Associated systems and methods for providing data services using idle cell resources

• US 8,908,610 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zellner, Sam
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Chirag
• Assistant Examiner(s): Esmaeilian, Majid
• Application Number:
  US12/052,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20080165731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,455 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Associated systems and methods for providing data services using idle cell capacity in a communications system. The systems and methods assign priorities to each remote user device in the communications system. In response to a request for service for a remote user device, the switch determines whether an idle channel is available for the remote user device. If no idle channel is available, the switch determines whether a remote user device with a lower priority than the requesting remote user device is using a channel. If a lower priority remote user device is using a channel, its call is terminated and the channel is assigned to the requesting remote user device. If no lower priority remote user device is using a channel, the request for service is put into an ordered queue to wait for the next available idle channel.

Claims

1. A method for managing resources of a network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a node controller, a first communications request from a first remote user device;

determining, by the node controller, a first priority associated with the first communications request;

determining, by the node controller, whether any channel of the network is idle;

in response to determining that no channel of the network is idle, determining, by the node controller, whether a second communications request from a second remote user device using a channel is associated with a second priority lower than the first priority associated with the first communications request;

in response to determining that the second communications request from the second remote user device is associated with the second priority lower than the first priority associated with the first communications request,

terminating, by the node controller, use of the channel by the second remote user device, and

allocating, by the node controller, the channel to the first remote user device to allow transmission of data associated with the first communications request via the channel; and

based on a nature of the first communications request, providing, by the node controller after transmission of at least a portion of the data associated with the first communications request, a notification to the first remote user device, the notification comprising a prompt to increase the first priority associated with the first communications request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the second communications request from the second remote user device is associated with the second priority that is not lower than the first priority associated with the first communications request, placing the first communications request from the first remote user device in a queue in an order based on priorities associated with other communications requests in the queue.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising allocating the channel of the network for the first communications request from the first remote user device when the first communications request from the first remote user device moves to a head of the queue and the channel is idle.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the order of placement of the first communications request from the first remote user device in the queue is further based on a time of wait in the queue associated with the other communications requests in the queue.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing a notification to a user of the first remote user device that the first communications request is queued; and

providing a status message to the user of the first remote user device, the status message comprising a listing of queues, the listing of queues comprising the queue and further comprising a number of requests in each queue of the listing of queues and an indication representing the queue where the first communications request is placed.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing the second communications request in a queue.

7. A method for managing resources of a network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a node controller, a first communications request from a first remote user device;

determining, by the node controller, a first priority associated with the first communications request;

determining, by the node controller, whether any channel of the network is idle;

in response to determining that no channel of the network is idle, determining that a second priority associated with a second communications request from a second remote user device using a first channel of the network and a third priority associated with a third communications request from a third remote user device using a second channel of the network are lower than the first priority associated with the first communications request, wherein the second priority associated with the second communications request and the third priority associated with the third communications request are the same;

after determining that the second priority and the third priority are lower than the first priority and after determining that the second priority and the third priority are the same, determining a first length of time the second remote user device has been using the first channel and a second length of time the third remote user device has been using the second channel; and

in response to determining the first length of time the second remote user device has been using the first channel is less than the second length of time the third remote user device has been using the second channel,

terminating use of the second channel by the third remote user device instead of terminating use of the first channel by the second remote user device, and

allocating the second channel to the first remote user device associated with the first communications request.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising placing the third communications request in a queue.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein placing the third communications request in the queue comprises placing the third communications request in the queue in an order based on priorities associated with other communications requests in the queue.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising reallocating the second channel of the network for the third communications request when the third communications request moves to a head of the queue and the second channel is idle, wherein the third communications request is resumed at a point of termination when reallocated to the second channel.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing a notification to a user of the third remote user device that the third communications request is queued; and

providing a status message to the user of the third remote user device, the status message comprising a listing of queues, the listing of queues comprising the queue and further comprising a number of requests in each queue of the listing of queues and an indication representing the queue where the first communications request is placed.

12. A device for managing resources of a network, the device comprising:

memory for storing a program containing code for managing the resources of the network; and

a processor being responsive to computer-executable instructions contained in the program that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising

receiving a first communications request from a first remote user device,

determining a first priority associated with the first communications request,

determining whether any channel of the network is idle,

in response to determining that a channel of the network is idle, allocating the channel for the first communications request from the first remote user device,

in response to determining that no channel of the network is idle, determining whether a second communications request from a second remote user device using the channel is associated with a second priority lower than the first priority associated with the first communications request,

in response to determining that the second communications request from the second remote user device is associated with the second priority lower than the first priority associated with the first communications request,

terminating use of the channel by the second remote user device, and

allocating the channel to the first remote user device to allow transmission of data associated with the first communications request via the channel; and

based on a nature of the first communications request, providing, after transmission of at least a portion of the data associated with the first communications request, a notification to the first remote user device, the notification comprising a prompt to increase the first priority associated with the first communications request.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise in response to determining that the second communications request from the second remote user device is associated with the second priority that is not lower than the first priority associated with the first communications request, placing the first communications request from the first remote user device in a queue in an order based on priorities associated with other communications requests in the queue.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise allocating the channel of the network for the first communications request from the first remote user device when the first communications request from the first remote user device moves to a head of the queue and the channel is idle.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the order of placement of the first communications request from the first remote user device in the queue is further based on a time of wait in the queue associated with the other communications requests in the queue.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a notification to the first remote user device that the first communications request is queued; and

providing a status message to a user of the first remote user device, the status message comprising a listing of queues, the listing of queues comprising the queue and further comprising a number of requests in each queue of the listing of queues and an indication representing the queue where the first communications request is placed.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise placing the second communications request in a queue.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise reallocating the channel of the network for the second communications request from the second remote user device when the second communications request from the second remote user device moves to a head of the queue and the channel is idle, wherein the second communications request is resumed at a point of termination when reallocated to the channel.