SPONSORING USAGE OF CONTENT PROVIDER WEB SITES AND APPLICATIONS BASED ON NETWORK PATH UTILIZATION

• US 20150172470A1
• Filed: 12/18/2013
• Published: 06/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: SHARMA, Manish, Pai, Gurudutt, Chaudhary, Tushar, Flores, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 9,473,375 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/09 Third party charged communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts

Abstract

A device receives, from a content server device, content information associated with content accessed by a user device, and information associated with utilization of a network path provided between the user device and the content server device. The device receives information associated with data usage by the user device for accessing the content, and determines whether the data usage is sponsored by a sponsor based on the content information and the information associated with the utilization of the network path. The sponsor sponsors data usage associated with particular content when the utilization of the network path is below a threshold. The device assigns charges for the data usage to an account associated with the user device when the data usage is not sponsored by the sponsor, or to an account associated with the sponsor when the data usage is sponsored by the sponsor.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a device and from a content server device, content information associated with content accessed by a user device;

receiving, by the device, information associated with utilization of a network path provided between the user device and the content server device;

receiving, by the device, information associated with data usage by the user device for accessing the content;

determining, by the device, whether the data usage is sponsored by a sponsor based on the content information and the information associated with the utilization of the network path,

the sponsor sponsoring data usage associated with particular content when the utilization of the network path is below a threshold; and

assigning, by the device, charges for the data usage;

to an account associated with the user device when the data usage is not sponsored by the sponsor, or

to an account associated with the sponsor when the data usage is sponsored by the sponsor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the sponsor based on the content information and the information associated with the utilization of the network path; and

identifying the account associated with the sponsor.

3. The method of claim 1, where the information associated with the utilization of the network path includes a percentage of a capacity of the network path that is unavailable.

4. The method of claim 1, where the sponsor sponsors the data usage of the user device based on one or more of:

a date associated with the data usage,

the content accessed by the user device during the data usage,

one or more tiers associated with the utilization of the network path, or

a maximum cost associated with the utilization of the network path.

5. The method of claim 1, where, prior to receiving the content information, the method further comprises:

receiving a request to create a data usage sponsorship campaign from a sponsor device associated with the sponsor;

providing, to the sponsor device, a user interface that requests preferences for the data usage sponsorship campaign;

receiving the preferences from the sponsor device and via the user interface;

generating configuration information for the data usage sponsorship campaign based on the preferences; and

configuring the data usage sponsorship campaign based on the configuration information.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

storing the configuration information for the data usage sponsorship campaign.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

providing, to the user device, information associated with the data usage sponsorship campaign when a cost associated with the utilization of the network path is below a cost threshold.

8. A device, comprising:

one or more processors to;

receive a request to create a data usage sponsorship campaign from a server device associated with a sponsor,

provide, to the server device, a user interface that requests preferences for the data usage sponsorship campaign,

receive the preferences from the server device and via the user interface,

generate configuration information for the data usage sponsorship campaign based on the preferences, and

configure the data usage sponsorship campaign based on the configuration information,

the data usage sponsorship campaign sponsoring data usage associated with particular content by a plurality of user devices when utilizations of network paths, associated with the plurality of user devices, are below a threshold.

9. The device of claim 8, where the one or more processors are further to:

store the configuration information for the data usage sponsorship campaign.

10. The device of claim 8, where the one or more processors are further to:

receive content information associated with content accessed by a user device, of the plurality of user devices, from a content server device,

receive information associated with utilization of a network path provided between the user device and the content server device,

receive information associated with data usage by the user device for accessing the content,

determine whether the data usage by the user device is included in the data usage sponsorship campaign based on the content information and the information associated with the utilization of the network path,

assign charges for the data usage by the user device;

to an account associated with the user device when the data usage by the user device is not included in the data usage sponsorship campaign, or

to an account associated with the sponsor when the data usage by the user device is included in the data usage sponsorship campaign.

11. The device of claim 10, where the one or more processors are further to:

determine the sponsor based on the content information and the information associated with the utilization of the network path, and

identify the account associated with the sponsor.

12. The device of claim 10, where the information associated with the utilization of the network path includes a percentage of a capacity of the network path that is unavailable.

13. The device of claim 8, where the data usage sponsorship campaign sponsors data usage, by the plurality of user devices, based on one or more of:

dates associated with the data usage by the plurality of user devices,

content accessed during the data usage by the plurality of user devices,

one or more tiers associated with the utilizations of the network paths, or

a maximum cost associated with the utilizations of the network paths.

14. The device of claim 8, where the one or more processors are further to:

provide, to the plurality of user devices, information associated with the data usage sponsorship campaign when costs, associated with the utilizations of the network paths, are below a cost threshold.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to;

receive content information associated with content accessed by a user device from a content server device,

receive information associated with utilization of a network path provided between the user device and the content server device,

receive information associated with data usage by the user device for accessing the content,

determine whether the data usage is sponsored by a data usage sponsorship campaign, associated with a sponsor, based on the content information and the information associated with the utilization of the network path,

the data usage sponsorship campaign sponsoring data usage associated with particular content when the utilization of the network path is below a threshold, and

assign charges for the data usage;

to an account associated with the user device when the data usage is not sponsored by the data usage sponsorship campaign, or

to an account associated with the sponsor when the data usage is sponsored by the data usage sponsorship campaign.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

determine the sponsor based on the content information and the information associated with the utilization of the network path, and

identify the account associated with the sponsor.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the information associated with the utilization of the network path includes a capacity of the network path that is available.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the data usage sponsorship campaign sponsors the data usage of the user device based on one or more of:

a date associated with the data usage,

the content accessed by the user device during the data usage,

one or more tiers associated with the utilization of the network path, or

a maximum cost associated with the utilization of the network path.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a request to create the data usage sponsorship campaign from a server device associated with the sponsor, prior to receiving the content information,

provide, to the server device, a user interface that requests preferences for the data usage sponsorship campaign,

receive the preferences from the server device and via the user interface,

generate configuration information for the data usage sponsorship campaign based on the preferences,

configure the data usage sponsorship campaign based on the configuration information, and

store the configuration information for the data usage sponsorship campaign.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

provide, to the user device, information associated with the data usage sponsorship campaign when a cost associated with the utilization of the network path is below a cost threshold.