IP Library Granted Patent US 11,096,229
Granted Patent B1
US 11,096,229 · App. 16/776,305 · Granted Aug 17, 2021

Endpoint computing device dynamic network slice utilization system

Inventors: Joseph Kozlowski (Hutto, TX); Anantha Boyapalle (Cedar Park, TX); Carlton Andrews (Austin, TX)
Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
H04W76/15H04W16/02H04W28/26
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,096,229
App. No.
16/776,305
Granted
Aug 17, 2021
Kind
B1
Abstract

An endpoint computing device dynamic network slice utilization system includes a core network system that is coupled to a RAN system and that is configured to allocate network slices and make them available for use in wireless communications via the RAN system. An endpoint computing device that includes an application operates to determine changing networking connectivity requirement for the application and/or the changing network characteristics of network slices during an application session, identify different network slices with networking characteristics that satisfy the changing networking connectivity requirements for the application, establish connection(s) for the application with those network slices, and exchange communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the respective connection(s) established for the application with the respective network slices as the networking connectivity requirement for the application changes.

Claims (84)

1. An endpoint computing device dynamic network slice utilization system, comprising:

a Radio Access Network (RAN) system;

a core network system that is coupled to the RAN system and that is configured to allocate a plurality of a network slices and make each of the plurality of network slices available for use in wireless communications via the RAN system; and

an endpoint computing device that includes an application that is configured to operate on the endpoint computing device, wherein the endpoint computing device is configured to:

determine a first networking connectivity requirement for the application during an application session;

identify a first network slice that is included in the plurality of network slices and that satisfies the first networking connectivity requirement for the application;

establish a first connection for the application with the first network slice;

exchange communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the first connection established for the application with the first network slice;

determine a second networking connectivity requirement for the application during the application session that is different than the first networking connectivity requirement;

identify a second network slice that is included in the plurality of network slices and that satisfies the second networking connectivity requirement for the application;

establish a second connection for the application with the second network slice;

exchange communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the second connection established for the application with the second network slice;

determine a third networking connectivity requirement for the application during the application session that is different than the first networking connectivity requirement and the second networking connectivity requirement;

identify a third network slice that is included in the plurality of network slices and that satisfies the third networking connectivity requirement for the application;

establish a third connection for the application with the second network slice; and

exchange communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the third connection established for the application with the third network slice.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the endpoint computing device is configured to:

aggregate the first connection established for the application with the network slice and the second connection established for the application with the network slice to provide an aggregated connection for the application with both the first network slice and the second network slice; and

exchange communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the aggregated connection.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the endpoint computing device is configured to:

tag first data traffic exchanged via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the first connection included in the aggregated connection with first identification tag information; and

tag second data traffic exchanged via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the second connection included in the aggregated connection with second identification tag information, wherein the first identification tag information and the second identification tag information is configured to allow the first data traffic and the second data traffic to be provided in a predetermined sequence at the core network system.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the endpoint computing device is configured to:

identify first networking characteristics for the first network slice;

identify second networking characteristics for the second network slice; and

load-balance the exchange of communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the first connection and the second connection included in the aggregated connection using the first networking characteristics and the second networking characteristics.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the endpoint computing device is configured to:

end, in response to establishing the second connection for the application with the second network slice, the first connection for the application with the first network slice.

6. An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising:

a processing system; and a memory system that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a network slice engine that is configured to:

determine a first networking connectivity requirement for an application during an application session;

identify a first network slice that is included in a plurality of network slices that are allocated by a core network system, that is available via a Radio Access Network (RAN) system, and that satisfies the first networking connectivity requirement for the application;

establish a first connection for the application with the first network slice; exchange communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the first connection established for the application with the first network slice;

determine a second networking connectivity requirement for the application during the application session that is different than the first networking connectivity requirement;

identify a second network slice that is included in the plurality of network slices that are allocated by the core network system, that is available via the RAN system, and that satisfies the second networking connectivity requirement for the application;

establish a second connection for the application with the second network slice; and

exchange communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the second connection established for the application with the second network slice;

determine a third networking connectivity requirement for the application during the application session that is different than the first networking connectivity requirement and the second networking connectivity requirement;

identify a third network slice that is included in the plurality of network slices that are allocated by the core network system, that is available via the RAN system, and that satisfies the third networking connectivity requirement for the application;

establish a third connection for the application with the second network slice; and

exchange communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the third connection established for the application with the third network slice.

