System and method for time shifting cellular data transfers

• US 9,641,642 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2015
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gopalakrishnan, Vijay, Erman, Jeffrey, Pang, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): MEW, KEVIN D
• Application Number:
  US14/693,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20160316390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, determining a deadline for completion of the transfer of the data content item to the mobile device. A set of locations of the mobile device is determined between the first time and the deadline, a candidate plurality of wireless base stations is identified, based on the forecasted plurality of locations, to wirelessly transfer a portion of the data content item to the mobile device during the time period. A utilization of a wireless base station of the candidate set of wireless base stations is forecasted during the time period, a transfer time is determined within the time period based on the forecasted utilization and the deadline, and the transfer time is provided to the mobile device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving a first request from a mobile device for a delayed transfer of a data content item to the mobile device, wherein the first request is received at a first time by way of a first cellular base station in wireless communication with the mobile device;

determining a deadline for completion of the delayed transfer of the data content item to the mobile device;

forecasting a plurality of locations of the mobile device during a time period between the first time and the deadline;

identifying, based on the plurality of locations, a plurality of candidate cellular base stations to wirelessly transfer a portion of the data content item to the mobile device during the time period;

forecasting a utilization of each cellular base station of the plurality of candidate cellular base stations during the time period to obtain a forecasted utilization;

determining a delayed transfer time within the time period based on the forecasted utilization and the deadline; and

providing the delayed transfer time to the mobile device, wherein a transfer of a first portion of the data content occurs through a first cellular base station of the plurality of candidate cellular base stations and a second portion of the data content occurs through a second cellular base station of the plurality of candidate cellular base stations.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the forecasting of the utilization of the candidate cellular base station is based on a utilization of the candidate cellular base station, a prior utilization of the candidate cellular base station or both, the operations further comprising:

identifying a candidate cellular base station of the plurality of cellular base stations based on the delayed transfer time;

determining congestion of the candidate cellular base station at the delayed transfer time; and

rescheduling the delayed transfer time to a later time, responsive to the congestion.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the determining of the delayed transfer time comprises:

determining a capacity limit of the candidate cellular base station;

comparing the forecasted utilization to the capacity limit at a plurality of times within the time period;

identifying a plurality of available capacities of the candidate cellular base station at the plurality of times based on the comparing of the forecasted utilization to the capacity limit;

comparing the plurality of available capacities to a data transfer requirement associated with the delayed transfer of the data content item; and

identifying a time of the plurality of times as the delayed transfer time, responsive to the comparing of the plurality of available capacities to the data transfer requirement.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the forecasting of the plurality of locations comprises predicting mobility of the mobile device between the first request and the deadline based on a stored record of a historical mobility of the mobile device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprises communicating with a policy and charging rules function, a charging enforcement function or both.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the forecasting of the utilization of the candidate cellular base station is performed for each cellular base station of the plurality of candidate cellular base stations, and wherein the forecasting of the utilization comprises identifying other delayed transfer times provided to transfer other data content items to other mobile devices during the time period, by way of the candidate cellular base station.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining an alternative delayed transfer time; and

providing the alternative delayed transfer time to the mobile device, wherein initiation of the delayed transfer of the data content item by the mobile device at the alternative delayed transfer time results in a completion of the delayed transfer of the data content item to the mobile device by the deadline.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an incentive to promote the delayed transfer of the data content item; and

tracking the delayed transfer of the data content item based on the incentive.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, a first request for a transfer of a data content item to a mobile device, wherein the first request is received at a first time by way of a first wireless base station in wireless communication with the mobile device;

determining, by the system, a deadline for completion of the transfer of the data content item to the mobile device;

forecasting, by the system, a plurality of locations of the mobile device during a time period between the first time and the deadline;

identifying, by the system, based on the plurality of locations, a candidate plurality of wireless base stations to wirelessly transfer a portion of the data content item to the mobile device during the time period;

forecasting, by the system, a utilization of a wireless base station of the candidate plurality of wireless base stations during the time period to obtain a forecasted utilization;

determining, by the system, a transfer time within the time period based on the forecasted utilization and the deadline; and

providing, by the system, the transfer time to the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the forecasting of the utilization of the candidate wireless base station is based on a utilization of the candidate wireless base station, a prior utilization of the candidate wireless base station or both.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining of the transfer time comprises:

determining, by the system, a capacity limit of the candidate wireless base station;

comparing, by the system, the forecasted utilization to the capacity limit at a plurality of times within the time period;

identifying, by the system, a plurality of available capacities of the candidate wireless base station at the plurality of times based on the comparing of the forecasted utilization to the capacity limit;

comparing, by the system, the plurality of available capacities to a data transfer requirement associated with the transfer of the data content item; and

identifying, by the system, a time of the plurality of times as the transfer time, responsive to the comparing of the plurality of available capacities to the data transfer requirement.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the forecasting of the location comprises predicting the location at a forecast time of day, day of week, or both based on a historical location of the mobile device at the time of day, day of week or both obtained from stored record of the historical location of the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining of the deadline comprising obtaining the deadline from the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the forecasting of the utilization of the candidate wireless base station comprises identifying other transfer times provided to transfer other data content items to other mobile devices during the time period, by way of the candidate wireless base station.

15. A non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving a first request from a mobile device for a transfer of a data content item to the mobile device before a time limit, wherein the first request is received at a first time by way of a first base station in wireless communication with the mobile device;

forecasting a plurality of locations of the mobile device during a time period between the first time and the time limit;

identifying based on the plurality of locations, a candidate plurality of base stations to wirelessly transfer a portion of the data content item to the mobile device during the time period;

forecasting a utilization of a base station of the plurality of candidate base stations during the time period to obtain a forecasted utilization;

determining a transfer time within the time period based on the forecasted utilization; and

providing, the transfer time to the mobile device.

16. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the forecasting of the utilization of the candidate base station is based on a utilization of the candidate base station, a prior utilization of the candidate base station or both.

17. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the determining of the transfer time comprises:

determining a capacity limit of the candidate base station;

comparing the forecasted utilization to the capacity limit at a plurality of times within the time period;

identifying a plurality of available capacities of the candidate base station at the plurality of times based on the comparing of the forecasted utilization to the capacity limit;

comparing the plurality of available capacities to a data transfer requirement associated with the transfer of the data content item; and

identifying a time of the plurality of times as the transfer time, responsive to the comparing of the plurality of available capacities to the data transfer requirement.

18. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the forecasting of the location comprises predicting the location at a forecast time of day, day of week or both based on a historical stored record of a historical location of the mobile device.

19. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the determining of the time limit comprising obtaining the time limit from the mobile device.

20. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the forecasting of the utilization of the candidate base station comprises including other transfer times provided to transfer other data content items to other mobile devices during the time period, by way of the candidate base station.