Patent Application
20140359710
The present invention relates in general to a method and apparatus for providing an indication of data consumption. Particularly, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a method of and apparatus for providing an indication of data consumption by an application on a user terminal communicating with a remote server over a network.
As software applications and services installed on mobile user devices become more and more data hungry, the management of data consumption is becoming increasingly important.
In some cases there is a restriction imposed on the amount of data a user may consume. This restriction may be imposed by a particular data plan, limited data access for a promotional launch of an application or service, data consumption coupons, and the like. Such restrictions require an effective management of data consumption to ensure a data consumption limit is not exceed which may in some cases result in financial penalties.
Accordingly, a first aspect of the invention provides a method for providing an indication of data consumption by an application said application being executable on an electronic device and operable to consume data, via a network, from at least one remote content provider server, the method comprising: providing, on the electronic device, an iconic representation for the application, the iconic representation comprising an indication of previous data consumption by the application from said at least one remote content provider server during previous execution of the said application; executing the application in response to selection of the iconic representation; receiving, from the network, data representative of new data consumption with the at least one remote content provider server during the execution of the application; and providing an updated iconic representation for the application wherein the updated iconic representation includes an indication of updated data consumption based on the received data representative of the new data consumption and the previous data consumption.
A second aspect of the invention provides a method for providing an indication of data consumption by an application, said application being executable on an electronic device and operable to consume data, via a network, from at least one remote content provider server, the method comprising: providing an iconic representation for the application, the iconic representation comprising an indication of previous data consumption by the application from said at least one remote content provider server during previous execution of the said application, identifying, on the network, data traffic, associated with the application, between the said electronic device and the at least one remote content provider server; measuring the said data traffic to determine new data consumption of the application on the said electronic device from the at least one remote content provider server during the execution of the application, transmitting, from the network to the electronic device, data representative of new data consumption to enable an updated iconic representation for the application to be provided, wherein the updated iconic representation includes an indication of updated data consumption based on the received data representative of the new data consumption and the previous data consumption.
A third aspect of the invention provides a user terminal operable to receive data via a network, the user terminal comprising an application module for executing an application operable to consume data, via the network, from at least one remote content provider server, a display for displaying an iconic representation of the application, the iconic representation comprising an indicator for indicating previous data consumption by the application from said at least one remote content provider server during previous execution of the said application, and wherein the application is executable in response to selection of the iconic representation; a transceiver for receiving, from the network, data representative of new data consumption with the at least one remote content provider server during the execution of the application; and a processor for providing an updated iconic representation for the application wherein the indicator of the updated iconic representation indicates updated data consumption based on the received data representative of the new data consumption and the previous data consumption.
A fourth aspect of the invention provides a network device for providing an indication of data consumption by an application, said application being executable on an electronic device and operable to consume data, via a network, from at least one remote content provider server, the application being represented on the electronic device by an iconic representation comprising an indication of previous data consumption by the application from said at least one remote content provider server during previous execution of the said application, the network device comprising: a data traffic detector for identifying, on the network, data traffic, associated with the application, between the said electronic device and the at least one remote content provider server; a data traffic meter for measuring the said data traffic to determine new data consumption of the application on the said electronic device from the at least one remote content provider server during the execution of the application, a transceiver for transmitting, from the network to the electronic device, data representative of new data consumption to enable an updated iconic representation for the application to be provided, wherein the updated iconic representation includes an indication of updated data consumption based on the received data representative of the new data consumption and the previous data consumption.
In embodiments of the invention:
At least parts of the methods according to the invention may be computer implemented. The methods may be implemented in software on a programmable apparatus. They may also be implemented solely in hardware or in software, or in a combination thereof.
Since at least parts of the present invention can be implemented in software, the present invention can be embodied as computer readable code for provision to a programmable apparatus on any suitable carrier medium. A tangible carrier medium may comprise a storage medium such as a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, a hard disk drive, a magnetic tape device or a solid state memory device and the like. A transient carrier medium may include a signal such as an electrical signal, an electronic signal, an optical signal, an acoustic signal, a magnetic signal or an electromagnetic signal, e.g. a microwave or RF signal.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the following drawings in which:—
Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the
Depending on the capabilities of the wireless communication device and the supporting telecommunication networks the wireless communication device 100 can also provide a range of voice and data communication services. As non-limiting examples the illustrated wireless communication device provides telephone network based communication services including voice, multimedia and text messaging, as well as other data exchange capabilities, enabling internet access and email exchange, for example.
