Method for providing an adaptive wireless ambient service to a mobile device

• US 9,386,121 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2015
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• 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., Rightmyer, Rob, Kudelin, Vladislav
• Primary Examiner(s): Oveissi, David
• Application Number:
  US14/680,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20150215431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• 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 41/5041 characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5045 Making service definitions prior to deployment
• 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 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 : Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 : using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/29 : between an access point and the access point controlling device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/53 : based on regulatory allocation policies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 : Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 : Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A method is described for providing a wireless ambient service to a mobile end-user device operating on a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN). An ambient service has a primary policy that allows a user to directly access primary ambient content, but not other content, through the service. When the user accesses primary content, however, that content can include user-selectable references to content outside of the primary policy. A secondary policy then allows the user, by selecting such a reference, to access content outside of the primary policy.

Claims

1. A method for providing a wireless ambient service to a mobile end-user device operating on a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN), the method comprising:

receiving, from a mobile end-user device communicating over the WWAN, a first Internet access request for a first ambient service, the first ambient service comprising a primary policy that provides access to primary ambient content but does not provide primary access by the mobile end-user device to a first Internet destination through the first ambient service, the first Internet access request requesting primary ambient content allowed by the primary policy;

transmitting to the mobile end-user device and responsive to the first Internet access request, primary ambient content, the primary ambient content including one or more user-selectable references related to the first Internet destination, the first ambient service comprising at least one secondary policy allowing access through the one or more user-selectable references to the first Internet destination;

receiving, from the mobile end-user device, a second Internet access request for the first ambient service, the second Internet access request generated from a first reference selected by the user from the one or more user-selectable references; and

transmitting to the mobile end-user device, responsive to the second Internet access request, secondary ambient content, including content from the first Internet destination that is allowed by the at least one secondary policy based on the user selection of the first reference.

2. The method of claim 1, implemented at least in part by a proxy server that couples to the mobile end-user device through the WWAN, the proxy server accessing the first Internet destination to obtain the content from the first Internet destination, the proxy server transmitting the content from the first Internet destination to the mobile end-user device.

3. The method of claim 2, the proxy server measuring an amount of data transferred between the mobile end-user device and the proxy server for the first Internet access request, the primary ambient content, the second Internet access request, and the secondary ambient content.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the proxy server:

providing mobile end-user device access to multiple ambient services, including the first ambient service; and

separately accounting for each ambient service by measuring at the proxy server an amount of data transferred between the mobile end-user device and the proxy server and related to that ambient service.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the proxy server attributing, to the separate accounting for the first ambient service, the measured amount of data transferred between the mobile end-user device and the proxy server for the first Internet access request, the primary ambient content, the second Internet access request, and the secondary ambient content.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing reports to sponsor partners associated with each ambient service, the reports indicating an amount of ambient service provided on behalf of that sponsor partner.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising measuring an aggregate amount of data transferred between the mobile end-user device and the proxy server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein measuring an aggregate amount of data transferred between the mobile end-user device and the proxy server comprises measuring, within a WWAN access network element, the aggregate amount of data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein measuring an aggregate amount of data transferred between the mobile end-user device and the proxy server comprises measuring, within the mobile end-user device, the aggregate amount of data.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein measuring an aggregate amount of data transferred between the mobile end-user device and the proxy server comprises measuring, within the proxy server, the aggregate amount of data.