Recommendations for reducing data consumption based on data usage profiles

• US 9,887,894 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Zalmanovitch, Gil, Scott, Gregory James, Guday, Shai, Kwok, Alec Garvin, Jiang, Yue, Ma, Kenneth Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US13/721,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20130196615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,874 Days
• Field of Search: 455405-409, 4554141-4144, 455418-420, 717168-178
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1435 volume-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 related to network traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/60 based on actual use of network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7652 shared by users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/775 Account specifications on parallel communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/84 Types of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/846 optical, e.g. icon
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/853 Calculate maximum communication time or volume
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/854 Available credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/856 : Unsuccessful event
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/86 : Recipients of the notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 : Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 : Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• 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 8/186 : Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Embodiments profile users based on data usage of installed applications and provide recommendations for reducing data usage. A computing device or cloud service determines a plurality of applications installed on the computing device. Data usage patterns associated with each of the determined plurality of applications are identified. The data usage patterns describe data usage over a network for at least one of the determined plurality of applications. One or more recommendations for reducing data usage are defined based on the identified data usage patterns. Some embodiments recommend switching applications, uninstalling applications, or disabling particular network connections.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a plurality of applications installed on a computing device;

identifying data usage patterns associated with one or more of the determined plurality of applications, the data usage patterns simultaneously displaying data usage over at least one or more cellular networks and one or more Wi-Fi networks, the simultaneous displaying comprising displaying the data usage by the one or more of the determined plurality of applications over the one or more cellular networks and the one or more Wi-Fi networks in a single display;

predicting future data usage by the one or more of the determined plurality of applications by comparing identified data usage patterns with one or more predefined application data usage profiles;

ranking the determined plurality of applications based on the predicted future data usage; and

defining one or more recommendations for the one or more of the determined plurality of applications to reduce data usage based on the one or more predefined application data usage profiles and the ranking, the one or more recommendations including recommending a reduction of data usage of at least one of the one or more cellular networks or the one or more Wi-Fi networks.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the identified data usage patterns with the one or more predefined application data usage profiles comprises identifying a data usage profile of the one or more predefined application data usage profiles based on an application identifier associated with an application of the one or more of the determined plurality of applications.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the data usage patterns comprises assigning a predefined application data usage profile to the one or more of the determined plurality of applications, by selecting the predefined application data usage profile from the predefined one or more application data usage profiles after the comparison.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more predefined application data usage profiles include application identifiers associated with the one or more predefined data usage profiles, the one or more predefined application data usage profiles assigned to the determined plurality of applications by matching the application identifiers to application identifiers associated with the one or more of the determined plurality of applications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the one or more recommendations comprises suggesting at least one mobile operator other than a current mobile operator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the data usage patterns comprises inferring the data usage patterns based on data usage statistics associated with the one or more of the determined plurality of applications, wherein at least one of the one or more of the determined plurality of applications is executed on a device other than the computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the identified data usage patterns with the one or more predefined application data usage profiles comprises matching the data usage patterns of the determined plurality of applications with the one or more predefined application data usage profiles based on a type of the one or more of the determined plurality of applications.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the one or more recommendations comprises suggesting at least one alternative service for data communication, the suggested alternative service matching at least one of the one or more predefined application data usage profiles.

9. A system comprising:

a memory and a processor associated with a computing device, wherein the processor is programmed to;

determine a plurality of applications installed on the computing device;

identify a first data usage statistics associated with the determined plurality of applications, the identified first data usage statistics simultaneously displaying data usage over at least one or more cellular networks and one or more Wi-Fi networks by the determined plurality of applications, the simultaneous displaying comprising displaying the data usage by the determined plurality of applications over the one or more cellular networks and the one or more Wi-Fi networks in a single display;

compare the identified first data usage statistics of the determined plurality of applications with a second data usage statistics associated with one or more predefined application data usage profiles;

predict future data usage by the determined plurality of applications based on the comparison;

rank the determined plurality of applications based on the predicted future data usage; and

define one or more recommendations for one or more of the determined plurality of applications to reduce data usage based on the ranking of the determined plurality of applications, the one or more recommendations including recommending a reduction of data usage of at least one of the one or more cellular networks or the one or more Wi-Fi networks.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is programmed to define the one or more recommendations by recommending uninstallation of at least one of the determined plurality of applications upon predicting that the future data usage will exceed threshold values associated with a data usage plan.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is programmed to define the one or more recommendations by recommending exchanging a first one of the determined plurality of applications for a second, different application.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is programmed to define the one or more recommendations by recommending at least one mobile operator other than a current mobile operator.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is programmed to identify data usage patterns by comparing the identified data usage statistics with data usage statistics associated with the one or more predefined application data usage profiles.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is programmed to identify the data usage patterns by inferring the data usage patterns based on the data usage statistics associated with the determined plurality of applications.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein defining the one or more recommendations comprises suggesting at least one alternative service for data communication, the suggesed alternative service matching at least one of the one or more predefined application data usage profiles.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further programmed to assign the one or more predefined application data usage profiles to the determined plurality of applications, by selecting at least one application data usage profile from the one or more predefined application data usage profiles after the comparison.

17. One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions, which on execution by at least a processor perform operations, comprising:

determining a plurality of applications installed on a computing device;

identifying data usage patterns associated with the determined plurality of applications, the data usage patterns simultaneously displaying data usage over at least one or more cellular networks and one or more Wi-Fi networks, the simultaneous displaying comprising displaying the data usage by the determined plurality of applications over the one or more cellular networks and the one or more Wi-Fi networks in a single display;

ranking the determined plurality of applications based on the identified data usage patterns; and

defining one or more recommendations for one or more of the determined plurality of applications to reduce data usage based on one or more rules, the one or more rules being based on the identified data usage patterns associated with the ranked plurality of applications, the one or more recommendations including recommending a reduction of data usage of at least one of the one or more cellular networks or the one or more Wi-Fi networks.

18. The computer storage media of claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions, executed by the at least a processor perform further operations comprising predicting the future data usage that includes anticipating that data usage over a time interval will exceed a threshold value.

19. The computer storage media of claim 18, wherein predicting the future data usage further comprises:

obtaining information describing at least one data usage plan competing with a current data usage plan of a user of the computing device; and

presenting the obtained information to the user for review and selection.

20. The computer storage media of claim 17, wherein ranking comprises ranking the determined plurality of applications from lowest data usage to highest data usage.