Using packet-transport metrics for setting DRCLocks

• US 9,374,306 B1
• Filed: 03/04/2009
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Srinivas, Shilpa Kowdley, Goyal, Anoop K., Khanka, Bhagwan, Pawar, Hemanth Balaji
• Primary Examiner(s): Choudhry, Samina
• Application Number:
  US12/397,855
• Time in Patent Office: 2,666 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for using packet-transport metrics for setting DRCLocks. In an embodiment, an access node provides packet-data service to access terminals, which comprises (a) providing wireless service over an air interface in a wireless coverage area and (b) providing transport service over a packet-data network. The access node measures, over at least the packet-data network, each packet-transport metric in a set of one or more packet-transport metrics. The access node sets a DRCLock for at least one of the access terminals based at least in part on the one or more measured packet-transport metrics.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing packet-data service to access terminals, wherein providing packet-data service to access terminals comprises (a) providing wireless service over an air interface in a wireless coverage area portion of a network and (b) providing transport service over wireline portion of the network;

measuring, over at least the wireline portion of the network, each packet-transport traffic metric in a set of one or more packet-transport traffic metrics; and

setting a DRCLock for at least one of the access terminals based at least in part on the one or more measured packet-transport traffic metrics.

2. The method of claim 1, carried out by at least one of, an access node, a base transceiver station (BTS), a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), a mobile switching center (MSC), and a packet data serving node (PDSN).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing wireless service comprises providing wireless service according to at least one of IS-856, Release 0 and IS-856, Revision A.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless coverage area portion of a network is a cell or a sector.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the access terminals comprises one or more of a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, a computer, a laptop computer, a laptop air card, and a hybrid access terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireline portion of the network comprises at least one of a privately-operated core packet-data network and the Internet.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one packet-transport traffic metric is a voice over IP (VoIP)-quality metric.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring, over at least the wireline portion of the network, each packet-transport traffic metric in the set of one or more packet-transport traffic metrics comprises measuring each packet-transport traffic metric in the set of one or more packet-transport traffic metrics between access terminals and endpoints with which the access terminals are communicating.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the endpoints is a mobile station, an access terminal, a landline phone, a conference server, or a gateway.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring, over at least the wireline portion of the network, each packet-transport traffic metric in the set of one or more packet-transport traffic metrics comprises measuring each packet-transport traffic metric in the set of one or more packet-transport traffic metrics between at least one network element and endpoints with which the access terminals are communicating.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one network element is one or more of an access node, a base transceiver station (BTS), a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), a mobile switching center (MSC), and a packet data serving node (PDSN).

12. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the endpoints is a mobile station, an access terminal, a landline phone, a conference server, or a gateway.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring, over at least the wireline portion of the network, each packet-transport traffic metric in the set of one or more packet-transport traffic metrics comprises measuring each packet-transport traffic metric in the set of one or more packet-transport traffic metrics for at least one type of packet-data communication selected from the group consisting of voice over IP (VoIP), push to talk (PTT), videoconferencing, and streaming media.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more packet-transport traffic metrics comprises at least one of delay, jitter, and packet loss.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a set of one or more packet-transport traffic metric thresholds, wherein each packet-transport traffic metric threshold corresponds to a respective packet-transport traffic metric in the set of one or more packet-transport traffic metrics,

wherein measuring each packet-transport traffic metric in the set of one or more packet-transport traffic metrics comprises taking a measurement of each packet-transport traffic metric in the set of one or more packet-transport traffic metrics once every period of time,

wherein setting a DRCLock for at least one of the access terminals based at least in part on the one or more measured packet-transport traffic metrics comprises carrying out the following steps once every period of time;

(a) determining whether a most-recent measurement of each packet-transport traffic metric is less than that traffic metric'"'"'s corresponding threshold, and

(b) setting a DRCLock for at least one of the access terminals in response to determining that the most recent measurement of each packet-transport traffic metric is not less than that traffic metric'"'"'s corresponding threshold.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a set of one or more packet-transport traffic metric thresholds, wherein each packet-transport traffic metric threshold corresponds to a respective packet-transport traffic metric in the set of one or more packet-transport traffic metrics,

wherein setting a DRCLock for at least one of the access terminals based at least in part on the one or more measured packet-transport traffic metrics comprises;

(a) receiving a DRC request from an access terminal, and responsively;

(b) determining whether a most-recent measurement of each packet-transport traffic metric is less than that metric'"'"'s corresponding threshold,

(c) setting a DRCLock for the access terminal in response to determining that the most recent measurement of at least one packet-transport traffic metric is not less than that traffic metric'"'"'s corresponding threshold.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein setting a DRCLock for at least one of the access terminals based at least in part on the one or more measured packet-transport traffic metrics comprises setting a DRCLock for a random selection of the access terminals.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein setting a DRCLock for at least one of the access terminals based at least in part on the one or more measured packet-transport traffic metrics comprises setting a DRCLock for those access terminals engaged in a certain type of packet-data communication.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the certain type of packet-data communication is best-efforts communication.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein setting a DRCLock for at least one of the access terminals based at least in part on the one or more measured packet-transport traffic metrics comprises setting a DRCLock for an access terminal based on a tier of service associated with the access terminal.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein setting a DRCLock for at least one of the access terminals based at least in part on the one or more measured packet-transport traffic metrics comprises setting a DRCLock for at least one of the access terminals based (a) at least in part on the one or more measured packet-transport traffic metrics and (b) at least in part on whether DRC requests from respective access terminals have been successfully received.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that each packet-transport traffic metric in the set of packet-transport traffic metrics has reverted below a respective threshold value for that metric, and responsively clearing at least one DRCLock for at least one of the access terminals.

23. An access node comprising:

a wireless-communication interface;

a backhaul connection;

a processor; and

data storage comprising instructions executable by the processor for carrying out functions including;

providing packet-data service to access terminals, wherein providing packet-data service to access terminals comprises (a) using the wireless-communication interface to provide wireless service over an air interface in a wireless coverage area portion of a network and (b) using the backhaul connection to provide transport service over a wireline portion of the network;

measuring, over at least the wireline portion of the network, each packet-transport traffic metric in a set of one or more packet-transport traffic metrics; and

setting a DRCLock for at least one of the access terminals based at least in part on the one or more measured packet-transport traffic metrics.