Managing network data transfers in view of multiple data usage plans

• US 9,161,200 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• 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: Guday, Shai, Zalmanovitch, Gil
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, David Q
• Application Number:
  US13/721,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20130196621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/405
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 manage data transfers using a plurality of data usage plans available to a computing device. Each of the data usage plans has data usage statistics representing an amount of network data consumed under the data usage plan. For each data transfer request received from applications executing on the computing device, a service executing on the computing device or in a cloud defines a network data transfer configuration for performing the data transfer request. The network data transfer configuration is defined based on, for example, the data usage plans, the data usage statistics, and the data transfer request to reduce transfer costs and/or provide a particular quality of service (QoS).

Claims

1. A system for managing data transfers with a plurality of data usage plans, said system comprising:

a memory area associated with a mobile computing device, said memory area storing a plurality of data usage plans available to the mobile computing device, the plurality of data usage plans having respective data usage statistics associated therewith representing an amount of network data consumed under a respective one of the plurality of data usage plans; and

a processor programmed to;

receive a data transfer request from at least one of a plurality of applications executing on the mobile computing device; and

select, based at least on the plurality of data usage plans, the associated data usage statistics, and the received data transfer request, a mobile operator and at least one network connection available to the mobile computing device to initiate the received data transfer request, wherein the mobile computing device has a plurality of radios with at least two of the plurality of radios consuming a battery at differing rates, wherein the mobile operator and the at least one network connection are selected to balance network data usage against battery usage.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to select the mobile operator by selecting mobile operator credentials to present to the selected at least one network connection for the received data transfer request.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device has dual subscriber identity modules (SIMs) with one of the SIMs in standby mode, and wherein the processor is programmed to select at least one of the SIMs to initiate the received data transfer request.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device has dual subscriber identity modules (SIMs) with a first SIM and a second SIM being independently active, and wherein the processor is programmed to dynamically select at least one of the SIMs to initiate the received data transfer request.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the received data transfer request represents an incoming voice call on a first data usage plan of a first subscriber identity module (SIM), and wherein the processor is programmed to answer the incoming voice call on a second data usage plan of a second SIM.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for selecting among the plurality of data usage plans available to the mobile computing device for performing network data transfers.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one offer from the selected mobile operator is presented to a user of the mobile computing device based on the received data transfer request to adjust one of the plurality data usage plans for performance of the received data transfer request.

8. A method comprising:

accessing a plurality of data usage plans available to a computing device, the plurality of data usage plans having respective data usage statistics associated therewith representing an amount of network data consumed under a respective one of the plurality of data usage plans;

receiving a data transfer request from at least one of a plurality of applications executing on the computing device; and

selecting, based at least on the accessed plurality of data usage plans, the associated data usage statistics, and the received data transfer request, a mobile operator and at least one network connection available to the computing device to initiate the received data transfer request, wherein the computing device has a plurality of radios with at least two of the plurality of radios consuming a battery at differing rates, wherein the mobile operator and the at least one network connection are selected to balance network data usage against battery usage.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising presenting, to a user of the computing device based on the received data transfer request, at least one offer from the mobile operator to adjust one of the accessed plurality of data usage plans for performance of the received data transfer request.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising performing a cost-benefit analysis of the presented offer, and determining whether to recommend to the user that the user accept the presented offer based the performed cost-benefit analysis.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein presenting the at least one offer includes presenting an offer to instantly increase a data transfer rate for the received data transfer request.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein selecting the network connection represents a network transfer decision for the computing device, and further comprising crowdsourcing the network transfer decisions of a plurality of computing devices to identify patterns in the network transfer decisions.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of data usage plans includes a first data usage plan with additional network data consumption available and a second data usage plan without additional network data consumption available, and wherein the first data usage plan is selected to prevent overage charges.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first data usage plan is associated with a family data usage plan.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising selecting a first data usage plan over a first network connection, and further comprising performing an in-call switch over by selecting a second data usage plan after initiation of the received data transfer request on the first data usage plan over the first network connection on determining that an estimated transfer cost of the second network connection is less than an estimated transfer cost of the first network connection.

16. One or more computer storage media embodying computer-executable components, said components comprising:

a memory component that upon execution causes at least one processor to store a plurality of data usage plans available to a computing device, the plurality of data usage plans having respective data usage statistics associated therewith representing an amount of network data consumed under a respective one of the plurality of data usage plans;

a communications interface component that upon execution causes at least one processor to receive a data transfer request from at least one of a plurality of applications executing on the computing device; and

a filter component that upon execution causes at least one processor to select, based at least on the plurality of data usage plans, the associated data usage statistics, and the received data transfer request, a mobile operator and one of a plurality of network connections available to the computing device to initiate the data transfer request received by the communications interface component, wherein the computing device has a plurality of radios with at least two of the plurality of radios consuming a battery at differing rates, wherein the mobile operator and the one of a plurality of network connections are selected to balance network data usage against battery usage.

17. The computer storage media of claim 16, further comprising a prediction component that upon execution causes at least one processor to estimate a quality of service (QoS) and a transfer cost associated with each of the plurality of data usage plans, and wherein the filter component further selects one of the data usage plans based on the QoS estimated by the prediction component.

18. The computer storage media of claim 17, wherein the filter component performs a cost-benefit analysis for each of the plurality of data usage plans based on the estimated transfer cost and/or the estimated QoS.

19. The computer storage media of claim 18, wherein the filter component selects one of the plurality of data usage plans with the lowest estimated transfer cost and/or highest estimated QoS.

20. The computer storage media of claim 17, wherein the filter component further selects the mobile operator based at least on the estimated transfer cost calculated by the prediction component.