Systems and methods for allocating and pricing alternative network access resources with reserve prices
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising, by at least one hardware processor:
- receiving, from each of a plurality of parties, an offloading demand for future access to an alternative network;
receiving, from each of a plurality of providers of access to the alternative network, a reserve price for access to a plurality of access points in the alternative network that are provided by the provider;
for reservations within a short-term future time span, allocating and pricing reservations of the plurality of access points, provided by the plurality of providers, to the plurality of parties by solving a mixed integer program using a Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) mechanism;
for reservations within a long-term future time span that is further in the future than the short-term future time span, allocating and pricing reservations of the plurality of access points, provided by the plurality of providers, to the plurality of parties by solving a mixed integer program using core-selecting combinatorial auctions; and
,for each reservation, at the time of that reservation, offloading one or more mobile devices, that are communicatively connected to a primary network of the party to which that reservation was allocated, from the primary network to the reserved access point of the alternative network.
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Abstract
A method for allocating and pricing access to alternative access networks may include: inputting, by one or more parties, needs for alternative network access and representative values for satisfying the needs; setting, by providers of alternative network access, reserve prices for access to each of access point in the alternative network; generating a solution based on a mixed integer program to maximize value created by allocation of alternative network access; and allocating alternative network access to the one or more parties based on the mixed integer program solution.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method comprising, by at least one hardware processor:
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receiving, from each of a plurality of parties, an offloading demand for future access to an alternative network; receiving, from each of a plurality of providers of access to the alternative network, a reserve price for access to a plurality of access points in the alternative network that are provided by the provider; for reservations within a short-term future time span, allocating and pricing reservations of the plurality of access points, provided by the plurality of providers, to the plurality of parties by solving a mixed integer program using a Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) mechanism; for reservations within a long-term future time span that is further in the future than the short-term future time span, allocating and pricing reservations of the plurality of access points, provided by the plurality of providers, to the plurality of parties by solving a mixed integer program using core-selecting combinatorial auctions; and
,for each reservation, at the time of that reservation, offloading one or more mobile devices, that are communicatively connected to a primary network of the party to which that reservation was allocated, from the primary network to the reserved access point of the alternative network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system comprising:
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at least one hardware processor; and one or more software modules that, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, receive, from each of a plurality of parties, an offloading demand for future access to an alternative network, receive, from each of a plurality of providers of access to the alternative network, a reserve price for access to a plurality of access points in the alternative network that are provided by the provider, for reservations within a short-term future time span, allocate and price reservations of the plurality of access points, provided by the plurality of providers, to the plurality of parties by solving a mixed integer program using a Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) mechanism, for reservations within a long-term future time span that is further in the future than the short-term future time span, allocate and price reservations of the plurality of access points, provided by the plurality of providers, to the plurality of parties by solving a mixed integer program using core-selecting combinatorial auctions, and, for each reservation, at the time of that reservation, offload one or more mobile devices, that are communicatively connected to a primary network of the party to which that reservation was allocated, from the primary network to the reserved access point of the alternative network. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
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receive, from each of a plurality of parties, an offloading demand for future access to an alternative network; receive, from each of a plurality of providers of access to the alternative network, a reserve price for access to a plurality of access points in the alternative network that are provided by the provider; for reservations within a short-term future time span, allocate and price reservations of the plurality of access points, provided by the plurality of providers, to the plurality of parties by solving a mixed integer program using a Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) mechanism; for reservations within a long-term future time span that is further in the future than the short-term future time span, allocate and price reservations of the plurality of access points, provided by the plurality of providers, to the plurality of parties by solving a mixed integer program using core-selecting combinatorial auctions; and
,for each reservation, at the time of that reservation, offload one or more mobile devices, that are communicatively connected to a primary network of the party to which that reservation was allocated, from the primary network to the reserved access point of the alternative network. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification