Network switching detection for toll-free data service provision

• US 10,154,150 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2016
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Huang, Jian, Kelly, Susan, Zhang, Gong, Rao, Fnu Bongu Huma Shankar
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley, Steven
• Application Number:
  US15/172,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20170353609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/09 Third party charged communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/39 Arrangements for preventing metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/46 Real-time negotiation between users and providers or operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/06 between gateways and public network devices

Abstract

A device determines a connection status of a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) communication interface and a wireless Local Area Network (LAN) communication interface, and stores the connection status in a queue. The device waits, subsequent to storing the connection status, for expiration of a time delay; and retrieves, subsequent to the expiration of the time delay, the connection status or another connection status from the queue. The device sends, based on the retrieved connection status or the other connection status, a service validation request to a server associated with the PLMN, and receives from the server, in response to the service validation request, a validation response that authorizes service delivery to the device via a PLMN.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, at a wireless communications device, a first connection status associated with a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) communication interface and a wireless Local Area Network (LAN) communication interface of the device;

storing the first connection status in a first queue;

sending a first toll-free data service validation request to a first or a second server associated with a PLMN;

determining a second connection status of the PLMN communication interface and the wireless LAN communication interface;

storing the second connection status in a second queue;

waiting, subsequent to storing the second connection status, for expiration of a time delay;

retrieving, subsequent to the expiration of the time delay, the second connection status or a third connection status from the second queue;

sending, based on the retrieved second or third connection status, a second toll-free data service validation request to the first or the second server associated with the PLMN;

receiving from the first or second server, in response to the toll-free data service validation request, a validation response that authorizes toll-free data communication with the wireless communications device via the PLMN; and

engaging, by the wireless communications device, in the toll-free data communication via the PLMN based on the receipt of the validation response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first connection status is associated with a change in an active wireless connection at the wireless communications device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that the wireless LAN communication interface has lost a wireless connection to a wireless LAN;

determining that the PLMN communication interface has a valid wireless connection to the PLMN; and

identifying a change in the active wireless connection from the wireless connection to the wireless LAN to the valid wireless connection to the PLMN.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first connection status associated with the PLMN communication interface and the wireless LAN communication interface of the device comprises:

determining if the PLMN communication interface has a valid wireless connection to the PLMN; and

determining if the wireless LAN communication interface has a valid wireless connection to a wireless LAN.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the first connection status associated with the PLMN communication interface and the wireless LAN communication interface further comprises:

selecting, if the wireless LAN communication interface has the valid wireless connection to the wireless LAN, the wireless LAN communication interface as the active communication interface for data communication; and

selecting, if the wireless LAN communication interface does not have a valid wireless connection to the wireless LAN, the PLMN communication interface as the active communication interface for data communication.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, during the waiting for the expiration of the time delay, the third connection status associated with the PLMN communication interface and the wireless LAN communication interface;

deleting the second connection status from the second queue; and

storing the third connection status in the second queue.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the third connection status is associated with a change in active wireless connections at the wireless communications device that occurs during the waiting for the expiration of the time delay.

8. A wireless communications device, comprising:

a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) communication interface configured to connect to a PLMN;

a wireless Local Area Network (LAN) communication interface configured to connect to a LAN;

one or more memory devices configured to store a first queue and a second queue; and

a processing unit configured to;

determine a first connection status associated with the PLMN communication interface and the wireless LAN communication interface,

store the first connection status in the first queue,

cause a first service validation request to be sent to a first or a second server associated with the PLMN,

determine a second connection status of the PLMN communication interface and the wireless LAN communication interface,

store the second connection status in the second queue;

wait, subsequent to storing the second connection status, for expiration of a time delay,

retrieve, subsequent to the expiration of the time delay, the second connection status or a third connection status from the second queue,

cause, based on the retrieved second or third connection status, a second service validation request to be sent to the first or the second server associated with the PLMN,

receive from the first or the second server, in response to the second service validation request, a validation response that authorizes service delivery to, and from, the wireless communications device via the PLMN, and

engage in the authorized service delivery, via the PLMN and the PLMN communication interface, based on the receipt of the validation response.

