# US 11,121,917 B1 · Systems and methods for dynamically allocating resources based on configurable resource priority > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,121,917 B1 - Document ID: US11121917B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/914,779 - Filed: 2020-06-29 - Granted: 2021-09-14 - Earliest claimed: 2020-06-29 - Assignees: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc. - Applicants: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc. - Inventors: Patricia R. Chang; Fred Weisbrod; John Patrick Hickey, III; Anil K. Guntupalli; Kirk Campbell - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11121917B1 ## CPC - H04L 41/0806: for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play - G06F 9/505: {considering the load} - H04L 41/0894: Policy-based network configuration management - H04L 41/0895: Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements - H04L 41/0897: by horizontal or vertical scaling of resources, or by migrating entities, e.g. virtual resources or entities - H04L 41/40: using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities - H04L 41/50: Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements - H04L 41/5054: Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components - H04L 43/0805: by checking availability - H04L 43/0817: by checking functioning - H04L 43/0852: Delays - H04L 47/782: {Hierarchical allocation of resources, e.g. involving a hierarchy of local and centralised entities} - H04L 47/821: {Prioritising resource allocation or reservation requests} - G06F 2209/5021: Priority - H04L 43/16: Threshold monitoring - H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A system described herein may provide a technique for the dynamic selection of configurable resources in an environment that includes a hierarchical or otherwise differentiated arrangement of configurable resources. The environment may include, or may be implemented by, a Distributed Resource Network (“DRN”), which may include hardware or virtual resources that may be configured, including the instantiation of containers, virtual machines, Virtualized Network Functions (“VNFs”), or the like. The DRN may be hierarchical in that some resources of the DRN may provide services to, and/or may otherwise be accessible to, a greater quantity of elements of the DRN or some other network. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device, comprising: one or more processors configured to: receive a request to configure resources of a distributed resource network that includes a hierarchical arrangement of resource centers, wherein the hierarchical arrangement includes at least: a first set of resource centers at a first level of the hierarchical arrangement, and a second set of resource centers at a second level of the hierarchical arrangement; determine that at least some of the request cannot be satisfied by configuring resource centers of only the first set of resource centers; based on determining that at least some of the request cannot be satisfied by configuring resource centers of only the first set of resource centers, identify one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers to satisfy the request; and configure the one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers to satisfy at least the portion of the request that cannot be satisfied by configuring resource centers of only the first set of resource centers. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the request specifies a coverage area, wherein identifying the one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers includes identifying one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers that serve at least a portion of the specified coverage area. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the first set of resource centers include a particular resource center that serves a particular coverage area, and wherein the second set of resource centers include a plurality of resource centers that, together, serve at least one of: the particular coverage area, or a subset of the particular coverage area. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The device of claim 3, wherein the particular resource center is associated with a particular measure of latency, and wherein the plurality of resource centers of the second set of resource centers are each associated with a respective measure of latency that is lower than the particular measure of latency. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the request specifies a quantity of requested resources, and wherein configuring the one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers includes provisioning the specified quantity of resources at the one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: configure one or more resource centers of the first set of resource centers to satisfy at least another portion of the request, wherein the configuration of the one or more resource centers of the first set of resource centers and the one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers fully satisfies the request. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein a particular resource center, of the first set of resource centers, serves as an aggregator for traffic received via a plurality of resource centers of the second set of resource centers. ### Claim 8 A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing a plurality of processor-executable instructions to: receive a request to configure resources of a distributed resource network that includes a hierarchical arrangement of resource centers, wherein the hierarchical arrangement includes at least: a first set of resource centers at a first level of the hierarchical arrangement, and a second set of resource centers at a second level of the hierarchical arrangement; determine that at least some of the request cannot be satisfied by configuring resource centers of only the first set of resource centers; based on determining that at least some of the request cannot be satisfied by configuring resource centers of only the first set of resource centers, identify one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers to satisfy the request; and configure the one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers to satisfy at least the portion of the request that cannot be satisfied by configuring resource centers of only the first set of resource centers. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the request specifies a coverage area, wherein identifying the one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers includes identifying one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers that serve at least a portion of the specified coverage area. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first set of resource centers include a particular resource center that serves a particular coverage area, and wherein the second set of resource centers include a plurality of resource centers that, together, serve at least one of: the particular coverage area, or a subset of the particular coverage area. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 wherein the particular resource center is associated with a particular measure of latency, and wherein the plurality of resource centers of the second set of resource centers are each associated with a respective measure of latency that is lower than the particular measure of latency. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the request specifies a quantity of requested resources, and wherein configuring the one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers includes provisioning the specified quantity of resources at the one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the plurality of processor-executable instructions further include processor-executable instructions to: configure one or more resource centers of the first set of resource centers to satisfy at least another portion of the request, wherein the configuration of the one or more resource centers of the first set of resource centers and the one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers fully satisfies the request. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein a particular resource center, of the first set of resource centers, serves as an aggregator for traffic received via a plurality of resource centers of the second set of resource centers. ### Claim 15 A method, comprising: receiving a request to configure resources of a distributed resource network that includes a hierarchical arrangement of resource centers, wherein the hierarchical arrangement includes at least: a first set of resource centers at a first level of the hierarchical arrangement, and a second set of resource centers at a second level of the hierarchical arrangement; determining that at least some of the request cannot be satisfied by configuring resource centers of only the first set of resource centers; based on determining that at least some of the request cannot be satisfied by configuring resource centers of only the first set of resource centers, identifying one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers to satisfy the request; and configuring the one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers to satisfy at least the portion of the request that cannot be satisfied by configuring resource centers of only the first set of resource centers. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the request specifies a coverage area, wherein identifying the one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers includes identifying one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers that serve at least a portion of the specified coverage area. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the first set of resource centers include a particular resource center that serves a particular coverage area, and wherein the second set of resource centers include a plurality of resource centers that, together, serve at least one of: the particular coverage area, or a subset of the particular coverage area, wherein the particular resource center is associated with a particular measure of latency, and wherein the plurality of resource centers of the second set of resource centers are each associated with a respective measure of latency that is lower than the particular measure of latency. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the request specifies a quantity of requested resources, and wherein configuring the one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers includes provisioning the specified quantity of resources at the one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: configure one or more resource centers of the first set of resource centers to satisfy at least another portion of the request, wherein the configuration of the one or more resource centers of the first set of resource centers and the one or more resource centers of the second set of resource centers fully satisfies the request. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein a particular resource center, of the first set of resource centers, serves as an aggregator for traffic received via a plurality of resource centers of the second set of resource centers.