Patent Application
20210256487
The subject disclosure relates to a system and method for implementing a cryptocurrency using a split ledger.
There exists a need for people to pay for goods and services. Except for cash, in every instance there is a fee associated with a digital transaction, though it is often hidden from one or more of the participants. Credit and debit cards charge retailers a percentage fee to process the transaction. Similarly, most cryptocurrencies charge a fee, called “gas,” which is paid to cryptocurrency miners, who confirm the transaction as valid.
Cryptocurrencies were introduced to remove banks and other financial institutions from digital transactions. The trust that was historically put in the banking industry was moved to mathematics and cryptography. Removing banks as middleman served a few key ideas: first was a reduction in fees—if there is no middleman to take a cut, the price of a transaction decreases. Next was the removal of interference—in many instances the transactions are anonymous which means that governments cannot trace who was paid by whom, nor how much. The third idea was speed—the process of getting two or more banks or clearing houses to work out a transaction taking place, potentially across borders and time zones was cumbersome, and cryptocurrencies promised a “fast” alternative. Recently, cryptocurrencies have spiked in both interest and value, though they have proven to be susceptible to large swings in value. However, interest remains high for many specific use cases, and now many legitimate businesses accept some payment in these cryptocurrencies.
There are over 1500 cryptocurrencies in the markets today. Each one offers a slightly different take on what a blockchain should look like and how a blockchain should function. Banks are looking at ways of introducing blockchain-based solutions to improve their customer service, however most offerings are aimed at improving buzz, but not the substance of the underlying transactions.
Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrative embodiments for a system and method for implementing a cryptocurrency tied to a fiat currency using a split ledger. Split ledger technology facilitates short term single asset blockchains; however, algorithmic changes to that technology facilitates a long-term cryptocurrency. The high transactional cost of a blockchain-based cryptocurrency often becomes its largest flaw. The split ledger provides a low-cost methodology to cryptographically create monetary transactions quickly. The system and method use cryptography to secure a virtual currency with negligible computational overhead, and a low financial cost per transaction.
A split ledger virtual coin is quite different from other virtual coins in two main ways: first, the value is not speculative, but rather tied to a fiat currency, and second, a transaction can be processed in a fraction of a second, with no financial cost, and low processing cost. Other embodiments are described in the subject disclosure.
One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a device having 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 including: receiving a passed ledger associated with a virtual coin from an owner of the virtual coin; exchanging a message with a validator to verify that information recorded in the passed ledger is accurate; receiving a hash value for a last block recorded in a hash ledger from the validator; determining whether the hash value provided by the validator matches the hash value in the last block of the passed ledger; and responsive to the hash value provided by the validator matching the hash value in the last block of the passed ledger, accepting the virtual coin.
One or more aspects of the subject disclosure a machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising: receiving a message from a requestor identifying a block of a passed ledger for a virtual coin; looking up a hash value for the block in a hash ledger; and sending a message providing a confirmation of the hash value to the requestor.
One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a method performed by a processing system including a processor of sending a passed ledger associated with a virtual coin to a requestor; receiving a next block and a hash for the passed ledger from the requestor; calculating a hash value for the next block; and sending an identifier for the next block and the hash of the next block for recording in a hash ledger and updating permission for an ability to record information in the hash ledger responsive to the hash value matching the hash of the next block.
Referring now to
The communications network 125 includes a plurality of network elements (NE) 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. for facilitating the broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice access 130, media access 140 and/or the distribution of content from content sources 175. The communications network 125 can include a circuit switched or packet switched network, a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) network, Internet protocol (IP) network, a cable network, a passive or active optical network, a 4G, 5G, or higher generation wireless access network, WIMAX network, UltraWideband network, personal area network or other wireless access network, a broadcast satellite network and/or other communications network.
In various embodiments, the access terminal 112 can include a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), cable modem termination system (CMTS), optical line terminal (OLT) and/or other access terminal. The data terminals 114 can include personal computers, laptop computers, netbook computers, tablets or other computing devices along with digital subscriber line (DSL) modems, data over coax service interface specification (DOCSIS) modems or other cable modems, a wireless modem such as a 4G, 5G, or higher generation modem, an optical modem and/or other access devices.
In various embodiments, the base station or access point 122 can include a 4G, 5G, or higher generation base station, an access point that operates via an 802.11 standard such as 802.11n, 802.11ac or other wireless access terminal. The mobile devices 124 can include mobile phones, e-readers, tablets, phablets, wireless modems, and/or other mobile computing devices.
In various embodiments, the switching device 132 can include a private branch exchange or central office switch, a media services gateway, VoIP gateway or other gateway device and/or other switching device. The telephony devices 134 can include traditional telephones (with or without a terminal adapter), VoIP telephones and/or other telephony devices.
In various embodiments, the media terminal 142 can include a cable head-end or other TV head-end, a satellite receiver, gateway or other media terminal 142. The display devices 144 can include televisions with or without a set top box, personal computers and/or other display devices.
In various embodiments, the content sources 175 include broadcast television and radio sources, video on demand platforms and streaming video and audio services platforms, one or more content data networks, data servers, web servers and other content servers, and/or other sources of media.
In various embodiments, the communications network 125 can include wired, optical and/or wireless links and the network elements 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. can include service switching points, signal transfer points, service control points, network gateways, media distribution hubs, servers, firewalls, routers, edge devices, switches and other network nodes for routing and controlling communications traffic over wired, optical and wireless links as part of the Internet and other public networks as well as one or more private networks, for managing subscriber access, for billing and network management and for supporting other network functions.
