Excluding specific application traffic from customer consumption data

• US 10,219,016 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2018
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kelsen, Michael S., Nakhre, Tushar, Huang, Shan, Danforth, Andrew, Pfeffer, Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US15/896,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20180176620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1435 volume-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/60 based on actual use of network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/266 Channel or content management, e.g. generation and management of keys and entitlement messages in a conditional access system, merging a VOD unicast channel into a multicast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6402 Address allocation for clients address allocation in data networks H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

Techniques disclosed herein include systems and methods for excluding specific application traffic from customer consumption-based data billing counts. This is useful for excluding traffic from consumption totals where the application traffic has been accounted for using other means, such as through billing as a separate or technically distinct service. In practice, a tablet computer (or other end user device) can run a video application that uses a high-speed data network via a cable modem. This video application may be included as part of a core video package associated with a distinct cable television service. The system then provides accurate consumption billing of customer traffic that is outside of any other managed services by creating separate logical data service flows at a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) for excluding specific traffic counts.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving first data packets over a communication link from a first source, the first data packets destined for delivery to a communication device operated by a user in a network environment, the first data packets assigned delivery information to facilitate conveyance of the first data packets over the communication link to the communication device;

examining the delivery information assigned to the first data packets to control delivery of the first data packets, the delivery information indicating that the first data packets are received from the first source; and

in response to detecting that the first data packets are received from the first source and that communications from the first source are to be excluded from a data delivery count representing a amount of data conveyed to the communication device over the communication link on behalf of the user, communicating the first data packets over a data flow that is not counted in the data delivery count assigned to the user.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein content in the first data packets is alternatively available to the user over the communication link from a second source.

3. The method as in claim 2, wherein the first data packets are excluded from the data delivery count assigned to the user since the content is available to the user over the communication link from the second source.

4. The method as in claim 3, wherein the data flow is a first data flow:

wherein the user subscribes to a first service from a service provider to have access to the Internet over the first data flow of the communication link; and

wherein the user subscribes to a second service from the service provider to receive the content over a second data flow of the communication link from the second source.

5. The method as in claim 2 further comprising:

providing the user use of the communication link as part of subscription services in which the user, via the subscription services, is able to retrieve content from both the first source and the second source.

6. The method as in claim 5, wherein the data flow is a first data flow:

wherein the subscription services support conveyance of data over the first data flow and a second data flow, conveyance of data over the first data flow excluded from billable content consumption by the user, conveyance of data over the second data flow included in billable content consumption by the user.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the data flow is a first data flow:

wherein the content is available to the user over the first data flow of the communication link from the first source based on a first service agreement between the service provider and the user; and

wherein the content is available to the user over a second data flow of the communication link from a second source based on a second service agreement between the service provider and the user.

8. The method as in claim 7, wherein the first data packets are excluded from inclusion in the data delivery count assigned to the user since the content is available to the user from the second source.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the data delivery count represents a billable data count in which the user pays a supplemental fee to retrieve data over the communication link.

10. The method as in claim 1, wherein examining the delivery information includes obtaining a network address indicating the first source from which the data packets are transmitted to the communication device.

11. The method as in claim 1, wherein the data delivery information is a tag assigned to the first data packets;

and

wherein examining the delivery information assigned to the first data packets includes;

detecting that the tag assigned to the first data packets indicates to communicate the first data packets over the data flow that is not counted in the data delivery count.

12. The method as in claim 1, wherein examining the delivery information assigned to the first data packets includes:

retrieving a source network address from the data delivery information, the source network address assigned to the first data packets; and

checking whether the source network address is present in a network address list.

13. The method as in claim 1, wherein the data delivery information includes a network address assigned to the first source from which the first data packets originate.

14. The method as in claim 1, wherein the data flow is a first data flow;

and

wherein the first data packets are originally destined for delivery over a second data flow of the communication link in which data packets are counted in the data delivery count.

15. The method as in claim 1, wherein the content in the first data packets is alternatively available to the user over the communication link via a cable television service.

16. The method as in claim 1, wherein the data flow conveys Internet data.

17. The method as in claim 1, wherein the data flow is a first data flow;

and

wherein communicating the first data packets over the first data flow includes redirecting the first data packets from a second data flow to the first data flow.

18. The method as in claim 1, wherein the first data packets are Internet data packets excluded from the data delivery count.

19. The method as in claim 1, wherein the data delivery count indicates traffic billed to the user as part of a content consumption plan.

20. A system comprising;

a communication link; and

communication hardware operable to provide a communication device operated by a user access to multiple content delivery sources over the communication link, the communication hardware operable to;

receive first data packets from a first source of the multiple content delivery sources, the first data packets destined for delivery to the communication device operated by the user, the first data packets assigned delivery information to facilitate conveyance of the first data packets over the communication link to the communication device;

examine the delivery information assigned to the first data packets to control delivery of the first data packets, the delivery information indicating that the first data packets are received from the first source; and

in response to detecting that the first data packets are received from the first source and that communications from the first source are to be excluded from a data delivery count representing a amount of data conveyed to the communication device over the communication link on behalf of the user, communicate the first data packets over a data flow that is not counted in the data delivery count assigned to the user.

21. The system as in claim 20, wherein content in the first data packets is alternatively available to the user over the communication link from a second source of the multiple content delivery sources.

22. The system as in claim 21, wherein the first data packets are excluded from the data delivery count assigned to the user since the content is available to the user over the communication link from the second source.

23. The system as in claim 21, wherein the data flow is a first data flow:

wherein the content is available to the user over the first data flow of the communication link from the first source based on a first service agreement between the service provider and the user; and

wherein the content is available to the user over a second data flow of the communication link from a second source based on a second service agreement between the service provider and the user.

24. The system as in claim 21, wherein the communication hardware is further operable to:

provide the user use of the communication link as part of subscription services in which the user, via the subscription services, is able to retrieve content from both the first source and the second source.

25. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when carried out by computer processor hardware, cause the computer processor hardware to:

receive first data packets over a communication link from a first source, the first data packets destined for delivery to a communication device operated by a user in a network environment, the first data packets assigned delivery information to facilitate conveyance of the first data packets over the communication link to the communication device;

examine the delivery information assigned to the first data packets to control delivery of the first data packets, the delivery information indicating that the first data packets are received from the first source; and

in response to detecting that the first data packets are received from the first source and that communications from the first source are to be excluded from a data delivery count representing a amount of data conveyed to the communication device over the communication link on behalf of the user, communicate the first data packets over a data flow that is not counted in the data delivery count assigned to the user.