SOCIAL NETWORK DEVICE COMMUNICATION RESOURCE ALLOCATION

• US 20130091212A1
• Filed: 04/05/2012
• Published: 04/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rajakarunanayake, Yasantha N.
• Application Number:
  US13/440,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20130091212A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method for providing data communications in a social network circle having an associated membership that includes nodes or social devices with allocable communication resources. The method includes determining various communication pathways capable of supporting data communications with a node of a social network circle, at least one of the communication pathways utilizing a communication resource of another node or nodes of the social network circle. Selection of communication pathways may be based on an evaluation of cost metrics associated with particular data communications. Such cost metrics may include, for example, content consumption costs, user service subscription levels, communication channel state information, proximity of communication resources, number of hops in a communication pathway, quality of service requirements, power consumption data and the like. In various embodiments, parallel and bonded communication pathways may be utilized for shared or proxied delivery of data such as media content.

Claims

1. A method for providing data communications in a social network circle, the social network circle having an associated membership including at least one node with an allocable communication resource, the method comprising:

determining a first communication pathway capable of supporting data communications with a first node of the social network circle; and

determining at least a second communication pathway capable of supporting data communications with the first node of the social network circle, the second communication pathway utilizing a communication resource of at least a second node of the social network circle, the communication resource not correspondingly utilized in the first communication pathway.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

evaluating cost metrics associated with the first communication pathway and the second communication pathway; and

based on the evaluation, allocating at least one of the first and second communication pathways for providing data communications with the first node.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying a request for data communications, the request initiated by the first node of the social network circle and communicated via the first communication pathway, and

the cost metrics comprising at least one cost metric associated with the request for data communications.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing responsive data communications to the first node via an allocated communication pathway.

5. The step of claim 2, the cost metrics comprising data consumption costs, wherein evaluating the cost metrics comprises:

determining which of the first and second communication pathways enables data communications having the least amount of associated data consumption costs.

6. The method of claim 2, the cost metrics including at least one metric selected from the group consisting of:

proximity of communication resources, number of hops in a communication pathway, quality of service requirements, and power consumption data.

7. The method of claim 1, the social network circle membership including a third node, the third node performing the steps of the method.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second node is operable to provide proxy functions on behalf of the first node.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node is a member user device.

10. A method for use in a communication gateway that supports a plurality of nodes of a social network circle, comprising:

receiving communication resource information associated with nodes of the social network circle;

based upon the communication resource information, identifying a plurality of communication pathways capable of supporting a specific data communication between nodes; and

selecting at least one communication pathway for the data communication.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting at least one communication pathway comprises selecting parallel communication pathways for shared delivery of the data communication.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting at least one communication pathway is based, at least in part, on a relative comparison of cost metrics associated with the plurality of communication pathways.

13. The method of claim 12, the cost metrics comprising data consumption costs, wherein selecting at least one communication pathway for the data communication comprises:

determining which of the plurality of communication pathways enables data communications having the least amount of associated data consumption costs.

14. The method of claim 12, the cost metrics including at least one metric selected from the group consisting of:

number of hops in a communication pathway, quality of service requirements, and power consumption data.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

performing address proxy functions in support of the data communication.

16. Device circuitry used to interact with a social network system, the social networking system supporting a plurality of social devices, the device circuitry comprising:

interface circuitry operable to couple with the plurality of social devices via the social network system; and

processing circuitry coupled with the interface circuitry to;

identify allocable communication resources of the plurality of social devices; and

determine a plurality of communication pathways capable of supporting communications with one of the plurality of social devices, the plurality of communication pathways utilizing differing combinations of the allocable communication resources.

17. The device circuitry of claim 16, the processing circuitry further operable to perform a relative comparison of cost metrics associated with a first determined communication pathway and a second determined communication pathway of the plurality of communication pathways.

18. The device circuitry of claim 17, the processing circuitry further operable to:

select at least one of the plurality of communication pathways based upon the relative comparison of cost metrics.

19. The device circuitry of claim 16, the processing circuitry further operable to maintain a routing table for the plurality of communication pathways.

20. The device circuitry of claim 16, the processing circuitry further operable to provide address proxy functions for the plurality of communication pathways.