Abstract:
A computer establishes a wireless wide area network (WWAN) account simply by entering his telephone number in a user interface (UI) which is sent to an Internet server and correlated with the user&#39;s telephone account. A utility notes when a usage limitation for a period is approaching and in response disables wireless updates and automatically executes the updates when a landline connection is sensed.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present application relates generally to simplified activation and management of wireless wide area network (WWAN) accounts for user computers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Wireless wide area network (WWAN) data connectivity may be afforded to user computers. In this way Internet connectivity is facilitated typically over a telephony transceiver, which has the advantage of not requiring wired access or positioning of the computer within range of a wireless LAN access point. 
     As understood herein, setting up a WWAN account typically entails significant data entry and setup on the part of the user. Furthermore, since many WWAN accounts come with a string attached—limits on how much data is transferred using the WWAN account for a period of e.g., a month (referred to as bandwidth limitations), users must, distractingly, manage their WWAN usage either to prevent overcharges or complete WWAN account disablement is the bandwidth limits are exceeded. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, a computing device has a processor, a video display controlled by the processor, and a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver communicating with the processor. The processor presents on the display a WWAN account setup user interface (UI). The UI enables a user to establish a WWAN account for WWAN access by the processor through the WWAN transceiver by enabling a user to input using the UI a telephone number associated with the user and, at most apart from the telephone number, a name of a wireless telephony service provider providing service to the telephone number. The user is able to establish the WWAN account for WWAN access by the processor without further data entry to the processor required on the part of the user. 
     In some embodiments the UI includes a prompt to alert the user that the UI is for automatic simplified WWAN setup, with the UI informing the user that if the user wishes to setup a WWAN account, the user should enter a user telephone number into an entry field of the UI. The UI may include a wireless service provider entry element, and if so the processor can correlate the provider name input by means of the wireless service provider entry element with a network address of the service provider. Without limitation, the processor can obtain service provider names and respective network addresses during manufacturing of the device and/or from a network interface communicating with the processor. 
     On the other hand, in some embodiments the user enters no service provider information apart from the telephone number. In such an embodiment the processor can send the telephone number to a management server which correlates the number to a wireless service provider. 
     In another aspect, a method includes receiving, from a client computer device, a telephone number. The telephone number is associated with a user wireless telephony account by, for example, a computer processor accessing a non-transitory data storage medium. Based on reception of the telephone number and a determination that the telephone number is associated with an active wireless telephony account, the method includes establishing a wireless wide access network (WWAN) data account for the client computer device. 
     In another aspect, a computing device has a processor, a video display controlled by the processor, and a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver communicating with the processor. The processor executes logic that includes monitoring WWAN usage through the WWAN transceiver for an accounting period, and responsive to a determination that usage is at a threshold for the period, disabling some but not all use of the WWAN transceiver by the processor to communicate with a network. 
     The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an example system in accordance with present principles, schematically showing interior components of the computer; 
         FIG. 2  is a screen shot of an example user interface (UI) for establishing a WWAN account easily and simply; 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart of example logic that may be used to establish the WWAN account; and 
         FIG. 4  is a flow chart of example logic that may be used to manage the WWAN account as it approaches a bandwidth limit. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a computing device  12  such as a personal digital assistant, laptop computer, personal computer (PC), etc. includes a housing  14  hearing a digital processor  16 . The processor  16  can control a visual display  18  and an audible display such as one or more speakers. The processor  16  may access a media player module such that the device  12  has media decoding capability. 
     To undertake present principles, the processor  16  may access one or more computer readable storage media  20  such as but not limited to RAM-based storage, a chip implementing dynamic random access memory (DRAM)) or flash memory or disk storage. Software code implementing present logic executable by the device  12  may be stored on one of the memories shown to undertake present principles. 
     The processor  16  can receive user input signals from various input devices, including a keyboard or keypad  22  (hereinafter “keypad” without loss of generality), a point and click device such as a mouse or joystick  24 , etc. A network interface  26  such as a wired or wireless modem or wireless telephony transceiver may also be provided and may communicate with the processor  16 . Furthermore, a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver  28  can be supported on the housing in communication with the processor  16  to establish wireless communication between the processor  16  and a WAN such as the Internet. Without loss of generality, the WWAN transceiver  28  may be data-capable code division multiple access (CDMA) transceiver or variant (such as, e.g., w-CDMA), a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) transceiver with general packet radio service (GPRS) or enhanced GPRS (EDGE) capability, a data-capable frequency division multiple access (FDMA) transceiver, a data-capable time division multiple access (TDMA) transceiver, a data-capable space division multiple access (SDMA) transceiver or variant, a data capable orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) transceiver, an International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) (“3G”) transceiver, etc. 
     In any case, the device  12  may communicate through the interface  26  and/or WWAN transceiver  28  with a wireless provider server  30  having a server processor  32  accessing a computer readable storage medium  34  to undertaken present logic. 
     Now referring to  FIG. 2 , the computing device processor  16  accessing the storage medium  20  can present a WWAN setup UI  34  on the display  18  as shown. The UI  34  may be invoked from a setup menu or application menu or other menu, or upon, e.g., the first attempt by the user of the device  12  to establish wireless communication with the Internet. 
