Methods and apparatus for predictive capacity allocation
First Claim
1. A method of operating a cable television network, comprising:
- obtaining first data relating to the operation of said network over a period of time;
identifying at least one correlation between said first data and a future context; and
projecting at least one parameter for said future context based at least in part on said first data.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for dynamically adjusting capacity allocation; e.g., to a group of services in a multimedia distribution network. In one embodiment, bandwidth allocation is adjusted by predicting bandwidth utilization of the group of services based on historical bandwidth utilization information. Behavioral templates and statistical models may also be employed for the predictions. The invention provides more efficient use of available bandwidth compared to conventional bandwidth allocation schemes where the overall bandwidth for a group of services is set to a constant value that is not changed frequently. The present invention further provides a bandwidth allocation method in a switched distribution network. The bandwidth allocation method allocates bandwidth such that the bandwidth required by the number of services does not exceed the allocation, i.e., the total usage falls within the allocation.
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Citations
56 Claims
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1. A method of operating a cable television network, comprising:
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obtaining first data relating to the operation of said network over a period of time; identifying at least one correlation between said first data and a future context; and projecting at least one parameter for said future context based at least in part on said first data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. Apparatus for allocating bandwidth in a content-based network having at least one server, the apparatus comprising:
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a computerized device; and at least one management process capable of being run on said computerized device, said process being operative to; collect data relating to historical bandwidth demand; project, based at least in part on said collected data, bandwidth demand at some period in the future; and allocate bandwidth within said network based at least in part on said projection. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of operating a cable television network, comprising:
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providing a template describing at least one aspect of the operation of said network over a period of time; correlating said template and a future context; and projecting at least one parameter for said future context based at least in part on said template. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method of operating a cable network, comprising:
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generating a projection of the capacity requirements for a plurality of services requested for delivery over said network, said projection being based at least in part on a model; allocating capacity within the network based at least in part on the projection; evaluating said projection based at least in part on operational data; and determining whether adjustment of said model is required. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A method of allocating bandwidth to a group of programs in a network, comprising:
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gathering data from a program source, said data relating to bandwidth requirements over a time interval for at least one program in said group of programs ingested in said network by said source, storing said data into a database; subsequently analyzing at least said data to identify one or more features of significance therein; using at least one of said features to determine a value of at least one operational parameter used in operating said network; and basing an allocation of bandwidth to said group of programs in said network at least in part on said value. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44)
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45. Apparatus for allocating bandwidth in a content distribution network having at least one server and a plurality of consumer premises equipment (CPE), comprising:
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a first network side process running on said at least one server, said first network side process configured to monitor bandwidth required to distribute content to a subset of said CPE; a second network side process running on said at least one server, said second network side process configured to predict bandwidth required to distribute said content to said subset of said CPE at a future time; a third network side process running on said at least one server, said third network side process configured to allocate bandwidth to distribute content to said subset of said CPE at said future time; wherein said second network side process comprises at least one computer program adapted to analyze past bandwidth utilization by said subset of said CPE, and base said prediction at least partly thereon. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48)
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49. A method of operating a cable network, comprising:
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receiving a plurality of requests for content for delivery, said requests comprising at least two different types of delivery; determining the type of delivery requested for at least a portion of said requests; and scheduling delivery of content for at least a portion of said requests of a first type in the future. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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- 55. A method of doing business within a content-based network, said network being adapted to selectively provide program streams, and having a server and a plurality of subscribers, said subscribers each having a client device coupled to said network, the method comprising offering at least a portion of said subscribers an incentive to utilize opportunistic capacity present in said network, said opportunistic capacity being related to a difference between a predicted demand for a resource and an actual demand for said resource at a given point or period of time.
Specification