Data usage profiles for users and applications

• US 10,069,705 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2016
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Data Usage Profiles For Users and Applications
• Inventors: Zalmanovitch, Gil, Scott, Gregory James, Guday, Shai, Kwok, Alec Garvin, Jiang, Yue, Ma, Kenneth Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Elhag, Magdi
• Application Number:
  US15/365,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20170086053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1435 volume-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 related to network traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/60 based on actual use of network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7652 shared by users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/775 Account specifications on parallel communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/84 Types of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/846 optical, e.g. icon
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/853 Calculate maximum communication time or volume
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/856 : Unsuccessful event
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/86 : Recipients of the notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 : Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 : Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 : Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 : Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Embodiments profile users and applications based on network data usage. Data usage statistics are collected and compared for the users and applications. Profiles are assigned to the users and applications based on the comparison. In some embodiments, the applications are ranked based on data usage and presented to the users in an application marketplace.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory area associated with a mobile computing device, said memory area storing a plurality of applications; and

a processor programmed to;

receive network consumption data for applications on a mobile device of a user,

access other network consumption data for a plurality of other applications on devices of a plurality of other users;

identify a user profile for the plurality of other users based on the other network consumption data for the plurality of other applications;

classify the user with the user profile based on the received network consumption data for the applications on the mobile device and the accessed other network consumption data for the plurality of other applications;

select recommended applications for the user to download to the mobile device based on the user profile;

receive data usage statistics associated with a plurality of the recommended applications from different users,

determine average data consumption of the recommended applications based on the analysis of the data usage statistics, and

transmit indications of the determined average data consumption of the recommended applications to the mobile device for display to the user in an application marketplace.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data usage statistics comprise total data consumption associated with at least one of the plurality of applications.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data usage statistics comprise data consumption during particular intervals associated with at least one of the plurality of applications.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data usage statistics comprise at least one of an amount of data consumed, time and date of usage, location of usage, or network interface used in actual consumption by at least one of the recommended applications.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

calculate available data consumption currently remaining in a data usage plan associated with at least one of the one or more computing devices, and

compare the estimated average data consumption of the plurality of applications based to the calculated available data consumption currently remaining in the data usage plan, and

rank the plurality of applications based on said comparison.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further programmed to provide the recommended applications to an application marketplace that provides an interface for users to download one or more of the recommended applications.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the data usage statistics comprise data usage for multiple computing devices under a single data usage plan.

8. A method comprising:

receiving network consumption data for applications on a mobile device of a user,

accessing other network consumption data for a plurality of other applications on devices of a plurality of other users;

identifying a user profile for the plurality of other users based on the other network consumption data for the plurality of other applications;

classifying the user with the user profile based on the received network consumption data for the applications on the mobile device and the accessed other network consumption data for the plurality of other applications;

selecting recommended applications for the user to download to the mobile device based on the user profile;

receiving data usage statistics associated with the recommended applications from different users;

determining average data consumption of the recommended applications based on the analysis of the data usage statistics; and

providing the determined average data consumption of the recommended applications for display to the user in an application marketplace.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data usage statistics comprise total data consumption associated with at least one of the plurality of applications.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising comparing the received data usage statistics for the user with the data usage statistics associated with a plurality of user data usage profiles based on similarities in usage patterns of the user and users associated with the user data usage profiles.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said receiving the data usage statistics comprises receiving data usage statistics for a plurality of users, and further comprising arranging the plurality of users into groups based on the received data usage statistics.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

estimating network consumption for at least one of the recommended applications on two or more networks; and

providing to the user the estimated network consumption for the at least one of the recommended applications on the two or more networks.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least two or more networks comprise a Wi-Fi network and a cellular network.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

identifying a data usage plan of the user;

identifying available data consumption remaining in the data usage plan for the user;

determining an impact to the available data consumption in the data usage plan for downloading at least one of the recommended applications; and

providing to the user the determined impact to the available data consumption in the data usage plan for the user downloading the at least one of the recommended applications.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

identifying a data usage plan of the user;

identifying available data consumption remaining in the data usage plan for the user;

determining an impact to the available data consumption in the data usage plan for running the at least one of the recommended applications; and

providing to the user the determined impact to the available data consumption in the data usage plan for the user running the at least one of the recommended applications.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying a data usage plan of the user;

identifying available data consumption remaining in the data usage plan for the user;

determining an impact to the available data consumption in the data usage plan for either downloading or running the at least one of the recommended applications; and

recommending to the user to change the data usage plan based on the determined impact to the available data consumption in the data usage plan for either downloading or running the at least one of the recommended applications.

17. One or more computer storage memory devices embodying computer-executable components, said components comprising:

a user profile component that when executed causes at least one processor to receive data usage statistics for a plurality of users; and

an application profile component that when executed causes the at least one processor to;

receive network consumption data for applications on a mobile device of a user,

access other network consumption data for a plurality of other applications on devices of a plurality of other users;

identify a user profile for the plurality of other users based on the other network consumption data for the plurality of other applications;

classify the user with the user profile based on the received network consumption data for the applications on the mobile device and the accessed other network consumption data for the plurality of other applications;

select recommended applications for the user to download to the mobile device based on the user profile;

receive data usage statistics associated with the recommended applications from different users,

determine average data consumption of the recommended applications based on the analysis of the data usage statistics, and

transmit indications of the determined average data consumption of the recommended applications to the mobile device for display to the user in an application marketplace.

18. The computer storage memory devices of claim 17, wherein the application profile component further transmits, to the mobile device for display in the application marketplace, the recommended applications ranked according to the estimated average data consumption.

19. The computer storage memory devices of claim 18, wherein the application profile component further visually distinguishes a subset of the ranked recommended applications in the application marketplace as recommended applications.

20. The computer storage memory devices of claim 17, wherein the user profile component further:

obtains information describing at least one data usage plan competing with a current data usage plan of the user, and

presents the obtained information to the user.