Mobile device-based bandwidth throttling

• US 8,437,738 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2012
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rubin, Andrew E., Greenwalt, Robert J. III
• Primary Examiner(s): CAI, WAYNE HUU
• Application Number:
  US13/490,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20120250646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 334 Days
• Field of Search: 455405-408, 37911403-11409, 379/114.28, 379/121.02, 379/126
• US Class Current: 455/408
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/29 using a combination of thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/535 based on resource usage policies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for implementing mobile device-based bandwidth throttling. In one aspect, a method includes receiving policy from a wireless carrier that specifies one or more data usage thresholds allotted by the wireless carrier for data transferred over a wireless carrier network during a predetermined period of time, determining an amount of data that has been transferred by the mobile device over the wireless carrier network during the predetermined period of time, determining that the amount exceeds one or more of the data usage thresholds, and throttling the bandwidth of a mobile device over the wireless carrier network based on determining that the amount exceeds one or more of the data usage thresholds.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile device, a policy from a wireless carrier that specifies one or more data usage thresholds allotted by the wireless carrier for data transferred over a wireless carrier network during a billing cycle;

determining, by the mobile device, an amount of data that has been transferred by the mobile device over the wireless carrier network during the billing cycle;

determining, by the mobile device, an extent to which the billing cycle has elapsed;

selecting, by the mobile device, a variable adjustment value based on the extent to which the billing cycle has elapsed, wherein the variable adjustment value is selected from among at least a first variable adjustment value and a different, second variable adjustment value, wherein the first variable adjustment value is associated with a first portion of the billing cycle and the second variable adjustment value is associated with a second, later portion of the billing cycle, and wherein the first variable adjustment value is greater than the second variable adjustment value;

determining, by the mobile device, that the amount of data that has been transferred by the mobile device over the wireless carrier network during the billing cycle exceeds one or more of the data usage thresholds by the selected variable adjustment value; and

displaying, by the mobile device, a notification that the amount of data that has been transferred by the mobile device over the wireless carrier network during the billing cycle exceeds the one or more of the data usage thresholds by the selected variable adjustment value.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

displaying, by the mobile device, representations of the one or more data usage thresholds, and the amount.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining, by the mobile device, that the amount is within a predetermined range of one or more of the data usage thresholds; and

displaying, by the mobile device, a warning based on determining that the amount is within the predetermined range.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining, by the mobile device, that the amount is trending to exceed one or more of the data usage thresholds within the billing cycle; and

displaying, by the mobile device, a warning based on determining that the amount is trending to exceed the one or more data usage thresholds.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the policy comprises a Fair Access Policy for the wireless carrier; and

one or more of the data usage thresholds comprises a bandwidth cap.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

detecting that the mobile device has been booted, that a subscriber identity module (SIM) card associated with the mobile device has been changed, or that a second, different billing cycle has elapsed;

wherein the amount is determined based on detecting that the mobile device has been booted, that the SIM card associated with the mobile device has been changed, or that the second billing cycle has elapsed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the amount further comprises:

determining a first amount representing an amount of data that has been used by the mobile device during the billing cycle while the mobile device is roaming;

determining a second amount representing an amount of data that has been used by the mobile device during the billing cycle while the mobile device is not roaming; and

establishing the second amount as the amount.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the amount further comprises:

determining a first amount representing an amount of data that has been communicated by the mobile device through a wide-area network connection during the billing cycle;

determining a second amount representing an amount of data that has been communicated by the mobile device through a local area network data connection during the billing cycle; and

establishing the first amount as the amount.

9. A mobile device comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more processors having instructions stored thereon which, if executed by the one or more processors, cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising;

receiving a policy from a wireless carrier that specifies one or more data usage thresholds allotted by the wireless carrier for data transferred over a wireless carrier network during a billing cycle;

determining an amount of data that has been transferred by the mobile device over the wireless carrier network during the billing cycle;

determining an extent to which the billing cycle has elapsed;

selecting a variable adjustment value based on the extent to which the billing cycle has elapsed, wherein the variable adjustment value is selected from among at least a first variable adjustment value and a different, second variable adjustment value, wherein the first variable adjustment value is associated with a first portion of the billing cycle and the second variable adjustment value is associated with a second, later portion of the billing cycle, and wherein the first variable adjustment value is greater than the second variable adjustment value;

determining that the amount of data that has been transferred by the mobile device over the wireless carrier network during the billing cycle exceeds one or more of the data usage thresholds by the selected variable adjustment value; and

displaying a notification that the amount of data that has been transferred by the mobile device over the wireless carrier network during the billing cycle exceeds the one or more of the data usage thresholds by the selected variable adjustment value.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying representations of the one or more data usage thresholds and the amount.

11. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the amount is within a predetermined range of one or more of the data usage thresholds; and

displaying a warning based on determining that the amount is within the predetermined range.

12. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the amount is trending to exceed one or more of the data usage thresholds within the billing cycle; and

displaying a warning based on determining that the amount is trending to exceed the one or more data usage thresholds.

13. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

the policy comprises a Fair Access Policy for the wireless carrier; and

one or more of the data usage thresholds comprises a bandwidth cap.

14. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting that the mobile device has been booted, that a subscriber identity module (SIM) card associated with the mobile device has been changed, or that a second, different billing cycle has elapsed;

wherein the amount is determined based on detecting that the mobile device has been booted, that the SIM card associated with the mobile device has been changed, or that the second billing cycle has elapsed.

15. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein determining the amount further comprises:

determining a first amount representing an amount of data that has been used by the mobile device during the billing cycle while the mobile device is roaming;

determining a second amount representing an amount of data that has been used by the mobile device during the billing cycle while the mobile device is not roaming; and

establishing the second amount as the amount.

16. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein determining the amount further comprises:

determining a first amount representing an amount of data that has been communicated by the mobile device through a wide-area network connection during the billing cycle;

determining a second amount representing an amount of data that has been communicated by the mobile device through a local area network data connection during the billing cycle; and

establishing the first amount as the amount.

17. A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that if executed by one or more processors of a mobile device cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving a policy from a wireless carrier that specifies one or more data usage thresholds allotted by the wireless carrier for data transferred over a wireless carrier network during a billing cycle;

determining an amount of data that has been transferred by the mobile device over the wireless carrier network during the billing cycle;

determining an extent to which the billing cycle has elapsed;

selecting a variable adjustment value based on the extent to which the billing cycle has elapsed, wherein the variable adjustment value is selected from among at least a first variable adjustment value and a different, second variable adjustment value, wherein the first variable adjustment value is associated with a first portion of the billing cycle and the second variable adjustment value is associated with a second, later portion of the billing cycle, and wherein the first variable adjustment value is greater than the second variable adjustment value;

determining that the amount of data that has been transferred by the mobile device over the wireless carrier network during the billing cycle exceeds one or more of the data usage thresholds by the selected variable adjustment value; and

displaying a notification that the amount of data that has been transferred by the mobile device over the wireless carrier network during the billing cycle exceeds the one or more of the data usage thresholds by the selected variable adjustment value.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying representations of the one or more data usage thresholds and the amount.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the amount is within a predetermined range of one or more of the data usage thresholds; and

displaying a warning based on determining that the amount is within the predetermined range.

20. The computer storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the amount is trending to exceed one or more of the data usage thresholds within the billing cycle; and

displaying a warning based on determining that the amount is trending to exceed the one or more data usage thresholds.

21. The computer storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

the policy comprises a Fair Access Policy for the wireless carrier; and

one or more of the data usage thresholds comprises a bandwidth cap.

22. The computer storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting that the mobile device has been booted, that a subscriber identity module (SIM) card associated with the mobile device has been changed, or that a second, different billing cycle has elapsed;

wherein the amount is determined based on detecting that the mobile device has been booted, that the SIM card associated with the mobile device has been changed, or that the second billing cycle has elapsed.

23. The computer storage medium of claim 17, wherein determining the amount further comprises:

determining a first amount representing an amount of data that has been used by the mobile device during the billing cycle while the mobile device is roaming;

determining a second amount representing an amount of data that has been used by the mobile device during the billing cycle while the mobile device is not roaming; and

establishing the second amount as the amount.

24. The computer storage medium of claim 17, wherein determining the amount further comprises:

determining a first amount representing an amount of data that has been communicated by the mobile device through a wide-area network connection during the billing cycle;

determining a second amount representing an amount of data that has been communicated by the mobile device through a local area network data connection during the billing cycle; and

establishing the first amount as the amount.