Network Usage Throttling via Centralized Feedback Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Wide area networks face debilitating usage spikes due to increased bandwidth demands, leading to potential network blockages or delays, as conventional end-user devices react autonomously and exacerbate the issue by further demanding network resources.
Innovation Solution
A network usage throttling system that monitors network usage, selects appropriate throttling commands based on monitored data, and broadcasts these commands to access devices to dynamically control network usage, ensuring quality of service levels and allocating resources in a controlled and prioritized manner.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional end-user devices react autonomously to blocked or delayed network communications by increasing network usage requests, then the devices attempt to maintain their own communication performance, but the overall network bandwidth demand increases and exacerbates usage spikes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the network device monitors network usage and communicates throttling commands back to access devices. This centralized feedback loop allows the network to control overall bandwidth demand while individual devices maintain reliable communication by adhering to network-directed usage patterns rather than autonomous trial-and-error requests
Solution Approach 2:
The network device acts as an intermediary between the network infrastructure and access devices. It receives autonomous usage requests from devices, monitors aggregate network conditions, and mediates by issuing throttling commands that balance individual device communication needs with overall network bandwidth management, preventing the exacerbation of usage spikes
2Productivity
If the network allows high bandwidth usage to satisfy user demand, then user access to bandwidth-intensive applications is improved, but network usage spikes occur leading to blockages and delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic bandwidth allocation where the network device continuously monitors network usage and adjusts throttling commands in real-time. During normal conditions, high bandwidth usage is permitted to satisfy user demand and maintain productivity. During usage spikes, the system dynamically reduces bandwidth allocation to prevent blockages and delays, thus maintaining communication reliability while maximizing bandwidth utilization under varying conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of bandwidth allocation dynamically based on network conditions. The network device monitors usage patterns and adjusts the allowed bandwidth parameter for access devices, permitting high utilization during normal operation to maintain productivity while reducing the parameter during spikes to prevent communication failures, thereby resolving the contradiction between productivity and reliability
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for throttling network usage are disclosed. An exemplary method includes an access device maintaining throttling command interpretation data, receiving a throttling command broadcast over a wide area network, interpreting the throttling command based on the throttling command interpretation data, and conforming at least one operation of the access device to a network usage throttling level in accordance with the interpretation of the throttling command. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.