Managing service user discovery and service launch object placement on a device

• US 9,755,842 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2012
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• 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., Green, Jeffrey, Tellado, Jose
• Primary Examiner(s): Zare, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Danzig, Reva R
• Application Number:
  US13/441,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20120278722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: 715735, 713185, 4554121, 4554141, 4554142, 770735, 370401, 709220, 709224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses to manage service user discovery and service launch object placement on a device. A method comprising: obtaining information to assist in identifying a portion of a user interface of a wireless device, the wireless device communicatively coupled to a network system over a wireless access network; determining a differentiating attribute of the identified portion of the user interface; obtaining one or more service launch objects for placement in the identified portion of the user interface; and sending configuration information to the wireless device over the wireless access network to assist the wireless device in placing the one or more service launch objects in the identified portion of the user interface.

Claims

1. A method performed by a network system comprising at least one mobile device agent operating on a mobile device and at least one network device management system to intercommunicate with the mobile device agent over at least one wireless network, wherein Internet data services available to the mobile device over the at least one wireless network comprise at least a first type and a second type of Internet data services, the first and second types distinguished from each other by the treatment of wireless network data usage attributed to the type of Internet data service, the method comprising:

the network device management system designating, to a first service launch partition for the mobile device, a first group of service launch objects corresponding to the first type of Internet data services and not to the second type of Internet data services;

configuring an appearance of the first service launch partition to appear on a display of the mobile device, the appearance including the first group of service launch objects and providing an indication that allows a user to associate the corresponding first type of Internet data services with the first group of service launch objects;

configuring at least one of the mobile device agent and the network device management system with a first configuration to

classify Internet data traffic for the first group of service launch objects as associated with the mobile device and the first type of Internet data services, and

apply one or more differential controls and/or measures from a first network traffic policy set, corresponding to the first type of Internet data services, to the wireless network data usage of the Internet data traffic classified as associated with the mobile device and the first type of Internet data services;

causing the service launch partition with the configured appearance to be rendered on the display; and

when a user of the mobile device selects one of the first group of service launch objects from the displayed first service launch partition, causing a corresponding Internet data service to be supplied to the mobile device with the network data traffic for the corresponding Internet data service subject to the classification and differential controls and/or measures of the first configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the placement of service launch objects in the first group is specified by the network device management system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the placement specified by the network device management system is specific to one or more data service plans corresponding to the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first service launch partition is designated by including the partition definition within a multi-partition user interface service launch partition application that operates on the mobile device

to perform the causing of the service launch partition with the configured appearance to be rendered on the display, and

to perform the causing a corresponding Internet data service to be supplied to the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the network device management system designating, to a second service launch partition for the mobile device, a second group of service launch objects corresponding to the second type of Internet data services;

configuring an appearance of the second service launch partition to appear on a display of the mobile device, the appearance including the second group of service launch objects and providing an indication that allows a user to associate the corresponding second type of Internet data services with the second group of service launch objects;

configuring at least one of the mobile device agent and the network device management system with a second configuration to

classify Internet data traffic for the second group of service launch objects as associated with the mobile device and the second type of Internet data services, and

apply one or more differential controls and/or measures from a second network traffic policy set, corresponding to the second type of Internet data services, to the wireless network data usage of the Internet data traffic classified as associated with the mobile device and the second type of Internet data services;

causing the second service launch partition with the configured appearance to be rendered on the display; and

when a user of the mobile device selects one of the second group of service launch objects from the displayed second service launch partition, causing a corresponding Internet data service to be supplied to the mobile device with the network data traffic for the corresponding Internet data service subject to the classification and differential controls and/or measures of the second configuration.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first type of Internet data services is data services with data usage sponsored by one or more entities other than a wireless network operator or a user or subscriber associated with the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second type of Internet data services is data services with data usage purchased by a user or subscriber associated with the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the second type of Internet data services is data services that are available to a user or subscriber on a trial basis.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the first type of Internet data services is data services that are available to a user or subscriber on a trial basis with data usage sponsored by one or more entities other than a wireless network operator or a user or subscriber associated with the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the first type of Internet data services is data services that are available on a device without a subscriber data plan.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first group of service launch objects is a measured-data-usage service launch object, the first network traffic policy set comprising a measurement of data usage for Internet data traffic corresponding to the measured-data-usage service launch object.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying information derived from the measurement of data usage to a user of the mobile device, in association with information identifying the measured-data-usage service launch object.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein displaying information derived from the measurement of data usage to a user of the mobile device, in association with information identifying the measured-data-usage service launch object, comprises displaying an icon for the measured-data-usage service launch object with a representation of an amount of data usage consumed and/or an amount of data usage remaining for the measured-data-usage service launch object.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the at least one mobile device agent measuring an amount of network data usage and attributing the amount of network data usage to the measurement of data usage corresponding to the measured-data-usage service launch object.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the at least one network device management system communicating the measurement of data usage to the at least one mobile device agent.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first group of service launch objects is a time-subscribed service launch object wherein wireless network access associated with the service launch object is allowed for a defined time, further comprising displaying information related to a current subscription period for the time-subscribed service launch object as part of the display of the service launch object.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first group of service launch objects is a network-dependent service launch object that, according to at least one policy in the network traffic policy set, is available when the mobile device is connected in a first network state and is unavailable when the mobile device is connected in a second network state.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising configuring the appearance of the service launch object to signify the current availability or unavailability of the service launch object in a current connected network state.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein defining the first service launch partition comprises moving the network-dependent service launch object in and out of the first service launch partition in dependence on the current connected network state.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the causing the service launch partition to be rendered is in response to a user selection.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein configuring an appearance of the first service launch partition comprises obtaining from the network device management system, in response to the user selection, appearance parameters for the service launch partition.