The split ledger works by creating a unique pair of ledgers at block 0 for every digital asset. A trusted entity, such as a bank, known as a validator, maintains the hash ledger 227 that proves the information stored in the passed ledger 217 is correct. The passed ledger 217 is passed from owner to owner as the asset is sold. Like a serial number provided on U.S. currency, the split ledger identifies which money the owner has, but further provides a way to track the virtual asset from its current owner all the way back to its origin, much like a bitcoin blockchain. In most split ledger applications, the validator has a reason to gain from a completed blockchain, which allows for additional trust in the validator; however, in a split ledger application, there is no added benefit to the validator. The validator is expected to transparently maintain the hash ledger 227.
Blockchains are slow by design, meaning they limit how quickly a single transaction can occur as well as how many can occur at the same time. Furthermore, traditional blockchains require every peer to store a complete copy of the ledger. In other words, every peer processes all of the transactions. In contrast, split ledger applications all share a common format, a unique blockchain that represents a single asset. This format allows for very small blocks, and as the blocks are mined only by the receiver of the asset, and reported by the seller of the asset, transactions can be processed very quickly (i.e., on the order of billions of transactions per second).
The existence of the asset, a virtual coin, is established by the split ledger comprising the passed ledger 217 and the hash ledger 227. The passed ledger 217 has a record of every transaction that the virtual coin has ever had. The extent of the record includes information comprising who sold the virtual coin to whom, without providing a backstory on what the cost of the virtual coin was. While most transactions will be generated by a smart contract on a different transactional chain, the result is simply that the virtual coin transitioned from one wallet to another, without regard to why the transaction happened.
A block in the passed ledger 217 is created when a transaction is proposed by a potential next owner of the virtual coin and then confirmed by the current owner of the virtual coin, appending the block to the passed ledger 217. The transaction includes a series of steps between the current owner of the virtual coin and the potential next owner. First, the seller of the virtual coin (i.e., the owner who is a buyer of a good or service) would advertise to the buyer (i.e., the potential next owner of the virtual coin) the virtual coins they would use to pay for the good or service by sharing the passed ledger 217 associated with each virtual coin with a buyer's device 216 to prove the validity of their virtual coin(s) to the buyer.
The buyer, using the buyer's device 216 can exchange communications with the validator, which holds the hash ledger 227 in the network element 224, to check that the passed ledger 217 is accurate. The buyer of the virtual coin verifies accuracy of the information recorded in the passed ledger 217 by checking that the passed ledger 217 matches the hash ledger 227. Next, the buyer computes a potential next block for the passed ledger 217. The process for computing the next block is to determine the header information, such as previous owner, previous hash, and a time stamp, followed by the body of the block: the new owner address, and the hash of the new block. Then, the buyer sends the potential next block to the seller. Next, the seller then checks the potential next block of the passed ledger 217 and if the seller decides to sell the virtual coin, the seller submits the resulting hashes and permissions to the validator to update the hash ledger 227. Once the validator updates the hash ledger 227, either party may validate that the potential next block has been properly appended to the passed ledger 217. Now, the buyer can prove ownership of the virtual coin by virtue of the block recorded in the passed ledger 217 and validated by the hashes recorded in the hash ledger 227. In traditional cryptocurrencies the responsibility to verify that the funds are valid lies on the miners, who need to check not only that the virtual coins were owned by the buyer in the first place, but also that those virtual coins were not spent in any of the blocks of record between when the owner first received the virtual coins and the present time of the new transaction. One issue with this model is that older virtual coins may take much longer to verify for sale. In the split ledger, there are no intervening blocks that must be scanned for a transaction; hence the verification process is comparatively easy.
The split ledger implements a relatively complex hash algorithm to compute the block hashes compared to other implementations of a split ledger, such as those described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/962,124, filed Apr. 25, 2018, entitled “Blockchain Solution for an Automated Advertising Marketplace,” which is incorporated by reference herein. The security improvement provided by the relatively complex hash algorithm is worth the slight (still low single digits of seconds) delay in solving the hash algorithm. Equations 1 and 2 provide the basis for determining the needs of the algorithm:
T(lifetime of asset)*X<T(collision rate) Equations 1:
where X is a factor that ensures the lifetime of the asset is a multiple smaller than the collision rate of the hash algorithm.
T(active time of block)*Y<<T(collision rate) Equation 2:
where the active time of the block is defined as the time from when the block is created until the time that another block is appended to the chain, and where Y is a factor that ensures that the active time of a block is much less than the collision rate of the hash algorithm, to prevent theft of the asset.
An initial hash algorithm could be MD5 or slower. One benefit of choosing a slower algorithm is the longer period that a user can choose to not pass a virtual coin, keeping it mature and ready to spend longer. In other words, the active time of the block can be much longer when a slower algorithm is used, because the chances of finding a collision are lower. When the age of a virtual coin's block reaches a fraction of the anticipated time to create a hash collision (i.e., a hacker's attempt to find a second, properly formatted block using the same hash algorithm that yields the same hash result), the owner should pass a virtual coin on to themselves. In an embodiment, self-selling in this manner can be a recommended setting in a virtual wallet. In the self-selling process, the owner creates a new block showing themselves as both the buyer and seller of the virtual coin. This forcefully resets the maturation clock, which would force hackers seeking to find a collision block to start over.
