Techniques and systems for enforcement of on-demand customized mobile data services

• US 10,098,017 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2015
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vuornos, Lauri Jaakko, Hjelt, Joonas Emil
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, DANG T
• Application Number:
  US14/752,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20160380824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 370259
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/00 Access restriction access security to prevent unauthorised access H04W12/08; Network selection; Access point selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection

Abstract

Techniques for enforcing a data service package are described. A method may comprise receiving a network data packet from a client device; determining an originating application and a data end point from the network data packet; determining whether a policy in a policy store allows the client device to access a cellular data network; and forwarding the network data packet to the data end point on the cellular data network when a policy does allow the access. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a network data packet from a client device;

determining an originating application and a data end point from the network data packet;

determining if a policy in a policy store allows access by the client device to a cellular data network;

requesting a data service package from a data package service when there is no policy that allows access by the client device;

receiving one or more data service packages from the data package service;

forwarding the one or more data service packages to the client device;

receiving a selection of a data service package from the client device;

forwarding the selection to the data package service; and

receiving a policy associated with the selection from the data package service, where the policy defines parameters for when the client device can access the cellular data network;

associating the policy with the client device to allow the client device to access the cellular data network under the conditions set by the policy; and

forwarding the network data packet to the data end point on the cellular data network based on determining that the policy allows the access.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

including a device context with the request to the data package service, wherein the device context includes what application is in the foreground on the client device at the time the data packet is received, the data end point of the network data packet, or a time of day that the network data packet is received.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising determining the originating application from a tag in the network data packet.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

searching for a policy in the policy store that allows the client device to access the cellular data network for the originating application.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

searching for a policy in the policy store that allows the client device to access the cellular data network for a specified amount of data usage.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

searching for a policy in the policy store that allows the client device to access the cellular data network for a duration of time.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

searching for a policy in the policy store that allows the client device to access the cellular data network for a time of day.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor circuit;

a data access server for execution by the processor circuit to enforce data service packages for client devices, the data access server comprising;

a policy enforcer component to determine whether a policy in a policy store allows a client device to access a cellular data network;

an offer coordinator component to request a data service package from a data package service when there is no policy that allows access by the client device, relay one or more data service packages from the data package service to the client device, relay a selection of a data service package from the client device to the data package service, and receive a policy associated with the selection from the data package service, where the policy defines parameters for when the client device can access a cellular data network; and

a network component to forward the network data packet to the data end point via the cellular data network when a policy does allow the access.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, the data access server comprising:

a tag decoder component to receive a network data packet from a client device, and determine an originating application and a data end point from the network data packet.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, the tag decoder component to determine the originating application from a tag in the network data packet.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, the tag decoder component to determine the data end point from an address in the network data packet.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, the policy enforcer component operative to search for a policy in the policy store that allows the client device to access the cellular data network for an originating application or that allows the client device to access the cellular data network for a specified amount of data usage.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, the policy enforcer component operative to search for a policy in the policy store that allows the client device to access the cellular data network for a duration of time or that allows the client device to access the cellular data network for a time of day.

14. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to:

receive a network data packet from a client device;

determine an originating application and a data end point from the network data packet;

determine whether a policy in a policy store allows the client device to access a cellular data network; and

request a data service package from a data package service when there is no policy that allows access by the client device;

receive and forward one or more data service packages from the data package service to the client device;

receive and forward a selection of a data service package from the client device to the data package service; and

receive a policy associated with the selection from the data package service, where the policy defines parameters for when the client device can access a cellular data network.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, comprising instructions that when executed, cause the apparatus to:

forward the network data packet to the data end point via the cellular data network when a policy does allow the access.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, comprising instructions that when executed, cause the apparatus to search for a policy in the policy store that allows the client device to access the cellular data network for the originating application.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, comprising instructions that when executed, cause the apparatus to search for a policy in the policy store that allows the client device to access the cellular data network for a specified amount of data usage.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, comprising instructions that when executed, cause the apparatus to search for a policy in the policy store that allows the client device to access the cellular data network for a duration of time.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, comprising instructions that when executed, cause the apparatus to search for a policy in the policy store that allows the client device to access the cellular data network for a time of day.