Application service configuration system

• US 10,158,528 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2015
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Cobb, Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): ANYAN, BARBARA BURGESS
• Application Number:
  US14/881,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20170104629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/083 for increasing network speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/142 using statistical or mathematical methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/14 using software, i.e. software packages network security related monitoring H04L63/1408
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/70 Routing based on monitoring results
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A service configuration system for an application service receives network data from a plurality of user devices, where each of the plurality of user devices runs a designated application specific to a service entity providing the application service. The service configuration system can determine, from the network data, that a network latency for a subset of the plurality of user device crosses a latency range bound by an upper and a lower latency threshold. The service configuration system may then generate and transmit a configuration signal to configure properties of the application service and/or the designated application running on the subset of user devices to compensate for the network latency.

Claims

1. A service configuration system for an application service comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory resources storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the service configuration system to;

receive network data from a plurality of user devices, each of the plurality of user devices executing a designated application specific to a service entity providing the application service, wherein each of the plurality of user devices utilizes one of a plurality of network service providers, wherein the designated application operates according to a set of default application configurations, and wherein the designated application further operates on each of the plurality of user devices in one of a plurality of states that indicates a current status of the designated application;

determine, from the network data, that a network latency for a subset of the plurality of user devices crosses outside a latency range bound by an upper latency threshold and a lower latency threshold;

based on determining that the network latency for the subset of user devices crosses outside the latency range, determine whether the subset of user devices utilize a common one of the plurality of network service providers;

based on determining that the subset of user devices utilize the common network service provider, generate and transmit a set of configuration signals to the subset of user devices, the set of configuration signals modifying the set of default application configurations of the designated application executing on each of the subset of user devices to compensate for the network latency; and

prioritize data communications with one or more user devices of the subset of user devices based on the current status of the designated application.

2. The service configuration system of claim 1, wherein the

set of configuration signals adjust a performance configuration for data communications between the application service and the subset of user devices.

3. The service configuration system of claim 2, wherein the set of configuration signals cause the designated application executing on each of the subset of user devices to adjust an amount of data communicated to one or more backend computing systems.

4. The service configuration system of claim 1, wherein the application service is a transportation facilitation service that arranges transportation services between requesting users and drivers.

5. The service configuration system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of user devices comprises a plurality of driver devices of the drivers, and wherein the subset of user devices comprises a subset of the plurality of driver devices that utilize the common network service provider associated with the network latency crossing outside the latency range.

6. The service configuration system of claim 5, wherein the executed instructions cause the set of configuration signals cause the designated application executing on each of the subset of driver devices to decrease a data transmission rate when the network latency is above the upper latency threshold.

7. The service configuration system of claim 5, wherein the designated application executing on each of the plurality of driver devices (i) receives invitations to service one or more pickup requests from the transportation facilitation service, and (ii) enables an available driver to accept the invitations to service the one or more pickup requests.

8. The service configuration system of claim 7, wherein the executed instructions cause the service configuration system to prioritize the data communications from the one or more user devices using a hierarchy based on a current status of one or more drivers utilizing the one or more user devices.

9. The service configuration system of claim 7, wherein the executed instructions further cause the service configuration system to:

decrease a pool of available drivers for each received pickup request when the network latency exceeds the upper latency threshold.

10. The service configuration system of claim 7, wherein the executed instructions further cause the service configuration system to:

increase a pool of available drivers for each received pickup request when the network latency is below the lower latency threshold.

11. The service configuration system of claim 7, wherein the set of configuration signals

cause the designated application executing on each of the subset of driver devices to decrease a duration of time to accept an invitation for a received pickup request when the network latency is above the upper latency threshold.

12. The service configuration system of claim 7, wherein the set of configuration signals

cause the designated application executing on each of the subset of driver devices to increase a duration of time to accept an invitation for a received pickup request when the network latency is above the upper latency threshold.

13. The service configuration system of claim 4, wherein the subset of user devices comprises a plurality of user devices of the requesting users and a plurality of driver devices of the drivers within a geographic region.

14. The service configuration system of claim 13, wherein the set of configuration signals cause the designated application to adjust a performance configuration for each user device, of the plurality of user devices of the requesting users, utilizing the common network service provider within the geographic region.

15. A computer-implemented method of configuration application services, the method being performed by one or more processors of a service configuration system and comprising:

receiving network data from a plurality of user devices, each of the plurality of user devices executing a designated application specific to a service entity providing an application service, wherein each of the plurality of user devices utilizes one of a plurality of network service providers, wherein the designated application operates according to a set of default application configurations, and wherein the designated application further operates on each of the plurality of user devices in one of a plurality of states that indicates a current status of the designated application;

determining, from the network data, that a network latency for a subset of the plurality of user devices crosses a latency range bound by an upper latency threshold and a lower latency threshold;

based on determining that the network latency for the subset of user devices crosses outside the latency range, determining whether the subset of user devices utilize a common one of the plurality of network service providers;

based on determining that the subset of user devices utilize the common network service provider, generating and transmitting a set of configuration signals to the subset of user devices, the set of configuration signals modifying the set of default application configurations of the designated application executing on each of the subset of user devices to compensate for the network latency; and

prioritizing data communications with one or more user devices of the subset of user devices based on the current status of the designated application.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the set of configuration signals

adjust a performance configuration for data communications between the application service and the subset of user devices.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a service configuration system, cause the service configuration system to:

receive network data from a plurality of user devices within a geographic region, each of the plurality of user devices (i) executing a designated application specific to an application service, and (ii) utilizing one of a plurality of network service providers within the geographic region, wherein the designated application operates according to a set of default application configurations, and wherein the designated application further operates on each of the plurality of user devices in one of a plurality of states that indicates a current status of the designated application;

using the network data, dynamically determine, for each of the plurality of network service providers, whether a network latency is within a latency range bound by an upper latency threshold and a lower latency threshold;

based on determining that the network latency for a subset of user devices crosses outside the latency range, determine whether the subset of user devices utilize a common one of the plurality of network service providers;

based on determining that the subset of user devices utilize the common network service provider, generate and transmit a set of configuration signals to the subset of user devices, the set of configuration signals modifying the set of default application configurations of the designated application executing on each of the subset of user devices to compensate for the network latency crossing outside the latency range; and

prioritize data communications with one or more user devices of the subset of user devices based on the current status of the designated application.