The validator creates the hash ledger 227 at the same time as the passed ledger 217, and the hash ledger 227 shares a common naming structure. As the name implies, the hash ledger 227 stores a list of hashes, which represent the correct hashes for mined blocks in the corresponding passed ledger 217. The seller of the block updates the hash ledger 227. The seller submits a hash of the completed block, as provided by the buyer (though the seller will test the buyer's solution as well). In addition to updating the hash ledger 227 with the hash, the seller also updates the permission of the hash ledger 227 such that only the new owner (the buyer) will be able to append a hash for the next block. The final entry in the hash ledger 227 is a request to convert the virtual coin back into the fiat currency that the virtual coin represents. The chain will then be removed by the validator. If a new chain is needed, it will be created from scratch. There are three possible reasons for ending the chain: 1) the virtual coin is returned and the fiat currency is given to the owner; 2) the virtual coin is returned and exchanged for a new virtual coin, with no exchange of fiat currency; or 3) one or multiple virtual coins are returned and converted into one or more new virtual coins of different denominations.
The validator can limit transactions of each virtual coin based on the amount of time need to earn enough interest to pay for the computation and storage of the transaction. During the time period that the virtual coin isn't transferred, the validator earns interest from the fiat currency escrowed for the value of the virtual coin. Further, the escrowed deposits provided to the validator could be used in ways other than earning interest, provided the method is secure and guaranteed to pay enough interest at a consistent rate to support the maintenance of the transactional history of the virtual coin. Unlike the computational requirements imposed to accomplish mining (i.e., proof of work) in other virtual currencies such as bitcoin, the computational requirements set forth by a split ledger is trivial, and is mostly completed by the virtual coin buyer's device 216 and verified by the seller's device 214. A limited amount of computing resources is needed to complete the transaction by recording an entry in the hash ledger 227 by the validator. Hence, the split ledger provides an extremely energy efficient technique to implement a cryptocurrency.
In an exemplary embodiment, a bank could create a virtual coin representative of a stored value of a fiat currency deposited with the validator by providing enough information for recording in a hash entry of the hash ledger 227 maintained by the validator. The bank (or the validator itself) holds the fiat currency representing the virtual coin in an escrow account, earning interest. In this example, the bank or validator would only allow the hash ledger 227 to be updated after enough interest has accrued to cover the costs associated with recording and maintaining the transaction. As such, larger denomination virtual coins could be spent faster than those of a lower value, because the larger denominations would accrue enough interest to fund the transaction much more quickly. In most instances, a transaction would be conducted in two parts: the first part is an exchange of goods or services, and the second part is payment. There may be instances where there are more steps, where multiple groups are involved with building the value of the good or service, such as a delivery fee, or an added item to a basket of goods.
To reduce the query time for users to access the hash ledger 227 of specific chains, the validator can create redundant storage, likely across service providers and geographical areas. The validator would have to make sure that all network elements are in communication with each other and up to date, as could be implemented by redundant network elements 224 distributed throughout the communications network 225. The cost of storage generally scales down with the space needed, i.e., the more space needed, the cheaper the storage costs per unit of storage. However, it is evident that the hash ledger 227 is the least space-intensive part of the split ledger virtual currency implementation.
In an embodiment, the blockchains created by the split ledger can be trimmed after a certain point. Any chain that has reached a given length (or in the event of a security upgrade) could possibly be shortened. The mechanism for this is to sell the chain with a long ledger to the validator of the hash ledger 227 in exchange for a different virtual coin of identical value. The previous chain would be closed out, though the record may be archived, if deemed necessary for investigative reasons. Storage and transactional costs should be used to determine the size of the assets (e.g., 1 virtual coin per penny, quarter, dollar, etc.) For the sake of maintaining values across network elements, and in limiting transactional costs there would be a time limit between transactions for a given chain. That time limit would depend on the value of the chain and be a function of the financial cost to update the hash ledger 227 versus the interest earned by the fiat currency held by the bank or validator to support the value of the specific virtual coin. The validator can verify and maintain the logs associated with the hash ledger 227 by recording all transactions virtually, and with low processing overhead. A single virtual coin is purchased for a specific amount of fiat currency and can at any time be turned back into the same amount of the same currency. The validator can invest the received funds into a low yield highly secure fund which would provide interest enough to cover the operating costs associated with maintaining the hash ledger 227.
In an embodiment, each virtual coin represents a real deposit of fiat currency. While the “per transaction” cost of maintaining the hash ledger 227 is low, it is greater than zero, meaning there is a tangible cost incurred by the chain creator for each transaction. This cost can be estimated and used to balance an equation which determines how often a virtual coin can be spent and still maintain a zero, or higher fiat currency balance. To maintain that positive balance, the virtual coins have a maturation period during which a virtual coin cannot be re-spent until waiting for expiration of the maturation period. In addition to ensuring the viability of the system, the delay gives auditors enough time to prove that fraud and money laundering are not occurring.
In an embodiment, the spilt ledger would be tied to a single currency and the value would never change compared to the currency the virtual coin was issued against. For example, a $1 virtual coin will always be worth $1 U.S., even though the value of $1 U.S. may change against the Euro, bitcoin, or other currencies. Other virtual coins could be generated against other fiat currencies.
