System and method for establishing a communications session with an end-user based on the state of a network connection

• US 8,289,965 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2006
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bugenhagen, Michael K., Stevens, Michael A., Wiley, William L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAMARA, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US11/583,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20080095049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,189 Days
• Field of Search: 370465-469, 370/312, 370/235, 370/401, 455/434, 455/436, 455/571, 714/4
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/70 Routing based on monitoring results
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/122 by diverting traffic away from congested entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding

Abstract

A method for establishing a communications session includes receiving a request to initiate a communications session. The request is associated with an end-user and the end-user is associated with at least two identifiers. The method also includes selecting one of the at least two identifiers in response to performance information associated with the selected one of the at least two identifiers. The method also includes establishing a communications session with the end-user in response to selecting the one of the at least two identifiers.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a communications session over a network, the method comprising:

receiving a request to initiate the communications session over the network to an end-user, the end-user being associated with at least two end-user devices;

in response to receiving the request to initiate the communications session over the network to the end-user, selecting one of the at least two end-user devices based on a comparison of network performance information associated with the at least two end-user devices; and

establishing the communications session with the end-user through the one of the at least two end-user devices, wherein prior to establishing the communications session with the end-user through the one of the at least two end-user devices, determining whether a preference overrides establishing the communications session with a selected end-user device, the preference includes an indication of bandwidth priority for a particular application associated with the communications session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the at least two end-user devices further comprises selecting one of at least two network addresses associated with the end-user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the at least two end-user devices further comprises selecting routing instructions associated with the end-user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a second end-user device of the at least two end-user devices in response to receiving data associated with a decline in quality of the communication session; and

establishing a second communication session with the second end-user device of the end-user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the at least two end-user devices further comprises selecting one of the at least two end-user devices in response to a stored preference.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the at least two end-user devices further comprises selecting one of the at least two end-user devices in response to a line state of a network connection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the at least two end-user devices further comprises selecting one of the at least two end-user devices in response to a transmission state of a network connection.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the at least two end-user devices further comprises selecting one of the at least two end-user devices in response to quality of a network connection between the at least two end-user devices.

9. A system for establishing a communications session, the system comprising:

a session controller, the session controller configured to receive a request to initiate the communications session, the request being associated with an end-user, the end-user being associated with at least two end-user devices; and

a memory in communication with the session controller, the memory configured to store network performance information associated with the at least two end-user devices, wherein the session controller is further configured to establish a communications session with the end-user based on a comparison of the network performance information between the least two end-user devices, wherein prior to establishing the communications session with the end-user through a selected end-user device, determining whether a preference overrides establishing the communications session with the selected end-user device, the preference includes an indication of bandwidth priority for a particular application associated with the communications session.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the memory includes an end-user database configured to store the performance information, the performance information being associated with at least two network connections associated with the end-user.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the memory includes an end-user database configured to store preferences, the preferences being associated with one or more network connections of the end-user.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the memory includes an end-user database configured to store device preferences of the end-user, the device preferences being associated with circumstances under which a device associated with the end-user should be used in the communications session.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the memory includes an end-user database configured to store line state information associated with one or more network connections associated with the end-user.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the memory includes an end-user database, the end-user database configured to store transmission state information associated with one or more network connections associated with the end-user.