Allocating access across shared communication medium to user classes

• US 7,848,234 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2007
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Synamedia Limited
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: McKinnon, Martin W. III, Ehrley, John Joseph, Sotack, Timothy Sean, Subramanian, Mani M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed; Salman
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sloms; Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US11/676,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20070133409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,387 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2861 Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2876 Handling of subscriber policies group policies management H04L41/0893
• 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 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• 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: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 related to network traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/067 using time frame reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 : Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 : Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 : Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 : using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 : Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 : Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 : Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 : Identifying congestion
• 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 47/20 : Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 : Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/263 : Rate modification at the source after receiving feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/29 : using a combination of thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 : Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 : triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/788 : Autonomous allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 : QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 : User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/823 : Prediction of resource usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 : Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/826 : Involving periods of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/828 : Allocation of resources per group of connections, e.g. per group of users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 : based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 : Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 : Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64738 : Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 : in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A method of providing network access across a shared communications medium between competing users includes the step of allocating network access for each user for a future time interval. Features include forecasting network access of the users in a future time interval, and prioritizing the users for allocating network access to the users. The network access allocations represent network access allowances available to the users during the future time interval, and further may represent network access usage. Classes of users can be allocated network access first, and then each user allocated network access from the class allocation. Users with high network access usage are identified and solicited to modify service level agreements under which network access is provided. Network Access is also provided to user classes under class service level agreements entered into, for instance, by a service provider on behalf of the users.

Claims

1. A method of providing network access across a shared communications medium between competing users, with a first plurality of users being grouped within a first class and a second plurality of different users being grouped within a second class, the method comprising:

determining allowances of network access for a first time interval and allocating network access to each user within the class for the first time interval;

providing network access to each user during the first time interval such that no user receives more network access than that user'"'"'s allowance and no class receives more collective network access than that class'"'"' network allowance;

monitoring network access usage by each user;

forecasting network access usage by each user class during a future time interval based on said monitoring network access usage by each user; and

providing network access to each user during the future time interval such that no user receives more network access than that user'"'"'s allowance and no class receives more collective forecasted network access than that class'"'"' forecasted allowance, wherein providing network access to each user comprises allocating network access for the future time interval to each user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein for at least one class, the allocated network access for the first time interval for each user differs from the forecasted network access for the future time interval for that user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the collective network access allocated to each class for the first time interval differs from the collective network access forecasted to each class for the future time interval.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking network access usage for each user class.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising prioritizing the user classes for allocating network access.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising prioritizing the users for allocating network access.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein forecasting comprises summing within each class a forecasted network access usage of each user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein forecasting network access usage of each user comprises applying an adaptive-response-rate single exponential smoothing function and a Holt-Winters'"'"' seasonal exponential smoothing function to said monitored network access usages of each user.

9. A system of providing network access across a shared communications medium between competing users, with a first plurality of users being grouped within a first class and a second plurality of different users being grouped within a second class, the system comprising:

a plurality of computers;

a determining component configured to determine allowances of network access for a first time interval and allocate network access to each user within the class for the first time interval;

a providing component configured to provide network access to each user during the first time interval such that no user receives more network access than that user'"'"'s allowance and no class receives more collective network access than that class'"'"' network allowance;

a monitoring component configured to monitor network access usage by each user;

a forecasting component, having a processing unit, configured to forecast network access usage by each user class during a future time interval based on said monitoring network access usage by each user; and

a providing component configured to allocate network access to each user for the future time interval such that no user receives more network access than that user'"'"'s allowance and no class receives more collective forecasted network access than that class'"'"' forecasted allowance.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein for at least one class, the allocated network access for the first time interval for each user differs from the forecasted network access for the future time interval for that user.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the collective network access allocated to each class for the first time interval differs from the collective network access forecasted to each class for the future time interval.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising a tracking component configured to track network access usage for each user class.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising a first prioritizing component configured to prioritize the user classes for allocating network access.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising a second prioritizing component configured to prioritize the users for allocating network access.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the forecasting component is further configured to sum within each class a forecasted network access usage of each user.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the forecasting component is further configured to apply an adaptive-response-rate single exponential smoothing function and a Holt-Winters'"'"' seasonal exponential smoothing function to said monitored network access usages of each user.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium for providing network access across a shared communications medium between competing users, with a first plurality of users being grouped within a first class and a second plurality of different users being grouped within a second class, the computer readable medium comprising:

determining logic configured to determine allowances of network access for a first time interval and allocate network access to each user within the class for the first time interval;

providing logic configured to provide network access to each user during the first time interval such that no user receives more network access than that user'"'"'s allowance and no class receives more collective network access than that class'"'"' network allowance;

monitoring logic configured to monitor network access usage by each user;

forecasting logic configured to forecast network access usage by each user class during a future time interval based on said monitoring network access usage by each user; and

providing logic configured to allocate network access available to each user during the future time interval, the allocated network access available to each user being determined by multiplying each user'"'"'s forecasted network access usage by a ratio of a total network access available for allocation to a total forecasted network access usage of all the users.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising a prioritizing logic configured to prioritize the user classes for allocating network access.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the forecasting logic is further configured to sum within each class a forecasted network access usage of each user.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the forecasting logic is further configured to apply an adaptive-response-rate single exponential smoothing function and a Holt-Winters'"'"' seasonal exponential smoothing function to said monitored network access usages of each user.