In an embodiment, split ledger cryptocurrency can be used in different circumstances than traditional cryptocurrencies. One way that the holder of the hash ledger 227 could alter the system would be to stop allowing certain chains to be updated (such as freezing assets in a traditional bank). Another would be to delete final blocks or entire chains. However, if an unscrupulous validator loses money by investing deposits in an investment that decreases in value or by theft, then the validator of virtual coins may elect to decrease the value of the virtual coins below the initial amount. Hence, only validators that have a high level of trust should be used as the central clearing house for a split ledger cryptocurrency. These issues illustrate why the system invokes a limited trust, meaning that owners must have trust for the bank or validator to uphold the value of the virtual coin, and to continue to update the hash ledger 227 based on the permissions set by the current virtual coin owner.
That trust does not extend to divulging personal information (owner identities may remain anonymous) nor with reasons for specific transactions, if such information were to be recorded in the passed ledger 217. The bank does not have to be aware of who owns what virtual coins, only that the correct owners are able to prove that they are in fact the correct owner of the virtual coins they claim to own.
In an embodiment, one way to ensure the integrity of the virtual coins that a buyer may spend is to require that a seller of goods or services provide a one-time pad code needed to gain access to the hash ledger 227. Such restriction would increase the difficulty for a hacker manufacturing a new block to the passed ledger 217, because the hacker would not have unfettered access to the hash ledger.
In an embodiment, as the use of single asset blockchain limits the value of each chain, most transaction would require the use of many and various chains. This would mean that the transactional steps would need to be extended by a pair from most split ledger applications. In an exemplary embodiment, a perspective buyer of a good or service (i.e., not the virtual coins) would submit a purchase request with addresses of the virtual coins that the buyer would use for the purchase. Next the seller would verify each virtual coin belongs to the buyer. The seller would then submit a smart contract which includes the completed blocks for each virtual coin. The buyer would then decide whether to purchase the asset, and if so, complete the smart contract.
Completing the terms of the smart contract would fire off messages with the completed blocks to the various virtual coin chains alerting them to the new hashes and updating the permissions. The seller would then verify that the virtual coins had all been updated, and then would pass ownership of the asset to the buyer.
Given that most transactions won't occur at the value of a single virtual coin, the seller of goods or services must have a way to verify that the virtual coins used to purchase the goods or services were processed correctly. In an embodiment, verification could be accomplished by using a traditional blockchain based on Ethereum smart contracts. The smart contract would need to be able to read the passed ledgers of the seller, verify the content, read the hash ledger, verify the correctness of the passed ledger, write the new blocks for each chain, and check that they were accepted by the seller, and the hash ledgers were updated.
Next, in step 233, the owner wishes to purchase a good or service valued at $100 U.S. from an entity that accepts virtual coins. The owner shares the passed ledger associated with the virtual coin with the entity to prove the validity of the virtual coin(s) to the entity. Optionally, the owner may also provide a one-time pad code that permits the entity to query the hash ledger.
In the next step 234, the entity exchanges communications with the validator, which holds the hash ledger to check that the passed ledger is accurate. The entity acquiring the virtual coin calculates a hash for the block in the passed ledger and verifies that the hash value calculated matches the hash in the hash ledger provided by the validator. If the entity finds that an error occurred, the process continues to step 235, where the entity rejects the transaction. But if the entity accepts the validity of the virtual coin(s), then the process continues in step 236.
Next in step 236, the entity acquiring the virtual coin(s) computes a potential next block 237 (illustrated as block 1) in the passed ledger, by appending the body of the block: the new owner's address (i.e., the address of the entity), and a hash of the potential next block 237 to the header information: the previous owner, previous hash, and a time stamp, thereby creating a potential next block. Then, the entity sends this potential next block to the owner. Next, the owner then checks the potential next block of the passed ledger and if the owner decides to sell the virtual coin, the owner submits the resulting hashes and permissions to the validator to update the hash ledger, thereby recording the hash of the potential next block 237 in the hash ledger, and the potential next block becomes the latest block in the passed ledger. Now, the buyer becomes the new owner, and can prove ownership of the virtual coin by virtue of the block recorded in the passed ledger and validated by the hashes recorded in the hash ledger.
While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respective processes are shown and described as a series of blocks in
Referring now to
A cloud networking architecture is shown that leverages cloud technologies and supports rapid innovation and scalability via a transport layer 350, a virtualized network function cloud 325 and/or one or more cloud computing environments 375. In various embodiments, this cloud networking architecture is an open architecture that leverages application programming interfaces (APIs); reduces complexity from services and operations; supports more nimble business models; and rapidly and seamlessly scales to meet evolving customer requirements including traffic growth, diversity of traffic types, and diversity of performance and reliability expectations.
In contrast to traditional network elements—which are typically integrated to perform a single function, the virtualized communication network employs virtual network elements (VNEs) 330, 332, 334, etc. that perform some or all of the functions of network elements 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. For example, the network architecture can provide a substrate of networking capability, often called Network Function Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVI) or simply infrastructure that is capable of being directed with software and Software Defined Networking (SDN) protocols to perform a broad variety of network functions and services. This infrastructure can include several types of substrates. The most typical type of substrate being servers that support Network Function Virtualization (NFV), followed by packet forwarding capabilities based on generic computing resources, with specialized network technologies brought to bear when general purpose processors or general purpose integrated circuit devices offered by merchants (referred to herein as merchant silicon) are not appropriate. In this case, communication services can be implemented as cloud-centric workloads.