7. The IHS of claim 6 , wherein network slice engine is configured to:

aggregate the first connection established for the application with the network slice and the second connection established for the application with the network slice to provide an aggregated connection for the application with both the first network slice and the second network slice; and

exchange communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the aggregated connection.

8. The IHS of claim 6 , wherein network slice engine is configured to:

tag first data traffic exchanged via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the first connection included in the aggregated connection with first identification tag information; and

tag second data traffic exchanged via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the second connection included in the aggregated connection with second identification tag information, wherein the first identification tag information and the second identification tag information is configured to allow the first data traffic and the second data traffic to be provided in a predetermined sequence at the core network system.

9. The IHS of claim 8 , wherein network slice engine is configured to:

identify first networking characteristics for the first network slice;

identify second networking characteristics for the second network slice; and

load-balance the exchange of communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the first connection and the second connection included in the aggregated connection using the first networking characteristics and the second networking characteristics.

10. The IHS of claim 6 , wherein network slice engine is configured to:

end, in response to establishing the second connection for the application with the second network slice, the first connection for the application with the first network slice.

11. The IHS of claim 6 , wherein the memory system includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide an Operating System engine that is configured to:

identify and report the first networking connectivity requirement for the application during the application session to the network slice engine; and

identify and report the second networking connectivity requirement for the application during the application session to the network slice engine.

12. A method for dynamically utilizing network slices by an endpoint computing device, comprising:

determining, by an endpoint computing device, a first networking connectivity requirement for an application during an application session;

identifying, by the endpoint computing device, a first network slice that is included in a plurality of network slices that are allocated by a core network system, that is available via a Radio Access Network (RAN) system, and that satisfies the first networking connectivity requirement for the application;

establishing, by the endpoint computing device, a first connection for the application with the first network slice;

exchanging, by the endpoint computing device, communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the first connection established for the application with the first network slice;

determining, by the endpoint computing device, a second networking connectivity requirement for the application during the application session that is different than the first networking connectivity requirement;

identifying, by the endpoint computing device, a second network slice that is included in the plurality of network slices that are allocated by the core network system, that is available via the RAN system, and that satisfies the second networking connectivity requirement for the application;

establishing, by the endpoint computing device, a second connection for the application with the second network slice; and

exchanging, by the endpoint computing device, communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the second connection established for the application with the second network slice;

determining, by the endpoint computing device, a third networking connectivity requirement for the application during the application session that is different than the first networking connectivity requirement and the second networking connectivity requirement;

identifying, by the endpoint computing device, a third network slice that is included in the plurality of network slices that are allocated by the core network system, that is available via the RAN system, and that satisfies the third networking connectivity requirement for the application;

establishing, by the endpoint computing device, a third connection for the application with the second network slice; and

exchanging, by the endpoint computing device, communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the third connection established for the application with the third network slice.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

aggregating, by the endpoint computing device, the first connection established for the application with the network slice and the second connection established for the application with the network slice to provide an aggregated connection for the application with both the first network slice and the second network slice; and

exchanging, by the endpoint computing device, communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the aggregated connection.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

tagging, by the endpoint computing device, first data traffic exchanged via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the first connection included in the aggregated connection with first identification tag information; and

tagging, by the endpoint computing device, second data traffic exchanged via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the second connection included in the aggregated connection with second identification tag information, wherein the first identification tag information and the second identification tag information is configured to allow the first data traffic and the second data traffic to be provided in a predetermined sequence at the core network system.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

identifying, by the endpoint computing device, first networking characteristics for the first network slice;

identifying, by the endpoint computing device, second networking characteristics for the second network slice; and

load-balancing, by the endpoint computing device, the exchange of communications via the RAN system and the core network system for the application during the application session using the first connection and the second connection included in the aggregated connection using the first networking characteristics and the second networking characteristics.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

ending, by the endpoint computing device in response to establishing the second connection for the application with the second network slice, the first connection for the application with the first network slice.

17. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

identifying and reporting, by an operating system engine to a network slice engine in the endpoint computing device, the first networking connectivity requirement for the application during the application session to the network slice engine; and

identifying and reporting, by the operating system engine to the network slice engine in the endpoint computing device, the second networking connectivity requirement for the application during the application session to the network slice engine.

Assignments (9)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053311/0169) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060438/0742 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (052216/0758) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060438/0680 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AF REEL 052243 FRAME 0773 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058001/0152 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 053311/0169 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 26, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 052243/0773 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Mar 24, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 052216/0758 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 29, 2020
From: KOZLOWSKI, JOSEPH; BOYAPALLE, ANANTHA; ANDREWS, CARLTON
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 051663/0444 →