DYNAMIC ADJUSTMENT OF BANDWIDTH FOR PROVIDING INCREASED BANDWIDTH DURING BUSINESS HOURS

• US 20110317717A1
• Filed: 06/28/2010
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Scarborough, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 8,565,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

Providing increased bandwidth to business subscribers during business hours. A determination is made whether a subscriber is eligible for application of a business boost. Business boost to the subscriber is activated when the subscriber is eligible for business boost. An increased bandwidth is provided to the activated subscriber during business hours to provide the business boost to the subscriber.

Claims

1. A method for providing increased bandwidth to business subscribers during business hours, comprising:

determining whether a subscriber is eligible for application of a business boost;

activating business boost to the subscriber when the subscriber is eligible for business boost; and

provisioning an increased bandwidth to the activated subscriber during business hours to provide the business boost to the subscriber.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating business boost comprises setting a start time and a stop time for provisioning the increased bandwidth to the activated subscriber.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the setting a start time and a stop time further comprises setting a start time for the subscriber to receive the increased bandwidth at 7:

00 a.m. and setting a stop time for the subscriber to revert back to contracted bandwidth at 7;

00 p.m.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating business boost to the subscriber when the subscriber is eligible for business boost further comprises:

loading MAC addresses of eligible subscribers into a bandwidth-on-demand server prior to a start time;

scheduling the increased bandwidth to the eligible subscriber having the loaded MAC address continuously during business hours;

deloading the MAC addresses of the eligible subscriber from the bandwidth-on-demand server at a stop time; and

re-scheduling the eligible subscriber having the MAC address deloaded back to contracted speeds.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the provisioning an increased bandwidth to the activated subscriber during business hours comprises provisioning a subscriber with a first downstream/upstream profile having a first bandwidth with a business boost to provide a second downstream/upstream profile having a second bandwidth during business hours, wherein the second bandwidth is greater than the first bandwidth.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the provisioning the increased bandwidth further comprises applying the increased bandwidth to all business boost subscribers across all time zones.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the provisioning the increased bandwidth further comprises provisioning the increased bandwidth without any customer notification.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprises adding new business boost customers by assigning the new customers to a tier eligible for the increased in bandwidth during business hours.

9. A system for providing increased bandwidth to business subscribers during business hours, comprising:

memory for storing data; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether a subscriber is eligible for application of a business boost, to activate business boost to the subscriber when the subscriber is eligible for business boost and to provision an increased bandwidth to the activated subscriber during business hours to provide the business boost to the subscriber.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor activates business boost by setting a start time and a stop time for provisioning the increased bandwidth to the activated subscriber.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor sets a start time and a stop time by setting a start time for the subscriber to receive the increased bandwidth at 7:

00 a.m. and by setting a stop time for the subscriber to revert back to contracted bandwidth at 7;

00 p.m.

12. A system for providing increased bandwidth to business subscribers during business hours, comprising:

a cable modem for providing a first bandwidth for communication of data across a network according to a first configuration file stored therein; and

a service provider, coupled to the cable modem, for providing the network and for controlling access to data across the network, the service provider further including a policy server for applying business rules for determining subscribers eligible for business boost and a bandwidth-on-demand server that controls bandwidth increases for eligible subscribers by providing the cable modem with a second configuration file to provide a second, increased bandwidth for providing business boost to the cable modem.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprises a cable modem termination system device, coupled to the policy server, for performing admission control and network resource management.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the policy server is further configured to manage relationships between application managers and the cable modem termination system device.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the policy server is further configured to act as a policy decision point and as a policy enforcement point.

16. A computer readable medium including executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, provides an increased bandwidth to business subscribers by:

determining whether a subscriber is eligible for application of a business boost;

activating business boost to the subscriber when the subscriber is eligible for business boost; and

provisioning an increased bandwidth to the activated subscriber during business hours to provide the business boost to the subscriber.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the activating business boost comprises setting a start time and a stop time for provisioning the increased bandwidth to the activated subscriber.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the setting a start time and a stop time further comprises setting a start time for the subscriber to receive the increased bandwidth at 7:

00 a.m. and setting a stop time for the subscriber to revert back to contracted bandwidth at 7;

00 p.m.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the activating business boost to the subscriber when the subscriber is eligible for business boost further comprises:

loading MAC addresses of eligible subscribers into a bandwidth-on-demand server prior to a start time;

scheduling the increased bandwidth to the eligible subscriber having the loaded MAC address continuously during business hours;

deloading the MAC addresses of the eligible subscriber from the bandwidth-on-demand server at a stop time; and

re-scheduling the eligible subscriber having the MAC address deloaded back to contracted speeds.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the provisioning an increased bandwidth to the activated subscriber during business hours comprises provisioning a subscriber with a first downstream/upstream profile having a first bandwidth with a business boost to provide a second downstream/upstream profile having a second bandwidth during business hours, wherein the second bandwidth is greater than the first bandwidth.