Dynamic network transport selection

• US 8,719,423 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2010
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Wyld, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Baturay, Alicia
• Application Number:
  US12/944,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20110055350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

A method for dynamic network transport selection is described. An indication from a user of a client device is received, to fetch over a data network media of a predefined type. One of a number of network transport physical layers in the client device is automatically assigned, based on a number of stored, ranked media types and network transport physical layer types, for use in fetching the media over the data network. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method of dynamic network transport selection, comprising:

ranking a plurality of media types and a plurality of network transport physical layer (NTPL) types in the client device and storing the ranked media types and NTPL types in a ranking table, wherein each of the plurality of NTPLs includes a physical layer and a data link layer;

receiving an indication from a user of a client device to fetch, over a data network, media of a predefined type; and

automatically assigning, based on the ranking of the media types and NTPL types in the ranking table and on a determined pattern of the user'"'"'s usage of the client device, one of the NTPLs for use in fetching the media over the data network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the automatically assigning is further based on a determined throughput of each of the plurality of NTPLs in the client device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the automatically assigning is further based on determining the highest ranked combination of one of the media types and one of the NTPL types.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein ranking a plurality of media types and a plurality of NTPL types comprises:

updating the stored, ranked media types in the ranking table based on determining whether an application program that is accessing one of the media types in the client device is running in background or foreground.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein ranking a plurality of media types and a plurality of NTPL types comprises:

updating the stored, ranked media types in the ranking table based on determining that the user has started to repeatedly request work from an application program that remains in the foreground.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein ranking a plurality of media types and a plurality of NTPL types comprises:

updating the stored, ranked NTPL types in the ranking table based on determining that the client device has traveled outside a WLAN hotspot.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein ranking a plurality of media types and a plurality of NTPL types comprises:

updating the stored, ranked media types in the ranking table based on determining that the user historically runs a particular application program in the client device at a certain time interval of the day.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the media types refer to video, audio, email, and text chat.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the NTPL types refer to a wireless local area network (WLAN) technology and a cellular telephone technology.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

changing an existing NTPL assignment that is being used for fetching the media over the data network, in response to an application coming to foreground that has a higher ranked media type.

11. An article of manufacture comprising:

a non-transitory machine-readable medium that stores instructions which, when executed by a processor in a client device, cause the processor to perform operations for;

ranking a plurality of media types and a plurality of NTPLs on the client device and storing the ranked media types and NTPLs in a ranking table; and

selecting, based on the ranking of the media types and NTPLs in the ranking table and on a determined pattern of the user'"'"'s usage of the client device, one of the plurality of NTPLs to service a network access request generated in the client device.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11 wherein the request refers to any one of a plurality of types of media to be downloaded, the plurality of types of media comprise video stream, audio stream, email message, voicemail message, and text chat.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 11 further comprising modifying or overriding the ranking of the media types and NTPL in the ranking table based on a received command.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 11 wherein the selecting is further based on applying a plurality of rules that consider the following:

whether an application is in foreground or background;

type of interaction between the user and an application that is in foreground; and

monetary cost of network access using one of the NTPLs.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 11 wherein the machine-readable medium stores further instructions that make up an operating system program, and wherein the instructions for dynamic network transport selection are developed by the same entity who developed the operating system program.

16. A client device comprising:

a first NTPL that accesses media from a server through a data network, the first NTPL including a physical layer and a data link layer;

a second NTPL that accesses the media from the data server through the data network, the second NTPL including a physical layer and a data link layer, wherein the client device can access the media via either the first NTPL or the second NTPL, one at a time; and

one or more processors, the one or more processors performing operations for;

ranking the first NTPL and the second NTPL and plurality of media types and storing the ranked NTPLs and media types in a ranking table, and

selecting the first or the second NTPL to access the media based on the rankings in the ranking table and an historical pattern of usage of the client device by the user.