Dynamic allocation and virtualization of network resources in the access network and in customer networks

• US 9,699,003 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2014
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Inventors: Lange, Christoph, Kosiankowski, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcelo, Melvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Solinsky, Peter G
• Application Number:
  US14/538,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20150131679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: 370468
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/64 Hybrid switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0833 for reduction of network energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/04 Traffic adaptive resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method of dynamically allocating network resources in an access network and a customer network includes: determining, by a control unit, positions of all users of the customer network; bringing, by the control unit, the customer network and/or a component of the customer network into a first predefined state, based on determining that no user of the customer network is checked in to the customer network; and reallocating, by the control unit, an access port of an access multiplexer assigned to the customer network to an access network resource pool, based on determining that no user of the customer network is checked in to the customer network.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically allocating network resources in an access network and a customer network, comprising:

determining, by a central control unit at a data center, positions of all users of the customer network;

determining, by the central control unit, that no user of the customer network is checked in to the customer network based on the determined positions of all users of the customer network as being away from the customer network; and

in response to determining that no user of the customer network is checked in to the customer network;

bringing, by the central control unit, the customer network and/or a component of the customer network into a first predefined state; and

deallocating, by the central control unit, an access port of an access multiplexer assigned to the customer network and transferring the deallocated access port to an access network resource pool, wherein the access network resource pool comprises one or more unallocated access ports usable for access lines corresponding to customer networks.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a user of the customer network has returned to the customer network;

in response to determining that the user of the customer network has returned;

allocating a new access port to the customer network from the access network resource pool; and

bringing the customer network and/or a component of the customer network into a second predefined state.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transferring a preset incoming or outgoing communication request and/or a service request of a user of the customer network to a mobile communication device of the user, based on the user not being checked in to the customer network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transferring a preset incoming or outgoing communication request and/or a service request of a user of the customer network to a virtual instance, based on the user not being checked in to the customer network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

allocating the deallocated access port from the access network resource pool to another customer network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating and/or providing additional resources in a mobile radio network, based on a user not being checked in to the customer network but checked in to the mobile radio network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

load-adaptive switching and/or transferring network capacity in all network sections of the access network, the access network comprising a core network, on the basis of currently available capacity;

wherein the currently available capacity is determined taking into account allocated and/or deallocated access ports of at least one customer network and/or taking into account users checked in to the access network but not checked in to the at least one customer network.

8. A system for dynamically allocating network resources in an access network and a customer network, comprising a central control unit at a data center, the central control unit comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the processor is configured to execute the processor-executable instructions to facilitate:

determining positions of all users of the customer network;

determining that no user of the customer network is checked in to the customer network based on the determined positions of all users of the customer network as being away from the customer network; and

in response to determining that no use of the customer network is checked in to the customer network;

bringing the customer network and/or a component of the customer network into a first predefined state; and

deallocating an access port of an access multiplexer assigned to the customer network and transferring the deallocated access sort to an access network resource pool, wherein the access network resource pool comprises one or more unallocated access ports usable for access lines corresponding to customer networks.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, further facilitate:

determining that a user of the customer network has returned to the customer network;

in response to determining that the user of the customer network has returned;

allocating a new access port to the customer network from the access network resource pool; and

bringing the customer network and/or a component of the customer network into a second predefined state.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, further facilitate:

transferring a preset incoming or outgoing communication request and/or a service request of a user of the customer network to a mobile communication device of the user, if the user is not checked in to the customer network.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, further facilitate:

transferring a preset incoming or outgoing communication request and/or a service request of a user of the customer network to a virtual instance, if the user is not checked in to the customer network.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, further facilitate:

allocating the deallocated access port from the access network resource pool to another customer network.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor executable instructions, when executed, further facilitate:

activating and/or providing additional resources in a mobile radio network, if a user is not checked in to a customer network but is checked in to the mobile radio network.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, further facilitate:

load-adaptive switching and/or transferring network capacity in all network sections of the access network, the access network comprising a core network, on the basis of currently available capacity,

wherein the currently available capacity is determined taking into account allocated and/or deallocated access ports of at least one customer network and/or taking into account users checked in to the access network but not checked in to the at least one customer network.

15. A non-transitory processor-readable medium of a central control unit at a data center having processor-executable instructions stored thereon for dynamically allocating network resources in an access network and a customer network, the processor-executable instructions, when executed by a processor, facilitating performance of the following:

determining positions of all users of the customer network;

determining that no user of the customer network is checked in to the customer network based on the determined positions of all users of the customer network as being away from the customer network; and

in response to determining that no user of the customer network is checked in to the customer network;

bringing the customer network and/or a component of the customer network into a first predefined state, based on determining that no user of the customer network is checked in to the customer network; and

deallocating an access port of an access multiplexer assigned to the customer network and transferring the deallocated access port to an access network resource pool, wherein the access network resource pool comprises one or more unallocated access ports usable for access lines corresponding to customer networks.