Enhanced network with data flow differentiation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12143306-B2
Application number	US-202318155488-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2023
Priority date	Feb 11, 2021
Publication date	Nov 12, 2024
Grant date	Nov 12, 2024

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, receiving information about a data flow for radio communication between the radio access network and user equipment, classifying the data flow as one of a large data flow and a small data flow, adjusting priority of the data flow by reducing relative priority of the data flow responsive to classifying the data flow as a large data flow, and communicating data including the data flow between the radio access network and the user equipment according to the adjusted priority. Other embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
assigning, by a processing system including a processor, a priority to each respective data traffic flow of a plurality of data traffic flows, wherein the plurality of data traffic flows are received at a radio access network, wherein the each respective data traffic flow is for radio communication between the radio access network and respective user equipment, wherein the each respective data traffic flow can be classified as a large data traffic flow or a small data traffic flow, wherein the assigning the priority comprises assigning a relatively lower priority to the each respective data traffic flow responsive to a classifying of the each respective data traffic flow as a large data traffic flow and assigning a relatively higher priority to the each respective data traffic flow responsive to a classifying of the each respective data traffic flow as a small data traffic flow, wherein the assigning the priority further comprises assigning the each respective data traffic flow to a predetermined Quality of Service (QoS) class of the radio access network, wherein the predetermined QoS class has a predetermined priority, and wherein the assigning the priority further comprises assigning a weight to the each respective data traffic flow according to the classifying so that the each respective data traffic flow classified as a large data traffic flow has a lower weight within the predetermined QoS class;
assigning, by the processing system, communication resources to the each respective data traffic flow, wherein the communication resources are assigned according to an assigned priority of the each respective data traffic flow; and
communicating, by the processing system, the each respective data traffic flow to the respective user equipment, wherein the communicating is responsive to the assigning the communication resources.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the each respective data traffic flow can be classified according to a predetermined size criterion.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving, by the processing system, a threshold value as the predetermined size criterion; and
comparing, by the processing system, a size of the each respective data traffic flow with the threshold value to classify the each respective data traffic flow as a large data traffic flow or a small data traffic flow.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
monitoring, by the processing system, performance of the radio access network for radio communication between the radio access network and respective user equipment; and
updating, by the processing system, a priority assigned to the each respective data traffic flow responsive to the monitoring.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the processing system, a relative congestion level of the radio access network; and
classifying, by the processing system, the each respective data traffic flow as a large data traffic flow or a small data traffic flow only in response to the relative congestion level of the radio access network exceeding a congestion threshold.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
monitoring, by the processing system, performance of the radio access network for radio communication between the radio access network and respective user equipment; and
adjusting, by the processing system, the weight assigned to the each respective data traffic flow according to the monitoring.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each respective user equipment comprises a respective smart phone.

8. A radio access network, 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, the operations comprising:
adjusting a priority of a data flow, wherein the data flow is for radio communication between the radio access network and user equipment, wherein the adjusting the priority of the data flow is to produce an adjusted priority, wherein the adjusting the priority of the data flow comprises reducing relative priority of the data flow responsive to a classifying of the data flow as a large data flow, wherein the adjusting the priority of the data flow further comprises assigning the data flow to a Quality of Service class, wherein the adjusting the priority of the data flow further comprises adjusting weights of data flows assigned to the Quality of Service class, and wherein the adjusting the weights comprises adjusting the weights according to the classifying of the data flow to produce the adjusted priority so that large data flows assigned to the Quality of Service class have a relatively lower priority and small data flows assigned to the Quality of Service class have a relatively higher priority; and
communicating data including the data flow between the radio access network and the user equipment, wherein the communicating the data is according to the adjusted priority.

9. The radio access network of claim 8 , wherein the adjusting the priority of the data flow further comprises:
assigning the data flow to the Quality of Service class having a predetermined Quality of Service Class Identifier (QCI) priority, and wherein the communicating the data comprises communicating the data according to the predetermined QCI priority.

10. The radio access network of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise classifying the data flow as the large data flow, and wherein the classifying the data flow as the large data flow comprises:
determining a size of the data flow;
comparing the size of the data flow with a threshold value; and
classifying the data flow responsive to the comparing.

11. The radio access network of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining the threshold value at the radio access network.

12. The radio access network of claim 11 , wherein the threshold value is determined based on a current time, a current location of the radio access network, or a current traffic level.

13. The radio access network of claim 8 , wherein the adjusting the priority of the data flow further comprises:
in a scheduler of the radio access network, assigning the data flow to the Quality of Service class having a predetermined Quality of Service Class Identifier (QCI) priority, wherein the communicating the data comprises communicating the data according to the predetermined QCI priority.

14. The radio access network of claim 13 , wherein the adjusting the priority of the data flow further comprises:
determining, by the scheduler, a communication priority of the data flow, wherein the determining is responsive to at least the predetermined QCI priority; and
assigning, by the scheduler, communication resources of the radio access network, wherein the assigning is responsive to the communication priority of the data flow and communication priorities of other data of the radio access network.

15. The radio access network of claim 8 , wherein the adjusting the priority of the data flow further comprises:
providing adjusted weights to a scheduler of the radio access network;
adjusting, by the scheduler, a communication priority of the data flow according to the adjusted weights; and
assigning, by the scheduler, communication resources of the radio access network, wherein the assigning is responsive to the communication priority of the data flow and communication priorities of other data of the radio access network.

16. The radio access network of claim 8 , wherein the user equipment comprises a smart phone

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Wang Huahui
• Raina Ravi

Classifications

• H04L47/24 Primary

  Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS · CPC title

• H04L47/365 Primary

  Dynamic adaptation of the packet size · CPC title