Internetwork quality of service provisioning with reciprocal compensation

• US 7,197,038 B1
• Filed: 10/21/2002
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Cook, Fred S.
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Doris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilson; Robert W.
• Application Number:
  US10/274,741
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1428 Invoice generation, e.g. customization, lay-out, database processing, algorithms for calculating the bill or formatting invoices as WWW pages invoicing in general G06Q30/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1446 inter-operator billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/781 Centralised allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/783 Distributed allocation of resources, e.g. bandwidth brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic

Abstract

Financial reciprocal compensation is provided for a predetermined Quality of Service (QoS) managed service path including various providers in an internetwork (such as the Internet). A user requests access to one or more of the services or resources advertised by a portal that employ the predetermined QoS (such as digital multimedia or Internet telephony). After the request is validated, the portal transmits a request to a primary QoS regulation server to determine the path segments required to deliver the service at the predetermined QoS level. If capable segments are available, the primary QoS regulation server will setup QoS regulation in its domain and request QoS regulation from the QoS regulation servers managing any other required segments in other domains (e.g., networks). After completing the setup, the primary QoS regulation server replies back to the portal with a success indication and an identification of an entry point to the QoS-regulated path. The portal then signals the service or resource to start. When the service has successfully started, the service usage is logged. When the service is terminated, the usage logs are updated and the primary QoS regulation server releases its QoS regulated path segments and in turn signals all secondary QoS regulation servers to release their service related capacity. The usage logs are then used to support a settlement system which collects payments from the user or the service provider, and which provides respective portions of the total compensation to the various financial entities that provided the QoS-regulated path segments.

Claims

1. A computer internetwork providing transport at a predetermined quality of service (QoS), comprising:

a first access network providing an access point for a user, said first access network including a first QoS regulation server for making path segments available within said first access network at said predetermined QoS;

a resource within a resource provider network connected within said internetwork, said resource supporting interaction with said user at said predetermined QoS;

a backbone network coupled to said first access network and said resource provider network, said backbone network including a backbone QoS regulation server for making path segments available within said backbone network at said predetermined QoS;

a QoS service portal responsive to a request from said user or said resource provider network for a communication link between said user and said resource, wherein said QoS service portal validates the requester initiating said request and, if said requester is validated, then sends a request to a QoS regulation server within said internetwork for the generation of a QoS-regulated service path between said user and said resource, wherein said requested QoS regulation server responds to said generation request from said QoS service portal to

     1) identify a group of networks containing needed path segments to generate said QoS-regulated service path,

     2) reserve any path segments over which is has regulatory control,

     3) contact corresponding other QoS regulation servers to reserve path segments in their corresponding networks, and

     4) notify said QoS portal of said communication link;

a log for recording usage of said path segments; and

a settlement system coupled to said log for initiating collection from at least one of said user and said resource provider network in response to said recorded usage and initiating compensation to at least said backbone network in response to the location of said path segments corresponding to said recorded usage.

2. The internetwork of claim 1 wherein said requested QoS regulation server is comprised of said backbone QoS regulation server.

3. The internetwork of claim 1 wherein each of said QoS regulation servers is comprised of a QoS coordination point and a QoS enforcement point.

4. A quality of service (QoS) regulation server connected within a domain in an internetwork, said internetwork including a first access network providing an access point for a user, a resource within a resource provider network connected within said internetwork, a backbone network coupled to said first access network and said resource provider network, and a QoS service portal responsive to a request from said user or said resource provider network for a communication link between said user and said resource, wherein said QoS service portal validates the requester initiating said request and, if said requester is validated, then sends a request to said QoS regulation server for the generation of a QoS-regulated service path between said user and said resource, said QoS regulation server comprising:

a QoS coordination point responsive to said generation request from said QoS service portal to

     1) identify a group of networks containing needed path segments to generate said QoS-regulated service path,

     2) contact corresponding other QoS regulation servers to reserve path segments in their corresponding networks, and

     3) notify said QoS portal of said communication link; and

a QoS enforcement point coupled to path segments within said domain over and for reserving said path segments for said QoS-regulated service path.

5. The QoS regulation server of claim 4 further comprising a log for maintaining records of usage of said path segments.

6. A method of providing internetwork communication links having a predetermined quality of service (QoS), said method comprising the steps of:

a particular user within a first network requesting a desired service at said predetermined QoS from a resource provider outside said first network, said first network being operated as a first financial entity and said resource provider being operated as a second financial entity;

sending a request for a QoS-regulated path to a QoS service portal, said request including a settlement ID for identifying a party responsible for payment for said QoS-regulated path;

a first QoS coordination point determining a plurality of path segments for delivering said desired service to said particular user, said plurality of path segments including path segments within said first network and within a backbone network, wherein said backbone network is operated as a third financial entity separate from said first and second financial entities;

said first QoS coordination point transmitting a reservation request to a second QoS coordination point in a different one of said networks for obtaining reservation of said path segments within said different one of said networks;

a QoS enforcement point reserving said requested path segments;

said QoS enforcement point notifying one of said QoS coordination points of said successful reservation;

one of said QoS coordination points signaling said resource provider to initiate said desired service;

logging a usage initiation event of said desired service, said usage initiation event identifying said first access network, said backbone network, and said settlement ID;

upon completion of said desired service by said particular user, logging a usage termination event corresponding to said usage initiation event;

a collection system collecting payment from said responsible party in response to said usage events; and

said collection system providing compensation to at least said third financial entity in response to usage of said network path segments.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

advertising said desired service within said QoS service portal;

wherein said QoS service portal accepts said request for said desired service from said user, validates said request, and requests said first QoS coordination point to generate said path segments.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said responsible party is comprised of said second financial entity and wherein said collection system further provides compensation to said first financial entity in response to usage of said network path segments.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said responsible party is comprised of said particular user.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said collection system further provides compensation to said second financial entity in response to usage of said network path segments.