Wireless end-user device with power-control-state-based wireless network access policy for background applications

• US 9,198,076 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2015
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Headwater Research LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Original Assignee: Headwater Partners I LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Inventors: Raleigh, Gregory G., Lavine, James, Raissinia, Alireza
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): NG, CHRISTINE Y
• Application Number:
  US14/688,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20150230184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 222 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/328, 370/338, 370/401, 370/465
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1492 negotiation of tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1496 involving discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5006 Creating or negotiating SLA contracts, guarantees or penalties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/19 at layers above the network layer network arrangements for networked applications for scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2425 for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2475 for supporting traffic characterised by the type of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 : QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 : User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 : Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 : Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 : based on usage prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 : Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 : for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 : Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 : for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 : taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/30 : the meter or calculation of charges not being controlled from an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 : Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 : Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 : Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 : Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 : based on quality of service [QoS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8055 : Selecting cheaper transport technology for a given service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/81 : Dynamic pricing, e.g. change of tariff during call
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 : using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 : using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 : Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 : Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 : Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/021 : in wireless networks with changing topologies, e.g. ad-hoc networks self-organizing networks H04W84/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0215 : based on user or device properties, e.g. MTC-capable devices services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] H04W4/70; wireless resource selection or allocation plan definition based on terminal or device properties H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0221 : power availability or consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0247 : based on conditions of the access network or the infrastructure network central resource management H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0257 : the individual bearer or channel having a maximum bit rate or a bit rate guarantee
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0268 : using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0284 : detecting congestion or overload during communication monitoring arrangements H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/12 : using signalling between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 : Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/144 : over a different radio air interface technology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 : Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 : Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 : based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/06 : based on traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 : managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0264 : by selectively disabling software applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 : Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless end-user device has a wireless wide-area network (WWAN) modem. One or more processors classify whether an application associated with an Internet access request is interacting with a user. In at least one power control state, the Internet access request is disallowed because the application is classified as not interacting with a user. In at least one other power control state, a similar Internet access request is allowed.

Claims

1. A wireless end-user device, comprising:

a wireless wide area network (WWAN) modem to communicate data for Internet service activities between the device and at least one WWAN, when configured for and connected to the at least one WWAN; and

one or more processors configured to, for a time when data communication for Internet service activities is provided by the WWAN modem and the at least one WWAN,

classify whether a first end-user application associated with an Internet access request, and capable of both

interacting with a user in a user interface foreground of the device, and

at least some Internet service activities when not interacting with a user in the device user interface foreground,

 

is interacting with the user in the device user interface foreground, and

allow or disallow the Internet access request based on the classification as to whether the first end-user application is interacting with the user and based on a power control state, such that

when the power control state is a first power control state and the first end-user application is classified as not interacting with the user, the Internet access request is disallowed, and

when the power control state is at least one other power control state, the Internet access request is allowed.

2. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to classify that the first end-user application is interacting with the user in the device user interface foreground when the user of the device is directly interacting with that application or perceiving any benefit from that application.

3. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to classify that the first end-user application is interacting with the user in the device user interface foreground based on a state of user interface priority for the application.

4. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to classify that the first end-user application is not interacting with the user in the device user interface foreground when the application is providing or utilizing a background data service.

5. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, further comprising, when the Internet access request is disallowed, queuing the Internet access request until a power control state change occurs.

6. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, for at least a second application or service, allow Internet access requests in the first power control state without regard to whether the second application or service is classified as interacting with the user.

7. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to allow the Internet access request when the power control state is the first power control state and the first end-user application is classified as interacting with the user.

8. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, further comprising a user interface, wherein the user interface is to inform the user of the device when there are options to set, control, override, or modify service usage controls that affect the processor configuration that determines whether to allow or disallow Internet access requests in the first power control state.

9. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, further comprising

a wireless local area network (WLAN) modem to communicate data for Internet service activities between the device and at least one WLAN, when configured for and connected to the at least one WLAN,

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to allow the Internet access request when the WLAN modem provides data communication for the Internet access request and the power control state is the first power control state.

10. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the power control state is a power state of the device.

11. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the first power control state is a power save state of the device.

12. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the power control state is a power state of the WWAN modem.

13. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, based on a device usage state, dynamically change a determination of whether to allow or disallow the Internet access request in the first power control state when the first end-user application is classified as not interacting with the user.

14. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, based on power control state changes for the WWAN modem, dynamically change a determination of whether to allow or disallow the Internet access request in the first power control state when the first end-user application is classified as not interacting with the user.

15. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein, when the Internet access request is disallowed, the one or more processors are configured to prevent the Internet access request from causing a change to a power state of the modem.

16. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to, when the Internet access request is disallowed, instruct the first end-user application to transition to a different state.