Method and system for brokering bandwidth in a wireless communications network

• US 7,043,225 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2000
• Issued: 05/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Choksi, Ojas T., Davidson, Kenneth W., Patel, Pulin R., Patel, Achal R., Ali, Mohammad R., Krovvidi, Raghuram
• Primary Examiner(s): YUN, EUGENE
• Application Number:
  US09/513,592
• Time in Patent Office: 2,265 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/452, 455/456, 455/67.1, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.6, 370/468, 370351-352, 370/401, 370/328, 370/465
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/145 trading network capacity or selecting route based on tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• 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 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A method and system for brokering bandwidth in a wireless communications network includes receiving a request for a wireless service at a geographic region. An availability of the wireless service is determined at the geographic region. A response to the request is generated based on the availability of the wireless service. The response includes one or more terms for the wireless service.

Claims

1. A method for brokering resources of a wireless communications network, comprising:

providing a service interface allowing a user of a remote communications device to select one or more geographic regions for which the user desires wireless service coverage for the remote communications device;

receiving at a centralized brokerage manager via the service interface a request from the user for a wireless service at a particular geographic region selected by the user via the service interface;

selectively determining an availability of the wireless service for at least two service providers available at the selected geographic region based on the request;

generating a first response to the request based on the availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region, the first response including one or more terms for the wireless service including at least one option between the at least two service providers;

communicating the first response to the remote communications device; and

receiving a second response to the first response, the second response selecting at least one of the at least two service providers to provide the wireless service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the request identifying a time for the wireless service; and

determining the availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region at the time.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the request identifying a bandwidth for the wireless service; and

determining the availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region for the bandwidth.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the request identifying a type of service for the wireless service; and

determining the availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region for the type of service.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the request identifying a price for the wireless service; and

determining the availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region at the price.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the request identifying a network provider for the wireless service; and

determining the availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region from the network provider.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the request identifying a service provider for the wireless service; and

determining the availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region from the service provider.

8. The method of claim 1, the terms in the response comprising a time for the wireless service.

9. The method of claim 1, the terms in the response comprising a price for the wireless service.

10. The method of claim 1, the terms in the response comprising a type of service for the wireless service.

11. The method of claim 1, the terms in the response comprising a bandwidth for the wireless service.

12. The method of claim 1, the terms and the response comprising a network provider for the wireless service.

13. The method of claim 1, the terms and the response comprising a service provider for the wireless service.

14. The method of claim 1, the response comprising an offer for the wireless service, further comprising providing the wireless service in response to acceptance of the terms by a user.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

broadcasting the request to a plurality of network providers each having a wireless access network covering at least part of the selected geographic region;

receiving a service plan from at least one of the network providers, the service plan based on an availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region in the wireless access network of the network provider; and

generating the response based on service plans from the network providers.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the service interface comprises providing an Internet site including a graphical user interface configured to receive the user'"'"'s request for the wireless service at the selected geographic region.

17. The method of claim 16, the graphical user interface configured to receive a plurality of service criteria, the service criteria comprising a geographic region, a price, a type of service, a bandwidth, and a time for the wireless service.

18. The method of claim 16, the graphical user interface further comprising a graphical map displaying geographic areas for selection of the geographic region for which the user desires wireless service coverage for the remote communications device.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the service interface comprises providing a graphical user interface on a mobile device, the graphical user interface configured to receive the request for the wireless service at the selected geographic region.

20. The method of claim 19, the graphical user interface configured to receive a plurality of service criteria, the service criteria comprising a geographic region, a price, a type of service, a bandwidth, and a time for the wireless service.

21. The method of claim 19, the graphical user interface further comprising a graphical map displaying graphic areas for selection of the geographic region for which the user desires wireless service coverage for the remote communications device.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the service interface comprises providing a telephony site including voice activated commands configured to receive the request for the wireless service at the selected geographic region.

23. The method of claim 22, the telephony site configured to verbally receive a plurality of service criteria, the service criteria comprising a geographic region, a price, a type of service, a bandwidth, and a time for the wireless service.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising negotiating at least one of a plurality of service criteria for the wireless service with the user requesting the wireless service, the service criteria comprising a geographic region, a price, a type of service, a bandwidth, and a time for the wireless service.

