Proxy system and method for adaptive ambient services

• US 10,057,141 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• 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., Rightmyer, Rob, Kudelin, Vladislav
• Primary Examiner(s): Rudy, Andrew J
• Application Number:
  US15/280,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20170149629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 709223, 709224, 709225
• 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

Adaptive ambient services are provided via a proxy. The proxy allows a wireless device to access, through the proxy, a set of Internet access destinations associated with a wireless data service. During such access, the proxy measures data traffic exchanged with the wireless device and classifies such traffic as associated with a one of the Internet access destinations that was accessed. According to adaptive rules, such classification continues until the traffic is no longer associated with that Internet access destination.

Claims

1. A system adapted for use as an Internet proxy, the system comprising one or more servers, the system adapted for use in classifying wireless data traffic associated with Internet access provided to a wireless end-user device, the one or more servers of the system configured to:

associate the wireless end-user device with a wireless data service comprising a set of allowable Internet access destinations;

receive, at a proxy comprising one or more servers, a request from the wireless end-user device to access data from a first one of the allowable Internet access destinations;

provide the wireless end-user device access through the proxy to the first one of the allowable Internet access destinations;

measure, at the proxy, data traffic exchanged with the wireless end-user device following the request; and

classify the measured data traffic as associated with the first one of the allowable Internet access destinations;

wherein classification of the measured data traffic as associated with the first one of the allowable Internet access destination ends when (a) exchanged data traffic is no longer associated with the first one of the allowable Internet access destinations or (b) exchanged data traffic becomes associated with a second one of the allowable Internet access destinations.

2. A method of classifying wireless data traffic associated with Internet access provided to a wireless end-user device, the method comprising:

associating the wireless end-user device with a wireless data service comprising a set of allowable Internet access destinations;

receiving, at a proxy comprising one or more servers, a request from the wireless end-user device to access data from a first one of the allowable Internet access destinations;

providing the wireless end-user device access through the proxy to the first one of the allowable Internet access destinations;

measuring, at the proxy, data traffic exchanged with the wireless end-user device following the request; and

classifying the measured data traffic as associated with the first one of the allowable Internet access destinations;

wherein classifying the measured data traffic as associated with the first one of the allowable Internet access destination ends when (a) exchanged data traffic is no longer associated with the first one of the allowable Internet access destinations or (b) exchanged data traffic becomes associated with a second one of the allowable Internet access destinations.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said method further comprises identifying whether the classified, measured data traffic is cellular data traffic and, if the classified, measured data traffic is cellular data traffic, generating an electronic record representing an amount of the classified, measured traffic and transmitting the electronic record to a provider of a cellular service to the wireless end-user device.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising limiting the measured data traffic when exchanged data traffic is no longer associated with the first one of the allowable Internet access destinations and, provided the exchanged data traffic does not become associated with a second one of the allowable Internet access destinations, the limiting comprising at least one limit selected from the group consisting of:

a limit on a type of file download to the wireless end-user device;

a limit on a total data transfer amount;

a limit on an access time; and

combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein associating the wireless end-user device with a wireless data service comprises exchanging data traffic between the proxy and a specific executing wireless end-user device application.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises receiving at the proxy a predetermined identifier from the wireless end-user device, and wherein associating the wireless end-user device with the wireless data service is performed in response to receipt of said identifier, the predetermined identifier being other than a destination address or source address for Internet traffic, the predetermined identifier adapted for use by the proxy in determining whether to permit the exchange of data traffic between the wireless end-user device and the set of allowable Internet access destinations.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein providing the wireless end-user device access through the proxy to the first one of the allowable Internet access destinations comprises providing such access only to a specific software application executing on the wireless end-user device.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises:

generating a first electronic record indicating a negative offset that is to be applied to provision of cellular access for an account associated with the wireless end-user device, the negative offset dependent on a quantity of the classified, measured data traffic; and

generating a second electronic record indicating a positive offset that is to be applied to provision of cellular access for an account not associated with the wireless end-user device, in dependence on the quantity of the classified, measured data traffic.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the method further comprises transmitting the first electronic record and the second electronic record to an electronic system of a carrier that provides the cellular access to the wireless end-user device; and

generating the second electronic record includes doing so in a manner respective to an account associated with a provider of the first one of the allowable Internet access destinations.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises receiving at the proxy a device identifier sufficient for the proxy to determine the wireless end-user device to which access to the set of allowable Internet access destinations is to be provided.