Devices, Methods, and Computer-Readable Media for Providing Quality of Service Optimization via Policy-Based Rearrangements

• US 20100100613A1
• Filed: 10/16/2008
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aaron, Jeffrey, Streijl, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,615,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements

Abstract

Devices, methods and computer-readable media for providing quality of service optimization via policy-based rearrangements. Customers are grouped for potential rearrangement. Multiple alternative options are generated for a particular group using policy rules. Policy rules for the particular group are used to evaluate each option using common metrics. Policy rules are used to select a best option for the particular group. The best option for the particular group is implemented.

Claims

1. A device for providing quality of service optimization via policy-based rearrangements, comprising:

memory for storing user profiles; and

a controller, coupled to the memory, for grouping customers for potential rearrangement, generating multiple alternative options for a particular group using policy rules, using policy rules for the particular group to evaluate each option using common metrics, using policy rules to select the best option for the particular group and implementing the best option for the particular group.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the memory stores policy rules and metric-related thresholds for each user profile.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the user profiles comprises user profiles obtained from a user policy system and/or other system that supports profile/profiling, from one or more sign-up processes and via web page or other interactive capability.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the user profiles include information about customers and the customer groups.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein groupings include users in a home, business location, users in a neighborhood, users in a collections of neighborhoods, users in a metro area, and users in a region.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the grouping of users comprises users that share service provider resources.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein policy rules include rearranged resources, parameter changes, connection changes and network routing changes.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein metrics include basic performance measures, QoS-specific measures, values of determined metrics, estimations, algorithms, modeling, and simulations.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein metric values are combined using a weighted summation to obtain an overall rating for each rearrangement option.

10. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computer system to perform operations for providing quality of service optimization via policy-based rearrangements, the operations including:

storing user profiles;

grouping customers for potential rearrangement;

generating multiple alternative options for a particular group using policy rules;

using policy rules for the particular group to evaluate each option using common metrics;

using policy rules to select a best option for the particular group; and

implementing the best option for the particular group.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the storing further comprises storing policy rules and metric-related thresholds for each user profile.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the storing user profiles comprises storing user profiles obtained from a user policy system and/or other system that supports profile/profiling, from one or more sign-up processes, via web page or other interactive capability, etc.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the storing user profiles further comprises storing information about customers and the customer groups.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the grouping customers for potential rearrangement comprises grouping users in a home, users in a business location, users in a neighborhood, users in a collections of neighborhoods, users in a metro area, and users in a region.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the grouping of users comprises grouping users that share service provider resources.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the using policy rules comprises using policy rules that include rearranged resources, parameter changes, connection changes and network routing changes.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the using metrics further includes providing basic performance measures, QoS-specific measures, values of determined metrics, estimations, algorithms, modeling, and simulations.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 10, the operations further including combining metric values using a weighted summation to obtain an overall rating for each rearrangement option.

19. A method for providing quality of service optimization via policy-based rearrangements, comprises:

storing user profiles;

grouping customers for potential rearrangement;

generating multiple alternative options for a particular group using policy rules;

using policy rules for the particular group to evaluate each option using common metrics;

using policy rules to select a best option for the particular group; and

implementing the best option for the particular group.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the storing further comprises storing policy rules, customer and customer group data, metric-related thresholds for each user profile and obtained user profiles.