9. The wireless communications device of claim 8, wherein the first connection status is associated with a change in an active wireless connection at the wireless communications device.

10. The wireless communications device of claim 9, wherein, when determining the first connection status or the second connection status, the processing unit is further configured to:

determine that the wireless LAN communication interface has lost a wireless connection to the wireless LAN;

determine that the PLMN communication interface has a valid wireless connection to the PLMN; and

identify a change in the active wireless connection from the wireless connection to the wireless LAN to the wireless connection to the PLMN.

11. The wireless communications device of claim 8, wherein, when determining the first connection status associated with the PLMN communication interface and the wireless LAN communication interface of the device, the processing unit is further configured to:

determine if the PLMN communication interface has a valid wireless connection to the PLMN, and

determine if the wireless LAN communication interface has a valid wireless connection to a wireless LAN.

12. The wireless communications device of claim 11, wherein, when determining the first connection status associated with the PLMN communication interface and the wireless LAN communication interface, the processing unit is further configured to:

select, if the wireless LAN communication interface has the valid wireless connection to the wireless LAN, the wireless LAN communication interface as the active communication interface for data communication, and

select, if the wireless LAN communication interface does not have a valid wireless connection to the wireless LAN, the PLMN communication interface as the active communication interface for data communication.

13. The wireless communications device of claim 8, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

determine, during the waiting for the expiration of the time delay, the third connection status of the PLMN communication interface and the wireless LAN communication interface,

delete the second connection status from the second queue, and

store the third connection status in the second queue,

wherein the third connection status is associated with a change in active wireless connections at the wireless communications device that occurs during the waiting for the expiration of the time delay.

14. The wireless communications device of claim 8, wherein the first and the second service validation requests comprise toll-free data service validation requests and wherein the validation response authorizes toll-free data service communication via the PLMN.

15. A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions executable by a wireless communications device, wherein the instructions comprise instructions to:

determine a first connection status associated with a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) communication interface and a wireless Local Area Network (LAN) communication interface of the wireless communications device;

store the first connection status in a first queue;

send a first service validation request to a first or a second server associated with a PLMN;

determine a second connection status of the PLMN communication interface and the wireless LAN communication interface;

store the second connection status in a second queue;

wait, subsequent to storing the second connection status, for expiration of a time delay;

retrieve, subsequent to the expiration of the time delay, the second connection status or a third connection status from the second queue;

send, based on the retrieved second or third connection status, a second service validation request to the first or the second server associated with the PLMN;

receive, in response to the second service validation request from the first or the second server, a validation response that authorizes service delivery to, and from, the wireless communications device via the PLMN; and

engage, by the wireless communications device, in the authorized service delivery via the PLMN based on the receipt of the validation response.

16. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the first connection status is associated with a change in an active wireless connection at the wireless communications device.

17. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

determine that the wireless LAN communication interface has lost a wireless connection to a wireless LAN;

determine that the PLMN communication interface has a valid wireless connection to the PLMN; and

identify a change in the active wireless connection from the wireless connection to the wireless LAN to the wireless connection to the PLMN.

18. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions to determine the first connection status associated with the PLMN communication interface and the wireless LAN communication interface of the wireless communications device further comprise instructions to:

determine if the PLMN communication interface has a valid wireless connection to the PLMN; and

determine if the wireless LAN communication interface has a valid wireless connection to a wireless LAN.

19. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions to determine the first connection status associated with the PLMN communication interface and the wireless LAN communication interface further comprise instructions to:

select, if the wireless LAN communication interface has the valid wireless connection to the wireless LAN, the wireless LAN communication interface as the active communication interface for data communication; and

select, if the wireless LAN communication interface does not have a valid wireless connection to the wireless LAN, the PLMN communication interface as the active communication interface for data communication.

20. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions to:

determine, during the waiting for the expiration of the time delay, the third connection status of the PLMN communication interface and the wireless LAN communication interface;

delete the second connection status from the second queue; and

store the third connection status in the second queue,

wherein the third connection status is associated with a change in active wireless connections at the wireless communications device that occurs during the waiting for the expiration of the time delay.