Multiple-step data throttling during data transfer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12114199-B2
Application number	US-202117458526-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2021
Priority date	Aug 27, 2020
Publication date	Oct 8, 2024
Grant date	Oct 8, 2024

Abstract

An example method of operation may include exchanging data between a client device and a server at a first transmission rate via at least one of a first channel and a second channel, monitoring an amount of data exchanged, comparing the amount of data exchanged to a first data amount threshold and a second data amount threshold for at least one time period, partially limiting subsequent transfers of data between the client device and the server when the first data amount threshold is reached in the at least one time period, and further partially limiting the subsequent transfers of data or ending transfer of data between the client device and the server when the second data amount threshold is reached in the at least one time period.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
monitoring an amount of data exchanged between a client device and a virtual private network (VPN) server via a bonded connection comprising a first channel and a second channel used to simultaneously transfer data between the client device and the VPN server;
comparing the amount of data exchanged to a first data usage threshold and a second data usage threshold that is larger than the first data usage threshold;
partially limiting a data rate of subsequent transfers of data between the client device and the VPN server on the bonded connection by a predetermined percentage less than the data rate when the first data usage threshold is reached;
responsive to the partial limiting of the data rate of the subsequent transfers of data on the bonded connection, increasing a data rate of the second channel and reducing the data rate of the first channel based on the predetermined percentage less than the data rate; and
further partially limiting the data rate of further subsequent transfers of data between the client device and the VPN server on the first channel by further reducing the data rate of the first channel by another predetermined percentage less than the data rate in addition to the predetermined percentage less than the data rate when the second data usage threshold is reached and simultaneously exchanging data on the bonded connection between the client device and the VPN server during the further subsequent transfers of data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the partial limiting is performed to the first channel and the further partial limiting is performed to the second channel.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring of the amount of data exchanged is being performed to both the first and the second channels.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring of the amount of data exchanged is being performed only to the first channel.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the partial limiting is performed only to the first channel and the further partial limiting is performed to the first channel and the second channel.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first channel is cellular and second channel is Wi-Fi.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the further partial limiting transfer limits a data transfer rate by an amount that is greater than the amount of data limit imposed by the data transfer rate applied by the partial limiting transfer.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the further partial limiting transfer limits the data transfer rate by an amount that is the same as the amount of data limit imposed by the data transfer rate applied by the partial limiting transfer.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the exchanging the data via the at least one first channel and second channel comprises at least one additional channel, and wherein the first channel is cellular, the second channel is cellular and the at least one additional channel is a Wi-Fi channel.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the partial limiting comprises limiting the data rate to a fixed amount, and the further partial limiting comprises limiting the subsequent amount of data transferred to a lower amount than the fixed amount.

11. A system comprising:
a client device; and
a virtual private network (VPN) server
wherein the client device is configured to
monitor an amount of data exchange with the VPN server via a bonded connection comprising a first channel and a second channel used to simultaneously transfer data between the client device and the VPN server;
compare the amount of data exchanged to a first data usage threshold and a second data usage threshold that is larger than the first data usage threshold;
partially limit a data rate of subsequent transfers of data between the client device and the VPN server on the bonded connection by a predetermined percentage less than the data rate when the first data usage threshold is reached;
responsive to the partial limit of the data rate of the subsequent transfers of data on the bonded connection, increase a data rate of the second channel and reduce the data rate of the first channel based on the predetermined percentage less than the data rate; and
further partially limit the data rate of further subsequent transfers of data between the client device and the VPN server on the first channel by further reducing the data rate of the first channel by another predetermined percentage less than the data rate in addition to the predetermined percentage less than the data rate when the second data usage threshold is reached and simultaneously exchanging data on the bonded connection between the client device and the VPN server during the further subsequent transfers of data.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the partial limiting is performed to the first channel and the further partial limiting is performed to the second channel.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the monitor of the amount of data exchanged is being performed to both the first and the second channels.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the monitor of the amount of data exchanged is being performed only to the first channel.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform:
monitoring an amount of data exchanged between a client device and a virtual private network (VPN) server via a bonded connection comprising a first channel and a second channel-used to simultaneously transfer data between the client device and the VPN server;
comparing the amount of data exchanged to a first data usage threshold and a second data usage threshold that is larger than the first data usage threshold;
partially limiting a data rate of subsequent transfers of data between the client device and the VPN server on the bonded connection by a predetermined percentage less than the data rate when the first data usage threshold is reached;
responsive to the partial limiting of the data rate of the subsequent transfers of data on the bonded connection, increasing a data rate of the second channel and reducing the data rate-of the first channel based on the predetermined percentage less than the data rate; and
further partially limiting the data rate of further subsequent transfers of data between the client device and the VPN server on the first channel by further reducing the data rate of the first channel by another predetermined percentage less than the data rate in addition to the predetermined percentage less than the data rate when the second data usage threshold is reached and simultaneously exchanging data on the bonded connection between the client device and the VPN server during the further subsequent transfers of data.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the partial limiting is performed to the first channel and the further partial limiting is performed to the second channel.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the monitoring of the amount of data exchanged is being performed to both the first and the second channels.

Assignees

• Connectify Inc

Inventors

• Lutz Brian
• Gizis Alexander
• Cunningham Kevin
• Prodoehl Brian

Classifications

• H04L43/0876 Primary

  Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level · CPC title

• H04L43/16

  Threshold monitoring · CPC title

• H04W24/08

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title

• H04L63/0272

  Virtual private networks · CPC title

• H04W28/0231 Primary

  based on communication conditions (dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition based on channel quality criteria H04W72/54) · CPC title