Controlling mobile device communications on a roaming network based on device state

• US 9,253,663 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2013
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• 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., Raissinia, Alireza, Lavine, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEAN, JR, JOSEPH E
• Application Number:
  US14/102,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20140094159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 455/433, 455/436, 455/445, 455/432.1, 370/328, 370/329, 370/252
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition

Abstract

A device that determines an aspect of a service policy based on a state of the device, and applies the service policy. The state is based on a user interaction, or a lack of user interaction, with the device. The service policy applies a first control to a first activity over a roaming network and a second control to the first activity over a home network, wherein the first control controls the first activity differently than the second control controls the first activity. The first activity is caused by a first software component on the device and comprises a first set of prospective or successful communications over an available wireless network. The aspect of the service policy controls the first activity differently from a second activity over a roaming network, where the second activity is associated with a second software component on the device.

Claims

1. A wireless end-user device, comprising:

a wireless wide area network (WWAN) modem configurable to receive and transmit Internet data between the device and at least one WWAN;

a wireless local area network (WLAN) modem configurable to receive and transmit Internet data between the device and at least one WLAN;

a stored network service activity control policy set, the policy set including at least one differential traffic control policy specific to Internet data service provided using the WWAN modem and the at least one WWAN; and

one or more processors configurable to

classify an Internet data wireless network service usage activity of the wireless end-user device,

determine whether the classified service usage activity comprises a background activity,

based on the classified service usage activity being determined to comprise a background activity and Internet data service being currently provided through the at least one WWAN, apply the at least one differential traffic control policy from the network service activity control policy set to control Internet data service provided to the service usage activity.

2. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein when the classified service usage activity is determined to comprise a background activity and Internet data service is currently provided through the at least one WWAN, the at least one differential traffic control policy controls the Internet data service provided to the classified service usage activity differently than when Internet data service is currently provided through the at least one WLAN.

3. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 2, wherein the different control applied based on Internet data service being currently provided through the at least one WWAN comprises a block, restriction, limit, throttle, or delay on Internet data traffic for the classified service usage activity that would not be imposed were Internet data service being currently provided instead through the at least one WLAN.

4. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, the network service activity control policy set including at least one second differential traffic control policy applicable to Internet data service provided using the WLAN modem to connect to an intermediate networking device, the one or more processors further configurable to, when the classified service usage activity is determined to comprise a background activity and Internet data service is currently provided using the WLAN modem to connect to an intermediate networking device, apply the at least one second differential traffic control policy from the network service activity control policy set to control Internet data service provided to the service usage activity.

5. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, the at least one differential traffic control policy comprising first and second differential traffic control policies applicable to Internet data service provided using the WWAN modem to connect respectively to a home WWAN and a roaming WWAN, wherein the one or more processors are further configurable to apply the first differential traffic control policy to the service usage activity when Internet data service is provided through a home WWAN and to apply the second differential traffic control policy when Internet data service is provided through a roaming WWAN.

6. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein when the classified service usage activity is determined to comprise a background activity and Internet data service is currently provided through the at least one WWAN, the at least one differential traffic control policy controls Internet data service provided to the classified service usage activity differently than when the classified service usage activity does not comprise a background activity.

7. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 6, wherein the different control applied when the classified service usage activity is determined to comprise a background activity comprises a block, restriction, limit, throttle, or delay on Internet data traffic for that service usage activity that is not imposed when the classified service usage activity does not comprise a background activity.

8. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors configurable to classify an Internet data wireless network service usage activity perform the classification based on an attempt to launch or a successful launch of an application on the device.

9. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the differential traffic control policy is based on a user input or a user preference.

10. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the service usage activity comprises an operating system service.

11. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors configurable to determine whether the classified service usage activity comprises a background activity determine whether the service usage activity relates to an application running on the device in the background.

12. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors configurable to determine whether the classified service usage activity comprises a background activity assign at least one service usage activity associated with an application or operating system (OS) function running on the device to a background service class and assign at least one other service usage activity associated with the application or OS function to a different service class.

13. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configurable to obtain at least a portion of the differential traffic control policy from a network system communicatively coupled to the wireless end-user device.

14. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configurable to obtain at least a portion of the differential traffic control policy from a service provider.

15. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, configurable to determine whether the classified service usage activity comprises a background activity, monitor user interaction with the service activity or the device to determine whether the classified service usage activity comprises a background activity.

16. A wireless end-user device, comprising:

a wireless wide area network (WWAN) modem configurable to receive and transmit Internet data between the device and at least one WWAN;

a wireless local area network (WLAN) modem configurable to receive and transmit Internet data between the device and at least one WLAN;

a stored network service activity control policy set, the policy set including at least one differential traffic control policy applicable to Internet data service provided using the WWAN modem and the at least one WWAN and at least one second differential traffic control policy applicable to Internet data service provided using the WLAN modem to connect to an intermediate networking device; and

one or more processors configurable to

classify an Internet data wireless network service usage activity of the wireless end-user device,

determine whether the classified service usage activity comprises a background activity,

when the classified service usage activity is determined to comprise a background activity and Internet data service is currently provided through the at least one WWAN, apply the at least one differential traffic control policy from the network service activity control policy set to control the service usage activity, and

when the classified service usage activity is determined to comprise a background activity and Internet data service is currently provided using the WLAN modem to connect to an intermediate networking device, apply the at least one second differential traffic control policy from the network service activity control policy set to control the service usage activity.

17. A wireless end-user device, comprising:

a wireless wide area network (WWAN) modem configurable to receive and transmit Internet data between the device and at least one WWAN;

a wireless local area network (WLAN) modem configurable to receive and transmit Internet data between the device and at least one WLAN;

a stored network service activity control policy set, the policy set including at least one differential traffic control policy applicable to Internet data service provided using the WWAN modem and the at least one WWAN, the at least one differential traffic control policy comprising first and second differential traffic control policies applicable to Internet data service provided using the WWAN modem to connect respectively to a home WWAN and a roaming WWAN; and

one or more processors configurable to

classify an Internet data wireless network service usage activity of the wireless end-user device,

determine whether the classified service usage activity comprises a background activity,

when the classified service usage activity is determined to comprise a background activity and Internet data service is currently provided through the at least one WWAN, apply the first differential traffic control policy to the service usage activity when Internet data service is provided through a home WWAN and apply the second differential traffic control policy when Internet data service is provided through a roaming WWAN.