METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR BANDWIDTH RECOVERY IN A NETWORK

• US 20130097647A1
• Filed: 10/01/2012
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Inc. (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Brooks, Paul D., Gonder, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 9,161,065 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/96
• 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 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for recovery and/or utilization of bandwidth within a network. In one embodiment, the network comprises a switched architecture (e.g., broadcast switched) content-delivery network such as a cable television network. Reclamation, overflow, and/or triage logical processes are selectively applied in order to more efficiently manage bandwidth utilization within the network while maintaining user experience, and optionally achieve one or more business and/or operational goals.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A method of managing bandwidth usage of a plurality of program streams in a content delivery network, said method comprising:

receiving, via said network, one or more requests for a particular program stream;

based at least in part on said one or more requests, determining, at a stream management entity of said network, that one or more bandwidth deficiencies would result from servicing said one or more requests; and

relocating one or more of said plurality of program streams;

wherein said relocating corrects at least one deficiency associated with servicing said one or more requests substantially instantaneously while (i) servicing said one or more requests, and (ii) maintaining said current program stream load.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said determination that one or more bandwidth deficiencies would result comprises determining that an amount of available contiguous frequency domain bandwidth is below a predetermined threshold.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said relocating comprises a bandwidth reclamation process.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said bandwidth reclamation process comprises identifying and consolidating fragmented bandwidth.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said network comprises a broadcast switched architecture based network.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said one or more relocated program streams are selected for relocation based on a priority scheme.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said priority scheme depends on a service level of a plurality of tuners associated with respective ones of said plurality of program streams.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said one or more requests are associated with at least one tuner associated to a premium service level.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein said particular program stream comprises a high-definition video (HDV) stream.

19. A network server apparatus configured to manage bandwidth usage of a plurality of program streams in a content delivery network, said network server apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a storage device operatively coupled to said processor; and

at least one computer process disposed on said storage device, said at least one computer process comprising a plurality of instructions configured to, when executed;

maintain active connections for a plurality of first program streams;

receive a request for delivery of one or more second program streams from a client device;

determine a priority level for each of at least said plurality of first program streams;

based at least in part on said determination, relocate at least one of said plurality of first program streams; and

cause said delivery of said one or more second program streams to said client device via one or more resources freed by said relocation.

20. The network server apparatus of claim 19, wherein said determination is performed substantially in response to said request.

21. The network server apparatus of claim 19, wherein said network comprises a broadcast switched content delivery network having a plurality of switches disposed at respective ones of switching hubs, said network server apparatus being adapted to control at least a portion of an operation of at least one of said switches.

22. The network server apparatus of claim 19, said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed, utilize at least one scheme for determining a hierarchy based on said priority levels for relocation of said plurality of first program streams.

23. The network server apparatus of claim 22, wherein said at least one scheme is based at least in part on a last user action associated with each of said plurality of first program streams.

24. The network server apparatus of claim 22, wherein said at least one scheme is based at least in part a service level of one or more tuners associated with respective ones of said plurality of first program streams.

25. The network server apparatus of claim 19, wherein said network server apparatus is in operative communication with a global session resource manager (GSRM) of said network so as to receive global bandwidth allocation assignments.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable apparatus configured to store at least one computer program thereon, said at least one computer program configured to manage bandwidth usage of a plurality of program streams in a content delivery network, said at least one computer program comprising a plurality of instructions configured to, when executed:

process a request for content from a client device;

determine whether a grant associated with said request would result in at least one bandwidth deficiency;

determine a priority level for each of a plurality of active program streams;

identify at least one lowest priority active program stream; and

cause relocation of said at least one lowest priority program stream, said relocation configured to allow said request to be granted.

27. The computer-readable apparatus of claim 26, wherein said determination of a priority level comprises querying a user associated with each of said plurality of active program stream in order to determine actual viewing thereof, said identification of said at least one lowest priority active program steam being based at least in part on a response to said query.

28. The computer-readable apparatus of claim 26, wherein said determination of a priority level comprises a determination of a service level for one or more of said plurality of active program streams.

29. The computer-readable apparatus of claim 28, wherein at least one of said plurality of active program stream is associated with a premium service level