Methods and apparatus for bandwidth recovery in a network

• US 9,161,065 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2012
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Brooks, Paul D., Gonder, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US13/632,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20130097647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 725/95, 725114-118
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for recovery and/or utilization of bandwidth within a network. In one embodiment, the network comprises a switched architecture (e.g., broadcast switched) content-delivery network such as a cable television network. Reclamation, overflow, and/or triage logical processes are selectively applied in order to more efficiently manage bandwidth utilization within the network while maintaining user experience, and optionally achieve one or more business and/or operational goals.

Claims

1. A method of managing bandwidth usage of a plurality of program streams in a content delivery network, said method comprising:

receiving, via said network, one or more requests for individual ones of said plurality of program streams;

based at least in part on said one or more requests, determining, at a stream management entity of said network, a future time at which said individual ones of said plurality of program streams are predicted to be requested; and

binding said individual ones of said plurality of program streams to a session at a present time for delivery at said future time;

wherein said binding corrects at least one bandwidth deficiency associated with servicing one or more requests substantially instantaneously while maintaining a current program stream load at said future time and said binding of said individual ones of said plurality of program streams to said session at said present time for delivery at said future time occurs despite a determination of an immediate bandwidth deficiency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more bandwidth deficiencies result when an amount of available contiguous frequency domain bandwidth is below a predetermined threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising reclamation of bandwidth via relocating individual ones of said plurality of program streams to correct said at least one bandwidth deficiency associated with servicing said one or more requests.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said bandwidth reclamation comprises identifying and consolidating fragmented bandwidth.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said one or more relocated program streams are selected for relocation based on a priority scheme comprising a program grade of service associated with said individual ones of said plurality of program streams.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said priority scheme further comprises a service level of a plurality of tuners associated with said individual ones of said plurality of program streams.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said one or more requests are associated with at least one tuner associated to a premium service level.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said network comprises a broadcast switched architecture based network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said individual ones of said plurality of program streams comprise a high-definition video (HDV) stream.

10. A network server apparatus configured to manage bandwidth usage of a plurality of program streams in a content delivery network, said network server apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a storage device operatively coupled to said processor; and

at least one computer process disposed on said storage device, said at least one computer process comprising a plurality of instructions configured to, when executed;

maintain active connections for a plurality of first program streams, said first program streams having a first stream state, said first stream state indicative that each tuner tuned to said first program streams is not actively tuned thereto based on a last user action value thereof compared to a time out value;

receive a request for delivery of one or more second program streams from a client device;

based at least in part on said request, invoke a bandwidth reclamation process comprising teardown of a stream of said first program streams for which said last user action value is oldest;

based at least in part on said bandwidth reclamation process allocate said request for said delivery of said one or more second program streams.

11. The network server apparatus of claim 10, wherein said allocation is performed substantially in response to said request.

12. The network server apparatus of claim 10, wherein said network comprises a broadcast switched content delivery network having a plurality of switches disposed at respective ones of switching hubs, said network server apparatus being adapted to control at least a portion of an operation of at least one of said switches.

13. The network server apparatus of claim 10, wherein said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed, utilize at least one scheme to determine a hierarchy based on priority levels of said plurality of first and second program streams.

14. The network server apparatus of claim 13, wherein said at least one scheme is based at least in part on a last user action associated with each of said plurality of first and second program streams.

15. The network server apparatus of claim 13, wherein said at least one scheme is based at least in part a service level of one or more tuners associated with respective ones of said plurality of first and second program streams.

16. The network server apparatus of claim 10, wherein said network server apparatus is in operative communication with a global session resource manager (GSRM) of said network so as to receive global bandwidth allocation assignments.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable apparatus configured to store at least one computer program thereon, said at least one computer program configured to manage bandwidth usage of a plurality of program streams in a content delivery network, said at least one computer program comprising a plurality of instructions configured to, when executed:

process a request for high-priority content from a client device;

determine whether a grant associated with said request would result in at least one bandwidth deficiency;

determine a priority level for each of a plurality of active program streams;

identify at least one lowest priority active program stream;

cause relocation of said at least one lowest priority program stream, said relocation configured to allow said request for said high-priority content to be granted; and

continue to deliver said high-priority content despite a determination that no tuners are currently tuned to said high-priority content;

wherein said determination of said priority level comprises a query of a user associated with each of said plurality of active program stream streams in order to determine actual viewership thereof, said identification of said at least one lowest priority active program steam being based at least in part on a response to said query.

18. The computer-readable apparatus of claim 17, wherein said determination of a priority level comprises a determination of at least one of a program grade of service and a tuner grade of service for one or more of said plurality of active program streams.

19. The computer-readable apparatus of claim 18, wherein said tuner grade of service is associated with at least one of said plurality of active program stream comprising a premium service level.