Wireless end-user device with network traffic API to indicate unavailability of roaming wireless connection to background applications

• US 9,749,899 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2015
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Headwater Research LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Original Assignee: Headwater Research LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Inventors: Raleigh, Gregory G., Lavine, James, Raissinia, Alireza
• Primary Examiner(s): Rudy, Andrew Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/687,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20150223103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 370230, 370236, 705300, 455405, 455406, 455408, 4554141, 4554321, 726 1, 726 5
• 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 28/0289 : Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/12 : using signalling between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 : Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 : Reselecting a network or an air interface
• 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 configurable wireless wide-area network (WWAN) modem capable of connection to both a home WWAN and a roaming WWAN. At a time when Internet service activities are communicated through the roaming WWAN, one or more processors apply a differential traffic control policy list so as to disallow background Internet data service. When the policy is applicable, an application program interface (API) indicates that an Internet data service is unavailable to an application operating in a background mode, even though that service is available to a different application.

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 home WWAN, when configured for and connected to the at least one home WWAN, and between the device and at least one roaming WWAN, when configured for and connected to the at least one roaming WWAN; and

one or more processors configured to

apply a WWAN differential traffic control policy so as to disallow background Internet data service provided using the WWAN modem and the at least one roaming WWAN, but allow background Internet data service provided using the WWAN modem and the at least one home WWAN, and

indicate to a particular application, via an application program interface (API), one or more network access conditions based on the applied WWAN differential traffic control policy and the particular application operating in a background mode, wherein the one or more network access conditions include a network access condition that indicates the unavailability to the particular application of an Internet data service that is currently available via the WWAN modem and a roaming WWAN to a different application, but that is indicated as unavailable to the particular application.

2. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors apply the WWAN differential traffic control policy so as to allow foreground Internet data services provided using the WWAN modem and the at least one roaming WWAN.

3. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein:

the particular application is 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; and

the one or more processors are further configured to

classify whether the particular application is interacting with the user in the device user interface foreground, and

when the particular application is classified as interacting with the user in the device user interface foreground, determine that the device is not operating in a background mode.

4. The wireless end-user device of claim 3, wherein the one or more processors are configured to classify that the particular 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.

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

6. 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 differential traffic control policy.

7. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, further comprising a user interface, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, when the particular application attempts to use an Internet data service that is indicated as unavailable to the particular application based on the differential traffic control policy limiting background Internet data service, present on the user interface an option for the user to change a service plan such that a future similar attempt will be available to the particular application.

8. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to dynamically change the application of the differential traffic control policy based on a power state of the device.

9. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to dynamically change the application of the differential traffic control policy based on a device usage state.

10. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to dynamically change the application of the differential traffic control policy based on power control state changes for one or more of the modems.

11. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the differential traffic control policy defines that the first one or more applications can only have roaming WWAN network access events during particular time windows.

12. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein during the particular time windows, the one or more processors are configured to indicate to the particular application that the Internet data service is available.

13. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to update the differential traffic control policy based on information received from a network element.

14. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, further comprising an agent to block, modify, remove, or replace user interface messages generated by the particular application based on the applied differential traffic control policy.

15. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors apply the WWAN differential traffic control policy so as to disallow background Internet data service via the API by intercepting open, connect, and/or write requests by the particular application to a network stack.

16. The wireless end-user device of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are configured to respond to an intercepted request by the particular application via the API by emulating network messaging.

17. The wireless end-user device of claim 16, wherein emulating network messaging comprises responding to a network request from the particular application via the API by blocking the request from passing to a network stack and returning via the API to the particular application a message indicating the network request was not successful.

18. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to classify between:

user applications;

system applications, utilities, functions, or processes; and

operating system application, utilities, functions, or processes.