As an example, a traditional network element 150 (shown in
In an embodiment, the transport layer 350 includes fiber, cable, wired and/or wireless transport elements, network elements and interfaces to provide broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice access 130, media access 140 and/or access to content sources 175 for distribution of content to any or all of the access technologies. In some cases, a network element needs to be positioned at a specific place, and this allows for less sharing of common infrastructure. Other times, the network elements have specific physical layer adapters that cannot be abstracted or virtualized and might require special DSP code and analog front ends (AFEs) that do not lend themselves to implementation as VNEs 330, 332 or 334. These network elements can be included in transport layer 350.
The virtualized network function cloud 325 interfaces with the transport layer 350 to provide the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide specific NFVs. In particular, the virtualized network function cloud 325 leverages cloud operations, applications, and architectures to support networking workloads. The virtualized network elements 330, 332 and 334 can employ network function software that provides either a one-for-one mapping of traditional network element function or alternately some combination of network functions designed for cloud computing. For example, VNEs 330, 332 and 334 can include route reflectors, domain name system (DNS) servers, and dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) servers, system architecture evolution (SAE) and/or mobility management entity (MME) gateways, broadband network gateways, IP edge routers for IP-VPN, Ethernet and other services, load balancers, distributers and other network elements. Because these elements don't typically need to forward large amounts of traffic, their workload can be distributed across several servers—each of which adds a portion of the capability, and overall which creates an elastic function with higher availability than its former monolithic version. These virtual network elements 330, 332, 334, etc. can be instantiated and managed using an orchestration approach like those used in cloud compute services.
The cloud computing environments 375 can interface with the virtualized network function cloud 325 via APIs that expose functional capabilities of the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide the flexible and expanded capabilities to the virtualized network function cloud 325. Network workloads may have applications distributed across the virtualized network function cloud 325 and cloud computing environment 375 and in the commercial cloud or might simply orchestrate workloads supported entirely in NFV infrastructure from these third-party locations.
Turning now to
Generally, program modules comprise routines, programs, components, data structures, etc., that perform tasks or implement abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methods can be practiced with other computer system configurations, comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can be operatively coupled to one or more associated devices.
As used herein, a processing circuit includes one or more processors as well as other application specific circuits such as an application specific integrated circuit, digital logic circuit, state machine, programmable gate array or other circuit that processes input signals or data and that produces output signals or data in response thereto. It should be noted that while any functions and features described herein in association with the operation of a processor could likewise be performed by a processing circuit.
The illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be also practiced in distributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can be in both local and remote memory storage devices.
Computing devices typically comprise a variety of media, which can comprise computer-readable storage media and/or communications media, which two terms are used herein differently from one another as follows. Computer-readable storage media can be any available storage media that can be accessed by the computer and comprises both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable storage media can be implemented in connection with any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, program modules, structured data or unstructured data.
Computer-readable storage media can comprise, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or other tangible and/or non-transitory media which can be used to store desired information. In this regard, the terms “tangible” or “non-transitory” herein as applied to storage, memory or computer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude only propagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not relinquish rights to all standard storage, memory or computer-readable media that are not only propagating transitory signals per se.
Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local or remote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries or other data retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect to the information stored by the medium.
Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and comprises any information delivery or transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signals refers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media comprise wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.
With reference again to
The system bus 408 can be any of several types of bus structure that can further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. The system memory 406 comprises ROM 410 and RAM 412. A basic input/output system (BIOS) can be stored in a non-volatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer 402, such as during startup. The RAM 412 can also comprise a high-speed RAM such as static RAM for caching data.
The computer 402 further comprises an internal hard disk drive (HDD) 414 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), which internal HDD 414 can also be configured for external use in a suitable chassis (not shown), a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 416, (e.g., to read from or write to a removable diskette 418) and an optical disk drive 420, (e.g., reading a CD-ROM disk 422 or, to read from or write to other high capacity optical media such as the DVD). The HDD 414, magnetic FDD 416 and optical disk drive 420 can be connected to the system bus 408 by a hard disk drive interface 424, a magnetic disk drive interface 426 and an optical drive interface 428, respectively. The hard disk drive interface 424 for external drive implementations comprises at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface technologies. Other external drive connection technologies are within contemplation of the embodiments described herein.
The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and so forth. For the computer 402, the drives and storage media accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digital format. Although the description of computer-readable storage media above refers to a hard disk drive (HDD), a removable magnetic diskette, and a removable optical media such as a CD or DVD, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of storage media which are readable by a computer, such as zip drives, magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, cartridges, and the like, can also be used in the example operating environment, and further, that any such storage media can contain computer-executable instructions for performing the methods described herein.
Several program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 412, comprising an operating system 430, one or more application programs 432, other program modules 434 and program data 436. All or portions of the operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also be cached in the RAM 412. The systems and methods described herein can be implemented utilizing various commercially available operating systems or combinations of operating systems.
A user can enter commands and information into the computer 402 through one or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 438 and a pointing device, such as a mouse 440. Other input devices (not shown) can comprise a microphone, an infrared (IR) remote control, a joystick, a game pad, a stylus pen, touch screen or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 404 through an input device interface 442 that can be coupled to the system bus 408, but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an IEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an IR interface, etc.
A monitor 444 or other type of display device can be also connected to the system bus 408 via an interface, such as a video adapter 446. It will also be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, a monitor 444 can also be any display device (e.g., another computer having a display, a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc.) for receiving display information associated with computer 402 via any communication means, including via the Internet and cloud-based networks. In addition to the monitor 444, a computer typically comprises other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.
