Dynamic network transport selection

• US 9,049,215 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2014
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• 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:
  US14/244,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20140222903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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, comprising:

in a client device that comprises a plurality of network transport physical layers (NTPLs), each NTPL comprising a corresponding physical layer and a data link layer, performing operations for;

ranking a plurality of media types and the NTPLs and storing the ranking of the media types and the NTPLs;

receiving a request to fetch media of a given type; and

automatically assigning one of the NTPLs for use in fetching the media via a corresponding data network based on the stored ranking of the media types and the NTPLs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically assigning one of the NTPLs further comprises:

automatically assigning one of the NTPLs based on a determined throughput of each of the NTPLs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically assigning one of the NTPLs further comprises:

automatically assigning one of the NTPLs based on a pattern of usage of the client device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically assigning one of the NTPLs based on the stored ranking of the media types and the NTPLs comprises:

determining a highest ranked combination of one of the media types and one of the NTPLs based on the stored ranking of the media types and the NTPLs; and

assigning one of the NTPLs based on the highest ranked combination.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein ranking the plurality of media types comprises:

ranking one or more of the media types based on whether an application program that is accessing the one or more of the media types is running in a background or a foreground.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein ranking the plurality of media types comprises:

ranking one or more of the media types upon receiving one or more requests for work from an application program running in the foreground.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein ranking the NTPLs comprises:

ranking one or more of the NTPLs based on determining that a WLAN hotspot is not currently available to the client device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein ranking the plurality of media types comprises:

ranking one or more of the media types based on a past execution pattern of one or more application programs in the client device during a time interval.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the NTPLs comprise an NTPL for a wireless local area network (WLAN) and an NTPL for a cellular telephone network.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically re-assigning one of the NTPLs for use in fetching the media based on an application coming to a foreground that has a higher ranked media type.

11. A non-transitory machine-readable medium that stores instructions that, 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 ranking of the media types and the NTPLs; and

automatically assigning, based on the stored ranking of the media types and the NTPLs, one of the NTPLs to service a network access request generated in the client device.

12. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the network access request refers to one of a plurality of media types, the plurality of media types comprising a video stream, an audio stream, an email message, a voicemail message, and a text chat.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

modifying or overriding the stored ranking of the media types and the NTPLs based on a received command.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein automatically assigning one of the NTPLs comprises automatically assigning the one of the NTPLs based on at least one of:

whether a corresponding application program is running in a foreground or a background;

one more interactions with an application program that is running in the foreground; and

a monetary cost of network access using one or more of the NTPLs.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions are included within an operating system.

16. A client device, comprising:

a plurality of NTPLs, each of the NTPLs comprising corresponding hardware implementing a physical layer and a data link layer;

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

ranking a plurality of media types and the NTPLs and storing the ranking of the media types and the NTPLs;

receiving a request to fetch media of a given type; and

automatically assigning one of the NTPLs for use in fetching the media of the given type via a corresponding data network based on the stored ranking of the media types and the NTPLs.

17. The client device of claim 16, wherein ranking the plurality of media types comprises:

ranking one or more of the media types based on whether an application program that is accessing the one or more of the media types is running in a background or a foreground.

18. The client device of claim 17, further comprising:

automatically re-assigning one of the NTPLs for use in fetching the media based on an application coming to a foreground that has a higher ranked media type.

19. The client device of claim 16, wherein automatically assigning one of the NTPLs further comprises:

automatically assigning one of the NTPLs based on a pattern of usage of the client device.

20. The client device of claim 16, wherein automatically assigning one of the NTPLs based on the stored ranking of the media types and the NTPLs comprises:

determining a highest ranked combination of one of the media types and one of the NTPLs based on the stored ranking of the media types and the NTPLs; and

assigning one of the NTPLs based on the highest ranked combination.