On-device attribution of network data usage

• US 9,264,556 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• 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): NGUYEN, TU T
• Application Number:
  US13/721,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20130198374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• 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 attribute network data transfers to applications executing on a computing device. A data transfer service executes on the computing device to receive and process data transfer requests. The data transfer requests, populated by the applications, have identifiers attributed thereto to enable monitoring of the network data transfers per identifier. For example, network data transfers associated with different mail accounts of a mail program or different web sites of browser are attributed separately. Data usage statistics relating to the network data transfers for each identifier may be generated and presented to the user for review.

Claims

1. A system for tracking network data usage by a data transfer service executing on a mobile computing device, the system comprising:

a memory area associated with the mobile computing device, said memory area storing a plurality of applications executing on the mobile computing device, the memory area further storing a data transfer queue; and

a processor programmed to;

allocate one or more identifiers to the plurality of applications;

receive data transfer requests from the plurality of applications, a data transfer requests of the plurality of data transfer requests having attributed thereto one of the allocated identifiers associated with an application originating the data transfer request;

add the received data transfer requests to the data transfer queue stored in the memory area;

process the data transfer requests in the data transfer queue to perform the data transfer requests; and

generate data usage statistics per identifier based on the performed data transfer requests.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to receive the data transfer requests by receiving data transfer request data structures corresponding to at least one of the data transfer requests.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the data transfer request data structures are populated by the plurality of applications with the data transfer requests and the allocated identifiers associated with origination of the data transfer requests.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to receive a request from one of the plurality of applications for a quantity of identifiers to allocate to the one of the plurality of applications.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifier corresponds to one or more of the following:

an application, an application type, a service, and a service type.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifier corresponds to a service using one of the plurality of applications.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory area further stores at least one data usage plan specifying threshold values representing a maximum amount of network data consumption allotted under the data usage plan, the threshold values being associated with at least one network connection of the mobile computing device.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising enabling attribution of the data transfer requests by the plurality of applications in communication with the data transfer service executing on the mobile computing device.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, by a data transfer service executing on a computing device to perform data transfer operations associated with a plurality of applications executing on the computing device, data transfer requests from the plurality of applications the data transfer requests having attributed thereto identifiers associated with applications that originate the data transfer requests;

adding the received data transfer requests to a queue;

processing the queue to perform the data transfer request; and

generating data usage statistics per identifier based on the performed data transfer requests.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein processing the queue to perform the data transfer requests includes processing the queue to initiate the data transfer requests.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising presenting the generated data usage statistics to a user of the computing device, the presented data usage statistics being grouped by identifier.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the data usage statistics occurs after execution of at least one of the application programs associated with origination of the data transfer requests has terminated.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising defining a data transfer request data structure that, when populated by one of the plurality of applications, includes at least one of the data transfer requests and the attributed identifier associated with origination of the data transfer request.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing the defined data transfer request data structure to the plurality of applications for population by the plurality of applications.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the generated data usage statistics represent network data consumed under a data usage plan, and wherein the data usage plan specifies threshold values representing a maximum amount of network data consumption allotted under the data usage plan, the threshold values being associated with at least one network connection of the computing device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising comparing the generated data usage statistics to the threshold values.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising sorting the identifiers based on the generated data transfer requests in decreasing order of network data consumption.

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

a communications interface component that when executed causes at least one processor to receive, by a data transfer service executing on a computing device to perform data transfer operations associated with a plurality of applications executing on the computing device, data transfer requests from the plurality of applications, a data transfer request having attributed thereto an identifier associated with an application originating the data transfer request;

a queue component that when executed causes at least one processor to initiate the data transfer requests received by the communications interface component;

a usage component that when executed causes at least one processor to generate data usage statistics per identifier based on the data transfer requests performed by the queue component; and

a user interface component that when executed causes at least one processor to present the data usage statistics generated by the usage component to a user of the computing device.

19. The computer storage media of claim 18, wherein the communications interface component receives the data transfer requests by receiving data transfer requests from a web browser, the received data transfer requests having attributed thereto an identifier associated with a web site originating the data transfer request.

20. The computer storage media of claim 18, wherein the usage component further groups the data transfer requests received by the communications interface component by type of application.