OPTIMIZING SERVICES IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS FOR BUNDLED SERVICES IN A FIXED BROADBAND WIRELESS INSTALLATION

• US 20120034912A1
• Filed: 08/05/2010
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kamdar, Kamlesh S., Kamel, Raafat Edward, Aguirre, Sergio, Kotecha, Lalit Ratilal
• Granted Patent: US 8,886,780 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/425
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A device monitors temperature readings from a sensor associated with an outdoor broadband unit. When the temperature readings increase above a stored threshold value, the device sends, to a device at a core network, an alert signal that invokes, at the core network, an emergency profile associated with the outdoor broadband unit. When the temperature readings decrease below the stored threshold value, the device sends, to the device at the core network, a normal signal that invokes, at the core network, a default profile associated with the outdoor broadband unit.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a network device, the method comprising:

identifying, by the network device, a high-temperature reading from a sensor associated with an outdoor broadband unit;

restricting, by the network device, non-critical local functions for the outdoor broadband unit;

sending, by the network device and via the outdoor broadband unit, an alert signal indicating a high-temperature at the outdoor broadband unit, where the alert signal invokes, at a core network, an emergency profile associated with the outdoor broadband unit; and

receiving, by the network device and via the outdoor broadband unit, broadband signals from the core network based on the emergency profile.

2. The method of claim 1, where the non-critical functions include processing of any broadband traffic that is not classified as conversational voice or conversational video.

3. The method of claim 1, where the outdoor broadband unit includes a Long Term Evolution (LTE) modem.

4. The method of claim 1, where the outdoor broadband unit includes:

a long term evolution (LTE) module to;

receive the broadband signal from the base station, and

forward the broadband signal to the network device via a wired connection.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

combining the broadband signals with satellite television signals in a single Multimedia Over Coax Alliance (MoCA)-compliant channel outside a customer premises.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the network device, a normal-temperature reading from the sensor associated with the outdoor broadband unit;

restoring, by the network device, the non-critical local functions for the outdoor broadband unit; and

sending, by the network device and via the outdoor broadband unit, a normal signal indicating a normal temperature at the outdoor broadband unit, where the normal signal invokes, at the core network, a default profile associated with the outdoor broadband unit.

7. The method of claim 1, where identifying the high-temperature reading from a sensor associated with an outdoor broadband unit includes one or more of:

comparing an individual temperature signal, received from the sensor, to stored threshold,

identifying a particular consecutive sequence of individual temperature signals, received from the sensor, as being above the stored threshold, and

comparing an average of a particular number of temperature signals, received from the sensor, to the stored threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, where the broadband signal is one of:

a Long Term Evolution (LTE) signal,

a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) signal,

a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) signal,

a Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) signal,

a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) signal,

a Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000) signal,

a High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) signal, or

a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) signal.

9. The method of claim 1, where the emergency profile causes the core network to block delivery of broadband traffic that is not classified as conversational voice or conversational video.

10. A device, comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and

a processor to execute instructions in the memory to;

monitor temperature readings from a sensor associated with an outdoor broadband unit;

send, to a device at a core network and when the temperature readings increase above a stored threshold value, an alert signal, where the alert signal invokes, at the core network, an emergency profile associated with the outdoor broadband unit; and

send, to the device at the core network and when the temperature readings decrease below the stored threshold value, a normal signal, where the normal signal invokes, at the core network, a default profile associated with the outdoor broadband unit.

11. The device of claim 10, where the processor is further to:

restrict, when the temperature readings increase above the stored threshold value, non-critical local functions for the outdoor broadband unit; and

restore, when the temperature readings decrease below the stored threshold value, the non-critical local functions for the outdoor broadband unit.

12. The device of claim 11, where the non-critical local functions include sending broadband traffic that is not classified as conversational voice or conversational video.

13. The device of claim 10, where the device is a broadband home router included within the outdoor broadband unit.

14. The device of claim 13, where the outdoor broadband unit includes a mounting bracket mounted to an extension arm, and where the mounting bracket and the extension arm each include a material with a thermal conductivity rating of at least one-hundred and twenty Watts/meter*degrees Kelvin.

15. The device of claim 10, where the processor is further to:

receive broadband signals from a Long Term Evolution (LTE) module within the outdoor broadband unit and combine the broadband signals with satellite television signals in a single Multimedia Over Coax Alliance (MoCA)-compliant channel outside a customer premises.

16. A method performed by a network device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the network device, an emergency profile associated with a fixed outdoor broadband unit;

receiving, by the network device and from the fixed outdoor broadband unit, an alert signal indicating a high-temperature at the fixed outdoor broadband unit; and

implementing, by the network device, the emergency profile, where emergency profile restricts downlink traffic, to the fixed outdoor broadband unit, to broadband traffic that is classified as conversational voice or conversational video.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, by the network device, a default profile associated with the fixed outdoor broadband unit;

receiving, by the network device and from the fixed outdoor broadband unit, a normal signal indicating return to normal temperature at the fixed outdoor broadband unit; and

implementing, by the network device, the default profile, where default profile permits normal downlink traffic to the fixed outdoor broadband unit.

18. The method of claim 16, where the network device is a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) device of an evolved packet core (EPC) network.

19. An outdoor broadband unit, comprising:

means for identifying a high-temperature reading from a sensor associated with the outdoor broadband unit;

means for restricting non-critical local functions for the outdoor broadband unit;

means for sending an alert signal indicating a high-temperature at the outdoor broadband unit, where the alert signal invokes, at a core network, an emergency profile associated with the outdoor broadband unit; and

means for receiving broadband signals from the core network based on the emergency profile.

20. The system of claim 19,

means for identifying a normal temperature reading from the sensor associated with the outdoor broadband unit;

means for restoring the non-critical local functions for the outdoor broadband unit; and

means for sending a normal signal indicating a normal temperature at the outdoor broadband unit, where the normal signal invokes, at the core network, a default profile associated with the outdoor broadband unit.