The computer 402 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 448. The remote computer(s) 448 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, a personal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainment appliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typically comprises many or all of the elements described relative to the computer 402, although, for purposes of brevity, only a remote memory/storage device 450 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted comprise wired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 452 and/or larger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 454. Such LAN and WAN networking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all of which can connect to a global communications network, e.g., the Internet.
When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 402 can be connected to the LAN 452 through a wired and/or wireless communication network interface or adapter 456. The adapter 456 can facilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN 452, which can also comprise a wireless AP disposed thereon for communicating with the adapter 456.
When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 402 can comprise a modem 458 or can be connected to a communications server on the WAN 454 or has other means for establishing communications over the WAN 454, such as by way of the Internet. The modem 458, which can be internal or external and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the system bus 408 via the input device interface 442. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 402 or portions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 450. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are example and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers can be used.
The computer 402 can be operable to communicate with any wireless devices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication, e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portable data assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment or location associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk, news stand, restroom), and telephone. This can comprise Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and BLUETOOTH® wireless technologies. Thus, the communication can be a predefined structure as with a conventional network or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.
Wi-Fi can allow connection to the Internet from a couch at home, a bed in a hotel room or a conference room at work, without wires. Wi-Fi is a wireless technology like that used in a cell phone that enables such devices, e.g., computers, to send and receive data indoors and out; anywhere within the range of a base station. Wi-Fi networks use radio technologies called IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g, n, ac, ag, etc.) to provide secure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can be used to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wired networks (which can use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi networks operate in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands for example or with products that contain both bands (dual band), so the networks can provide real-world performance like the basic 10BaseT wired Ethernet networks used in many offices.
Turning now to
In addition to receiving and processing CS-switched traffic and signaling, PS gateway node(s) 518 can authorize and authenticate PS-based data sessions with served mobile devices. Data sessions can comprise traffic, or content(s), exchanged with networks external to the mobile network platform 510, like wide area network(s) (WANs) 550, enterprise network(s) 570, and service network(s) 580, which can be embodied in local area network(s) (LANs), can also be interfaced with mobile network platform 510 through PS gateway node(s) 518. It is to be noted that WANs 550 and enterprise network(s) 570 can embody, at least in part, a service network(s) like IP multimedia subsystem (IMS). Based on radio technology layer(s) available in technology resource(s) or radio access network 520, PS gateway node(s) 518 can generate packet data protocol contexts when a data session is established; other data structures that facilitate routing of packetized data also can be generated. To that end, in an aspect, PS gateway node(s) 518 can comprise a tunnel interface (e.g., tunnel termination gateway (TTG) in 3GPP UMTS network(s) (not shown)) which can facilitate packetized communication with disparate wireless network(s), such as Wi-Fi networks.
In embodiment 500, mobile network platform 510 also comprises serving node(s) 516 that, based upon available radio technology layer(s) within technology resource(s) in the radio access network 520, convey the various packetized flows of data streams received through PS gateway node(s) 518. It is to be noted that for technology resource(s) that rely primarily on CS communication, server node(s) can deliver traffic without reliance on PS gateway node(s) 518; for example, server node(s) can embody at least in part a mobile switching center. As an example, in a 3GPP UMTS network, serving node(s) 516 can be embodied in serving GPRS support node(s) (SGSN).
For radio technologies that exploit packetized communication, server(s) 514 in mobile network platform 510 can execute numerous applications that can generate multiple disparate packetized data streams or flows, and manage (e.g., schedule, queue, format . . . ) such flows. Such application(s) can comprise add-on features to standard services (for example, provisioning, billing, customer support . . . ) provided by mobile network platform 510. Data streams (e.g., content(s) that are part of a voice call or data session) can be conveyed to PS gateway node(s) 518 for authorization/authentication and initiation of a data session, and to serving node(s) 516 for communication thereafter. In addition to application server, server(s) 514 can comprise utility server(s), a utility server can comprise a provisioning server, an operations and maintenance server, a security server that can implement at least in part a certificate authority and firewalls as well as other security mechanisms, and the like. In an aspect, security server(s) secure communication served through mobile network platform 510 to ensure network's operation and data integrity in addition to authorization and authentication procedures that CS gateway node(s) 512 and PS gateway node(s) 518 can enact. Moreover, provisioning server(s) can provision services from external network(s) like networks operated by a disparate service provider; for instance, WAN 550 or Global Positioning System (GPS) network(s) (not shown). Provisioning server(s) can also provision coverage through networks associated to mobile network platform 510 (e.g., deployed and operated by the same service provider), such as the distributed antennas networks shown in
It is to be noted that server(s) 514 can comprise one or more processors configured to confer at least in part the functionality of mobile network platform 510. To that end, the one or more processor can execute code instructions stored in memory 530, for example. It should be appreciated that server(s) 514 can comprise a content manager, which operates in substantially the same manner as described hereinbefore.
In example embodiment 500, memory 530 can store information related to operation of mobile network platform 510. Other operational information can comprise provisioning information of mobile devices served through mobile network platform 510, subscriber databases; application intelligence, pricing schemes, e.g., promotional rates, flat-rate programs, couponing campaigns; technical specification(s) consistent with telecommunication protocols for operation of disparate radio, or wireless, technology layers; and so forth. Memory 530 can also store information from at least one of telephony network(s) 540, WAN 550, SS7 network 560, or enterprise network(s) 570. In an aspect, memory 530 can be, for example, accessed as part of a data store component or as a remotely connected memory store.
