Patent ID: 7778234

Claim:
A method for allocating a network resource in a home network, the method comprising: a processor, in a customer premises equipment device of the home network, using a display to present a plurality of provisioning options to a user; the processor accepting a signal from a user input device to select one of the plurality of provisioning options, wherein the signal defines a provisioning rule for a particular device coupled to the home network; using the processor to track data transferred with the particular device, wherein the processor is coupled to the home network, wherein the processor is resident within a home in which the home network is also resident; the processor determining that the particular device's data transfers do not conform to the provisioning rule; and the processor causing the particular device's data transfers to conform with the provisioning rule; wherein the provisioning rule includes a user identification; wherein the provisioning rule allows any of: providing constant bandwidth to the particular device during an entire duration of the particular device's data transfers to the particular device, assigning a particular input device to the particular device, or assigning a storage space to the particular device for storing data transferred to the particular device during the particular device's data transfers; wherein the provisioning rule is place dependent, device dependent or user dependent.