Management of Shared Access Network

• US 20110258324A1
• Filed: 06/28/2011
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2009
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Woundy, Richard, Bastian, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 10,263,860 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Information from multiple sources can be communicated to a policy server. Based on that information, the policy server can determine allocation of bandwidth, transmission priority and/or other network resources based on preferences and/or service selections provided by a subscriber and communicate information about those determinations to other network elements for policy implementation. The information provided to a policy server for determining network resource allocation can include information about one or more applications executing at a customer equipment device, information about access network bandwidth usage, information about services for which one or more devices is authorized, and/or information about network conditions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving activity data for an account of a user, the user account corresponding to at least one access device in a network, the user account further corresponding to at least one data processing device communicating through the access device, the activity data indicating at least data related to first and second application programs executing on the at least one data processing device;

receiving provisioning information for the user account, the provisioning information including prioritization information related to the first and second application programs; and

determining, based at least in part on the activity data and the received provisioning information, that data communications in the network for the first application program should have higher priority than data communications in the network for the second application program.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising inputting preferences for the user account via a web portal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one data processing device includes first and second data processing devices, wherein the first application program is executing on the first data processing device, and wherein the second application program is executing on the second data processing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

the at least one access device comprises a cable modem,

the network comprises a cable modem termination system and a plurality of additional cable modems respectively corresponding to additional user accounts, and

the at least one data processing device is a computer configured to communicate via the network.

5. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing machine-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

receiving activity data for an account of a user, the user account corresponding to at least one access device in a network, the user account further corresponding to at least one data processing device communicating through the access device, the activity data indicating at least data related to first and second application programs executing on the at least one data processing device;

receiving provisioning information for the user account, the provisioning information including prioritization information related to the first and second application programs; and

determining, based at least in part on the activity data and the received provisioning information, that data communications in the network for the first application program should have higher priority than data communications in the network for the second application program.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the at least one data processing device includes first and second data processing devices, wherein the first application program is executing on the first data processing device, and wherein the second application program is executing on the second data processing device.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein

the at least one access device comprises a cable modem,

the network comprises a cable modem termination system and a plurality of additional cable modems respectively corresponding to additional user accounts, and

the at least one data processing device is a computer configured to communicate via the network.

8. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory, wherein at least one of the at least one memory and the at least one processor stores instructions executable by the at least one processor to perform operations that include

receiving activity data for an account of a user, the user account corresponding to at least one access device in a network, the user account further corresponding to at least one data processing device communicating through the access device, the activity data indicating at least data related to first and second application programs executing on the at least one data processing device,

receiving provisioning information for the user account, the provisioning information including prioritization information related to the first and second application programs, and

determining, based at least in part on the activity data and the received provisioning information, that data communications in the network for the first application program should have higher priority than data communications in the network for the second application program.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one of the at least one memory and the at least one processor stores instructions executable by the at least one processor to perform operations that include

receiving additional activity data for an account of an additional user, the additional user account corresponding to an additional access device in the network, the additional user account further corresponding to an additional data processing device, the additional activity data indicating at least data related to execution on the additional data processing device of an additional application program communicating through the additional access device,

receiving additional provisioning information for the additional user account, the additional provisioning information indicating at least one of multiple network usage policies applicable to the additional user account, wherein at least two of the applicable usage policies conflict if implemented simultaneously,

determining, based at least in part on the additional activity data and the received additional provisioning information, that the indicated at least one network usage policy can be implemented without causing a conflict, and

communicating information regarding allocation of network resources so as to implement the indicated at least one network usage policy.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein

at least one of the at least one memory and the at least one processor stores instructions executable by the at least one processor to perform operations that include receiving bandwidth information indicative of an amount of network channel information-carrying capacity consumed by the additional access device, and

determining that the indicated at least one network usage policy can be implemented includes determining, based at least in part on the additional activity data, the received additional provisioning information and the bandwidth information, that the indicated at least one network usage policy can be implemented without causing a conflict.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein

at least one of the at least one memory and the at least one processor stores instructions executable by the at least one processor to perform operations that include receiving application performance information indicative of network performance levels applicable to the additional application program, and

determining that the indicated at least one network usage policy can be implemented includes determining, based at least in part on the additional activity data, the received additional provisioning information and the application performance information, that the indicated at least one network usage policy can be implemented without causing a conflict.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein communicating information regarding allocation includes communicating information indicative that data communications in the network relating to the additional application program should have higher priority than data communications for one or more other application programs executing on the additional data processing device.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein communicating information regarding allocation includes communicating information indicative that data communications in the network relating to the additional application program should be assigned a guaranteed bandwidth.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein receiving additional activity data includes

receiving at least one data packet transmitted by the additional access device,

inspecting headers of the at least one data packet,

comparing information in the inspected headers to one or more application signature files, and

identifying the additional application based on a result of the comparing step.

15. The apparatus if claim 8, wherein at least one of the at least one memory and the at least one processor stores instructions executable by the at least one processor to perform operations that include

receiving additional activity data for an account of an additional user, the additional user account corresponding to an additional access device in the network, the additional user account further corresponding to at least one additional data processing device communicating through the additional access device, the additional activity data indicating at least data related to execution of third and fourth application programs on the at least one additional data processing device,

receiving additional provisioning information for the additional user account,

receiving application performance information indicative of network performance levels applicable to the third application program, and

determining, based at least in part on the additional activity data, the received additional provisioning information and the application performance information, that data communications in the network for the third application program should have higher priority than data communications in the network for the fourth application program.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein

the access device comprises a cable modem,

the network comprises a cable modem termination system and a plurality of additional cable modems respectively corresponding to additional user accounts, and

the at least one data processing device is a computer configured to communicate via the network.

17. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is part of a system that includes the access device, the network and the at least one data processing device.