# US 12,003,373 B2 · Systems and methods for designing a slice infrastructure > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,003,373 B2 - Document ID: US12003373B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/448,564 - Filed: 2021-09-23 - Published: 2022-01-06 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2020-02-13 - Assignees: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc. - Applicants: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc. - Inventors: Kristen Sydney Young; Hans Raj Nahata - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12003373B2 ## CPC - H04L 41/0806: for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play - G06N 20/00: Machine learning - H04L 41/082: the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality - H04L 41/0895: Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements - H04L 41/122: of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV] - H04L 41/16: using machine learning or artificial intelligence - H04L 41/40: using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities - H04L 41/5054: Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components - H04L 41/0893: Assignment of logical groups to network elements - H04L 41/145: {involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network} - H04L 43/16: Threshold monitoring - H04L 43/20: the monitoring system or the monitored elements being virtualised, abstracted or software-defined entities, e.g. SDN or NFV - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS ## Abstract A device associated with a network may receive a service profile for a network slice of the network, where the service profile includes one or more service characterizations of the network slice. The device may determine, based on thresholding rules and for each service characterization, whether the service characterization requires selection from a plurality of building blocks, to obtain a group of service characterizations requiring selection. The device may select, based on selection rules and for each service characterization of the group of service characterizations requiring selection, a building block from the plurality of building blocks, to obtain selected building blocks, where the selection rules map attributes of service characterizations to building blocks. The device may stack, based on stacking rules, the selected building blocks, to obtain a slice infrastructure for the network slice. The device may deploy the slice infrastructure for the network slice in the network. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: receiving, by a device, a service profile for a network slice of a network, wherein the service profile includes a plurality of service characterizations of the network slice; selecting, by the device and for the plurality of service characterizations, based on one or more selection rules, a building block from a plurality of building blocks, to obtain selected building blocks, wherein one or more selection rules map an attribute of a service characterization, of the plurality of service characterizations, to the building block, wherein the attribute comprises an indication of whether the network slice shares the attribute with another network slice; stacking, by the device and based on one or more stacking rules, the selected building blocks, to obtain a slice infrastructure for the network slice, wherein the one or more stacking rules require that a base building block be instantiated before a non-base building block is instantiated; replacing, by the device, and based on one or more sharing rules, a particular shareable building block of the slice infrastructure with an instantiated infrastructure of another network slice in the network, to obtain a modified slice infrastructure; and deploying, by the device, the modified slice infrastructure for the network slice in the network. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: verifying the modified slice infrastructure against one or more of: the service profile for the network slice, a service level agreement (SLA) for the network slice, or network constraints. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more stacking rules comprise merge rules for determining whether a first building block and a second building block, of the selected building blocks, can merge. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more stacking rules comprise conflict rules for resolving conflicting attributes of a first building block and a second building block, of the selected building blocks, by not enabling an attribute of the first building block and enabling an attribute of the second building block. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: updating, using a machine learning model, the one or more stacking rules. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the non-base building block shares one or more attributes of the base building block. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein deploying the slice infrastructure for the network slice in the network comprises: deploying, for a first building block of the modified slice infrastructure, and in the network, an instance of the first building block, wherein the instance of the first building block has block instance attributes corresponding to block attributes of the first building block. ### Claim 8 A device, comprising: one or more processors, configured to: receive a service profile for a network slice of a network, wherein the service profile includes a plurality of service characterizations of the network slice; select, for the plurality of service characterizations, based on one or more selection rules, a building block from a plurality of building blocks, to obtain selected building blocks, wherein one or more selection rules map an attribute of a service characterization, of the plurality of service characterizations, to the building block, wherein the attribute comprises an indication of whether the network slice shares the attribute with another network slice; stack, based on one or more stacking rules, the selected building blocks, to obtain a slice infrastructure for the network slice, wherein the one or more stacking rules require that a base building block be instantiated before a non-base building block is instantiated; replace, based on one or more sharing rules, a particular shareable building block of the slice infrastructure with an instantiated infrastructure of another network slice in the network, to obtain a modified slice infrastructure; and deploy the modified slice infrastructure for the network slice in the network. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: verify the modified slice infrastructure against one or more of: the service profile for the network slice, a service level agreement (SLA) for the network slice, or network constraints. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, wherein the one or more stacking rules comprise merge rules for determining whether a first building block and a second building block, of the selected building blocks, can merge. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, wherein the one or more stacking rules comprise conflict rules for resolving conflicting attributes of a first building block and a second building block, of the selected building blocks, by not enabling an attribute of the first building block and enabling an attribute of the second building block. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further to: update, using a machine learning model, the one or more stacking rules. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, wherein the non-base building block shares one or more attributes of the base building block. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further to: verify the modified slice infrastructure against at least one of: the service profile for the network slice, a service level agreement for the network slice, network resources, or network constraints. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising: one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive a service profile for a network slice of a network, wherein the service profile includes a plurality of service characterizations of the network slice; select, for the plurality of service characterizations, based on one or more selection rules, a building block from a plurality of building blocks, to obtain selected building blocks, wherein one or more selection rules map an attribute of a service characterization, of the plurality of service characterizations, to the building block, wherein the attribute comprises an indication of whether the network slice shares the attribute with another network slice; stack, based on one or more stacking rules, the selected building blocks, to obtain a slice infrastructure for the network slice, wherein the one or more stacking rules require that a base building block be instantiated before a non-base building block is instantiated; replace, based on one or more sharing rules, a particular shareable building block of the slice infrastructure with an instantiated infrastructure of another network slice in the network, to obtain a modified slice infrastructure; and deploy the modified slice infrastructure for the network slice in the network. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to: verify the modified slice infrastructure against one or more of: the service profile for the network slice, a service level agreement (SLA) for the network slice, or network constraints. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more stacking rules comprise merge rules for determining whether a first building block and a second building block, of the selected building blocks, can merge. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more stacking rules comprise conflict rules for resolving conflicting attributes of a first building block and a second building block, of the selected building blocks, by not enabling an attribute of the first building block and enabling an attribute of the second building block. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to: update, using a machine learning model, the one or more stacking rules. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of service characterizations comprise at least one of: a latency characterization, a volume characterization, a throughput characterization, a reliability characterization, an availability characterization, a security characterization, or a coverage characterization.