# US 2019/0356498 A1 · System and method for optimizing revenue through bandwidth utilization management

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- Number: US 2019/0356498 A1
- Document ID: US20190356498A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/982,485
- Filed: 2018-05-17
- Published: 2019-11-21
- Earliest claimed: 2018-05-17
- Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
- Applicants: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
- Inventors: Ivan Dario Hernandez Sanchez; Roderic Paulk
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190356498A1

## CPC

- H04L 12/1496: {involving discounts}
- H04L 41/5019: Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
- H04L 12/14: Charging, metering or billing arrangements specially adapted for data communications, e.g. authentication, authorisation and accounting [AAA] framework
- H04L 12/141: {Indication of costs}
- H04L 12/1435: {volume-based}
- H04L 12/1489: {dependent on congestion}
- H04L 41/5009: Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
- H04L 43/0894: Packet rate
- H04M 15/00: Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication {; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP}
- H04M 15/50: {for cross-charging network operators}
- H04W 4/24: Accounting or billing
- G06Q 30/0223: {based on inventory}
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, determining a bandwidth utilization of a network, obtaining a request provided by equipment of a user to access requested network content by way of the network, and adjusting, responsive to the bandwidth utilization exceeding a threshold, a data service price for transporting the requested network content to the equipment of the user. A notification of the adjusted data service price is forwarded to the equipment of the user, and an updated request is obtained from the equipment o the user for providing the requested network content, wherein the updated request is responsive to the notification of the adjusted data service price. Transport of the requested network content to the equipment of the user is facilitated according to the updated request. Other embodiments are disclosed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A device, comprising:
a processing system including a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
monitoring a bandwidth utilization of a network;
receiving a request provided by equipment of a user to access a finite content item by way of the network provided by a network service provider;
adjusting, responsive to the bandwidth utilization exceeding a threshold, a data service price to obtain an adjusted data service price for transporting the finite content item to the equipment of the user;
forwarding a notification of the adjusted data service price to the equipment of the user;
obtaining from the equipment of the user an updated request for providing the finite content item to the equipment of the user at the adjusted data service price, wherein the updated request indicates acceptance of the adjusted data service price; and
initiating transport of the finite content item to the equipment of the user according to the updated request.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:
identifying a proximally stored copy of the finite content item, wherein the proximally stored copy was obtained from a content source responsive to a separate request, and
wherein the initiating of the transport of the finite content item further comprises initiating transport of the proximally stored copy of the finite content item to the equipment of the user.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the proximally stored copy is stored by equipment of another user and wherein the initiating of the transport of the finite content item comprises initiating transport of the proximally stored copy from the equipment of the another user to the equipment of the user via a peer-to-peer network.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The device of claim 3, wherein the equipment of the another user comprises wireless infrastructure, and wherein the proximally stored copy is obtained from the equipment of the another user via the wireless infrastructure without using a local infrastructure of the network service provider.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the data service price further comprises optimizing the adjusted data service price based on one of the bandwidth utilization of the network, the finite content item, or both.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The device of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise:
estimating an elasticity of the user; and
determining a cost of exceeding a capacity of the network, wherein the optimizing of the adjusted data service price is further based on one of the elasticity of the user, the cost of exceeding the capacity, or both.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining a bandwidth granularity.

### Claim 8

A non-transitory, machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
determining a bandwidth utilization of a network;
receiving a request provided by equipment of a user to access a requested network content item by way of the network provided by a network service provider;
adjusting, responsive to the bandwidth utilization exceeding a threshold, a data service price to obtain an adjusted data service price for transporting the requested network content item to the equipment of the user;
providing a notification of the adjusted data service price to the equipment of the user;
obtaining from the equipment of the user an updated request for providing the requested network content item to the equipment of the user at the adjusted data service price, wherein the updated request indicates acceptance of the adjusted data service price; and
facilitating transport of the requested network content item to the equipment of the user according to the updated request.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:
identifying a proximally stored copy of the requested network content item, wherein the proximally stored copy was obtained from a content source responsive to a separate request, and
wherein the facilitating of the transport of the requested network content item further comprises initiating transport of the proximally stored copy of the requested network content item to the equipment of the user.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the proximally stored copy is stored by equipment of another user and wherein the facilitating of the transport of the requested network content item comprises initiating transport of the proximally stored copy from the equipment of the another user to the equipment of the user via a peer-to-peer network.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the equipment of the another user comprises wireless infrastructure, and wherein the proximally stored copy is obtained from the equipment of the another user via the wireless infrastructure without using a local infrastructure of the network service provider.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the adjusting of the data service price further comprises optimizing the adjusted data service price based on one of the bandwidth utilization of the network, the requested network content item, or both.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:
estimating an elasticity of the user; and
determining a cost of exceeding a capacity of the network, wherein the optimizing of the adjusted data service price is further based on one of the elasticity of the user, the cost of exceeding the capacity, or both.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise determining a bandwidth granularity, and applying the bandwidth granularity to the adjusting of the data service price.

### Claim 15

A method, comprising:
determining, by a processing system including a processor, a bandwidth utilization of a network;
obtaining, by the processor, a request provided by equipment of a user to access a requested network content item by way of the network;
adjusting, by the processing system, responsive to the bandwidth utilization exceeding a threshold, a data service price to obtain an adjusted data service price for transporting the requested network content item to the equipment of the user;
forwarding, by the processing system, a notification of the adjusted data service price to the equipment of the user;
obtaining, by the processing system, from the equipment of the user an updated request for providing the requested network content item to the equipment of the user at the adjusted data service price, wherein the updated request indicates acceptance of the adjusted data service price; and
facilitating, by the processing system, transport of the requested network content item to the equipment of the user according to the updated request.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprise:
identifying, by the processing system, a proximally stored copy of the requested network content item, wherein the proximally stored copy was obtained from a content source responsive to a separate request, and
wherein the facilitating of the transport of the requested network content item further comprises initiating transport of the proximally stored copy of the requested network content item to the equipment of the user.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the proximally stored copy is stored by equipment of another user and wherein the facilitating of the transport of the requested network content item comprises initiating transport of the proximally stored copy from the equipment of the another user to the equipment of the user via a peer-to-peer network.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the equipment of the other user comprises wireless infrastructure, and wherein the proximally stored copy is obtained from the equipment of the another user via the wireless infrastructure.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the adjusting of the data service price further comprises optimizing the adjusted data service price based on one of the bandwidth utilization of the network, the requested network content item, or both.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, further comprise:
estimating an elasticity of the user; and
determining a cost of exceeding a capacity of the network, wherein the optimizing of the adjusted data service price is further based on one of the elasticity of the user, the cost of exceeding the capacity, or both.