Controlling communication of data for different user personas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9532286-B2
Application number	US-201213524290-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2012
Priority date	Jun 15, 2012
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

Data for a first persona of a user of an electronic device is communicated in a first access network, according to a first agreement between the user and a first service provider of the first access network. Data for a second, different persona of the user is communicated in the first access network, according to a second, different agreement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a plurality of communication stacks to communicate data for plural personas of a user of the electronic device over corresponding transport flows over at least a first access network provided by a first service provider and a second access network provided by a second service provider; and
at least one processor to:
determine connection options for the plural personas, where the determining comprises:
determining connection options for a first of the plural personas for communicating data in a first of the transport flows over the first access network based on a first direct agreement between the first persona and the first service provider,
determining connection options for a second of the plural personas for communicating data in a second of the transport flows over the second access network based on a second, different direct agreement between the second persona and the second service provider, and
determining, responsive to a determination that no direct agreement exists between the second persona and the first service provider while the electronic device is attached to both the first and second access networks, connection options for the second persona for communicating data over the first access network based on an agreement between the first and second service providers; and

while the electronic device is attached to both the first and second access networks, cause communication of data in the respective first and second transport flows over the respective first and second access networks.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is to further perform a handoff to hand off the electronic device from the first access network to the second access network in response to movement of the electronic device, and wherein the handoff is governed by the agreement between the first and second service providers.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the at least one processor is to further:
determine, based on the agreement between the first and second service providers, connection options for the first persona for communication of data for the first persona in the second access network.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of communication stacks are to communicate data according to the determined connection options in the transport flows.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of communication stacks has connection points with which respective ones of the transport flows are established, and wherein the connection points are identified by one or some combination of Medium Access Control (MAC) addresses, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) ports.

6. An article comprising at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that upon execution cause an electronic device to:
communicate, using respective communication stacks in the electronic device, data of different personas of a user of the electronic device in respective separate transport flows over at least a first access network provided by a first service provider and a second access network provided by a second service provider; and
determine connection options for the different personas, where the determining comprises:
determining connection options for a first of the different personas for communicating data in a first of the transport flows over the first access network based on a first direct agreement between the first persona and the first service provider,
determining connection options for a second of the plural personas for communicating data in a second of the transport flows over the second access network based on a second, different direct agreement between the second persona and the second service provider, and
determining, responsive to a determination that no direct agreement exists between the second persona and the first service provider while the electronic device is attached to both the first and second access networks, connection options for the second persona for communicating data over the first access network based on an agreement between the first and second service providers; and

while the electronic device is attached to both the first and second access networks, cause communication of data in the respective first and second transport flows over the respective first and second access networks.

7. The article of claim 6 , wherein the instructions upon execution cause the device to further:
perform a handoff to hand off the electronic device from the first access network to the second access network in response to movement of the electronic device, and wherein the handoff is governed by the agreement between the first and second service providers.

8. The article of claim 6 , wherein the instructions upon execution cause the device to further:
determine, based on the agreement between the first and second service providers, connection options for the first persona for communication of data for the first persona in the second access network.

9. The article of claim 6 , wherein the first persona is a primary persona for the first access network, and the second persona is a secondary persona for the first access network, and wherein the primary persona has the first agreement that is a direct agreement with the first service provider, and the second persona is without a direct agreement with the first service provider.

10. The article of claim 6 , wherein the first persona is a work persona relating to communications of the user associated with work for an enterprise, and the second persona is a personal persona relating to personal communications of the user.

11. A method comprising:
communicating, by an electronic device using respective communication stacks in the electronic device, data of different personas of a user of the electronic device in respective separate transport flows over at least a first access network provided by a first service provider and a second access network provided by a second service provider; and
determining, by the electronic device, connection options for the different personas, where the determining comprises:
determining connection options for a first of the different personas for communicating data in a first of the transport flows over the first access network based on a first direct agreement between the first persona and the first service provider,
determining connection options for a second of the plural personas for communicating data in a second of the transport flows over the second access network based on a second, different direct agreement between the second persona and the second service provider, and
determining, responsive to a determination that no direct agreement exists between the second persona and the first service provider while the electronic device is attached to both the first and second access networks, connection options for the second persona for communicating data over the first access network based on an agreement between the first and second service providers; and

while the electronic device is attached to both the first and second access networks, causing, by the electronic device communication of data in the respective first and second transport flows over the respective first and second access networks.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
performing a handoff to hand off the electronic device from the first access network to the second access network in response to movement of the electronic device, and wherein the handoff is governed by the agreement between the first and second service providers.

Assignees

• Hiscock James S
• Congdon Paul T
• Hewlett Packard Entpr Dev Lp

Inventors

• Hiscock James S
• Congdon Paul T

Classifications

• H04W8/183

  Processing at user equipment or user record carrier · CPC title

• H04W36/14 Primary

  Reselecting a network or an air interface · CPC title

• H04W76/026

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W76/16

  Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer · CPC title