Wireless end-user device with differential traffic control policy list and applying foreground classification to roaming wireless data service

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9198074-B2
Application number	US-201514684051-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2015
Priority date	Jan 28, 2009
Publication date	Nov 24, 2015
Grant date	Nov 24, 2015

Abstract

A wireless end-user device has a configurable wireless wide-area network (WWAN) modem capable of connection to both a home WWAN and a roaming WWAN. One or more processors classify whether an application is interacting with a user in a user interface foreground of the device. At a time when Internet service activities are communicated through the roaming WWAN, the processors use a differential traffic control policy list to determine whether or not to apply a differential traffic control policy to an application requesting Internet service access. When the policy is applicable, and the application is not classified as interacting with a user in the device user interface foreground, the Internet service access request is blocked.

First claim

We claim:

1. A wireless end-user device, comprising:
a wireless wide area network (WWAN) modem to communicate data for Internet service activities between the device and at least one home WWAN, when configured for and connected to the at least one home WWAN, and between the device and at least one roaming WWAN, when configured for and connected to the at least one roaming WWAN;
one or more processors configured to
classify whether data for Internet service activities is to be communicated through the home WWAN or the roaming WWAN, and
classify whether a particular application associated with an Internet service access request, and capable of both
interacting with a user in a user interface foreground of the device, and
at least some Internet service activities when not interacting with a user in the device user interface foreground,
is interacting with the user in the device user interface foreground, and

apply a differential traffic control policy to the Internet service access request, based on
(i) the classifications performed by the one or more processors, and
(ii) a differential traffic control policy list distinguishing between a first one or more applications resident on the device and a second one or more applications resident on the device,
such that, when the particular application is one of the first one or more

applications, the one or more processors are operable to
block the Internet service access request when data for Internet service activities is classified as to be provided through the roaming WWAN, and the particular application is not classified as interacting with a user in the device user interface foreground, and
allow the Internet service access request under at least one different classification state.

2. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to prevent the first one or more applications from changing the power state of the modem, and to not prevent the second one or more applications from changing the power state of the modem.

3. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to classify that the particular application is interacting with the user in the device user interface foreground when the user of the device is directly interacting with that application or perceiving any benefit from that application.

4. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , further comprising the user interface, wherein the user interface is to provide the user of the device with information regarding why the differential traffic control policy is applied to the particular end-user application.

5. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , further comprising the user interface, wherein the user interface is to inform the user of the device when there are options to set, control, override, or modify service usage controls that affect the differential traffic control policy and/or the differential traffic control policy list.

6. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , wherein the differential traffic control policy is part of a multimode profile having different policies for different networks.

7. The wireless end-user device of claim 6 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to select a traffic control policy from the multimode profile based at least in part on the type of network connection currently in use by the device.

8. The wireless end-user device of claim 7 , further comprising a wireless local area network (WLAN) modem to communicate data for Internet service activities between the device and at least one WLAN, when configured for and connected to the at least one WLAN, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, when the type of network connection is at least one type of WLAN connection, select a traffic control policy from the multimode profile based at least in part on a type of network connection from the WLAN to the Internet.

9. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further to apply the differential traffic control policy such that, when the particular application is one of the second one or more applications, the one or more processors are operable to allow the Internet service access request when data for Internet service activities is classified as to be provided through the roaming WWAN, and the particular application is not classified as interacting with a user in the device user interface foreground.

10. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one different classification state comprises a state wherein data for Internet service activities is classified as to be provided through the home WWAN, and the particular application is classified as interacting with a user in the device user interface foreground.

11. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to dynamically change the application of the differential traffic control policy based on a power state of the device.

12. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to dynamically change the application of the differential traffic control policy based on a device usage state.

13. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to dynamically change the application of the differential traffic control policy based on power control state changes for one or more of the modems.

14. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , wherein the differential traffic control policy defines that the first one or more applications can only have roaming WWAN network access events during particular time windows.

15. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to update the differential traffic control policy and/or the differential traffic control policy list based on information received from a network element.

16. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , further comprising an agent to block, modify, remove, or replace user interface messages generated by the particular application based on the applied differential traffic control policy.

17. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors operable to block the Internet service access request are configured to selectively block the Internet service access request by intercepting open, connect, and/or write requests by the particular application to a network stack.

18. The wireless end-user device of claim 17 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to respond to an intercepted request by the particular application by emulating network messaging.

19. The wireless end-user device of claim 18 , wherein emulating network messaging comprises responding to a network request from the particular application by blocking the request from passing to a network stack and returning to the particular application a message indicating the network request was not successful.

20. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to classify that the particular application is interacting with a user in the device user interface foreground based on a state of user interface priority for the application.

21. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , wherein the second one or more applications are not subject to a differential network access control that is applicable to the first one or more applications.

Assignees

• Headwater Partners I Llc

Inventors

• Raleigh Gregory G
• Lavine James
• Raissinia Alireza

Classifications

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• H04L63/08

  for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32) · CPC title

• H04W28/20

  Negotiating bandwidth · CPC title

• H04L47/803

  Application aware · CPC title