25. The method of claim 24, the service criteria comprising at least one of a network provider and a service provider.

26. A system for brokering resources of a wireless communications network, comprising:

computer implementable instructions encoded in at least one computer processable medium; and

the instructions operable upon processing to provide a service interface allowing a user of a remote communications device to select one or more geographic regions for which the user desires wireless service coverage for the remote communications device, receive via the service interface a request from the user for a wireless service at a particular geographic region selected by the user via the service interface, selectively determine an availability of the wireless service for at least two service providers available at the selected geographic region based on the request, generate a first response to the request based on the availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region, the first response including one or more terms for the wireless service including at least one option between the service providers, communicate the first response to the remote communications device, and receive a second response to the first response, the second response selecting at least one of the at least two service providers to provide the wireless service.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the computer implementable instructions comprise software stored on a computer-readable medium.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the request identifies a time for the wireless service, the instructions operable upon processing to determine the availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region at the time.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the request identifies a bandwidth for the wireless service, the instructions operable upon processing to determine the availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region for the bandwidth.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the request identifies a type of service for the wireless service, the instructions operable upon processing to determine the availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region for the type of service.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the request identifies a price for the wireless service, the instructions operable upon processing to determine the availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region at the price.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein the request identifies a network provider for the wireless service, the instructions operable upon processing to determine the availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region from the network provider.

33. The system of claim 26, wherein the request identifies a service provider for the wireless service, the instructions operable upon processing to determine the availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region from the service provider.

34. The system of claim 26, the terms in the response comprising a time for the wireless service.

35. The system of claim 26, the terms in the response comprising a price for the wireless service.

36. The system of claim 26, the terms in the response comprising a type of service for the wireless service.

37. The system of claim 26, the terms in the response comprising a bandwidth for the wireless service.

38. The system of claim 26, the terms and the response comprising a network provider for the wireless service.

39. The system of claim 26, the terms in the response comprising a service provider for the wireless service.

40. The system of claim 26, the response comprising an offer for the wireless service, the instructions operable upon processing to provide the wireless service in response to acceptance of the terms by a user.

41. The system of claim 26, the instructions operable upon processing to broadcast the request to a plurality of network providers each having a wireless access network covering at least part of the selected geographic region, to receive a service plan from at least one of the network providers, the service plan based on an availability of the wireless service at the selected geographic region in the wireless access network of the network provider, and to generate the response based on service plans from the network providers.

42. The system of claim 26, wherein providing the service interface comprises providing an Internet site including a graphical user interface configured to receive the user'"'"'s request for the wireless service at the selected geographic region.

43. The system of claim 42, the graphical user interface configured to receive a plurality of service criteria, the service criteria comprising a geographic region, a price, a type of service, a bandwidth, and a time for the wireless service.

44. The system of claim 42, the graphical user interface further comprising a graphical map displaying geographic areas for selection of the geographic region for which the user desires wireless service coverage for the remote communications device.

45. The system of claim 26, wherein providing the service interface comprises providing a graphical user interface at a mobile device, the graphical user interface configured to receive the request for the wireless service at the selected geographic region.

46. The system of claim 45, the graphical user interface configured to receive a plurality of service criteria, the service criteria comprising a geographic region, a price, a type of service, a bandwidth, and a time for the wireless service.

47. The system of claim 45, the graphical user interface further comprising a graphical map displaying geographic areas for selection of the geographic region for which the user desires wireless service coverage for the remote communications device.

48. The system of claim 26, wherein providing the service interface comprises providing a telephony site including voice activated commands configured to receive the request for the wireless service at the selected geographic region.

49. The system of claim 26, the instructions operable upon processing to negotiate at least one of a plurality of service criteria for the wireless service with the user requesting the wireless service, the service criteria comprising a geographic region, a price, a type of service, a bandwidth, and a time for the wireless service.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the service criteria comprises at least one of a network provider and a service provider.

51. An interface for a mobile communication device operable to use wireless services in connection with a wireless communications network, comprising:

computer implementable instructions encoded in at least one computer processable medium; and

the instructions operable upon processing to provide a user interface configured to receive from a user of a remote communications device a plurality of service criteria for generating a request for wireless services at a geographic region, the service criteria comprising a geographic region for which the user desires wireless service coverage, a price, a type of service, a bandwidth, and a time for the wireless service, wherein the instructions are further operable upon processing to cause the request to be communicated to a centralized brokerage manager, wherein the user interface is further operable to display a response to the request comprising available wireless services and terms for the available wireless services at the geographic region selected by the user via the user interface, wherein the available wireless services are determined at the centralized brokerage device based on the service criteria and the terms include at least one option between at least two service providers of the requested wireless services, and wherein the user interface is further operable to receive a selection of at least one of the at least two service providers to provide the wireless service at the geographic region selected by the user via the user interface.

52. The system of claim 51, the service criteria further comprising at least one of a network provider and a service provider.

53. The system of claim 51, wherein the user interface is a graphical user interface.

54. The system of claim 53, the graphical user interface operable to display a graphical map illustrating geographic areas for selection of the geographic region for which the user desires wireless service coverage for the remote communications device.

55. The system of claim 51, wherein the user interface is a voice activated interface.