Allocation of bandwidth in a packet switched network among subscribers of a service provider
US6385169B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 29, 1998 |
| Grant date | May 7, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 29, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L12/2856
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method is provided for allocating bandwidth to a subscriber in a service provider domain that is part of a packet switched network such as the Internet, for example. In accordance with the method, a number of shares of bandwidth are assigned to the subscriber based on an agreement between the subscriber and a service provider. A subscriber identifier and the number of shares assigned thereto are distributed to the routers in the domain of the service provider. The routers will in turn allocate bandwidth to packets they receive based on the number of shares assigned to the subscriber transmitting or receiving the packet. The subscriber may include one or more different user terminals that aggregate traffic onto a single datastream. The shares assigned to the user may denote absolute amount of bandwidth, or alternatively, may denote a relative bandwidth allocation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.