     As shown, the example UI  34  shown in  FIG. 2  includes a prompt  38  to alert the user that it is for automatic simplified WWAN setup, and informing the user that if the user wishes to setup a WWAN account, the user should enter his telephone number into an entry field  40 . Also, in some embodiments the user enters his wireless service provider&#39;s name into a provider entry field  42 . e.g., by typing in the provider&#39;s name or by operating a slide bar  44  to select a provider from a list  46  of providers. In this way, the processor  16  correlates the provider with a website address of that provider associated with WWAN account establishment. The list of wireless provider websites can be loaded into the memory  20  during manufacturing pursuant to an agreement between one or more wireless providers and manufacturer of the device  12 . Or, the list of wireless service providers may be downloaded to the device  12  through the network interface  26  from a device  12  manufacturer server that the device  12  periodically contacts or by other means. Yet again, no wireless service provider list need be provided, in which case the processor  16  can send the telephone number to a management server associated with, e.g., the manufacturer of the device  12  which in turn correlates the number to the wireless service provider associated with the block of telephone numbers containing the one that the user inputs into the field  40 . The processor  16  then establishes communication with the server corresponding to the provider entered into the provider field  42  (e.g., the server  30  shown in  FIG. 1 ) (or with the management server in the last example above) and sends to the server the telephone number. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the logic that is then executed by the server processor  32  with some of the steps being executed by the device processor  16 . Commencing at block  48 , the server receives the telephone number from the device  12 . A request to set up a WWAN account for the device  12  may accompany the telephone number. The user account is looked up at block  50  based on the telephone number. Of course, if no active account can be correlated to the received number the logic ends. 
     If desired, the logic may proceed to decision diamond  52  to determine whether the user, in setting up his telephone account, authorized simplified WWAN establishment for data transmission purposes along with conventional telephony service. In some embodiments this decision may be omitted and the logic may proceed directly to block  56 . If the user did not authorize simplified WWAN establishment for data transmission purposes along with conventional telephony service, the logic may flow from decision diamond  52  to block  54  wherein the user is contacted, telephonically, in writing, or via the CE device  12 , to authorize simplified WWAN establishment for data transmission purposes along with conventional telephony service, and once authorization is obtained, the logic moves to block  56 . 
     At block  56  a WWAN account for data transmission purposes is established by the server. In some embodiments, the logic may proceed directly from block  56  to block  64  to activate the account but in other embodiments as shown the logic proceeds to block  58  to send a message such as an automated voice call or short message service (SMS) text message to the telephone having the number entered into the UI of  FIG. 2 , asking the user to confirm the user&#39;s desire to establish a WWAN account for data transmission purposes. If the user does not return a positive acknowledgement, the logic does not activate the WWAN account at block  62 , but otherwise the logic activates the account at block  64 , permitting the computer  12  to begin to communicate with the Internet using the WWAN transceiver  28 , and then adds appropriate accounting information to the user&#39;s next bill at block  66 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates logic that may be executed by the processor  16  to manage use of a WWAN data access account. Commencing at block  68 , the processor receives (from, e.g., the server  30 ) the bandwidth use per period (typically per month) associated with the account. In an example, bandwidth use might be measured in minutes of WWAN access and/or in bandwidth speed. The WWAN bandwidth usage for the period is monitored at block  70 . It is to be understood that the monitoring at block  70  typically starts anew at the beginning of each bandwidth allocation period. e.g., at the beginning of each month. 
     When the processor determines, at decision diamond  72 , that the usage reaches a threshold, e.g., 90% of total allocated use (such as total allocated minutes) for a period before WWAN use is terminated for the prior or 90% of total allocated use for a period before excess bandwidth fees are incurred, some, but not all, WWAN use is automatically disabled at block  74 . 
     In addition or alternatively, a warning may be presented on the device to the user that a desire operation, e.g., download of a video, would consume more minutes than currently remain available for the period without an excess charge being incurred. The user can decide whether to cancel the ordered operation or allow it to proceed with the understanding that proceeding may result in excess usage tees. If the operation is canceled the logic automatically cues the operation for execution as soon as a wired connection or unlimited wireless connection is sensed to the network. The above options can be combined, i.e., the user can be presented a UI enabling the user to select whether to be warned upon approaching a usage allotment, or not to be warned, in which ease operations estimated to exceed the usage allotment are automatically canceled and queued for execution as soon as a wired connection or unlimited wireless connection is sensed to the network. 
     It is to be understood that multiple thresholds may be used. For example, a first threshold might be 50% of allocation having been consumed on or before the midway point of the period, a second threshold might be 75% of allocation having been consumed on or before three quarters of the way through the prior, and a third threshold might be 90% or even 100% of allocation having been consumed up until the last three days of the period. Other triggering thresholds for the logic to move to block  74  may be used. In some implementations, as an example of applications that might be denied WWAN connectivity are software update operations. 
     If desired, once some WWAN use has been curtailed, the processor may, at block  76 , upon detection of a secondary connection with unlimited bandwidth access, e.g., detection of a wired connection to the Internet or detection of an unlimited wireless local area network (WLAN) connection via the network interface  26 , activate the disabled applications for network access over the secondary connection. In the above example, if operating system updates were disabled at block  74  owing to WWAN bandwidth usage approaching a threshold, upon detection of a wired Internet connection at block  76  the processor  16  might automatically execute downloading the updates over the wired connection, transparently to the user. 
     While the particular SIMPLIFIED ACTIVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF WIRELESS WIDE AREA NETWORK (WWAN) ACCOUNT is herein shown and described in detail, it is to be understood that the subject matter which is encompassed by the present invention is limited only by the claims.