As illustrated in
The wireless communication device 100 is configured to exchange data via the 3G network 200 with remote servers 400, and to enable data exchange enabling internet access. The device 100 is operable to have applications or widgets installed, such as, but not limited to social networking applications or email applications, for example, which when executed may exchange data with the remote servers 400. Each application or widget installed on the user terminal 100 may have an associated graphical user interface, in the form of an application icon 150 providing an iconic representation of the application or widget, displayed on the touch sensitive screen 111.
While in the non-limiting example illustrated in
The icon 150 displayed on the screen and associated with a data consuming application includes an iconic data consumption portion 155 representing the data consumption of the associated application. In this example, the data consumption portion includes a bar, which decreases in length as more data is consumed. As the application consumes data the bar decreases in length and changes colour as the data consumption reaches a data consumption limit corresponding to a maximum data consumption allowance quota. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments of the invention the data consumption icon portion may take any shape or form which is modified in size and/or form as data associated with the application is consumed. Each application, installed on the user terminal 100 is provided with an application identifier APPID enabling the application being executed to be identified by a network entity. The application identifier APPID may also be used for appropriate billing to the service provider 300 of the user terminal 100.
The wireless communication device 100 is provided with a SIM card (not shown) providing a user terminal identifier, associated with a particular user's account. The application may have a user ID associated with a particular user of the application which can be used in by a service provider 300 to bill the user. The user ID may be encoded or scrambled for privacy or security purposes.
The data consumption controller 500 is configured to identify the user terminal by means of the user terminal identifier, to identify the application being executed by means of the application identifier APP ID and to identify and measure the data being consumed by the application identified by the application identifier APP ID on the identified user terminal. The data consumption controller can may in some embodiments of the invention measure data traffic transmitted from the application as well as data transmitted to the application. The data controller 150 has access to information concerning the data consumption rights of the user of the application. For example the user may have a set data consumption quota per month in accordance with a monthly plan, or a set data consumption limit corresponding to a prepaid credit, or the like in relation to a particular application or a number of applications installed on the user terminal 100.
A method for providing an indication of data consumption by an application installed on the user terminal 100, according to an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to
In step S101 of the method of an embodiment of the invention, the user of user terminal 100 checks the amount of data already consumed by the application represented by icon 150_1 by checking data consumption portion 155 on display of the user terminal 100. If the application has been previously executed, the length of bar 156 will have decreased by an amount corresponding to the quantity of data already consumed. If there has been no previous execution of the application, the length of the bar 156 will correspond to the maximum data consumption limit.
In some embodiments of the invention the data consumption limit may be related to the quantity of data consumed within a pre-set time period. For example, a user may have a pre-set monthly data consumption limit. During the pre-set time period the bar 156 of the data consumption portion 155 will decrease as data is consumed by the application. At the beginning of a new time period the length of bar 156 will be refreshed to the bar level corresponding to full monthly data consumption limit and the bar length will again decrease as the application is executed and data is consumed by the application during the pre set time duration.
In some embodiments of the invention the data consumption limit may be increased or decreased if for example the user tops up the prepaid credit or changes his data consumption plan, or if the service provider tops up the credit or changes the data consumption plan. Such changes to the data consumption limit may be taken into account by the data controller 500. The network controller 500 can then transmit data representing the change in data consumption limit to the user terminal so that the data consumption portion 155 of the application icon can be modified accordingly.
If the user after checking the data consumption level on the display 111 wishes to execute the application, the icon 150_1 is selected in step S102 by the user, by for example touching the icon 150_1 or moving a pointer and clicking on the icon 150_1 and the application is triggered. The application may prompt the user for log in details such as a user name and password, particular to the user of the user terminal 100, if such details are not stored in the application and not automatically input when the said application is launched on the terminal 100.
The network data controller 500 receives from the application on the user terminal 100 a request to access data on the content provider server 400. The request may include the user terminal identifier provided by the SIM or IMSI and the application identifier. In some embodiments the request may also include the user ID related to the application and the service provider ID. The network data controller 500 can thereby identify the user terminal 100, and the application being executed. The network data controller 500 can also verify the authenticity of the request from the application on the user terminal 100 to access data on the content provider server 400 based on the user terminal identifier, the application ID, and in some cases the user identifier. In this way a session between the remote content provider server 400 and the user terminal 100 can be enabled for the flow of data traffic between the remote content provider 400 and the user terminal 100, in the case where the request is authenticated.
