MOBILE ROUTER NETWORK WITH RATE LIMITING

• US 20120257607A1
• Filed: 05/07/2012
• Published: 10/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Autonet Mobile, Inc.
• Inventors: MOELLER, DOUGLAS S., Pashby, Ronald W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,837,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/563 Software download or update
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/60 Router architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

A method of operating a mobile router network in one embodiment comprises: providing a plurality of wireless mobile routers, each of the mobile routers comprises a wireless wide area network interface to access a cellular network, and each mobile router is operable to upload data and to download data via the cellular network; providing at least one server coupleable to the plurality of wireless mobile routers via the cellular network; operating each mobile router to determine, on an ongoing basis during a predetermined period, its corresponding accumulated quantity of downloaded data; and operating each mobile router to control its download data rate based on its corresponding the accumulated quantity of downloaded data.

Claims

1. A method of operating a mobile router network, comprising:

providing a plurality of wireless mobile routers, each of said mobile routers comprising a wireless wide area network interface to access a cellular network, each said mobile routers operable to upload data and to download data via said cellular network;

providing at least one server coupleable to said plurality of wireless mobile routers via said cellular network;

operating each said mobile router to determine, on an ongoing basis during a predetermined period, its corresponding accumulated quantity of downloaded data; and

operating each said mobile router to control its download data rate based on its corresponding said accumulated quantity of downloaded data.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, comprising:

storing in each said mobile router a corresponding first data rate limiting rule; and

utilizing in each said mobile router said corresponding first data rate limiting rule to determine said mobile router download data rate.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2, comprising

operating said at least one server to download said corresponding data rate limiting rule to each said mobile router;

and

operating each said mobile router to store its corresponding data rate limiting rule;

4. A method in accordance with claim 2, comprising:

providing each said first data rate limiting rule as comprising an accumulated data quantity limit and a corresponding second data rate.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4, comprising:

operating each said mobile router to download data at a first data rate until said accumulated data quantity downloaded to said mobile router reaches said accumulated data quantity limit during a predetermined period; and

operating each said mobile router to download data at its corresponding second data rate after said accumulated data quantity downloaded to said mobile router reaches said accumulated data quantity limit during said predetermined period.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5, comprising:

operating said mobile router to reset said accumulated data quantity downloaded at the end of said predetermined period.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6, comprising:

selecting said predetermined period to be the billing period for usage of said cellular network.

8. A method of operating a mobile router network, comprising:

providing a plurality of wireless mobile routers, each mobile router comprising a wireless wide area network interface to access a cellular network and each operable to control the data rate of data downloaded to said mobile router via said cellular network;

providing at least one server coupleable to said plurality of wireless mobile routers via said cellular network;

operating each said mobile router to upload data and to download data via said cellular network;

operating each said mobile router to determine, on an ongoing basis during a predetermined period, its corresponding accumulated quantity of downloaded data; and

operating each said mobile router to control its download data rate based on its corresponding said accumulated quantity of downloaded data.

9. A method in accordance with claim 8, comprising:

storing in each said mobile router a corresponding plurality of data rate limiting rules; and

utilizing in each said mobile router said corresponding data rate limiting rules to determine said mobile router download data rate.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9, comprising operating said at least one server to download said corresponding data rate limiting rules to each said mobile router;

and

operating each said mobile router to store its corresponding data rate limiting rule.

11. A method in accordance with claim 9, comprising:

providing each said plurality of data rate limiting rules with a plurality of accumulated data quantity limits and a corresponding plurality of data rates.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11, comprising:

operating each said mobile router to download data at a first data rate until said accumulated data quantity downloaded to said mobile router exceeds a first one of said accumulated data quantity limits during a predetermined period; and

operating each said mobile router to download data at a slower data rate corresponding to one of said of said plurality of data rates after said accumulated data quantity downloaded to said mobile router exceeds a corresponding one of said plurality of accumulated data quantity limits.

13. A method in accordance with claim 9, comprising:

operating each said mobile router to download data at a first data rate until said accumulated data quantity downloaded to said mobile router exceeds a first one of said accumulated data quantity limits during a predetermined period; and

operating each said mobile router to download data at one of said plurality of data rates slower than said first rate based upon said accumulated data quantity limits and said corresponding data rates.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13, comprising:

operating each said mobile router to download data at said first data rate at the end of each said predetermined period.

15. A method in accordance with claim 14, comprising:

operating each said mobile router to automatically reset said accumulated quantity at the end of each said predetermined period.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15, comprising:

selecting said predetermined period to be a billing period for usage of said cellular network.

17. A method of operating a mobile router network, comprising:

providing a plurality of wireless mobile routers;

each of said mobile routers comprising a wireless wide area network interface to access a cellular network, each said mobile routers operable to upload data and to download data via said cellular network;

providing at least one server coupleable to said plurality of wireless mobile routers via said cellular network;

operating said at least one server to selectively download to each of said mobile routers one or more corresponding predetermined data rates;

operating each said mobile router to control data throughput at a first data rate; and

operating each said mobile router to change its data throughput data rate from said first data rate to one of said one or more predetermined data rates upon the occurrence of a corresponding predetermined condition.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17, comprising:

selecting said one or more second data rates to be slower than said first data rate.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18, comprising:

operating said server to determine each said corresponding predetermined condition.

20. A method in accordance with claim 19, comprising:

selecting said corresponding predetermined condition to comprise a notification from said server to one or more mobile router of said plurality of mobile routers.

21. A method in accordance with claim 20, comprising:

selecting said corresponding predetermined condition to comprise a predetermined accumulated data throughput quantity;

operating each said mobile router to accumulate data throughput quantity; and

operating each said mobile router to compare its accumulated data throughput quantity to said predetermined accumulated data throughput quantity.

22. A method of operating a mobile router network, comprising:

providing a plurality of wireless mobile routers, each of said mobile routers comprising a wireless wide area network interface to access a cellular network, each of said mobile routers operable to upload data and to download data via said cellular network;

operating each said mobile router to control its data throughput via said cellular network at a first data rate;

providing at least one server coupleable to said plurality of wireless mobile routers via said cellular network;

operating said at least one server to selectively download data to each of said mobile routers one or more corresponding predetermined data rates; and

operating each said mobile router to change its data throughput data rate from said first data rate to one of said one or more predetermined data rates upon the occurrence of a corresponding predetermined condition.

23. A method in accordance with claim 22, comprising:

selecting said one or more predetermined data rates are each selected to be slower than said first data rate.

24. A method in accordance with claim 122, comprising:

operating said server to determine each said corresponding predetermined condition.

25. A method in accordance with claim 24, comprising:

selecting said corresponding predetermined condition to comprise a notification from said server to one or more mobile router of said plurality of mobile routers.

26. A method in accordance with claim 25, comprising:

selecting said corresponding predetermined condition to comprise a predetermined accumulated data throughput quantity;

operating each said mobile router is to accumulate data throughput quantity; and

operating each said mobile router to compare its accumulated data throughput quantity to said predetermined accumulated data throughput quantity.