System and Method for Implementing Customer Control Point or Customer Portal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016337206-A1
Application number	US-201615222623-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 28, 2016
Priority date	Apr 3, 2014
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Novel tools and techniques provide for implementing network configuration, and, in particular embodiments, to methods, systems, apparatus, and computer software for implementing customer control point or customer portal for enabling customer-based virtualized platform and network configuration. In some embodiments, a network node might receive, via a user portal (e.g., an app-based or web-based customer portal), a request from a user to change a network configuration of a network. In response to receiving the request, the network node might determine one or more network configuration changes to make to effect the request to change the network configuration of the network, and might reconfigure the network by effecting the determined one or more network configuration changes. In some cases, the user portal might be represented by a graphical user interface that allows the user to manipulate or interact with icons of devices, apps, VNFs, etc., as a form of making the request.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
receiving, with a network node via a user portal, a request from a user to change a network configuration of a network; in response to receiving the request, determining, with the network node, one or more network configuration changes to make to effect the request to change the network configuration of the network; and reconfiguring, with the network node, the network by effecting the determined one or more network configuration changes.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the user is a subscriber of network services provided by a network service provider that is associated with the network, and wherein the user portal is a customer portal.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the user portal is a web portal that is accessible by the user via a browser.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the user portal is an app-based portal that is accessible by the user via a mobile user device or user computer.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the user portal is represented by a graphical user interface (“GUI”), and wherein the request comprises at least one of dragging, moving, or dragging and dropping, by the user, icons of at least one of one or more user devices, one or more isolated service overlays, one or more software applications (“apps”), one or more virtual network functions (“VNFs”), one or more entities, one or more networks, or one or more network devices from a first portion of the GUI to a second portion of the GUI, each of the first and second portions of the GUI representing one of a device list, a home network, a network edge, a network node, a central office, a connections list, a meeting room, an access network, a network configuration preference setting, an app catalog, a VNF catalog, an isolated service overlay catalog, or an entity catalog.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the request comprises at least one of dragging, moving, or dragging and dropping, by the user, icons of at least one of one or more apps or one or more VNFs from corresponding at least one of the app catalog or the VNF catalog to an icon of a network device, and wherein reconfiguring the network comprises at least one of pushing, installing, or downloading the at least one of one or more apps or one or more VNFs on the network device, the network device comprising one of a gateway device, a server computer, a database, a network switch, or a network node.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the request comprises at least one of dragging, moving, or dragging and dropping, by the user, icons of at least one of one or more apps or one or more VNFs from corresponding at least one of the app catalog or the VNF catalog to an icon of a user device, and wherein reconfiguring the network comprises at least one of pushing, installing, or downloading the at least one of one or more apps or one or more VNFs on the user device.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein each of the one or more user devices comprises one of a tablet computer, a smart phone, a mobile phone, a portable gaming device, a laptop computer, a portable hypervisor, a modem, a radio device, or a token chip device.

9 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the request comprises at least one of dragging or moving, by the user, one or more edges of an icon of a customer local area network (“LAN”) to span a third portion of the GUI representing the home network and a fourth portion of the GUI representing one of the network edge, the network node, or the central office, and wherein reconfiguring the network comprises extending the customer LAN to span between the home network and the one of the network edge, the network node, or the central office, the home network being located at a customer premises associated with the user.

10 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the request comprises at least one of dragging, moving, or dragging and dropping, by the user, icons of an isolated service overlay from the isolated service overlay catalog to a fifth portion of the GUI representing the connections list, and wherein reconfiguring the network comprises establishing the isolated service overlay between the home network and one of the network edge, the network node, or the central office, the home network being located at a customer premises associated with the user.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the isolated service overlay comprises one of a secure data service overlay, an Internet service overlay, an Internet of Things (“IoT”) service overlay, a programmable services backbone (“PSB”) service overlay, a content delivery network (“CDN”) service overlay, one or more application service overlays each associated with an application service provider, or one or more other service overlays each associated with a service provider.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein establishing the isolated service overlay between the home network that is located at a customer premises and the one of the network edge, the network node, or the central office comprises establishing one of a virtual LAN (“VLAN”) or a virtual extensible LAN (“VXLAN”) for the isolated service overlay across a customer LAN that is established between the home network that is located at the customer premises and the one of the network edge, the network node, or the central office.

13 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the request comprises at least one of dragging, moving, or dragging and dropping, by the user, icons of at least one of one or more user devices, one or more entities, or one or more network devices to a sixth portion of the GUI representing one of the home network, the network edge, the network node, the central office, the meeting room, or the access network, and wherein reconfiguring the network comprises configuring network settings to allow the at least one of one or more user devices, one or more entities, or one or more network devices to communicate with other devices communicatively coupled to the one of the home network, the network edge, the network node, the central office, the meeting room, or the access network.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein each of the one or more network devices comprises one of a gateway device, a server computer, a database, a network switch, or a network node, wherein each of the one or more network devices is one of a physical device or a virtual device.

15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
automatically detecting presence, location, or connectivity of at least one of one or more user devices, one or more isolated service overlays, one or more software applications (“apps”), one or more virtual network functions (“VNFs”), one or more entities, one or more networks, or one or more network devices within at least one of the network, a central office, a home network, an access network, or a meeting room; and automatically updating the user portal to reflect the detected presence, location, or connectivity of the at least one of one or more user devices, one or more isolated service overlays, one or more apps, one or more VNFs, one or more entities, one or more networks, or one or more network devices within the at least one of the network, the central office, the home network, the access network, or the meeting room.

16 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
automatically detecting absence or disconnectivity of at least one of one or more user devices, one or more isolated service overlays, one or more software applications (“apps”), one or more virtual network functions (“VNFs”), one or more entities, one or more networks, or one or more network devices within at least one of th

Assignees

• Centurylink Ip Llc

Inventors

• Bugenhagen Michael K
• Cook Charles I
• Mcbride Kevin M

Classifications

• H04L41/0816

  the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events · CPC title

• H04L69/16

  Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] · CPC title

• H04L12/4641

  Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] (LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272) · CPC title

• H04L12/2869

  Operational details of access network equipments (admission control or resource allocation in access networks H04L12/5692) · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title