POLICY MANAGEMENT ARBITRATION BY SERVICE GROUP

• US 20110126244A1
• Filed: 11/20/2009
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Inc. (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hasek, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 10,298,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2396 characterized by admission policies admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for network security using user profiles for access control H04L63/102; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613

Abstract

A request is received from one of a plurality of terminals in a service group of a video content network. The request is to establish a session with a head end of the network. The video content network provides at least first and second different categories of sessions to the service group. The request is evaluated against a policy. The policy specifies a maximum utilization threshold for sessions of the first category and a maximum utilization threshold for sessions of the second category. The request is granted if it is in conformance with the policy. The method may be carried out, for example, with a session resource manager apparatus.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving, from one of a plurality of terminals in a service group of a video content network, a request to establish a session with a head end of said network, wherein said video content network provides at least first and second different categories of sessions to said service group;

evaluating said request against a policy, said policy specifying a maximum utilization threshold for sessions of said first category and a maximum utilization threshold for sessions of said second category; and

granting said request if it is in conformance with said policy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in said evaluating step:

said maximum utilization threshold for said sessions of said first category is specified as a maximum allowable number of said sessions of said first category; and

said maximum utilization threshold for said sessions of said second category is specified as a maximum allowable number of said sessions of said second category.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, in said evaluating step:

said maximum utilization threshold for said sessions of said first category is specified as a maximum allowable bandwidth allocated to said sessions of said first category; and

said maximum utilization threshold for said sessions of said second category is specified as a maximum allowable bandwidth allocated to said sessions of said second category.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least first and second different categories of session provided by said video content network to said service group comprise at least a plurality of different types of services.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said plurality of different types of services comprise at least video on demand, switched digital video, gaming, and file download.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said at least first and second different categories of session provided by said video content network to said service group further comprise at least a plurality of different types of products within said different types of services.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

said plurality of different kinds of services comprise at least video on demand, switched digital video, gaming, and file download;

a first subset of said products, within said video on demand service, comprises movies on demand, high definition on demand, free on demand, and subscription on demand;

a second subset of said products, within said switched digital video service, comprises sports, standard definition switched digital video sports, standard definition switched digital video, music, and high definition switched digital video;

a third subset of said products, within said file download service, comprises high definition movie downloads, standard definition movie downloads, and subscription movie downloads; and

a fourth subset of said products, within said gaming service, there might premium gaming and standard gaming.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said granting of said request comprises allocating resources of said video content network to establish said requested session.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said policy is selected to favor a first category of session over a second category of session.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically pricing said at least two different categories of sessions, based upon a current traffic level; and

advising a human viewer associated with said session request, in real time, of said dynamic pricing.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps are carried out by a session and resource manager, further comprising setting said policy by updating a data file in communication with said session and resource manager.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising tearing down at least one currently-in-progress session, in order to enable granting said request.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising repetitively carrying out said receiving and evaluating steps, without said granting step, for a predetermined time, prior to implementing said policy, in order to determine correct functioning of said policy.

14. A session resource manager apparatus configured to communicate over a video content network with a plurality of terminals in a service group of the video content network, the video content network having a head end, said apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor, coupled to said memory, and operative to;

receive, from one of a plurality of terminals in the service group of the video content network, a request to establish a session with the head end of the network, wherein the video content network provides at least first and second different categories of sessions to the service group;

evaluate said request against a policy, said policy specifying a maximum utilization threshold for sessions of said first category and a maximum utilization threshold for sessions of said second category; and

grant said request if it is in conformance with said policy.

15. The session resource manager apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a policy store accessible to said at least one processor, wherein:

said maximum utilization threshold for said sessions of said first category is specified in said policy store as a maximum allowable number of said sessions of said first category; and

said maximum utilization threshold for said sessions of said second category is specified in said policy store as a maximum allowable number of said sessions of said second category.

16. The session resource manager apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a policy store accessible to said at least one processor, wherein:

said maximum utilization threshold for said sessions of said first category is specified in said policy store as a maximum allowable bandwidth allocated to said sessions of said first category; and

said maximum utilization threshold for said sessions of said second category is specified in said policy store as a maximum allowable bandwidth allocated to said sessions of said second category.

17. The session resource manager apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a policy store accessible to said at least one processor, wherein said at least first and second different categories of session are stored in said policy store and comprise at least a plurality of different types of services.

18. The session resource manager apparatus of claim 17, wherein said at least first and second different categories of session further comprise at least a plurality of different types of products within said different types of services.

19. The session resource manager apparatus of claim 14, wherein said at least one processor is operative to grant said request bys allocating resources of the video content network to establish said requested session.

20. The session resource manager apparatus of claim 14, wherein said policy is selected to favor a first category of session over a second category of session.

21. The session resource manager apparatus of claim 14, wherein said at least one processor is further operative to

dynamically price said at least two different categories of sessions, based upon a current traffic level;

and

facilitate advising a human viewer associated with said session request, in real time, of said dynamic pricing.

22. The session resource manager apparatus of claim 14, wherein said at least one processor is further operative to facilitate tearing down at least one currently-in-progress session, in order to enable granting said request.

23. A system comprising:

a video content network;

a head end coupled to said video content network;

a service group coupled to said video content network and having a plurality of terminals; and

a session resource manager apparatus coupled to said video content network, said session resource manager apparatus in turn comprising;

a memory; and

at least one processor, coupled to said memory, and operative to;

receive, from one of said plurality of terminals in said service group, over said video content network, a request to establish a session with said head end, wherein said video content network provides at least first and second different categories of sessions to said service group;

evaluate said request against a policy, said policy specifying a maximum utilization threshold for sessions of said first category and a maximum utilization threshold for sessions of said second category; and

grant said request if it is in conformance with said policy.

24. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving, from one of a plurality of terminals in a service group of a video content network, a request to establish a session with a head end of said network, wherein said video content network provides at least first and second different categories of sessions to said service group;

means for evaluating said request against a policy, said policy specifying a maximum utilization threshold for sessions of said first category and a maximum utilization threshold for sessions of said second category; and

means for granting said request if it is in conformance with said policy.

25. A computer program product comprising a tangible computer readable recordable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, said computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code configured to receive, from one of a plurality of terminals in a service group of a video content network, a request to establish a session with a head end of said network, wherein said video content network provides at least first and second different categories of sessions to said service group;

computer readable program code configured to evaluate said request against a policy, said policy specifying a maximum utilization threshold for sessions of said first category and a maximum utilization threshold for sessions of said second category; and

computer readable program code configured to grant said request if it is in conformance with said policy.