System, Apparatus, and Method Providing Data Cap Avoidance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018013572-A1
Application number	US-201715437049-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 20, 2017
Priority date	Jul 7, 2016
Publication date	Jan 11, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system, apparatus, and method for controlling data usage at a customer premises. A gateway configured as a single point of entry receives all data entering the premises. All data usage by client devices within the premises is monitored. A DataCap Management Unit adjusts a premises bandwidth cap throughout a billing cycle to prevent the data usage from exceeding a data cap before the billing cycle ends.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A computer-controlled method of controlling data usage at a customer premises, the method comprising:
monitoring all data usage at a single point of entry for the premises; and adjusting a premises bandwidth cap throughout a billing cycle to prevent the data usage from exceeding a data cap before the billing cycle ends.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising throttling only Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) data streams to maintain a current premises bitrate within the premises bandwidth cap.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
determining whether a data flow is an ABR data session; and when the data flow is not an ABR session, recording in a database, a number of bits delivered for a duration of the data flow.

4 . The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
determining that a data flow is an ABR data session; determining whether any ABR data sessions are active; and when no ABR sessions are active, determining an allowed ABR rate based on historical usage patterns, amount of data remaining within the data cap, and number of days remaining in the billing cycle.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the historical usage patterns include historical data usage based on an average number of clients per premises, average time per day that users watch video, and average non-ABR daily data usage.

6 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein when ABR sessions are active, the method includes:
determining a number of ABR sessions that are active; and calculating an allowed data rate per ABR client based on the current premises bandwidth cap divided by the number of active ABR sessions.

7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein throttling only ABR data streams includes setting a bitrate limit for each client engaged in an ABR session by applying the allowed ABR rate.

8 . An apparatus for controlling data usage at a customer premises, the apparatus comprising:
an interface configured to receive all data entering the premises and to monitor all data usage by the premises; and a DataCap Management Unit having a processing circuit configured to adjust a premises bandwidth cap throughout a billing cycle to prevent the data usage from exceeding a data cap before the billing cycle ends.

9 . The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the DataCap Management Unit includes an Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) Throttling Management Unit configured to throttle only ABR data streams to maintain a current premises bitrate within the premises bandwidth cap.

10 . The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the DataCap Management Unit also includes:
an ABR Traffic Pattern Recognition Unit configured to determine whether a data flow is an ABR data session; and an All Traffic Accounting Database configured to record a number of bits delivered for a duration of the data flow when the data flow is not an ABR session.

11 . The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the DataCap Management Unit also includes:
an ABR Traffic Pattern Recognition Unit configured to determine that a data flow is an ABR data session and to determine whether any ABR data sessions are active; and wherein the ABR Throttling Management Unit is configured to determine an allowed ABR rate based on historical usage patterns, amount of data remaining within the data cap, and number of days remaining in the billing cycle when no ABR sessions are active.

12 . The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the historical usage patterns include historical data usage based on an average number of clients per premises, average time per day that users watch video, and average non-ABR daily data usage.

13 . The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein when ABR sessions are active, the ABR Traffic Pattern Recognition Unit is configured to determine a number of ABR sessions that are active; and
the ABR Throttling Management Unit is configured to calculate an allowed data rate per ABR client based on the current premises bandwidth cap divided by the number of active ABR sessions.

14 . The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the ABR Throttling Management Unit is configured to throttle only ABR data streams, wherein the ABR Throttling Management Unit sets a bitrate limit for each client engaged in an ABR session by applying the allowed ABR rate.

15 . A system for controlling data usage at a customer premises, the system comprising:
a gateway providing a single point of entry for data entering the premises; an interface configured to receive all data entering the premises from the gateway and to monitor all data usage by the premises; and a DataCap Management Unit having a processing circuit configured to adjust a premises bandwidth cap throughout a billing cycle to prevent the data usage from exceeding a data cap before the billing cycle ends.

16 . The system according to claim 15 , wherein the DataCap Management Unit includes an Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) Throttling Management Unit configured to throttle only ABR data streams to maintain a current premises bitrate within the premises bandwidth cap.

17 . The system according to claim 16 , wherein the DataCap Management Unit also includes:
an ABR Traffic Pattern Recognition Unit configured to determine whether a data flow is an ABR data session; and an All Traffic Accounting Database configured to record a number of bits delivered for a duration of the data flow when the data flow is not an ABR session.

18 . The system according to claim 16 , wherein the DataCap Management Unit also includes:
an ABR Traffic Pattern Recognition Unit configured to determine that a data flow is an ABR data session and to determine whether any ABR data sessions are active; and wherein the ABR Throttling Management Unit is configured to determine an allowed ABR rate based on historical usage patterns, amount of data remaining within the data cap, and number of days remaining in the billing cycle when no ABR sessions are active.

19 . The system according to claim 18 , wherein the historical usage patterns include historical data usage based on an average number of clients per premises, average time per day that users watch video, and average non-ABR daily data usage.

20 . The system according to claim 18 , wherein when ABR sessions are active, the ABR Traffic Pattern Recognition Unit is configured to determine a number of ABR sessions that are active; and
the ABR Throttling Management Unit is configured to calculate an allowed data rate per ABR client based on the current premises bandwidth cap divided by the number of active ABR sessions.

21 . The system according to claim 20 , wherein the ABR Throttling Management Unit is configured to throttle only ABR data streams, wherein the ABR Throttling Management Unit sets a bitrate limit for each client engaged in an ABR session by applying the allowed ABR rate.

22 . The system according to claim 21 , further comprising:
a dynamic ABR throttled pipe configured to deliver throttled ABR stream flows to client devices engaged in ABR sessions; and a non-ABR routing unit configured to route un-throttled non-ABR stream flows to client devices engaged in non-ABR sessions.

Assignees

• ERICSSON TELEFON AB L M (publ)

Inventors

• Phillips Chris
• Forsman Robert Hammond
• Reynolds Jennifer Ann
• Changrani Vishal

Classifications

• H04L12/14

  Charging, metering or billing arrangements specially adapted for data communications, e.g. authentication, authorisation and accounting [AAA] framework · CPC title

• H04L12/1407

  Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture · CPC title

• H04L12/1435 Primary

  volume-based · CPC title

• H04M15/8228

  Session based · CPC title

• H04L12/66

  Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways · CPC title