In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter,
Turning now to
The communication device 600 can comprise a wireline and/or wireless transceiver 602 (herein transceiver 602), a user interface (UI) 604, a power supply 614, a location receiver 616, a motion sensor 618, an orientation sensor 620, and a controller 606 for managing operations thereof. The transceiver 602 can support short-range or long-range wireless access technologies such as Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, Wi-Fi, DECT, or cellular communication technologies, just to mention a few (Bluetooth® and ZigBee® are trademarks registered by the Bluetooth® Special Interest Group and the ZigBee® Alliance, respectively). Cellular technologies can include, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next generation wireless communication technologies as they arise. The transceiver 602 can also be adapted to support circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN), packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP, etc.), and combinations thereof.
The UI 604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 608 with a navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or a navigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device 600. The keypad 608 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of the communication device 600 or an independent device operably coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or a wireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth®. The keypad 608 can represent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTY keypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 604 can further include a display 610 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology for conveying images to an end user of the communication device 600. In an embodiment where the display 610 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all the keypad 608 can be presented by way of the display 610 with navigation features.
The display 610 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a user interface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, the communication device 600 can be adapted to present a user interface having graphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by a user with a touch of a finger. The display 610 can be equipped with capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology to detect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on a portion of the touch screen display. This sensing information can be used to control the manipulation of the GUI elements or other functions of the user interface. The display 610 can be an integral part of the housing assembly of the communication device 600 or an independent device communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a cable) or a wireless interface.
The UI 604 can also include an audio system 612 that utilizes audio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard in proximity of a human ear) and high-volume audio (such as speakerphone for hands free operation). The audio system 612 can further include a microphone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audio system 612 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI 604 can further include an image sensor 613 such as a charged coupled device (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.
The power supply 614 can utilize common power management technologies such as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulation technologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energy to the components of the communication device 600 to facilitate long-range or short-range portable communications. Alternatively, or in combination, the charging system can utilize external power sources such as DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port or other suitable tethering technologies.
The location receiver 616 can utilize location technology such as a global positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS for identifying a location of the communication device 600 based on signals generated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used for facilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 618 can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motion of the communication device 600 in three-dimensional space. The orientation sensor 620 can utilize orientation sensing technology such as a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device 600 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations in degrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).
The communication device 600 can use the transceiver 602 to also determine a proximity to a cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, or other wireless access points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time of flight (TOF) measurements. The controller 606 can utilize computing technologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits, and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash, ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executing computer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by the aforementioned components of the communication device 600.
Other components not shown in
The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and so forth, as used in the claims, unless otherwise clear by context, is for clarity only and doesn't otherwise indicate or imply any order in time. For instance, “a first determination,” “a second determination,” and “a third determination,” does not indicate or imply that the first determination is to be made before the second determination, or vice versa, etc.
In the subject specification, terms such as “store,” “storage,” “data store,” data storage,” “database,” and substantially any other information storage component relevant to operation and functionality of a component, refer to “memory components,” or entities embodied in a “memory” or components comprising the memory. It will be appreciated that the memory components described herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or can comprise both volatile and nonvolatile memory, by way of illustration, and not limitation, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, disk storage, and memory storage. Further, nonvolatile memory can be included in read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can comprise random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM). Additionally, the disclosed memory components of systems or methods herein are intended to comprise, without being limited to comprising, these and any other suitable types of memory.
Moreover, it will be noted that the disclosed subject matter can be practiced with other computer system configurations, comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, mini-computing devices, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices (e.g., PDA, phone, smartphone, watch, tablet computers, netbook computers, etc.), microprocessor-based or programmable consumer or industrial electronics, and the like. The illustrated aspects can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network; however, some if not all aspects of the subject disclosure can be practiced on stand-alone computers. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can be in both local and remote memory storage devices.
In one or more embodiments, information regarding use of services can be generated including services being accessed, media consumption history, user preferences, and so forth. This information can be obtained by various methods including user input, detecting types of communications (e.g., video content vs. audio content), analysis of content streams, sampling, and so forth. The generating, obtaining and/or monitoring of this information can be responsive to an authorization provided by the user. In one or more embodiments, an analysis of data can be subject to authorization from user(s) associated with the data, such as an opt-in, an opt-out, acknowledgement requirements, notifications, selective authorization based on types of data, and so forth.
Some of the embodiments described herein can also employ artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate automating one or more features described herein. The embodiments (e.g., in connection with automatically identifying acquired cell sites that provide a maximum value/benefit after addition to an existing communication network) can employ various AI-based schemes for carrying out various embodiments thereof. Moreover, the classifier can be employed to determine a ranking or priority of each cell site of the acquired network. A classifier is a function that maps an input attribute vector, x=(x1, x2, x3, x4 . . . xn), to a confidence that the input belongs to a class, that is, f(x)=confidence (class). Such classification can employ a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis (e.g., factoring into the analysis utilities and costs) to determine or infer an action that a user desires to be automatically performed. A support vector machine (SVM) is an example of a classifier that can be employed. The SVM operates by finding a hypersurface in the space of possible inputs, which the hypersurface attempts to split the triggering criteria from the non-triggering events. Intuitively, this makes the classification correct for testing data that is near, but not identical to training data. Other directed and undirected model classification approaches comprise, e.g., naïve Bayes, Bayesian networks, decision trees, neural networks, fuzzy logic models, and probabilistic classification models providing different patterns of independence can be employed. Classification as used herein also is inclusive of statistical regression that is utilized to develop models of priority.
