Method and system for data usage accounting in a computing device

• US 8,938,547 B1
• Filed: 09/05/2014
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: OpenPeak Inc.
• Inventors: Medina, David, Asnis, James, Roberge, Brian A.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZHANG, SHIRLEY X
• Application Number:
  US14/478,066
• Time in Patent Office: 137 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/229, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• 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 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A method and system for data usage accounting are described herein. As an example, the method can be practiced in a setting that includes both secure applications and unsecure applications. Via one of the secure applications, a request to access data can be received in which the request is intended for a content provider via a system service. The request that is intended for the content provider via the system service can be intercepted and modified, which can cause the system service to direct the request back to the secure application instead of the content provider. In addition, a connection can be established with the content provider for the request through the secure application to enable data usage accounting of data that is returned by the content provider.

Claims

1. A method of data usage accounting, comprising:

in a setting that includes both secure applications and unsecure applications, receiving via one of the secure applications a request to access data, wherein the request is intended for a content provider via a system service;

intercepting the request that is intended for the content provider via the system service;

modifying the intercepted request to cause the system service to direct the request back to the secure application instead of the content provider; and

establishing a connection with the content provider for the request through the secure application to enable data usage accounting of data that is returned by the content provider.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining an amount of data that is carried over the established connection associated with the secure application.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the amount of data that is determined in relation to the secure application is separate from an amount of data that is determined on behalf of one or more unsecure applications.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein establishing the connection with the content provider comprises establishing a secure connection with the content provider through the secure application.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the secure connection with the content provider is a virtual private network (VPN) connection that is individual to the secure application.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving content from the content provider at the secure application; and

forwarding the received content from the content provider to the system service for processing.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein modifying the intercepted request comprises modifying an original uniform resource identifier (URI) of the request by changing the URI associated with the content provider.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data from the content provider over the established connection;

reading the data to determine whether a redirect from the content provider is present;

if a redirect from the content provider is detected, modifying the redirect from the content provider to ensure that the system service will direct the redirect to the secure application.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein receiving data from the content provider comprises receiving from the content provider a playlist that includes a plurality of original URIs and modifying the redirect comprises modifying at least some of the URIs of the playlist.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the system service is a media playback service and the media playback service is a system application that is also an unsecure application.

11. A method of data usage accounting in a computing device that has one or more secure applications installed thereon, comprising:

receiving an original URI request through one of the secure applications;

intercepting the original URI request;

modifying the original URI request such that the modified original URI request is to be directed back to the secure application once the modified original URI request has been initially processed by a system service; and

tracking data usage associated with the modified original URI request.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

converting the modified original URI request back to the original URI request; and

establishing a connection between the secure application and a content provider for the original URI request.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the computing device also has one or more unsecure applications installed thereon and tracking data usage associated with the modified original URI comprises tracking data usage associated with the modified original URI through the secure application.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising segregating the data usage tracking associated with the modified original URI from data usage tracking associated with the unsecure applications.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein establishing the connection between the secure application and the content provider comprises establishing a secure connection between the secure application and the content provider, wherein the secure connection is individual to the secure application.

16. A computing device, comprising:

a display that is configured to display both secure and unsecure applications that are installed on the computing device;

a processing unit that is communicatively coupled to the display, wherein the processing unit is configured to;

receive a data access request through one of the secure applications, wherein the data request is supported by an unsecure application that is a system service of the computing device;

cause the data access request to be intercepted prior to processing by the unsecure application;

cause the data access request to be modified such that the unsecure application will direct the data access request to the secure application instead of an intended location of the data access request; and

cause a connection between the secure application and the intended location of the data access request to be established; and

a calculation unit communicatively coupled to the processing unit, wherein the calculation unit is configured to determine an amount of data that is associated with the data access request through the secure application.

17. The computing device according to claim 16, wherein the connection between the secure application and the intended location of the data access request is a VPN connection that is individual to the secure application.

18. The computing device according to claim 16, wherein the data access request is a uniform resource locator (URL) based on hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) or hypertext transfer secure protocol secure (HTTPS).

19. The computing device according to claim 16, further comprising memory, wherein the memory is associated with the secure application and is configured to store the data access request for mapping the data access request to the modified data access request.

20. The computing device according to claim 16, wherein the processing unit is further configured to convert the modified data access request back to its original form to establish the connection between the secure application and the intended location.