SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DATA USAGE MANAGEMENT IN AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20150099483A1
• Filed: 10/06/2014
• Published: 04/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Vetaal, Ananya, Chaturvedi, Aditi, Ghosh, Shreyoshi, Singh, Roma, Khan, Munwar, Airon, Varun, Goel, Priyanka, Gupta, Akhilesh
• Granted Patent: US 9,462,137 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1417 Advice of charge with threshold, e.g. user indicating maximum cost
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1421 Indication of expected costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1435 volume-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/835 Time or frequency of notifications, e.g. Advice of Charge [AoC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8351 before establishing a communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8353 during the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8355 after the end of the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/853 Calculate maximum communication time or volume
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A system and method for data usage management in an electronic device is provided. The method includes tracking an estimated cost of a download in a currency set by a user, determining the estimated cost of the download in the currency set by the user, displaying the estimated cost of the download, determining application data usage, implementing notifications of the data usage, and displaying the data usage, wherein a widget or an application is used to display the data usage.

Claims

1. A method for data usage management in an electronic device, the method comprising:

tracking an estimated cost of a download in a currency set by a user;

determining the estimated cost of the download in the currency set by the user;

displaying the estimated cost of the download;

determining application data usage;

implementing notifications of the data usage; and

displaying the data usage, wherein a widget or an application is used to display the data usage.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the estimated cost of the download comprises:

selecting a file to download;

calculating a size of the file;

reading data cost details from a setting; and

calculating an estimated cost of the download.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein implementing notifications of data usage comprises:

calculating a data limit for a time period;

reading consumed data usage details from at least one of a radio interface and a network interface;

displaying a data usage notification, when data usage exceeds the data limit; and

restricting the data usage, when the data usage exceeds the data limit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the widget periodically checks for the data consumed on a cellular network for a given data cycle and compares the consumed data with a data warning value.

5. The method for of claim 4, wherein the widget applies a red circle at a calculated index, if the consumed data exceeds from the data warning value.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the widget applies a green circle at a calculated index, if the consumed data does not exceed the data warning value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein switching data services comprises:

reading a SIM data preference setting;

checking a current data subscription SIM;

switching the data services to another SIM, when the current SIM data subscription SIM is a roaming SIM;

enabling data services, when the SIM data preference setting is not the roaming SIM.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising switching data services in a multi-SIM phone from a roaming SIM to a non-roaming SIM.

9. A method for data handover on roaming in a multi-SIM phone, comprising:

switching data services to a non-roaming SIM from a roaming SIM, when a non-roaming SIM data preference is set prior to the multi-SIM phone moving from a non-roaming area to a roaming area; and

switching data services to the non roaming SIM from the roaming SIM, when the SIM is in a roaming area and the non-roaming SIM data preference is set after the multi-SIM phone is moved to the roaming area.

10. A system for data usage management in an electronic device, comprising:

a cost estimation unit configured to determine an estimated cost of a download before, after and during downloading of data;

a notification generation unit configured to display notifications and restrict data usage, when a threshold is reached;

a widget configured to graphically represent the data usage; and

an application data usage unit configured to determine application data usage.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the system provides an option to track and control individual applications to prevent a consumption of data used by background applications and while roaming.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the system provides a user with a reminder to switch to a home network for data usage.

13. The system of claim 10 further comprising a handover unit configured to switch data services in a multi-SIM phone from a roaming SIM to a non-roaming SIM.