Devices, methods, and computer-readable media for providing quality of service optimization via policy-based rearrangements

• US 8,615,575 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2008
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aaron, Jeffrey, Streijl, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAW, PELING ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US12/253,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20100100613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,895 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/226, 455/453, 379/230, 379/395.21
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements

Abstract

Devices, methods and computer-readable media for providing quality of service optimization via policy-based rearrangements. Customers are grouped for potential rearrangement. Multiple alternative options are generated for a particular group using policy rules. Policy rules for the particular group are used to evaluate each option using common metrics. Policy rules are used to select a best option for the particular group. The best option for the particular group is implemented.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a controller; and

memory, coupled to the controller, the memory having executable instructions stored thereon that when executed by the controller cause the controller to effectuate operations comprising;

grouping customers for rearrangement, wherein groupings comprise users in a home, business location, users in a neighborhood, users in a collections of neighborhoods, users in a metro area, and users in a region;

generating multiple alternative options for a particular group using policy rules;

using policy rules for the particular group to evaluate each option using common metrics, the common metrics comprising a measure of performance based on connectivity, a measure of performance based on bandwidth, a measure of performance based on a specific quality of service, a measure of performance based on delay, and a measure of performance based on jitter;

using policy rules to select the best option for the particular group, wherein the best option for the particular group comprises at least one of moving a call connected to a cellular network to a WIFI network or moving a call connected to a WIFI network to a cellular network; and

implementing the best option for the particular group.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises policy rules and metric-related thresholds for at least one user profile.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the at least one user profile comprises user profiles obtained from at least one of:

a user policy system;

or

a system that supports profiling from a sign-up process.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the at least one user profile comprises information about customers and information about the customer groups.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein users share service provider resources.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the policy rules include at least one of rearranged resources, parameter changes, connection changes, or network routing changes.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein metrics comprise at least one of basic performance measures, QoS-specific measures, values of determined metrics, estimations, algorithms, modeling, or simulations.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein metric values are combined using a weighted summation to obtain an overall rating for each rearrangement option.

9. A tangible computer-readable storage medium having executable instructions stored thereon that when executed by a processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising:

storing user profiles;

grouping customers for potential rearrangement, wherein the grouping customers for potential rearrangement comprises grouping users in a home, users in a business location, users in a neighborhood, users in a collections of neighborhoods, users in a metro area, and users in a region;

generating multiple alternative options for a particular group using policy rules;

using policy rules for the particular group to evaluate each option using common metrics, the common metrics comprising a measure of performance based on connectivity, a measure of performance based on bandwidth, a measure of performance based on a specific quality of service, a measure of performance based on delay, and a measure of performance based on jitter;

using policy rules to select a best option for the particular group, wherein the best option for the particular group comprises at least one of moving a call connected to a cellular network to a WIFI network or moving a call connected to a WIFI network to a cellular network; and

implementing the best option for the particular group.

10. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the storing further comprises storing policy rules and metric-related thresholds for at least one user profile.

11. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one user profile comprises user profiles obtained from at least one of:

a user policy system;

or

a system that supports profiling from a sign-up process.

12. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one user profile further comprises information about customers and the customer groups.

13. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein users share service provider resources.

14. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the policy rules comprise at least one of rearranged resources, parameter changes, connection changes, or network routing changes.

15. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein metrics comprise at least one of basic performance measures, QoS-specific measures, values of determined metrics, estimations, algorithms, modeling, or simulations.

16. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the operations further comprising combining metric values using a weighted summation to obtain an overall rating for each rearrangement option.

17. A method comprising:

storing user profiles in a computer memory;

grouping customers for rearrangement, wherein groupings include users in a home, users in a business location, users in a neighborhood, users in a collections of neighborhoods, users in a metro area, and users in a region;

generating multiple alternative options for a particular group using policy rules;

using policy rules for the particular group to evaluate each option using common metrics, the common metrics comprising a measure of performance based on connectivity, a measure of performance based on bandwidth, a measure of performance based on a specific quality of service, a measure of performance based on delay, and a measure of performance based on jitter;

using policy rules to select a best option for the particular group, wherein the best option for the particular group comprises at least one of moving a call connected to a cellular network to a WIFI network or moving a call connected to a WIFI network to a cellular network; and

implementing the best option for the particular group.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the storing further comprises storing at least one of policy rules, customer and customer group data, metric-related thresholds for each user profile, or obtained user profiles.