# US 2014/0155043 A1 · Application quality management in a communication system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0155043 A1 - Document ID: US20140155043A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/143,855 - Filed: 2013-12-30 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-22 - Assignees: Cygnus Broadband, Inc. - Applicants: Cygnus Broadband, Inc. - Inventors: David Gell; Kenneth L. Stanwood - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140155043A1 ## CPC - H04W 4/60: Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits - H04L 67/02: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A terminal node in a communication network having an access node, the terminal node including a transceiver module configured to send data packets to, and receive data packets from, the access node, and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to detect at least one application data stream by monitoring the data packets sent to, and received from, the access node via the communication network, determine a data stream quality metric for each application data stream, determine an overall quality metric value based on the data stream quality metric for one or more of the application data streams, select at least one mitigation option associated with one or more of the application data streams based on the overall quality metric value, and implement the at least one mitigation option on the associated one or more application data streams. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A terminal node in a communication network having an access node, comprising: a transceiver module configured to send data packets to, and receive data packets from, the access node via the communication network; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: detect at least one application data stream by monitoring the data packets sent to, and received from, the access node via the communication network, determine a data stream quality metric for each of the at least one application data stream, determine an overall quality metric value based on the data stream quality metric for one or more of the at least one application data stream, select at least one mitigation option associated with one or more of the at least one application data stream based on the overall quality metric value, and implement the at least one mitigation option on the associated one or more of the at least one application data stream. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The terminal node of claim 1, wherein the communication network is one of a wireless communication network and a wired communication network. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The terminal node of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to classify each of the detected at least one application data stream by inspecting one or more data packets associated with the respective application data stream. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The terminal node of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a data stream importance metric for each of the at least one application data stream. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The terminal node of claim 4, wherein the overall quality metric value is further based on the data stream importance indication metric for each of the at least one application data stream. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The terminal node of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to generate at least one of a current application characteristics data set for each of the at least one application data stream based on current characteristics of an application associated with the respective application data stream, and a current terminal node characteristics data set based on current characteristics of the terminal node. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The terminal node of claim 6, wherein a data stream importance indication for each data stream is based at least in part on the current application characteristics data set and the current terminal node characteristics data set. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The terminal node of claim 6, wherein the current terminal node characteristics data set includes at least one or more of a user attention value, a service level agreement (SLA) value and a terminal node type. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The terminal node of claim 1, wherein the data stream quality metric is based at least in part on an indication of missing or delayed data packets associated with the application data stream. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The terminal node of claim 1, wherein the data stream quality metric is based at least in part on an application quality metric value received from the application operating in the terminal node that is associated with the corresponding application data stream. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The terminal node of claim 1, wherein the at least one mitigation option includes one or more of a data packet delay instruction, a data packet discard instruction, an acknowledgement delay instruction, an acknowledgement discard instruction, a new data stream request delay instruction, a new data stream request discard instruction, and an application termination instruction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The terminal node of claim 1, wherein the implementation of the at least one mitigation option is based at least in part on a data stream importance metric for one or more of the at least one application data stream. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The terminal node of claim 12, wherein the respective one of the at least one mitigation option is implemented on the at least one application data stream in an order of lowest value of data stream importance metric for each respective application data stream. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The terminal node of claim 1, wherein the at least one mitigation option is implemented on an increasing number of the at least one application data stream as a time duration of the implementation increases. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The terminal node of claim 1, wherein the at least one mitigation option is implemented based on a time duration that the overall quality metric value is below a threshold. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The terminal node of claim 1, wherein a level of implementation of the at least one mitigation option is based on the overall quality metric value. ### Claim 17 A method for managing application quality in a terminal node, the terminal node being in a communication network having an access node, the method comprising: detecting at least one application data stream by monitoring data packets sent to, and received from, the access node in the communication network; determining a data stream quality metric for each of the at least one application data stream; determining an overall quality metric value based on the data stream quality metric for one or more of the at least one application data stream; selecting at least one mitigation option associated with one or more of the at least one application data stream based on the overall quality metric value; and implementing the at least one mitigation option on the associated one or more of the at least one application data stream. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the communication network is one of a wireless communication network and a wired communication network. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further including the step of classifying each of the detected at least one application data stream by inspecting one or more data packets associated with the respective application data stream. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further including the step of determining a data stream importance metric for each of the at least one application data stream. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the overall quality metric value is further based on the data stream importance indication metric for each of the at least one application data stream. ### Claim 22 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further including the step of generating at least one of a current application characteristics data set for each of the at least one application data stream based on current characteristics of an application associated with the respective application data stream, and a current terminal node characteristics data set based on current characteristics of the terminal node. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein a data stream importance indication for each data stream is based at least in part on the current application characteristics data set and the current terminal node characteristics data set. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein the current terminal node characteristics data set includes at least one or more of a user attention value, a service level agreement (SLA) value and a terminal node type. ### Claim 25 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the data stream quality metric is based at least in part on an indication of missing or delayed data packets associated with the application data stream. ### Claim 26 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the data stream quality metric is based at least in part on an application quality metric value received from the application operating in the terminal node that is associated with the corresponding application data stream. ### Claim 27 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one mitigation option includes one or more of a data packet delay instruction, a data packet discard instruction, an acknowledgement delay instruction, an acknowledgement discard instruction, a new data stream request delay instruction, a new data stream request discard instruction, and an application termination instruction. ### Claim 28 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the implementation of the at least one mitigation option is based at least in part on a data stream importance metric for one or more of the at least one application data stream. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The method of claim 28, wherein the respective one of the at least one mitigation option is implemented on the at least one application data stream in an order of lowest value of data stream importance metric for each respective application data stream. ### Claim 30 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one mitigation option is implemented on an increasing number of the at least one application data stream as a time duration of the implementation increases. ### Claim 31 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one mitigation option is implemented based on a time duration that the overall quality metric value is below a threshold. ### Claim 32 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein a level of implementation of the at least one mitigation option is based on the overall quality metric value.