Device-assisted services for protecting network capacity

• US 10,749,700 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2019
• Issued: 08/18/2020
• 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): Anwar, Mohammad S
• Application Number:
  US16/272,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20190327624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• 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

Device Assisted Services (DAS) for protecting network capacity is provided. In some embodiments, DAS for protecting network capacity includes monitoring a network service usage activity of the communications device in network communication; classifying the network service usage activity for differential network access control for protecting network capacity; and associating the network service usage activity with a network service usage control policy based on a classification of the network service usage activity to facilitate differential network access control for protecting network capacity.

Claims

1. A wireless end-user device comprising:

at least one wireless modem to provide network access for the wireless end-user device;

an activity classifier to, for each of a plurality of executable applications stored on the wireless end-user device, dynamically associate one or more corresponding network access policy controls with each of the plurality of executable applications;

an Application Programming Interface (API) accessible to each of the plurality of executable applications, the API callable by each of the executable applications to request an execution time according to the corresponding network access policy controls for that application; and

a launch manager to schedule corresponding execution times for applications requesting an execution time through the API, the launch manager selecting corresponding execution times, for the applications requesting execution time, according to the respective network access policy controls for each such application.

2. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, the activity classifier dynamically associating network access policy controls with each of the plurality of executable applications using different policies that apply to blocked activities, network access controlled activities, and network access non-controlled activities.

3. The wireless end-user device of claim 2, the activity classifier determining that a given one of the applications is a network access controlled activity or a blocked activity based on a lack of user interaction with that application for a period of time.

4. The wireless end-user device of claim 2, the activity classifier determining that a given one of the applications is a network access non-controlled activity based on a user'"'"'s current interaction with that application.

5. The wireless end-user device of claim 2, the activity classifier determining that a given one of the applications is a network access non-controlled activity based on that application currently providing a foreground service.

6. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein according to at least one of the network access policy controls, the launch manager delays an execution time for one or more of the applications until a connection is made through the at least one wireless modem to an alternative network.

7. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the API receives, from a given one of the applications, a network capacity demand as part of a request for an execution time.

8. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the API receives, from a given one of the applications, a network request as part of a request for an execution time.

9. The wireless end-user device of claim 8, wherein the network request specifies whether the network request specifies one of a roaming network or a non-roaming network as the connected network for the network request.

10. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the API receives, from a given one of the applications, a scheduled time request as part of a request for an execution time.

11. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, further comprising a user interface allowing a user to specify one or more of the network access policy controls to be associated with a given one of the plurality of executable applications.

12. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein to dynamically associate one or more corresponding network access policy controls comprises changing an association of network access policy controls based on a power state of the device.

13. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein to dynamically associate one or more corresponding network access policy controls comprises changing an association of network access policy controls based on a device usage state.

14. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein to dynamically associate one or more corresponding network access policy controls comprises changing an association of network access policy controls based on a change in a current network to which the at least one wireless modem is providing network access.

15. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the launch manager receives a list identifying executable applications that have a launch control policy in effect.

16. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the launch manager is integrated with an operating system broadcast intent manager.

17. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein, based on a given one of the network access policy controls, the launch manager deprioritizes one or more processes associated with a given one of the executable applications.

18. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein, based on a given one of the network access policy controls, the launch manager controls the frequency at which a given one of the executable applications is allowed network access.

19. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein, based on an amount of network data communicated to or from a given one of the executable applications, the activity classifier dynamically changes at least one network access policy control associated with that given executable application.

20. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the launch manager schedules corresponding execution times for applications to correspond with power state changes of the at least one wireless modem.