Device-assisted services for protecting network capacity

• US 9,609,544 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2013
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• 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., Raissinia, Alireza, Lavine, James
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US14/082,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20140095706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/220, 709/223, 709/224, 455/405, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

A system comprising a processor of a communications device configured to monitor a network service usage activity of the communications device in network communication, classify the network service usage activity for differential network access control for protecting network capacity, and associate 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; and a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

Claims

1. A wireless end-user device, comprising:

a wireless modem to communicate data for network service usage activities between the device and a wireless network;

a processor that executes instructions to associate network service usage activity, on behalf of a first device application, and that occurs when the first device application is not in the foreground of user interaction, with a network service usage control policy,

set an application state indicating whether the first device application, associated with a particular network service usage activity, is in the foreground of user interaction, and

dynamically determine whether to apply the network service usage control policy to the particular network service usage activity, based on the application state and based on a power control state; and

a memory coupled to the processor to provide the processor with the instructions.

2. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the processor executing the instructions determines that the first device application is in the foreground of user interaction when the user of the device is directly interacting with that application or perceiving any benefit from that application.

3. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the processor executing the instructions determines that the first device application is in the foreground of user interaction based on a state of user interface priority for the application.

4. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein when the network service usage control policy is applied it disallows the particular network service usage activity, and wherein the processor executes the instruction further to, when it is determined that the particular network access request is disallowed, queue that particular network service usage activity until a power state change occurs.

5. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the processor executes the instructions further to:

implement the network service usage control policy at least in part via communication with the first device application through an emulated network access API that indicates to the first device application that an available wireless network is unavailable when a dynamic determination applies the network service usage control policy to the particular network service usage activity.

6. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the processor further executes the instruction to, for at least a second device application or service, allow network service usage activities without regard to the power control state.

7. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the power control state is a power state of the device.

8. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the processor executes the instructions further to:

execute a router for dynamically managing one or more network capacity controlled services and/or QoS sessions for the wireless end-user device.

9. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the processor executes the instructions further to:

execute a router for dynamically managing one or more network capacity controlled services and/or QoS sessions for the wireless end-user device; and

send network busy state information to a service controller, wherein the service controller provides a policy decision point for management for a plurality of wireless end-user devices in communication with one or more base stations.

10. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the processor executes the instructions further to:

execute a router for dynamically managing one or more network capacity controlled services and/or QoS sessions for the wireless end-user device;

send network busy state information to a service controller, wherein the service controller provides a policy decision point for management for a plurality of wireless end-user devices in communication with one or more base stations; and

receive router traffic control instructions from the service controller, wherein the service controller provides the router traffic control instructions to assist in dynamically managing network capacity usage for the plurality of wireless end-user devices in communication with the one or more base stations.

11. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein dynamically determining whether to apply the network service usage control policy to the particular network service usage activity is further based on a current wireless network and/or the network service usage control policy is based on a current wireless network.

12. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein dynamically determining whether to apply the network service usage control policy to the particular network service usage activity further includes dynamically assigning a network capacity controlled services priority level to the particular network service usage activity based on a network busy state.

13. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein associating includes querying a network element for determining an association of the first device application with the network service usage control policy.

14. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the network service usage control policy includes one or more of the following:

block/allow settings, throttle settings, adaptive throttle settings, QoS class settings, packet error rate, jitter and delay settings, queue settings, and tag settings.

15. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the network service usage control policy includes traffic control policy filters, the filters comprising a first filter specifying applicability of the policy only when the first device application is not in the foreground of user interaction, and a second filter specifying applicability of the policy only in one or more specific power control states.

16. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the network service usage control policy includes traffic control policy filters implemented as cascading filters.

17. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the network service usage control policy includes traffic control policy filters using a network busy state and/or a time of day as an index into a traffic control setting.

18. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the processor executes the instructions further to:

differentially control the particular network service usage activity based on the network service usage control policy based on a network busy state.

19. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the processor executes the instructions further to:

differentially control the particular network service usage activity based on the network service usage control policy based on a user input and/or a current wireless network.

20. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the processor executes the instructions further to:

modify or replace a network stack interface of the wireless end-user device to provide for intercept or discontinuance of network access messaging for implementing traffic control of the particular network service usage activity.

21. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the processor executes the instructions further to:

store a network capacity controlled service list, wherein the network capacity controlled service list is periodically updated based on monitored network service usage activities.

22. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the power control state is a power save state of the device.

23. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein the power control state is a power state of the wireless modem.