Method and system for enabling data usage accounting through a relay

• US 9,106,538 B1
• Filed: 03/26/2015
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnissa, LLC
• Original Assignee: OpenPeak Inc.
• Inventors: Asnis, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Mejia, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US14/669,120
• Time in Patent Office: 138 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/203, 709/206, 709/227
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1435 volume-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1496 involving discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications

Abstract

A method and system for enabling data usage accounting is described herein. The method can be practiced on a computing device that has secure applications and unsecure applications installed thereon. Initially, a request for a data session that includes a final endpoint can be received through a secure application. The request for the data session can be intercepted and modified to cause the request to be re-directed back to the secure application. A connection with a relay server can be initiated instead of the final endpoint such that data usage accounting for the data session is to be conducted at a remote location.

Claims

1. A method of enabling remote data usage accounting for a computing device, comprising:

operating one or more personal applications and one or more enterprise applications on the computing device, wherein the enterprise applications are designated for enterprise data usage accounting based on a relationship between an enterprise and a user of the computing device; and

enabling a separate billing path for data sessions of the enterprise applications;

wherein enabling the separate billing path for the data sessions of the enterprise applications comprises;

receiving a data session request from one of the enterprise applications for content from an external entity that is a final endpoint; and

natively redirecting the data session request intended for the external entity to a relay server that is remote to the computing device, wherein the relay server is configured to both establish a connection with the intended external entity and perform an enterprise data usage accounting of content exchanged based on the data session request;

wherein natively redirecting the data session request intended for the external entity to the relay server further comprises packaging the final endpoint for delivery to the relay server to enable the relay server to exchange data with the final endpoint.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein redirecting the data session request intended for the external entity to the relay server comprises re-writing addressing information associated with the data session request.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing an identifier of the computing device to enable the relay server to correlate the data session request to the computing device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the enterprise application from which the data session request is received is a secure application that is part of a secure workspace and the personal applications are part of a personal workspace and the secure workspace is isolated from the personal workspace.

5. A computing device for enabling remote data usage accounting, comprising:

a display that is configured to enable a user to operate one or more personal applications and one or more enterprise applications on the computing device, wherein the enterprise applications are designated for enterprise data usage accounting based on a relationship between an enterprise and a user of the computing device; and

a computer processor that is communicatively coupled to the display and is configured to execute instructions stored on computer memory, wherein when the computer processor executes the instructions, the computer processor;

enables a separate billing path to be for data sessions of the enterprise applications;

wherein to enable the separate billing path for the data sessions of the enterprise applications, the computer processor;

receives a data session request from one of the enterprise applications for content from an external entity that is a final endpoint; and

natively redirects the data session request intended for the external entity to a relay server that is remote to the computing device, wherein the relay server is configured to both establish a connection with the intended external entity and perform an enterprise data usage accounting of content exchanged based on the data session request;

wherein to natively redirect the data session request intended for the external entity to the relay server, the computer processor further packages the final endpoint for delivery to the relay server to enable the relay server to exchange data with the final endpoint.

6. The computing device according to claim 5, wherein to redirect the data session request intended for the external entity to the relay server, the computer processor re-writes addressing information associated with the data session request.

7. The computing device according to claim 5, wherein when the computer processor executes the instructions, the computer processor further provides an identifier of the computing device to enable the relay server to correlate the data session request to the computing device.

8. The computing device according to claim 5, wherein the enterprise application from which the data session request is received is a secure application that is part of a secure workspace and the personal applications are part of a personal workspace and the secure workspace is isolated from the personal workspace.

9. A non-transitory storage device that is configured to store executable instructions thereon, when the instructions are executed by a computing device, the computing device performs the following:

operate one or more personal applications and one or more enterprise applications on the computing device, wherein the enterprise applications are designated for enterprise data usage accounting based on a relationship between an enterprise and a user of the computing device; and

enable a separate billing path for data sessions of the enterprise applications;

wherein to enable the separate billing path for the data sessions of the enterprise applications, the computing device, when the instructions are executed by the computing device, additionally performs the following;

receive a data session request from one of the enterprise applications for content from an external entity that is a final endpoint; and

natively redirect the data session request intended for the external entity to a relay server that is remote to the computing device, wherein the relay server is configured to both establish a connection with the intended external entity and perform an enterprise data usage accounting of content exchanged based on the data session request;

wherein to natively redirect the data session request intended for the external entity to the relay server, the computing device, when the instructions are executed by the computing device, further packages the final endpoint for delivery to the relay server to enable the relay server to exchange data with the final endpoint.

10. The non-transitory storage device according to claim 9, wherein when the instructions are executed by the computing device, the computing device redirects the data session request intended for the external entity to the relay server by re-writing addressing information associated with the data session request.

11. The non-transitory storage device according to claim 9, wherein when the instructions are executed by the computing device, the computing device further provides an identifier of the computing device to enable the relay server to correlate the data session request to the computing device.

12. The non-transitory storage device according to claim 9, wherein the enterprise application from which the data session request is received is a secure application that is part of a secure workspace and the personal applications are part of a personal workspace and the secure workspace is isolated from the personal workspace.