Communications Hub

• US 20160373372A1
• Filed: 08/30/2016
• Published: 12/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ooma Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ooma Incorporated
• Inventors: Gillon, William M., Lei, Hai, Farrand, Tobin E., Bryan, David A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,009,286 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2863 Arrangements for combining access network resources elements, e.g. channel bonding modem pooling H04L25/14; routing of packets H04L45/00; multichannel or multilink protocols H04L69/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2865 Logical combinations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/283 in response to processing delays, e.g. caused by jitter or round trip time [RTT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/74 measures in reaction to resource unavailability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/765 triggered by the end-points
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols

Abstract

A method for bandwidth sharing is provided. The method may include getting a list of neighboring communications hubs, the neighboring communications hubs being disposed in respective neighboring residences. The neighboring communications hubs may be communicatively coupled to the first communications hub using a first broadband data network provisioned by an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and the neighboring residences may be within a same predetermined geographic region as the first residence or within a predetermined temporal distance on a data network from the first residence. The method determines if a data requirement exceeds bandwidth available to the first communications hub and provides a request for data to a neighboring communications hub. The request corresponds to the data requirement. The method then receives data responsive to the request from the neighboring communications hub.

Claims

1. A method for bandwidth sharing by a first communications hub disposed in a first residence comprising:

getting a list of neighboring communications hubs, the neighboring communications hubs being disposed in respective neighboring residences, the neighboring communications hubs being communicatively coupled to the first communications hub using a first broadband data network provisioned by an Internet Service Provider (ISP), the neighboring residences being at least one of within a same predetermined geographic region as the first residence and within a predetermined temporal distance on a data network from the first residence;

determining a data requirement exceeds bandwidth available to the first communications hub;

providing a request for data to a neighboring communications hub of the neighboring communications hubs, the request corresponding to the data requirement; and

receiving data responsive to the request from the neighboring communications hub.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communications hub is communicatively coupled to at least one computing device, the computing device being disposed in the first residence.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communications device receives the list from a communications service provider, the Internet being disposed between the first communications device and the communications service provider.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the communications service provider produces the list using a measured round-trip time for messages sent between the first communications hub and the neighboring communications hubs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one broadband data network provisioned by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is:

at least one of cable Internet access, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), and satellite Internet access.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first communications hub and neighboring communications hubs have a respective second broadband data network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second broadband data network is at least one of cable Internet access, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), and satellite Internet access.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the second broadband data network is at least one of mobile broadband and a wireless local area network (LAN).

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the second broadband data network of the first communications hub is different from the second broadband data network of the neighboring communications hub.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communications hub and the neighboring communications hub are provisioned by a communications service provider.

11. A first communications hub for bandwidth sharing comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions executable by the at least on processor to perform a method comprising;

getting a list of neighboring communications hubs, the neighboring communications hubs being disposed in respective neighboring residences, the neighboring communications hubs being communicatively coupled to the first communications hub using a first broadband data network provisioned by an Internet Service Provider (ISP), the neighboring residences being at least one of within a same predetermined geographic region as the first residence and within a predetermined temporal distance on a data network from the first residence;

determining a data requirement exceeds bandwidth available to the first communications hub;

providing a request for data to a neighboring communications hub of the neighboring communications hubs, the request corresponding to the data requirement; and

receiving data responsive to the request from the neighboring communications hub.

12. The first communications hub of claim 11, wherein the first communications hub is communicatively coupled to at least one computing device, the computing device being disposed in the first residence.

13. The first communications hub of claim 11, wherein the first communications device receives the list from a communications service provider, the Internet being disposed between the first communications device and the communications service provider.

14. The first communications hub of claim 13, wherein the communications service provider produces the list using a measured round-trip time for messages sent between the first communications hub and the neighboring communications hubs.

15. The first communications hub of claim 11, wherein the at least one broadband data network provisioned by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is:

at least one of cable Internet access, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), and satellite Internet access.

16. The first communications hub of claim 11, wherein each of the first communications hub and neighboring communications hubs have a respective second broadband data network.

17. The first communications hub of claim 16, wherein the second broadband data network is at least one of cable Internet access, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), and satellite Internet access.

18. The first communications hub of claim 16, wherein the second broadband data network is at least one of mobile broadband and a wireless local area network (LAN).

19. The first communications hub of claim 16, wherein the second broadband data network of the first communications hub is different from the second broadband data network of the neighboring communications hub.

20. The first communications hub of claim 11, wherein the first communications hub and the neighboring communications hub are provisioned by a communications service provider.