Delivery of network services

• US 7,945,260 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2010
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carlson, Steven I, Shaw, Venson M, Holmes, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US12/768,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20100210251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/409, 455/418, 455/432.1, 455/435.1, 455/456.1, 455/450, 455/464, 370/310.2, 370/322, 370/328, 370/331
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

A network element includes at least one input to receive communications from a plurality of terminal devices and a plurality of network elements, a processing unit and logic to classify the communications as a type of user information, and a router to route the communications according to the type of user information. The communication may be routed to at least one of a plurality of subnetworks according to the type of user information.

Claims

1. A method of delivering network services, the method comprising:

receiving a service request from a terminal device at a mobile switching center (MSC), the service request identifying a service desired by the terminal device;

determining a service usage history, a most recently used service, and a most frequently used service for the terminal device at the MSC;

retrieving terminal capabilities for the terminal;

matching the terminal capabilities with service requirements of a plurality of service providers at a service portal in communication with the MSC, the matching accomplished by identifying capable service providers from among the plurality of service providers and receiving bids from the capable service providers after sending the service usage history, the most recently used service, and the most frequently used service to the capable service providers, the capable service providers capable of providing the service to the terminal device under a current circumstance of the terminal device; and

providing the service to the terminal device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the current circumstances include a location of the terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the location is a physical location.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the location is a logical location.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a user is present at the terminal device and providing the service when the user is present.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining whether a user is present is accomplished using one or more of motion detection, vibration detection, keyboard activity detection, and voice detection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal capabilities are one or more of a static capability of the terminal device and a dynamic capability of the terminal device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal capabilities are communicated from the terminal device to a subnetwork, the subnetwork comprised of a plurality of network elements.

9. A system for delivering network services, the system comprising:

a mobile switching center (MSC), the MSC having a memory containing logic to determine a service usage history, a most recently used service, and a most frequently used service for a terminal;

a service portal coupled to the MSC, the service portal to locate services that are suitable to the terminal when the terminal requests a desired service;

a plurality of network elements in communication with the MSC, wherein the MSC allocates the plurality of network elements into a plurality of subnetworks, the plurality of subnetworks being a collection of computational, operational, and storage resources allocated from among the plurality of network elements, the plurality of subnetworks to interact with the terminal to collect information including terminal capabilities; and

a plurality of service providers,

wherein the terminal communicates a service request to the MSC, the service portal communicates the service request as well as terminal capabilities, the service usage history, the most recently used service, and the most frequently used service to the plurality of service providers, the plurality of service providers return bids to the service portal, and the service portal selects a selected bid from the bids, the selected bid determining a provider for the service.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of subnetworks includes a terminal management subnetwork which interacts with the terminal to collect and store the terminal capabilities.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of subnetworks includes a service subnetwork, the service subnetwork employing user information to identify suitable service providers among the plurality of service providers.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of subnetworks includes a network management subnetwork, the network management subnetwork to determine network management requirements for services and the terminal.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the allocation of resources to the plurality of subnetworks is based upon an amount of communication traffic each of the plurality of subnetworks manages.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the MSC routes a communication to an appropriate subnetwork from the plurality of subnetworks.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the routing is performed based upon a packet header of the communication, the packet header identifying the communication.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the terminal detects a presence of a user of the terminal.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the terminal uses on or more of motion detection, vibration detection, keyboard activity detection, and voice detection to detect the presence of the user.

18. The system of claim 9, wherein the terminal sends a location of the terminal to the MSC, the location used to determine the service.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the location is a physical location.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the location is a logical location.