Distributed load management on network devices
First Claim
1. A network device comprising:
- one or more interfaces configured to provide communication with a plurality of other network devices of the same type and to provide communication with mobile stations; and
a processor, in communication with the one or more interfaces, configured to run a module stored in memory that is configured to;
send an inquiry message to the plurality of other network devices to request load information of the plurality of other network devices;
receive a response to the inquiry message from one of the plurality of other network devices, wherein the response includes load information indicative of whether the one of the plurality of other network devices is capable of setting aside its data transfer capacity for the network device;
determine, based on the load information, whether the one of the plurality of other network devices is capable of setting aside its data transfer capacity for the network device; and
if the one of the plurality of other network devices is capable of setting aside its data transfer capacity for the network device, cause a mobile station to be routed to the one of the plurality of other network devices by modifying a serving network device identifier in a mobile station identifier associated with the mobile station, so that data is communicated between the mobile station and the one of the plurality of other network devices.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This disclosure relates to a system and method for dynamically managing load on network devices in a distributed manner. As the proliferation of data rich content and increasingly more capable mobile devices has continued, the amount of data communicated over mobile operator'"'"'s networks has exponentially increased. Upgrading the existing network to accommodate increased data traffic is neither desirable nor practical. One way to accommodate increased data traffic is by utilizing network resources more efficiently. This disclosure provides systems and methods for efficiently utilizing network resources by dynamically configuring the network in a distributed manner based on real-time load information.
72 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A network device comprising:
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one or more interfaces configured to provide communication with a plurality of other network devices of the same type and to provide communication with mobile stations; and a processor, in communication with the one or more interfaces, configured to run a module stored in memory that is configured to; send an inquiry message to the plurality of other network devices to request load information of the plurality of other network devices; receive a response to the inquiry message from one of the plurality of other network devices, wherein the response includes load information indicative of whether the one of the plurality of other network devices is capable of setting aside its data transfer capacity for the network device; determine, based on the load information, whether the one of the plurality of other network devices is capable of setting aside its data transfer capacity for the network device; and if the one of the plurality of other network devices is capable of setting aside its data transfer capacity for the network device, cause a mobile station to be routed to the one of the plurality of other network devices by modifying a serving network device identifier in a mobile station identifier associated with the mobile station, so that data is communicated between the mobile station and the one of the plurality of other network devices. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method comprising:
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sending, by a first network device, an inquiry message to a plurality of other network devices, including a second network device, to request load information of the plurality of other network devices; receiving, by the first network device from the second network device, a response to the inquiry message, wherein the response includes load information indicative of whether the second network device is capable of setting aside its data transfer capacity for the first network device; determining, by the first network device based on the load information, whether the second network device is capable of setting aside its data transfer capacity for the first network device; and if the second network device is capable of setting aside its data transfer capacity for the first network device, causing, by the first network device, a mobile station to be routed to the second network device by modifying a serving network device identifier in a mobile station identifier associated with the mobile station, so that data is communicated between the mobile station and the second network device. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A system comprising:
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a first network device and a second network device, wherein the first network device and the second network device are of the same type of device, and wherein the first network device and the second network device are configured to communicate data to and from first and second sets of mobile stations, respectively; wherein the first network device is configured to; send an inquiry message to the second network device to request load information of the second network device, receive a response to the inquiry message, wherein the response includes load information indicative of whether the second network device is capable of setting aside its data transfer capacity for the first network device, determine whether the second network device is capable of setting aside its data transfer capacity for the first network device, and if the second network device is capable of setting aside its data transfer capacity for the first network device, cause a mobile station to be routed to the second network device by modifying a serving network device identifier in a mobile station identifier associated with the mobile station, so that data is communicated between the mobile station and the second network device. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification