommunications network, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting data packets of the data traffic, wherein the data packets meet a certain pre-defined rule; and

delaying the data packets that met the pre-defined rule by inducing a delay to the data packets.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the delay induced is a delay that is variable for consecutive data packets.

3. The method claimed in claim 2, wherein the delay induced follows a seesaw-like function for consecutive data packets.

4. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the delay induced is a random delay for consecutive data packets.

5. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of detecting comprises detecting that the data packets originate from a certain application port number identified in the pre-defined rule.

6. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of detecting comprises detecting that the data packets are destined to a certain application port number identified in the pre-defined rule.

7. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of detecting comprises detecting that the data packets originate from an originating address identified in the pre-defined rule.

8. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of detecting comprises detecting that the data packets are destined to a destination address identified in the pre-defined rule.

9. A scrambling module for degrading delay-sensitive data traffic quality in a telecommunications network, the scrambling module comprising:

an access list module comprising at least one pre-defined rule for detecting certain data packets;

a packet detector configured to detect data packets of the data traffic that meet the pre-defined rule; and

a delay inducer module that acts to induce a delay to the data packets that met the pre-defined rule.

10. The scrambling module claimed in claim 9, wherein the delay induced by the delay inducer is a delay that is variable for consecutive data packets.

11. The scrambling module claimed in claim 10, wherein the delay induced by the delay inducer follows a seesaw-like function for consecutive data packets.

12. The scrambling module claimed in claim 9, wherein the delay induced by the delay inducer is a random delay for consecutive data packets.

13. The scrambling module claimed in claim 9, wherein the packet detector detects that the data packets originate from a certain application port number identified in the pre-defined rule.

14. The scrambling module claimed in claim 9, wherein the packet detector detects that the data packets are destined to a certain application port number identified in the pre-defined rule.

15. The scrambling module claimed in claim 9, wherein the packet detector detects that the data packets originate from an originating address identified in the pre-defined rule.

16. The scrambling module claimed in claim 9, wherein the packet detector detects that the data packets are destined to a destination address identified in the pre-defined rule.