Redundant communication framework

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9276807-B2
Application number	US-201314061444-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2013
Priority date	Oct 23, 2013
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

A device determines a communication failure associated with a first network, and selects, based on the communication failure, a failover device from a list of failover devices. The device and the failover devices communicate via short-range communications, and the selected failover device connects to a second network. The device provides, to the selected failover device, a request to receive a service from the first network, and determines whether the selected failover device accepts the request. When the selected failover device accepts the request, the device establishes a communication channel with the selected failover device, and receives the service from the first network via the selected failover device, the communication channel, and the second network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a device, designations of one or more other devices as failover devices;
creating, by the device, a list of failover devices based on the designations;
sorting, by the device, the list of failover devices based on available bandwidths and traffic configurations associated with the failover devices;
storing, by the device, the list of failover devices after sorting the list of failover devices;
receiving, by the device and from a network device, an indication of a communication failure associated with the network device,
the network device connecting the device to a first network, and
the network device serving the one or more other devices;

selecting, by the device and based on the communication failure, a failover device from the list of failover devices,
the list of failover devices identifying at least one of the one or more other devices, and
the selected failover device connecting to a second network that is separate from the first network;

providing, by the device and to the selected failover device, a request to receive a service from the first network;
establishing, by the device and when the selected failover device accepts the request, a communication channel with the selected failover device; and
receiving, by the device, the service from the first network via the selected failover device, the communication channel, and the second network.

2. The method of claim 1 , where the request includes an identifier of the device or a security token associated with the device, the selected failover device determines whether to accept the request based on the identifier or the security token, and the method further comprises:
providing, when the selected failover device denies the request, the request to another failover device provided in the list of failover devices.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a rejection message from the selected failover device after the communication channel is established;
terminating the communication channel with the selected failover device based on the rejection message; and
providing the request to another failover device provided in the list of failover devices.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving an indication that the communication failure is repaired;
terminating the communication channel with the selected failover device based on the indication that the communication failure is repaired;
establishing another communication channel with the network device; and
receiving the service from the first network via the network device and the other communication channel.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving an indication that the communication failure is repaired;
terminating the communication channel with the selected failover device based on the indication that the communication failure is repaired;
receiving an indication of another communication failure associated with the network device;
receiving, from a particular device of the one or more other devices and based on the other communication failure, a second request to receive the service from the first network;
determining whether the device has available resources to satisfy the second request;
rejecting the second request when the device has insufficient resources to satisfy the second request;
establishing another communication channel with the particular device when the device has sufficient resources to satisfy the second request; and
providing the service from the first network to the particular device via the other communication channel and the second network.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
receiving an indication that the other communication failure is repaired; and
terminating the other communication channel with the particular device based on the indication that the other communication failure is repaired.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a change to an order of the list of failover devices; and
changing the order of the list of failover devices based on receiving the change.

8. A device, comprising:
one or more processors to:
receive designations of failover devices,
create a list of failover devices based on the designations,
sort the list of failover devices based on available bandwidths and traffic configurations associated with the failover devices,
store the list of failover devices after sorting the list of failover devices,
determine a communication failure associated with a first network,
select, based on the communication failure, a failover device from the list of failover devices,
the device and the failover devices, provided in the list of failover devices, communicating via short-range communications,
the selected failover device connecting to a second network, separate from the first network,

provide, to the selected failover device, a request to receive a service from the first network,
establish, when the selected failover device accepts the request, a communication channel with the selected failover device; and
receive the service from the first network via the selected failover device, the communication channel, and the second network.

9. The device of claim 8 , where the one or more processors are further to:
provide, when the selected failover device denies the request, the request to another failover device provided in the list of failover devices.

10. The device of claim 8 , where the one or more processors are further to:
determine that the communication failure is repaired,
terminate the communication channel with the selected failover device based on the communication failure being repaired, and
receive the service directly from the first network, without using the selected failover device, after terminating the communication channel with the selected failover device.

11. The device of claim 8 , where, prior to the communication failure, the one or more processors are further to:
provide the list of failover devices for display,
receive a change to an order of the list of failover devices,
modify the order of the list of failover devices based on the change, and
store the modified list of failover devices.

12. The device of claim 8 , where the one or more processors are further to:
determine that the communication failure is repaired,
terminate the communication channel with the selected failover device based on the communication failure being repaired,
determine another communication failure associated with the first network,
receive, from a particular failover device and based on the other communication failure, a second request to receive the service from the first network,
receive acceptance of the second request from a user of the device,
determine whether the device has available resources to satisfy the second request,
reject the second request when the device has insufficient resources to satisfy the second request,
establish another communication channel with the particular failover device when the device has sufficient resources to satisfy the second request, and
provide the service from the first network to the particular failover device via the other communication channel and the second network.

13. The device of claim 12 , where the one or more processors are further to:
determine that the other communication failure is repaired, and
terminate the other communication channel with the particular failover device based on the other communication failure being repaired.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing instructi

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Nasir Azim
• Xiao Hong
• Wang Dongchen
• Turner Andre R

Classifications

• H04L41/5074

  Handling of user complaints or trouble tickets · CPC title

• H04L41/0668 Primary

  by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure · CPC title

• H04L41/0663

  Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements · CPC title