DYNAMIC BANDWIDTH ALLOCATION FOR COOPERATIVE DELIVERY SYSTEMS

• US 20150172135A1
• Filed: 12/17/2013
• Published: 06/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Limelight Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Limelight Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Coppola, Peter, Scharber, John, Wolfe, Jason, DePalo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/109,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20150172135A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

Systems and methods for dynamically allocating network resources to improve experiences of users accessing content over the Internet are disclosed. An end-user system requests content over the Internet. A content delivery network and a terminal network form a cooperative delivery system. An edge server, which is part of the content delivery network, delivers the content to the end-user system and determines that an experience of an end user accessing the content over the Internet is likely being limited by latency and/or bandwidth in the cooperative delivery system. The end user is provided an option to select an upgraded service. After the end user selects the upgraded service, the end-user system is provided a higher bandwidth and/or lower latency connection while the content is being delivered.

Claims

1. A system for dynamically allocating network resources to improve experiences of users accessing content over the Internet, the system comprising:

a switch fabric configured to receive a request for content made available over the Internet, and route the request to an edge server, wherein the request is from an end-user system;

the edge server configured to;

deliver the content over the Internet, in conjunction with a terminal network, wherein;

the edge server is part of a point of presence (POP) in a content delivery network;

the content delivery network comprise a plurality POPs, distributed geographically;

the content delivery network provides the content on behalf of a content provider;

the terminal network provides Internet service to the end-user system;

the content delivery network is managed by a first entity;

the terminal network is managed by a second entity;

the first entity and the second entity are different; and

the content delivery network and the terminal network are part of a cooperative delivery system;

determine an experience of an end user accessing the content over the Internet using the end-user system is likely limited by bandwidth in the cooperative delivery system;

determine, after receiving the request for the content, that the cooperative delivery system is capable of providing the end-user system a higher bandwidth for delivering the content to the end-user system;

provide an option to the end-user system to upgrade to the higher bandwidth;

receive a selection from the end-user system to upgrade to the higher bandwidth;

initiate upgrading the end-user system to the higher bandwidth after receiving the selection from the end-user system to upgrade.

2. The system for dynamically allocating network resources to improve the experience of the end user accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 1, wherein providing the option to the end-user system to upgrade to the higher bandwidth is through a pop-up window on the end-user system.

3. The system for dynamically allocating network resources to improve the experience of the end user accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 1, wherein providing the higher bandwidth is accomplished by the content delivery network allocating different resources to deliver the content to the end-user system.

4. The system for dynamically allocating network resources to improve the experience of the end user accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 1, wherein providing the higher bandwidth is accomplished by the content delivery network using a dedicated connection with an origin when delivering the content to the end-user system.

5. The system for dynamically allocating network resources to improve the experience of the end user accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 1, wherein providing the higher bandwidth is accomplished by the content delivery network requesting the terminal network to allocate the end-user system more bandwidth.

6. The system for dynamically allocating network resources to improve the experience of the end user accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 1, wherein providing the higher bandwidth is accomplished by the content delivery network switching from using the edge to another edge server for delivering the content to the end-user system.

7. The system for dynamically allocating network resources to improve the experience of the end user accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 1, wherein providing the option to the end-user system to upgrade to the higher bandwidth includes a cost or costs tied to providing the higher bandwidth.

8. A method for dynamically allocating network resources to improve to improve experiences of users accessing content over the Internet, the method comprising:

receiving a request for content made available over the Internet;

delivering the content over the Internet to an end-user system using a cooperative delivery system, wherein;

the cooperative delivery system comprises a content delivery network and a terminal network;

the content delivery network comprise a plurality of points of presence (POPs), distributed geographically;

the content delivery network provides the content on behalf of a content provider;

the terminal network provides Internet service to the end-user system;

the content delivery network is managed by a first entity;

the terminal network is managed by a second entity;

the first entity and the second entity are different; and

determining an experience of an end user on the Internet using the end-user system is likely limited by latency in the cooperative delivery system;

determining, after receiving the request for the content, that the cooperative delivery system is capable of providing the end-user system a lower latency connection for delivering the content to the end-user system;

providing an option to the end-user system to upgrade to the lower latency connection;

receiving a selection from the end-user system to upgrade to the lower latency connection;

upgrading service to the end-user system by providing the lower latency connection after receiving the selection from the end-user system to upgrade.

9. The method for dynamically allocating network resources to improve experiences of users accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 8, wherein providing the option to the end-user system to upgrade to the lower latency connection is through an application program interface.

10. The method for dynamically allocating network resources to improve experiences of users accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 8, wherein providing the lower latency connection is accomplished by the content delivery network allocating different resources to deliver the content to the end-user system.

11. The method for dynamically allocating network resources to improve experiences of users accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 10, wherein the different resources include at least one of a faster processor, more memory, or a different type of hard drive.

12. The method for dynamically allocating network resources to improve experiences of users accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 8, wherein providing the lower latency connection is accomplished by the content delivery network serving the content from a POP of the plurality of POPs that is closer to the end-user system.

13. The method for dynamically allocating network resources to improve experiences of users accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 8, wherein providing the lower latency connection is accomplished by the terminal network increasing network bandwidth availability to the end-user system.

14. The method for dynamically allocating network resources to improve experiences of users accessing content over on the Internet as recited in claim 8, wherein providing the option to the end-user system to upgrade to the lower latency connection includes a cost or costs tied to providing the lower latency connection.

15. A computer-memory device having instructions that when executed perform the following steps for dynamically allocating network resources to improve to improve experiences of users accessing content over the Internet:

receive a request for content made available over the Internet;

deliver the content over the Internet to an end-user system using a cooperative delivery system, wherein;

the cooperative delivery system comprises a content delivery network and a terminal network;

the content delivery network comprise a plurality of points of presence (POPs), distributed geographically;

the content delivery network provides the content on behalf of a content provider;

the terminal network provides Internet service to the end-user system;

the content delivery network is managed by a first entity;

the terminal network is managed by a second entity;

the first entity and the second entity are different; and

determine an experience of an end user on the Internet using the end-user system is likely limited by network performance in the cooperative delivery system;

determine, after receiving the request for the content, that the cooperative delivery system is capable of providing the end-user system an improved network connection for delivering the content to the end-user system;

provide an option to the end-user system to upgrade to the improved network connection;

receive a selection from the end-user system to upgrade to the improved network connection;

upgrade service to the end-user system by providing the improved network connection after receiving the selection from the end-user system to upgrade.

16. The computer-memory device having instructions for dynamically allocating network resources to improve to improve experiences of users accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 15, wherein the improved network connection is a combination of providing a lower latency connection and a higher bandwidth connection.

17. The computer-memory device having instructions for dynamically allocating network resources to improve to improve experiences of users accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 15, wherein determining the experience of the end user is likely limited by network performance is based on network performance to the end-user system failing to meet a class of service.

18. The computer-memory device having instructions for dynamically allocating network resources to improve to improve experiences of users accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 15, wherein providing the option to the end-user system to upgrade to the improved network connection is through a pop-up window.

19. The computer-memory device having instructions for dynamically allocating network resources to improve to improve experiences of users accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 15, wherein providing the improved network connection is accomplished by the terminal network increasing network bandwidth availability to the end-user system.

20. The computer-memory device having instructions for dynamically allocating network resources to improve to improve experiences of users accessing content over the Internet as recited in claim 15, wherein providing the option to the end-user system to upgrade to the improved network connection includes a cost or costs tied to providing the improved network connection.