Enhanced U-verse / DSL internet services

• US 10,305,774 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Viox, Alexander, Alam, Iftekhar, Ho, Ming-Ju
• Primary Examiner(s): Skripnikov, Alex
• Application Number:
  US15/613,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20180351844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0236 radio quality, e.g. interference, losses or delay
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and apparatuses for dynamically enhancing a first network bandwidth with bandwidth available in one or more other networks based on user bandwidth needs and network bandwidth availability. A gateway apparatus is disclosed that may monitor the user desired bandwidth, determine that the desired bandwidth is greater than a first threshold bandwidth (e.g., a first network digital subscriber line (DSL) service bandwidth), activate a connection to a second network (e.g., a Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobility network), derive the second network available bandwidth, and use at least a portion of the second network available bandwidth with the first network bandwidth to provide at least a portion of the desired bandwidth (e.g., improve user Internet speed). Thus, the gateway apparatus may enhance the first network bandwidth only when needed and may avoid negatively impacting the second network by only using the second network connection to transfer data if the second network has bandwidth available.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically enhancing a first network bandwidth, the method comprising:

monitoring, by an apparatus, for a desired bandwidth;

determining, by the apparatus, that the desired bandwidth is greater than a first threshold bandwidth;

determining, by the apparatus, that a time period recorded by a timer is greater than a first threshold time;

based on the desired bandwidth being greater than the first threshold bandwidth and based on the time period recorded by a timer is greater than the first threshold time, activating, by the apparatus, a connection to a second network;

subsequent to connecting with the second network, deriving, by the apparatus, a second network available bandwidth; and

based on the derived second network available bandwidth, using, by the apparatus, the first network bandwidth and at least a portion of the second network available bandwidth to provide at least a portion of the desired bandwidth.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first threshold bandwidth is the first network bandwidth.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein deriving the second network available bandwidth further comprises receiving, by the apparatus, information identifying the second network available bandwidth.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically adjusting, by the apparatus, the at least a portion of the second network available bandwidth, based on the desired bandwidth and the second network available bandwidth.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the apparatus, that the desired bandwidth is less than the first threshold bandwidth; and

deactivating, by the apparatus, the connection to the second network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the apparatus, that the second network available bandwidth is less than a second network threshold value; and

deactivating, by the apparatus, the connection to the second network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second network threshold value is a predetermined amount of second network resources.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein using the first network bandwidth and the at least a portion of the second network bandwidth further comprises downloading and storing data in a data buffer, and providing the at least a portion of the desired bandwidth further comprises transferring the data from the data buffer.

9. A gateway apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

monitoring for a desired bandwidth;

determining that the desired bandwidth is greater than a first threshold bandwidth;

determining that a time period recorded by a timer is greater than a first threshold time;

based on the desired bandwidth being greater than the first threshold bandwidth and based on the time period recorded by a timer is greater than the first threshold time, activating a connection to a second network;

subsequent to connecting with the second network, deriving a second network available bandwidth; and

using a first network bandwidth and at least a portion of the second network available bandwidth to provide at least a portion of the desired bandwidth.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first threshold bandwidth is the first network bandwidth.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, further operations comprising:

dynamically adjusting the at least a portion of the second network available bandwidth, based on the desired bandwidth and the second network available bandwidth.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, further operations comprising:

determining that the first threshold bandwidth is greater than the desired bandwidth; and

deactivating the connection to the second network.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, further operations comprising:

determining that the second network available bandwidth is less than a second network threshold value; and

deactivating the connection to the second network.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein using the first network bandwidth and the at least a portion of the second network bandwidth further comprises downloading and storing data in a data buffer, and providing the at least a portion of the desired bandwidth further comprises transferring the data from the data buffer.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the data is downloaded via the connection to the second network.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, further operations comprising:

activating a connection to a third network;

deriving a third network available bandwidth; and

using at least a portion of the third network available bandwidth with the first network bandwidth and the at least a portion of the second network available bandwidth to provide at least a portion of the desired bandwidth.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein prior to the operation of activating the connection to the third network, further operations comprise determining that the desired bandwidth is greater than a combined bandwidth comprising the first network bandwidth and the at least a portion of the second network available bandwidth.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further operations comprising:

determining that the third network available bandwidth is less than a third network threshold value; and

deactivating the connection to the third network.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein using at least a portion of the third network available bandwidth further comprises downloading data via the connection to the third network and storing the data in a data buffer, and providing at least a portion of the desired bandwidth further comprises transferring data from the data buffer.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further operations comprising:

determining that the desired bandwidth is less than a combined bandwidth comprising the first network bandwidth and the at least a portion of the second network bandwidth; and

deactivating the connection to the third network.