On-device attribution of network data usage

• US 9,825,830 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2016
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• 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:
  US14/988,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20160226738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 709224
• 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 mobile computing device for tracking network data usage for an application executing on the mobile computing device, wherein mobile computing device establishes and maintains one or more network connections, the mobile computing device comprising:

a memory area storing a plurality of applications executing on the mobile computing device; and

a processor programmed to;

allocate one or more identifiers to each application of the plurality of applications executing on the mobile computing device, the one or more identifiers including a unique identifier associated with a respective application, wherein the unique identifier is different from a network identifier associated with a network connection;

receive data transfer requests from the plurality of applications, wherein each data transfer request includes information about a unique identification of an application that originated the data transfer request;

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

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

generate data usage statistics per unique identifier of an application of a subset of the plurality of applications, based on the performed data transfer requests.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further 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 mobile computing device of claim 2, wherein the data transfer request data structures are populated by the plurality of applications with the data transfer requests and at least one identifier of the one or more allocated identifiers associated with origination of the data transfer requests.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to receive a request from the respective application to register the unique identifier with a service that tracks data consumption.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 4, 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 for the respective application, the threshold values being associated with at least one network connection of the mobile computing device.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of identifiers corresponds to one or more of the following:

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

7. The mobile computing device of claim 6, wherein at least one of the plurality of identifiers corresponds to a service using one of the plurality of applications.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to enable attribution of the data transfer requests by the plurality of applications in communication with a data transfer service executing on the mobile computing device.

9. A method for tracking network data usage for an application executing on a mobile computing device, wherein mobile computing device establishes and maintains one or more network connections, the method comprising:

allocating one or more identifiers to each applications of a plurality of applications executing on the mobile computing device, the one or more identifiers including a unique identifier associated with a respective application, wherein the unique identifier is different from a network identifier associated with a network connection;

receiving data transfer requests from the plurality of applications, wherein the data transfer requests include information about a unique identification of an application that originated the data transfer request;

adding the received data transfer requests to a queue;

processing the data transfer requests added to the queue to perform the data transfer requests; and

generating data usage statistics per unique identifier of an application of a subset of the plurality of applications, based on the performed data transfer requests.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving the data transfer requests by receiving data transfer request data structures corresponding to at least one of the data transfer requests.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the data transfer request data structures are populated by the plurality of applications with the data transfer requests and at least one identifier of the one or more allocated identifiers associated with origination of the data transfer requests.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving a request from one of the plurality of applications for a quantity of identifiers to allocate to the one of the plurality of applications.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of identifiers corresponds to one or more of the following:

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

14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the plurality of identifiers corresponds to a service using one of the plurality of applications.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing 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.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising enabling attribution of the data transfer requests by the plurality of applications in communication with a data transfer service executing on the mobile computing device.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions for tracking network data usage for an application executing on a mobile computing device, wherein mobile computing device establishes and maintains one or more network connections, the computer-executable instructions when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

allocating one or more identifiers to each application of a plurality of applications executing on the mobile computing device, the one or more identifiers including a unique identifier associated with a respective application, wherein the unique identifier is different from a network identifier associated with a network connection;

receiving data transfer requests from the plurality of applications, wherein the data transfer requests include information about a unique identification of an application that originated the data transfer request;

adding the received data transfer requests to a queue;

processing the data transfer requests added to the queue to perform the data transfer requests; and

generating data usage statistics per unique identifier of an application of a subset of the plurality of applications, based on the performed data transfer requests.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to perform an operation comprising receiving the data transfer requests by receiving data transfer request data structures corresponding to at least one of the data transfer requests.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to store 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.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

comparing the data usage statistics to the threshold values of the data usage plan; and

generating results of the comparing.