As will be readily appreciated, one or more of the embodiments can employ classifiers that are explicitly trained (e.g., via a generic training data) as well as implicitly trained (e.g., via observing UE behavior, operator preferences, historical information, receiving extrinsic information). For example, SVMs can be configured via a learning or training phase within a classifier constructor and feature selection module. Thus, the classifier(s) can be used to automatically learn and perform a number of functions, including but not limited to determining according to predetermined criteria which of the acquired cell sites will benefit a maximum number of subscribers and/or which of the acquired cell sites will add minimum value to the existing communication network coverage, etc.
As used in some contexts in this application, in some embodiments, the terms “component,” “system” and the like are intended to refer to, or comprise, a computer-related entity or an entity related to an operational apparatus with one or more specific functionalities, wherein the entity can be either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. As an example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, computer-executable instructions, a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration and not limitation, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. One or more components may reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. In addition, these components can execute from various computer readable media having various data structures stored thereon. The components may communicate via local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a network such as the Internet with other systems via the signal). As another example, a component can be an apparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical parts operated by electric or electronic circuitry, which is operated by a software or firmware application executed by a processor, wherein the processor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes at least a part of the software or firmware application. Yet another example, a component can be an apparatus that provides specific functionality through electronic components without mechanical parts, the electronic components can comprise a processor therein to execute software or firmware that confers at least in part the functionality of the electronic components. While various components have been illustrated as separate components, it will be appreciated that multiple components can be implemented as a single component, or a single component can be implemented as multiple components, without departing from example embodiments.
Further, the various embodiments can be implemented as a method, apparatus or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware or any combination thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosed subject matter. The term “article of manufacture” as used herein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device or computer-readable storage/communications media. For example, computer readable storage media can include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD)), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, key drive). Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize many modifications can be made to this configuration without departing from the scope or spirit of the various embodiments.
In addition, the words “example” and “exemplary” are used herein to mean serving as an instance or illustration. Any embodiment or design described herein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word example or exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or”. That is, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.
Moreover, terms such as “user equipment,” “mobile station,” “mobile,” subscriber station,” “access terminal,” “terminal,” “handset,” “mobile device” (and/or terms representing similar terminology) can refer to a wireless device utilized by a subscriber or user of a wireless communication service to receive or convey data, control, voice, video, sound, gaming or substantially any data-stream or signaling-stream. The foregoing terms are utilized interchangeably herein and with reference to the related drawings.
Furthermore, the terms “user,” “subscriber,” “customer,” “consumer” and the like are employed interchangeably throughout, unless context warrants distinctions among the terms. It should be appreciated that such terms can refer to human entities or automated components supported through artificial intelligence (e.g., a capacity to make inference based, at least, on complex mathematical formalisms), which can provide simulated vision, sound recognition and so forth.
As employed herein, the term “processor” can refer to substantially any computing processing unit or device comprising, but not limited to comprising, single-core processors; single-processors with software multithread execution capability; multi-core processors; multi-core processors with software multithread execution capability; multi-core processors with hardware multithread technology; parallel platforms; and parallel platforms with distributed shared memory. Additionally, a processor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic controller (PLC), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Processors can exploit nano-scale architectures such as, but not limited to, molecular and quantum-dot based transistors, switches and gates, in order to optimize space usage or enhance performance of user equipment. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.
As used herein, terms such as “data storage,” data storage,” “database,” and substantially any other information storage component relevant to operation and functionality of a component, refer to “memory components,” or entities embodied in a “memory” or components comprising the memory. It will be appreciated that the memory components or computer-readable storage media, described herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory.
What has been described above includes mere examples of various embodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing these examples, but one of ordinary skill in the art can recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed and/or claimed herein are intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
In addition, a flow diagram may include a “start” and/or “continue” indication. The “start” and “continue” indications reflect that the steps presented can optionally be incorporated in or otherwise used in conjunction with other routines. In this context, “start” indicates the beginning of the first step presented and may be preceded by other activities not specifically shown. Further, the “continue” indication reflects that the steps presented may be performed multiple times and/or may be succeeded by other activities not specifically shown. Further, while a flow diagram indicates an ordering of steps, other orderings are likewise possible provided that the principles of causality are maintained.
As may also be used herein, the term(s) “operably coupled to”, “coupled to”, and/or “coupling” includes direct coupling between items and/or indirect coupling between items via one or more intervening items. Such items and intervening items include, but are not limited to, junctions, communication paths, components, circuit elements, circuits, functional blocks, and/or devices. As an example of indirect coupling, a signal conveyed from a first item to a second item may be modified by one or more intervening items by modifying the form, nature or format of information in a signal, while one or more elements of the information in the signal are nevertheless conveyed in a manner than can be recognized by the second item. In a further example of indirect coupling, an action in a first item can cause a reaction on the second item, as a result of actions and/or reactions in one or more intervening items.
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement which achieves the same or similar purpose may be substituted for the embodiments described or shown by the subject disclosure. The subject disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, can be used in the subject disclosure. For instance, one or more features from one or more embodiments can be combined with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. In one or more embodiments, features that are positively recited can also be negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or without replacement by another structural and/or functional feature. The steps or functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure can be performed in any order. The steps or functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure can be performed alone or in combination with other steps or functions of the subject disclosure, as well as from other embodiments or from other steps that have not been described in the subject disclosure. Further, more than or less than all the features described with respect to an embodiment can also be utilized.
