Network selection for a given application or context

• US 9,635,486 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ford, Brent, Khoury, Issa
• Primary Examiner(s): NEFF, MICHAEL R
• Application Number:
  US14/301,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20150358757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 455418
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

A network usage manager in an operating system executing on a mobile device is configured to enable selection among different cellular data connections by application (“app”) or by app class so that end users can tailor cellular network allocation, app performance, and costs to meet their specific needs while mobile operators can improve network utilization and provide more comprehensive data plan offerings. The network usage manager applies app usage policies to select among different cellular data connections which may be supported on the mobile device using single or multiple SIM/UICC (Subscriber Identity Module/Universal Integrated Circuit Card) cards. The app usage policies can be set for a given app or class of app on the mobile device so that, for example, apps that implement background synchronization processes can use typically less expensive, lower bandwidth connections while typically more expensive, higher bandwidth connections are selected for data intensive apps.

Claims

1. A method performed on a mobile device, comprising:

providing a user interface (UI), the UI being configured for setting application usage policies, the application usage policies determining which one of multiple mobile data connections to one or more mobile operator (MO) networks available to the mobile device is utilized for mobile data access by an application executing at least in part on the mobile device, wherein the application usage policies are applicable to categories of applications executing at least in part on the mobile device;

storing the application usage policies with a user-configured setting;

placing applications installed in the mobile device into the categories;

selecting a mobile data connection from the multiple mobile data connections to one or more mobile operator (MO) networks available to the mobile device according to the stored application usage policy and mapping the selected mobile data connection to the application, the selected mobile data connection being utilized by the application for mobile data access; and

configuring the UI to allow a user to override the selection of a mobile data connection, selected for an application according to the stored usage policy, the overriding being performed on a single instance of mobile data access by the application or the overriding being persisted to subsequent instances of mobile data access by the application.

2. The method of claim 1 further including storing at least a portion of the set application policy usage in one of a local store on the mobile device or a cloud-based store.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the categories include at least one of background application, foreground application, personal application, or enterprise application, and the multiple mobile data connections are implemented using one or more of cellular protocols or Wi-Fi protocols using one or more SIM (Subscriber Identity Module).

4. The method of claim 1 in which each of multiple mobile data connections are respectively associated with data plans having network characteristics and policies, and in which the setting is performed according to MO or time of day, or the setting is performed according to one or more network characteristics or policies, the network characteristics including one or more of speed, quality of service, type under 3GPP, network capacity, or congestion, the policies including one or more of data allotments, data limits, or data plan costs.

5. The method of claim 1 further including configuring the UI for setting the application usage policy according to one or more job-related enterprise policies.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a mobile data connection to a single mobile operator network includes either:

a plurality of SIM, each SIM supporting a data connection to a separate subscriber account with the single mobile operator network, or

a single SIM that supports a data connection with the single mobile operator network having a plurality of data plans each data plan having its own network characteristics.

7. A mobile device supporting multiple mobile data connections with at least one mobile operator (MO) network, comprising:

one or more processors;

a display that supports a user interface (UI) for interacting with a user of the mobile device; and

a memory device storing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the mobile device to;

implement a network usage manager configured for applying an application usage policy that specifies which one of multiple mobile data connections available to the mobile device is utilized for mobile data access by an application executing at least in part on the mobile device,

retrieve a plurality of application usage policies from a remote policy service,

show the retrieved plurality of application usage policies on the UI,

configure the UI to enable one or more of the plurality of retrieved application usage policies to be set manually,

configure the UI to enable installed applications to be categorized by type, the categorized applications using a selected mobile data connection according to one or more application usage policies retrieved from the policy service;

place applications installed in the mobile device into the categories;

apply the retrieved application usage policy to select a mobile data connection from the multiple mobile data connections specified therein, the selected mobile data connection being utilized by a category of applications for mobile data access.

8. The mobile device of claim 7 wherein the memory device storing computer-readable instructions further causes the mobile device to:

configure the UI to enable inputting data for one of identification of installed application, user preferences, information pertaining to a mobile data plan associated with a mobile data connection, or contextual information, and send the input data to the remote policy service.

9. The mobile device of claim 7 wherein the memory device storing computer-readable instructions further causes the mobile device to track usage of installed applications on the mobile device and send the tracked usage to the policy service.

10. The mobile device of claim 7 wherein the memory device storing computer-readable instructions further causes the mobile device to track user behaviors during interacting with installed applications on the mobile device and sending the tracked user behaviors to the policy service.

11. The mobile device of claim 7 in which the multiple data connections are supported by a plurality of Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) or a single SIM.

12. The mobile device of claim 11 in which the mobile device utilizes at least one of virtual, embedded, or soft SIM and the mobile device is tethered to a companion device and the mobile device uses authentication credentials provided by the companion device for data access to an MO network.

13. The mobile device of claim 11 in which the mobile device is tethered to a companion device and the companion device assumes application usage policies that are stored on the mobile device, the companion device applying the assumed application usage policies for applications executing at least in part thereon when accessing mobile data.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, perform a method for generating and providing application usage policies to a mobile device comprising:

receiving data from the mobile device pertaining to usage of applications installed on the mobile device;

generating application usage policies using the received data, the application usage policies determining which one of multiple mobile data connections to one or more networks available to the mobile device is utilized for mobile data access by an application executing at least in part on the mobile device;

sending the application usage policies to the mobile device over a network;

receiving information from the mobile device pertaining to instances in which an applied application usage policy is overridden, generating updated application usage policies based at least in part on the received information, and sending the updated application usage policies to the mobile device over the network;

obtaining information about mobile data plan policies associated with one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs) installed on the mobile device;

generating updated application usage policies based at least in part on the obtained information; and

sending the updated application usage policies to the mobile device over the network in which the networks include one of Wi-Fi network or mobile operator network and the SIMs include one of real SIM, virtual SIM, embedded SIM, or soft SIM.

15. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14 further including receiving contextual information from the mobile device, generating either the application usage policies or the updated application usage policies based at least in part on the received contextual information, the contextual information including one or more of identification of installed applications on the mobile device, user preferences, information pertaining to mobile data plans associated with one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs) installed on the mobile device, or enterprise policies.