In step S103 the user terminal 100 interacts with the network data controller 500 to determine if the maximum data consumption limit has been reached. The network data controller 500 compares the previous data consumption level with a data allowance consumption parameter corresponding to the maximum data consumption limit. If the maximum data consumption limit has been reached a notification is transmitted to the user terminal 100 from the network controller 150 to notify the user that the maximum data consumption limit has been reached. In some embodiments of the invention execution of the application can be impeded if the maximum data consumption limit is reached, otherwise if the maximum data consumption limit has not been reached the application executes enabling the user to access the content provider server 400 associated with the application in step S105 and to receive data from the content provider server 400.
In step S106 the network controller identifies and monitors the data traffic flowing from the content provider server 400 to the user terminal 100 for the application being executed. The network controller 500 measures the new amount of data consumed by the application since the application was triggered. The new amount of data consumed may be added to the previous amount of data consumed and compared with the maximum data consumption limit. If the maximum data consumption limit is reached, the network controller may inform the user terminal 100 so that the application may be automatically stopped and/or the user notified. Otherwise the application continues executing until stopped by the user.
When the application is stopped the network data controller 500 determines the new amount of data consumed during the session between the application and the content provider server and sends to the terminal 100 data representative of the amount of new data consumed since the application was triggered. The data consumption portion 156 of the application icon 155 is modified according to the amount of new data consumed. In some embodiments the user terminal calculates the updated amount of data consumed, while in other embodiments the network data controller determines the updated amount of data consumed while in further embodiments the use terminal includes a data consumption estimated value which is updated periodically by a real data consumption value from the network controller.
In this embodiment the length of the bar 156 is further shortened to take account the new consumption of data. The length of the bar should correspond to the amount of previous data consumed and the amount of new data consumed to provide an updated data consumption level.
A more detailed view of the network system according to an embodiment of the invention is provided in
When the user of the user terminal 100 launches an application associated with an icon 150 requesting data content from one of the content provider servers 401, 402 or 403, the APN device 600 determines if the user terminal 100 has an external IP address. If the user terminal 100 has an external IP address the request to access data content is transferred to DPI device 505. If the user terminal 100 does not possess an IP address, an external IP address is assigned to the user terminal 100 which may be then used by all applications for which the data consumption may be monitored.
In the case where the request does not include a user ID for the application, the user terminal 100 transmits a request for access to the data content on content provider server including identification data comprising the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (MI), the service key identifying the network service provider and the application identifier APP ID. The DPI 505 authenticates the identification data and creates a session between the application and the service provided by the content provider server. The DPI 505 then meters data consumption by the application on the user terminal 100.
If the service has any third party u.r.ls, for example from advertising servers, these may also be billed to the service account associated with the application.
In the case where the request includes a user ID associated with the user of the application to be executed. The user launches the application or widget on the user terminal 100. The local application will prompt the user for login details including a username, corresponding to the application user ID, and password if such data is not already saved in the application. The application transmits the request for access to the data content on content provider server 401 associated with the application including the application identifier APP ID via the APN 600. The APN 600 authenticates the application identifier APP ID and forwards the request to the content provider server 401 providing the service A. The content provider server 401 checks the user ID and interacts with the quota management server 307 with information including the data consumption limit corresponding to the user identified by the user ID and other information such as expiry date, service ID and optionally quality of service data. The quota management server 307 responds to the user terminal 100 via the deep packet inspection device 505. The deep packet inspection device 505 then meters data consumption by the application on the user terminal consuming data from the service A content provider server 401. The deep packet inspection device 505 provides data on the data consumption to the user terminal 100 and to other entities such as the billing system server 303 and the quota management server 307.
With reference to
With reference to
The same portal may be used for service management including providing:
In the methods according to the embodiments of the invention enable a graphical user interface is modified to reflect data consumption giving the use an efficient way of managing his data consumption.
Although the present invention has been described hereinabove with reference to specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, further embodiments may be envisaged
For example, in some embodiments of the invention the application generating iconic representation of data consumption may be installed on the user terminal, while in alternative embodiments the generation of the iconic representation of data consumption may be a web based GUI application accessible on the user terminal by means of a browser on the user terminal.
Many further modifications and variations will suggest themselves to those versed in the art upon making reference to the foregoing illustrative embodiments, which are given by way of example only and which are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, that being determined solely by the appended claims.
In the claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that different features are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these features cannot be advantageously used. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2012/001445 | 6/14/2012 | WO | 00 | 8/19/2014 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61497197 | Jun 2011 | US |
