Apparatus and methods for selective data network access

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9986578-B2
Application number	US-201514959885-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2015
Priority date	Dec 4, 2015
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

Wireless data network access architecture and methods enabling location-specific and/or user-specific provision of services or resources. In one embodiment, an end-user device makes a request for service within a wireless LAN (WLAN). A wireless access point (WAP) controller/policy server determines whether the user device meets criteria for a first user status or a second user status, and assigns the appropriate status to an identifier of the end-user device. When the user device is assigned the first user status, the user device is provided network access according to e.g., a first permissible bandwidth allocation. Otherwise, the user device is provided network access according to a second, different bandwidth allocation. The first and second user status may be assigned based on a location of the user device within e.g., a venue, a class of end-user device, end user application, an access pass associated with the user device, or yet other criteria.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A controller apparatus comprising:
a processor apparatus configured to execute at least one computer program;
a storage apparatus configured to store data, the data comprising user status data that is at least one of (i) a first user status associated with a first permissible bandwidth consumption, and/or (ii) a second user status associated with a second permissible bandwidth consumption, said second permissible consumption being less than said first permissible consumption;
a first data interface in data communication with the processor apparatus and configured for signal communication with a local area wireless network;
a second interface data communication with the processor apparatus and configured for signal communication with a network entity of a managed content delivery network (CDN); and
a computer-readable storage apparatus having at least one computer program comprising a plurality of non-transitory computer readable instructions which are configured to, when executed by said processor apparatus, cause said controller apparatus to:
receive data indicative of a first connection request from a first user device via said first interface;
determine that said first user device is associated with said first user status;
based at least in part on said first user device association with said first user status, assign said first permissible bandwidth to said first user device;
enable access to said CDN via said second interface for said first user device consistent with said first permissible bandwidth consumption;
receive data indicative of a second connection request from a second user device via said first interface;
determine that said second user device is associated with said second user status;
based at least in part on said second user device association with said second user status, assign said second permissible bandwidth consumption to said second user device; and
enable access to said CDN via said second interface for said second user device consistent with said second permissible bandwidth consumption.

2. The controller apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first user status and said second user status are each associated, respectively, based on a respective location within a venue of each of said first user device and said second user device, said respective location being one of a higher priority area and a lower priority area within said venue.

3. The controller apparatus of claim 2 , wherein:
said first and second user requests respectively comprise first and second media access control (MAC) values associated with the first and second user devices, and the first and second user statuses are each respectively associated based at least on the first and second MAC values; and
said plurality of non-transitory computer readable instructions are further configured to, when executed by said processor apparatus, cause said controller apparatus to determine the respective location within said venue of each of the first and second user devices based at least on MAC data relating to a respective wireless access point (WAP) associated with each of the first and second user devices.

4. The controller apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said first user device is in signal communication with a first wireless access point located in said higher priority area, and said second user device is in signal communication with a second wireless access point located in said lower priority area; and
said first user status is associated with said first wireless access point and said second user status is associated with said second wireless access point.

5. The controller apparatus of claim 4 , wherein said first wireless access point has a first media access control (MAC) address detectable by said controller apparatus and said second wireless access point has a second MAC address detectable by said controller apparatus; and
said first user status is associated with said first MAC address and said second user status is associated with said second MAC address.

6. The controller apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first user status and said second user status are each associated, respectively, based on a class of end-user application of each of said first user device and said second user device, said class of end user application being one of a higher bandwidth consumption application class and a lower bandwidth consumption application class.

7. The controller apparatus of claim 6 , wherein said first user device comprises a first application of said high bandwidth consumption application class, said first application comprising a multi-media application having at least audio and video content, and said second user device comprises a second application of said lower bandwidth consumption application class, said second application comprising an audio-only application.

8. The controller apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first user status and said second user status are each assigned, respectively, based on a temporally-limited access pass associated with a respective user of each of said first user device and said second user device, the temporally-limited access pass providing the associated first or second user status for only a limited period of time and within a given venue.

9. The controller apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the temporally-limited access pass comprises a permissible bandwidth consumption having an elevated bandwidth consumption in an uplink direction only.

10. The controller apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first permissible bandwidth consumption comprises one or more of low latency and high throughput; and
said second permissible bandwidth consumption comprises one or more of higher latency and lower throughput than said first permissible bandwidth.

11. The controller apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first permissible bandwidth consumption comprises an isochronous data transmission, and
said second permissible bandwidth consumption comprises asynchronous data transmission.

12. A method of providing wireless local area network (WLAN)-based services to a plurality of user devices within a prescribed location, the WLAN comprising a plurality of wireless access points (WAPs), the method comprising:
receiving, at the WLAN, a first request from a first user device of the plurality of user devices, the first request comprising data explicitly identifying the first user device and requesting access to a content distribution and delivery network via the WLAN;
determining a first WAP of the plurality of WAPs with which the first user device is associated;
identifying data indicative of a first location of the first WAP;
transmitting, to a network entity, (i) the data explicitly identifying the first user device and (ii) the data indicative of the first location of the first WAP;
obtaining, from the network entity, data indicative of a first privilege of the first user device within the WLAN based at least in part on the data indicative of the first location of the first WAP;
utilizing the data indicative of the first privilege to selectively implement at least one first WLAN access policy with respect to the first user device only while the first user device is associated with the first WAP at the first location; and
applying at least one second WLAN access policy to one or more others of the plurality of user devices.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the receiving the first request comprises receiving the first request at the first WAP, and the method further comprises forwarding at least a portion of the first message to the network entity via a managed content delivery network (CD

Assignees

• Time Warner Cable Entpr Llc

Inventors

• Gunasekara Don

Classifications

• H04W72/56 Primary

  based on priority criteria · CPC title

• H04W4/005

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W72/10 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L61/2514

  between local and global IP addresses · CPC title

• H04W4/08

  User group management · CPC title