Excluding specific application traffic from customer consumption data

• US 8,793,714 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2012
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• 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:
  US13/342,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20130174186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 725/1, 725/5, 725/14, 725/25, 725/111
• US Class Current: 725/5
• 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 computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a content distribution device that delivers content to multiple customer premises, data packets having a destination address of a customer device, the content distribution device forwarding the data packets over a data link to the customer device via a first logical data service flow identifier of a plurality of logical data service flow identifiers;

examining packet headers of the data packets received at the content distribution device;

in response to identifying a stream of data packets including predetermined information indicating that transmission of the stream of data packets is to be excluded from a consumption-based data billing plan, forwarding the stream of data packets to the customer device via a second logical data service flow identifier instead of the first logical data service flow identifier; and

transmitting a usage record to a billing system that processes billing for the customer device, the usage record indicating a first data consumption count, the first data consumption count representing a billable conveyance of data over the data link to the customer device;

wherein the usage record indicates a second data consumption count of data forwarded via the second logical data service flow identifier;

wherein the billing system ignores the second data consumption count when processing data usage corresponding to the customer device, the usage record includes naming conventions to respectively identify each logical data service flow and wherein the billing system utilizes the naming conventions of respective logical data service flows to determine which data service flow to be counted or not towards data usage corresponding to the customer device;

the method further including;

assigning the stream of data packets the second logical data service flow identifier in response to detecting that the stream of data packets represents content that is alternatively available to the particular customer device as part of a cable service agreement, the second logical data service flow identifier indicating that the transmission of the data packets is not to be included as part of the first data consumption count; and

excluding the stream of data packets from the first data consumption count.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein forwarding the stream of data packets to the customer device via the second logical data service flow identifier instead of the first logical data service flow identifier includes forwarding the stream of data packets over the data link to a viewing application installed on the customer device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content distribution device provides both television content and Internet connectivity to the multiple customer premises using hybrid fiber coax (HFC) broadband network.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content distribution device provides both television content and Internet connectivity to the multiple customer premises.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the content distribution device, customer data packets having a source address of Customer-Premises Equipment (CPE) and received via the customer device, the content distribution device being configured to forward the customer data packets via the first logical data service flow identifier; and

in response to identifying customer data packets received from the customer device and having a destination address that matches an address from a predetermined set of addresses, forwarding the customer data packets via the second logical data service flow identifier instead of the first logical data service flow identifier.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content distribution device is a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS), and wherein the customer device is a customer cable modem.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the first logical data service flow identifier and second logical data service flow identifier are both established according to Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS).

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

in response to identifying a second stream of data packets having second predetermined information in the packet header, forwarding the second stream of data packets to the customer cable modem via a third logical data service flow identifier instead of the first logical data service flow identifier, the second predetermined information identifying server computers that provide a home security service via the customer cable modem, the home security service being excluded from a consumption-based data billing plan of the customer cable modem.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

in response to identifying that the customer cable modem is physically located within a first geographical region, adding additional addresses referenced by the predetermined information based on the first geographical region such that content transmitted from the additional address is forwarded via the second logical data service flow.

10. A computer-implemented method for managing billing of consumption-based data billing plans, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a billing system, a usage record indicating data usage corresponding to a customer device, the usage record logged by a content distribution device that provides Internet service to the customer device by forwarding data packets via logical data service flows, the usage record identifying a first amount of data traffic using a first logical data service flow identifier, the usage record identifying a second amount of data traffic using a second logical data service flow identifier, the content distribution device using the second logical data service flow identifier when forwarding a stream of data packets destined for the customer device and having a source address that matches an address from a predetermined set of addresses, the predetermined set of addresses corresponding to devices that serve television content, the billing system managing billing corresponding to the customer device having a consumption-based data billing plan;

calculating data usage for the consumption-based data billing plan, the calculated data usage including data counts from the first logical data service flow identifier and excluding data counts from the second logical data service flow identifier, the data counts from the first logical data service flow identifier representing an amount of data transmitted over a first flow, the data counts from the second logical data service flow representing an amount of data transmitted over a second flow;

wherein the billing system ignores the data counts from the second flow when processing data usage corresponding to the customer device, the usage record including naming conventions to respectively identify each logical data service flow and wherein the billing system utilizes the naming conventions of respective logical data service flows to determine which data service flow to be counted or not towards data usage corresponding to the customer device;

wherein the second amount of data traffic is assigned to the second flow in response to detecting that the second amount of data traffic represents content that is alternatively available to the customer device as part of a cable service agreement, assignment of the second logical data service flow identifier indicating that the transmission of the second amount of data traffic is not to be included as part of a billed data consumption count; and

excluding the second amount of data traffic from the billed data consumption count.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein a provider of television service is a same provider of television content transmitted via Internet service from the predetermined set of addresses.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the content distribution device uses a third logical data service flow identifier when forwarding a second stream of data packets destined for the customer device and having a source address that matches at least one address from a second predetermined set of addresses, instead of using the first logical data service flow identifier, the second predetermined set of IP addresses corresponding to server computers that provide a home security service corresponding to the customer device, the home security service being excluded from the consumption-based data billing plan.

13. A computer system for managing billing of consumption-based data billing plans, the computer system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform the operations of;

receiving, at a content distribution device that delivers content to multiple customer premises, data packets having a destination address of a customer device, the content distribution device being configured to forward the data packets to the customer device via a first logical data service flow identifier of a plurality of logical data service flow identifiers;

examining packet headers of the data packets received at the content distribution device;

in response to identifying a stream of data packets having predetermined information in the packet header, forwarding the stream of data packets to the customer device via a second logical data service flow identifier instead of the first logical data service flow identifier, the predetermined information identifying packets that are excluded from a consumption-based data billing plan; and

transmitting a usage record to a billing system that processes billing for the customer device, the usage record indicating a first data consumption count for at least one of the plurality of logical data service flow identifiers;

wherein the usage record indicates a second data consumption count of data forwarded via the second logical data service flow identifier;

wherein the billing system ignores the second data consumption count when processing data usage corresponding to the customer device, the usage record includes naming conventions to respectively identify each logical data service flow and wherein the billing system utilizes the naming conventions of respective logical data service flows to determine which data service flow to be counted or not towards data usage corresponding to the customer device;

assigning the stream of data packets the second logical data service flow identifier in response to detecting that the stream of data packets represents content that is alternatively available to the customer device as part of a cable service agreement, the second logical data service flow identifier indicating that the transmission of the data packets is not to be included as part of a billable data consumption count; and

excluding the stream of data packets from the billable data consumption count.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein forwarding the stream of data packets to the customer device via the second logical data service flow identifier instead of the first logical data service flow identifier includes forwarding the stream of data packets towards a television viewing application installed on a wireless tablet computer.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein a provider of television service is a same provider of television content transmitted via Internet service originating from a predetermined set of IP addresses;

and

wherein the first logical data service flow identifier and second logical data service flow identifier are both established according to Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS).