Method and apparatus for extending service capabilities in a communication network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11271803-B2
Application number	US-201916376769-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2019
Priority date	Sep 20, 2016
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method including selecting a solution set of devices from a set of candidate devices connected to a network to provide a service via a virtual device, generating a virtual finite state machine to control execution of the required functions of the virtual device via selected capabilities of each device of the solution set of devices transmitting, to a controller device of the solution set of devices, the virtual finite state machine, wherein execution of the virtual finite state machine by the controller device causes the controller device to control the required functions of the virtual device via the selected capabilities of each device of the solution set of devices, and transmitting, to non-controller devices of the solution set of devices, software data and configuration data, wherein execution of the software data at the non-controller devices according to the configuration data causes the non-controller devices to perform the selected capabilities according to signals sent by the controller device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
selecting a solution set of devices from a set of candidate devices to provide a service to a communication device via a virtual device by comparing, using a device-capability matrix, capabilities of each device of the set of candidate devices with a set of required functions of the virtual device capable to provide the service, wherein a vector of the device-capability matrix represents the set of required functions, wherein the communication device is connected to a network;
assigning selected capabilities of each device in the solution set of devices to perform the required functions of the virtual device, wherein in accordance with a plurality of devices of the solution set of devices having capability to perform a function of the set of required functions, the assigning is performed based on an assignment policy including criteria associated with that function;
generating a virtual finite state machine for controlling the required functions of the virtual device via the selected capabilities of each device of the solution set of devices, wherein each device in the solution set of devices comprises a finite state machine, wherein execution of the virtual finite state machine by a controller device causes the controller device to send a message to each finite state machine of respective devices of the solution set of devices to control the performance of the required functions of the virtual device via the selected capabilities of each device of the solution set of devices, wherein at a beginning of a startup sequence of the virtual device, each finite state machine of the respective devices of the solution set of devices is in a known initial state; and
generating software data and configuration data for the solution set of devices to enable the virtual finite state machine to control execution of the required functions by the solution set of devices, wherein execution of the software data according to the configuration data causes non-controller devices of the solution set of devices to perform the selected capabilities according to signals from the controller device.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise determining the capabilities of each device of the set of candidate devices connected to the network.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise transmitting the virtual finite state machine to the controller device of the solution set of devices.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise transmitting the software data and the configuration data to the non-controller devices of the solution set of devices.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining whether a second device of the set of candidate devices fails to satisfy a constraint characteristic associated with a quality of the service; and
eliminating the second device of the set of candidate devices prior to selecting the solution set of devices from the set of candidate devices responsive to the determining that the second device fails to satisfy the constraint characteristic.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the set of candidate devices comprises a previously-constructed virtual device corresponding to a known solution set.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving a request for the service from the communication device; and
determining that the communication device is not capable of providing the service.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the controller device determines that the service is completed, and wherein the controller device transmits a message to the non-controller devices of the solution set of devices to command the non-controller devices to be released from the virtual device responsive to determining that the service is completed.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise detecting a plurality of devices connected to the network to identify the set of candidate devices.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the detecting the plurality of devices connected to the network to identify the set of candidate devices further comprises searching the network for the plurality of devices via a search protocol, receiving signals from the plurality of devices to detect the plurality of devices, identifying registration of the plurality of devices to the network, or any combination thereof.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the selecting the solution set of devices is further according to a selection policy including criteria applied to the solution set of devices to reduce network distances, minimize device count, minimize service cost, maximize total capabilities, maximize data speeds, target preferred locations, or any combination thereof.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the criteria of the assignment policy are applied to assignments of the selected capabilities to the required functions of the virtual device to maximize service performance, minimize service cost, enhance user interaction, or any combination thereof.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the controller device of the solution set of devices presents a user interface to control the service of the virtual device.

14. A system comprising:
a controller device, the controller device comprising:
a processing system including a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving, from a server, a virtual finite state machine for controlling required functions of a virtual device for providing a service to a communication device connected to a network via selected capabilities of each device of a solution set of devices, wherein the solution set of devices is selected in a selecting procedure by the server from a set of candidate devices connected to the network by comparing, using a device-capability matrix, capabilities of each device of the set of candidate devices with a set of required functions of the virtual device, wherein a vector of the device-capability matrix represents the set of required functions, wherein the selected capabilities of each device in the solution set of devices are assigned in an assignment procedure to perform the required functions of the virtual device, wherein in accordance with a plurality of devices of the solution set of devices having capability to perform a function of the set of required functions, the assignment procedure is performed based on an assignment policy including criteria associated with that function; and
executing the virtual finite state machine to generate control signals for facilitating performance of the required functions of the virtual device via the selected capabilities of each device of the solution set of devices, wherein each device of the solution set of devices comprises a finite state machine, wherein the control signals are sent to the finite state machines of respective devices of the solution set of devices to control the performance of the required

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Cartaya Julio
• Higgins Robert M

Classifications

• H04L41/0803 Primary

  Configuration setting · CPC title

• H04L41/122

  of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV] · CPC title

• H04L41/40

  using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities · CPC title

• H04L41/0895 Primary

  Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements · CPC title

• H04L41/0893

  Assignment of logical groups to network elements · CPC title