Network traffic controller

• US 6,285,748 B1
• Filed: 09/25/1997
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lewis, David George
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARNIE, REXFORD N
• Application Number:
  US08/936,903
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 379/111, 379/112, 379/113, 379/114, 379/137, 379/138, 379/133, 379/134, 379/139, 379/93.01, 379/231, 379/234, 379/252, 379/253, 379/264, 379/265, 379/477, 379/487, 379/237, 379/239, 370/229, 370/230, 370/232, 370/233, 370/235, 370/236
• US Class Current: 379/112.01
• 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 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5087 wherein the managed service relates to voice services management of VoIP services H04M7/0081
• 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 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/49 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0152 General billing plans, rate plans, e.g. charge rates, numbering plans, rate centers, customer accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/46 Connection to several service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13092 Scanning of subscriber lines, monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13148 Maximum profit routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13164 : Traffic (registration, measurement,...)
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13179 : Fax, still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1319 : Amplifier, attenuation circuit, echo suppressor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13209 : ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13299 : Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13337 : Picturephone, videotelephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 : Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13375 : Electronic mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0087 : Network testing or monitoring arrangements

Abstract

A network traffic control system that generates traffic monitor information by monitoring the network traffic and controls the network traffic based on the traffic monitor information. The network traffic monitoring system includes a network traffic monitor and a network traffic controller. The network traffic monitor determines information such as types of communication, communicating partners, and geographical locations of the communicating partners. The network traffic controller processes the traffic monitor information. Thus, the traffic network control system reduces the cost of network communication as well as optimizes network performance based on traffic monitor information obtained by the traffic monitor.

Claims

1. A method for operating a network traffic controller system, comprising:

detecting a network communication;

detecting data related to the network communication wherein the data includes at least one of identifing a first and a second communicating party and corresponding geographical locations of the first and the second communicating party a duration of the network communication, and a time of the network communication;

sending the data related to the network communication as traffic monitor information to the network traffic controller;

processing the traffic monitor information, wherein the processing the traffic monitor information, includes

generating time periods corresponding to a communication between a first party and a second party;

associating the corresponding geographical location with each of the first party and the second party; and

analyzing percentages of network communication of the communications between the first party and the second party, the time periods and the corresponding geographical locations based on predetermined criteria to generate processed traffic monitor information; and

processing the network traffic based on the traffic monitor information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing the network traffic, further comprises at least one of:

pre-empting a first network communication in favor of a second network communication during specified network traffic conditions;

selecting a billing rate for the network communication based on the traffic monitor information and the processed traffic monitor information; and

selecting communication processing for the network communication based on the traffic monitor information and the processed traffic monitor information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first network communication and the second network communication include voiceband data communication or voice communication.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the voiceband data communication includes ISDN-data communication, e-mail communication, facsimile communication, and modem communication.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the billing rate for voiceband data communication is either lower or higher than for voice communication.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the selecting communication processing step selects default processing for the network communication based on the traffic monitor information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the default processing includes at least one of data compression, no data compression, time assignment speech interpolation for voice communication, low bit rate voice encoding for voice communication and image data processing for video communication.

8. A network traffic controller system, comprising:

a network;

a network traffic monitor that detects a network communication and data related to the network communication wherein the data constitutes traffic monitor information that includes at least one of identifying a first and a second communicating party a corresponding geographical location of the first and the second communicating party a duration of the network communication, and a time of the network communication; and

a network traffic controller, coupled to the network and the network traffic monitor, that processes the network traffic based on the traffic monitor information and that generates processed traffic monitor information based on a predetermined set of criteria, wherein the processed traffic information includes

percentages of network communication of the communications between the first and the second communicating party;

time periods corresponding to a communication between a first party and a second party;

a corresponding geographical location with each of the first party and the second party.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the network traffic controller based on the traffic monitor information processes the network traffic, wherein processing the network traffic, includes at least one of preempting a first network communication in favor of a second network communication during specified network traffic conditions, selecting a billing rate for a network communication based on the traffic monitor information and the processed traffic monitor information, and selecting communication processing for a network communication based on the traffic monitor information and the processed traffic monitor information.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first network communication and the second network communication include voiceband data communication or voice communication.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the voiceband data communication includes ISDN-data communication, e-mail communication, facsimile communication, and modem communication.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the billing rate for the voiceband data communication is either lower or higher than for the voice communication.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the network traffic controller selects default processing for the network communication based on the processed traffic monitor information.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the default processing includes at least one of data compression, no data compression, time assignment speech interpolation for voice communication, low bit rate voice encoding for voice communication and image data processing for video communication.