Predicting network data consumption relative to data usage patterns

• US 9,838,287 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• 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): Gonzalez, Amancio
• Application Number:
  US13/721,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20130196617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 455405-409
• 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 provide interactive prediction of network data consumption. Current data usage statistics are compared with a data usage plan. The current data usage statistics represent network data consumed by at least one computing device of the user. The network data is consumed during at least a portion of a pre-defined time interval of a data usage plan. For the given time interval, one of a plurality of pre-defined data usage states is assigned to the user, such as On Track, Off Track, Over Limit, and Under Track. In some embodiments, the user interacts with the data usage pattern to dynamically adjust for expected future use, which may change the currently assigned data usage state.

Claims

1. A system for interactive prediction of network data consumption, said system comprising:

a memory area associated with a mobile computing device of a user, said memory area storing current data usage statistics representing network data consumed during a portion of a current billing cycle by the mobile computing device, the memory area further storing a data usage pattern for the user; and

a processor programmed to;

assign the user to one of a plurality of pre-defined data usage states based on a comparison between the current data usage statistics stored in the memory area to the data usage pattern stored in the memory area, the data usage pattern representing historical network data consumption over the current billing cycle by the mobile computing device;

present the data usage pattern to the user;

receive, from the user associated with the data usage pattern, a request to adjust the displayed data usage pattern for a remaining portion of the same current billing cycle, the adjustment enabling the user to interactively modify the displayed data usage pattern;

compare the current data usage statistics to the adjusted data usage pattern;

re-assign the user to one of the plurality of pre-defined data usage states based on the comparison of the current data usage statistics to the adjusted data usage pattern; and

update the data usage pattern presented to the user with the adjusted data usage pattern.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface, and wherein the processor is further programmed to display to the user the data usage pattern as an interactive curve in the user interface, the interactive curve having a plurality of segments capable of being modified by the user associated with the data usage pattern for the remaining portion of the same current billing cycle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to generate the current data usage statistics, the current data usage statistics representing network data consumed under a data usage plan.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to generate the data usage pattern based on historical data usage statistics.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pre-defined data usage states comprises one or more of the following:

on track, off track, over limit, and under track.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the current data usage statistics include network data collectively consumed by a plurality of computing devices associated with the user.

7. A method, performed at least in part by a processor, the method comprising:

accessing current data usage statistics for a plurality of transport types associated with a computing device, the current data usage statistics representing network data consumed during at least a portion of a current billing cycle by each of the plurality of transport types under a data usage plan;

comparing, by a computing device, the accessed current data usage statistics to interactive data usage patterns associated with each of the plurality of transport types;

assigning, by the computing device, one of a plurality of pre-defined data usage states to each of the plurality of transport types based on the comparison;

presenting the interactive data usage patterns to the user associated with the interactive data usage patterns;

receiving, from the user, a request to adjust one or more of the displayed interactive data usage patterns associated with each of the plurality of transport types for a remaining portion of the same current billing cycle, the adjustment enabling the user to modify the displayed interactive data usage patterns;

comparing the current data usage statistics to the adjusted interactive data usage patterns;

re-assigning the user to another of the plurality of pre-defined data usage states based on the comparison of the current data usage statistics to the adjusted interactive data usage pattern; and

updating the displayed interactive data usage patterns with the adjusted interactive data usage pattern.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein assigning the plurality of pre-defined data usage states to each of the plurality of transport types comprises assigning the one of the plurality of pre-defined data usage states to each of the plurality of transport types for each of a plurality of portions of the current billing cycle.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising calculating a cumulative time duration spent by a user of the computing device in each of the assigned pre-defined data usage states.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising comparing the current data usage statistics to data usage statistics aggregated from other users.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein assigning one of the plurality of pre-defined data usage states comprises assigning each of the plurality of transport types to one or more of the following pre-defined data usage states:

on track, off track, over limit, and under track.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising generating the current data usage statistics by receiving data corresponding to at least a portion of the data usage statistics from a mobile operator and/or one or more of a plurality of computing devices of the user.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein comparing the accessed current data usage statistics to each of the data usage patterns comprises comparing the accessed current data usage statistics to threshold values associated with each of a plurality of network connections of at least one computing device of a user, the comparison determining network data consumption remaining for each of the plurality of network connections.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the threshold values are defined in the data usage plan.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising calculating remaining network data consumption based on the comparison.

16. The method of claim 7, further comprising predicting future network data consumption by the computing device based on the comparison.

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

a collection component that when executed causes at least one processor to access current data usage statistics for a user, the current data usage statistics representing network data consumed during a portion of a current billing cycle by at least one computing device of the user, the collection component further accessing a data usage pattern associated with the user;

a user interface component that when executed causes the at least one processor to display the data usage pattern as an interactive curve with the data usage statistics displayed relative thereto, the user interface component further receiving from the user an input to interactively modify the data usage pattern represented by the interactive curve for the remaining period of the same current billing cycle; and

a prediction component that when executed causes the at least one processor to assign the user to one of a plurality of pre-defined data usage states based on a comparison between the current data usage statistics and the adjusted data usage pattern; and

wherein the user interface component, when executed, further causes the at least one processor to update the interactive curve displayed to the user with the adjusted data usage pattern.

18. The computer storage media of claim 17, wherein the prediction component further compares the current data usage statistics to the adjusted data usage pattern.

19. The computer storage media of claim 17, wherein the user interface component further displays to the user the assigned one of the plurality of pre-defined data usage states.

20. The computer storage media of claim 17, wherein the data usage pattern represents network data consumption for one of a plurality of network connections of the computing device.