Excluding specific application traffic from customer consumption data
View Patent ↗Techniques disclosed herein include systems and methods for excluding specific application traffic from customer consumption-based data billing counts. This is useful for excluding traffic from consumption totals where the application traffic has been accounted for using other means, such as through billing as a separate or technically distinct service. In practice, a tablet computer (or other end user device) can run a video application that uses a high-speed data network via a cable modem. This video application may be included as part of a core video package associated with a distinct cable television service. The system then provides accurate consumption billing of customer traffic that is outside of any other managed services by creating separate logical data service flows at a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) for excluding specific traffic counts.
1. A method comprising:
via content distribution hardware, performing operations of:
allocating use of a first data flow for transmission of data counted toward billable content delivery and a second data flow for transmission of data excluded from the billable content delivery over a shared communication link of a communication network;
receiving a first stream of content, the first stream of content received from a first content distribution source, the first stream of content retrieved on behalf of a user operating a communication device, wherein the received first stream of content includes multiple data packets;
examining network address information associated with the multiple data packets;
based on the examining, detecting that the network address information is included in a list, the list including at least one network address of a corresponding content distribution device operated by a particular service provider, the network address information indicating that the first content distribution resource from which the multiple data packets are received is operated by the particular service provider; and
transmitting the received first stream of content over the second data flow to the communication device instead of over the first data flow to the communication device, the first stream of content excluded from the billable content delivery based at least in part that the user of the communication device subscribes to a content retrieval service provided by the particular service provider through which the user has alternate access to the first stream of content.
2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first data flow is a default flow over which IP (Internet Protocol) data is transmitted to the user.
3. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
generating first content consumption information indicating an amount of data transmitted over the first data flow;
generating second content consumption information indicating an amount of data transmitted over the second data flow; and
forwarding the first content consumption information and the second content consumption information to a billing system.
4. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the particular service provider provides the shared communication link over which the user has access to the corresponding content distribution device.
5. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
receiving second content requested by the user operating the communication device, the second content received from a second content distribution resource, the second content distribution resource not included in a set of content delivery devices operated by the particular service provider; and
transmitting the second content over the first data flow.
6. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first data flow and the second data flow both support conveyance of Internet data packets to the communication device.
7. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the content retrieval service is a cable television service.
8. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first data flow and the second data flow both support conveyance of Internet data packets; and
wherein the subscriber has access to cable television content over the shared communication link other than though the first data flow and the second data flow.
9. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the user pays the particular service provider for use of the shared communication link.
10. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the network address information is a classifier.
11. A system comprising:
computer processor hardware;
computer-readable storage hardware having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when carried out by the computer processor hardware, cause the computer processor hardware to:
allocate use of a first data flow for transmission of data counted toward billable content delivery and a second data flow for transmission of data excluded from the billable content delivery over a shared communication link of a communication network;
receive a first stream of content, the first stream of content received from a first content distribution source, the first stream of content retrieved on behalf of a user operating a communication device, wherein the received first stream of content includes multiple data packets;
examine network address information associated with the multiple data packets;
based on examining, detect that the network address information is included in a list, the list including at least one network address of a corresponding content distribution device operated by a particular service provider, the network address information indicating that the first content distribution resource from which the multiple data packets are received is operated by the particular service provider; and
transmit the received first stream of content over the second data flow to the communication device instead of over the first data flow to the communication device, the first stream of content excluded from the billable content delivery based at least in part that the user of the communication device subscribes to a content retrieval service provided by the particular service provider through which the user has alternate access to the first stream of content.
12. The system as in claim 11 , wherein the first data flow is a default flow over which IP (Internet Protocol) data is transmitted to the subscriber.
13. The system as in claim 11 , wherein the computer processor hardware is further operable to:
generate first content consumption information indicating an amount of data transmitted over the first data flow;
generate second content consumption information indicating an amount of data transmitted over the second data flow; and
forward the first content consumption information and the second content consumption information to a billing system.
14. The system as in claim 11 , wherein the particular service provider provides the shared communication link over which the user has access to the corresponding content delivery device.
15. The system as in claim 11 , wherein the computer processor hardware is further operable to:
receiving second content requested by the user operating the communication device, the second content received from a second content distribution resource, the second content distribution resource not included in a set of content delivery devices operated by the particular service provider; and
transmitting the second content over the first data flow.
16. The system as in claim 11 , wherein the first data flow and the second data flow both support conveyance of Internet data packets to the communication device.
17. The system as in claim 11 , wherein the content retrieval service is a cable television service.
18. The system as in claim 17 , wherein the first data flow and the second data flow both support conveyance of Internet data packets; and
wherein the subscriber has access to the cable television service over the shared communication link other than though the first data flow and the second data flow.
19. The system as in claim 11 , wherein the user pays the particular service provider for use of the shared communication link.
20. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when carried out by computer processor hardware, cause the computer processor hardware to:
allocate use of a first data flow for transmission of data counted toward billable content delivery and a second data flow for transmission of data excluded from the billable content delivery over a shared communication link of a communication network;
receive a first stream of content, the first stream of content received from a first content distribution source, the first stream of content retrieved on behalf of a user operating a communication device, wherein the received first stream of content includes multiple data packets;
examine network address information associated with the multiple data packets;
based on examining, detect that the network address information is included in a list, the list including at least one network address of a corresponding content distribution device operated by a particular service provider, the network address information indicating that the first content distribution resource from which the multiple data packets are received is operated by the particular service provider; and
transmit the received first stream of content over the second data flow to the communication device instead of over the first data flow to the communication device, the first stream of content excluded from the billable content delivery based at least in part that the user of the communication device subscribes to a content retrieval service provided by the particular service provider through which the user has alternate access to the first stream of content.