Source: http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US20150072642
Timestamp: 2017-10-23 15:38:18
Document Index: 379537788

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61']

Patent US20150072642 - Hierarchical service policies for creating service usage data records for a ... - Google Patents
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more machine-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: determine whether a traffic flow of a wireless end-user device is associated with a first service activity, the traffic...http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US20150072642?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US20150072642 - Hierarchical service policies for creating service usage data records for a wireless end-user device
Publication number US20150072642 A1
Application number US 14/335,682
Also published as US8275830, US8634805, US8788661, US20100197266, US20120330829, US20140128026
Publication number 14335682, 335682, US 2015/0072642 A1, US 2015/072642 A1, US 20150072642 A1, US 20150072642A1, US 2015072642 A1, US 2015072642A1, US-A1-20150072642, US-A1-2015072642, US2015/0072642A1, US2015/072642A1, US20150072642 A1, US20150072642A1, US2015072642 A1, US2015072642A1
Patent Citations (20), Classifications (37), Legal Events (2)
US 20150072642 A1
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more machine-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: determine whether a traffic flow of a wireless end-user device is associated with a first service activity, the traffic flow comprising one or more attempted or successful communications over a wireless access network; if it is determined that the traffic flow is associated with the first service activity, create a first data record, the first data record identifying the first service activity; if it is determined that the traffic flow is not associated with the first service activity, determine whether the traffic flow is associated with a second service activity; and if it is determined that the traffic flow is associated with the second service activity, create a second data record, the second data record identifying the second service activity.
21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more instructions that, when executed and/or interpreted by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
detect whether an Internet data traffic flow directed between a mobile end-user device and a mobile access network is associated with a first service activity;
when the Internet data traffic flow is associated with the first service activity, allocate data usage for the traffic flow to the first service activity;
otherwise detect whether the Internet data traffic flow is associated with a second service activity; and
when the Internet data traffic flow is associated with the second service activity, allocate data usage for the traffic flow to the second service activity.
22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 21, wherein the instructions, when executed and/or interpreted by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
cause a notification to be presented through a user interface of the mobile end-user device, the notification indicating whether the Internet data traffic flow is associated with at least one of the first or second service activity.
23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 21, wherein the instructions, when executed and/or interpreted by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
when the Internet data traffic flow is not associated with either the first or second service activity, block the traffic flow.
24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 23, wherein the instructions, when executed and/or interpreted by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
when the Internet data traffic flow is not associated with either the first or second service activity, cause a notification to be presented through a user interface of the mobile end-user device, the notification indicating that the traffic flow was blocked.
25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 21, wherein the instructions, when executed and/or interpreted by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
when the Internet data traffic flow is not associated with either the first or second service activity, allocate data usage for the traffic flow to a non-associated-traffic category.
26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 21, wherein the instructions, when executed and/or interpreted by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
when the Internet data traffic flow is not associated with either the first or second service activity, allocate data usage for the traffic flow to the mobile end-user device.
27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 21, wherein data usage for the first service activity is provided to the mobile end-user device by a party other than a user associated with the mobile end-user device and the party operating the one or more processors.
28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 27, wherein the instructions, when executed and/or interpreted by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
when the Internet data traffic flow is associated with the first service activity, determine whether an amount or growth rate of data usage of the first service activity exceeds a limit; and
when the amount or growth rate of the data usage of the first service activity exceeds the limit, restrict or block the traffic flow.
29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 27, wherein the instructions, when executed and/or interpreted by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
when the amount or growth rate of the data usage of the first service activity exceeds the limit, allocate at least a portion of the data usage for the traffic flow not to the first service activity but to the mobile end-user device.
30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 27, wherein the data usage for the second service activity is allocate to the mobile end-user device.
31. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 21, wherein the instructions, when executed and/or interpreted by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
prior to detecting whether the Internet data traffic flow is associated with the first service activity, detect whether the traffic flow is associated with network overhead.
32. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 21, wherein the first service activity is associated with a first application on the mobile end-user device, and the second service activity is associated with a second application on the mobile end-user device.
33. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 21, wherein one of the first service activity and the second service activity is associated with an address or a uniform resource locator (URL) with which the mobile end-user device is communicating.
34. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 21, wherein detect whether the Internet data traffic flow of the mobile end-user device is associated with the first service activity comprises inspecting one or more Internet data packets to extract a uniform resource locator (URL) identifier, a referring tag, or a referring header.
35. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 21, wherein detect whether the traffic flow of the mobile end-user device is associated with the first service activity comprises detecting a proximity in time between the traffic flow and other traffic identified as being associated with the first service activity.
36. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 21, wherein the storage medium and the one or more processors are within the mobile end-user device.
37. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 21, wherein the storage medium and the one or more processors are within a network system communicatively coupled to the mobile access network.
38. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 37, wherein detect whether the traffic flow of the mobile end-user device is associated with the first service activity comprises interpret side information from the mobile end-user device.
39. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 38, wherein the side information comprises information in a packet header or field, information identifying an application associated with the traffic flow, information identifying a network busy state, or information identifying a quality-of-service (QoS) level.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/158,980 (Attorney Docket No. RALEP022C2), entitled DEVICE ASSISTED CDR CREATION, AGGREGATION, MEDIATION AND BILLING, filed Jan. 20, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/565,720, (Attorney Docket No. RALEP022C1), entitled DEVICE ASSISTED CDR CREATION, AGGREGATION, MEDIATION AND BILLING, filed Aug. 2, 2012 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,634,805), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/695,019 (Attorney Docket No. RALEP022), entitled DEVICE ASSISTED CDR CREATION, AGGREGATION, MEDIATION AND BILLING, filed Jan. 27, 2010 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,275,830), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/380,778 (Attorney Docket No. RALEP004), entitled VERIFIABLE DEVICE ASSISTED SERVICE USAGE BILLING WITH INTEGRATED ACCOUNTING, MEDIATION ACCOUNTING, AND MULTI-ACCOUNT, filed on Mar. 2, 2009 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,321,526), and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/380,771 (Attorney Docket No. RALEP017), entitled VERIFIABLE SERVICE BILLING FOR INTERMEDIATE NETWORKING DEVICES, filed on Mar. 2, 2009 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,023,425). Each of the above-referenced applications is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
This application also incorporates by reference the following U.S. Provisional Applications: U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/206,354 (Attorney Docket No. RALEP001+) entitled SERVICES POLICY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD filed Jan. 28, 2009; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/206,944 (Attorney Docket No. RALEP002+) entitled SERVICES POLICY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD filed Feb. 4, 2009; U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/207,393 (Attorney Docket No. RALEP003+) entitled SERVICES POLICY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD filed Feb. 10, 2009; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/207,739 (Attorney Docket No. RALEP004+) entitled SERVICES POLICY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD filed on Feb. 13, 2009; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/270,353 (Attorney Docket No. RALEP022+) entitled DEVICE ASSISTED CDR CREATION, AGGREGATION, MEDIATION AND BILLING filed on Jul. 6, 2009; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/264,126 (Attorney Docket No. RALEP0028+) entitled DEVICE ASSISTED SERVICES ACTIVITY MAP filed on Nov. 24, 2009.
FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C illustrate a wireless network architecture for providing device assisted CDR creation, aggregation, mediation and billing in accordance with some embodiments.
FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C illustrate another wireless network architecture for providing device assisted CDR creation, aggregation, mediation and billing in accordance with some embodiments.
FIGS. 10A and 10B provide a table summarizing various service processer functional elements in accordance with some embodiments.
FIGS. 11A and 11B provide a table summarizing various service controller functional elements in accordance with some embodiments.
FIGS. 14A through 14E illustrate various embodiments of intermediate networking devices that include a service processor for the purpose of verifiable service usage measurement, reporting, and billing reports in accordance with some embodiments.
In some embodiments, the service usage measures are verified by network based cross checks using various techniques. For example, network based cross checks can provide valuable verification techniques, because, for example, it is generally not possible or at least very difficult to defeat well designed network based cross checks using various techniques, such as those described herein, even if, for example, the measures used to protect the device agents are defeated or if no device protection measures are employed. In some embodiments, network based cross checks used to verify the device assisted service usage measures include comparing network based service usage measures (e.g., CDRs generated by service usage measurement apparatus in the network equipment, such as the base stations (BTS/BSCs) 125A, 125B, 125E, 125F, and 125G, RAN Gateways 410, Transport Gateways 420, Mobile Wireless Center/HLRs 132, AAA 121, Service Usage History/CDR Aggregation, Mediation, Feed 118, or other network equipment), sending secure query/response command sequences to the service processor 115 agent(s) involved in device assisted CDR service usage measurement or CDR creation, sending test service usage event sequences to the device and verifying that the device properly reported the service usage, and using various other techniques, such as those described herein with respect to various embodiments.
FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless network architecture for providing device assisted CDR creation, aggregation, mediation and billing in accordance with some embodiments. As shown, FIG. 1 includes a 4G/3G/2G wireless network operated by, for example, a central provider. As shown, various wireless devices 100 are in communication with base stations 125A and 125B for wireless network communication with the wireless network, and other devices 100 are in communication with Wi-Fi Access Points (APs) or Mesh 702 for wireless communication to Wi-Fi Access CPE 704 in communication with central provider access network 109. In some embodiments, each of the wireless devices 100 includes a service processor 115 (as shown), and each service processor connects through a secure control plane link to a service controller 122. In some embodiments, the network based service usage information (e.g., CDRs) is obtained from one or more network elements. As shown, an MVNO core network 210 also includes a CDR storage, aggregation, mediation, feed 118, a MVNO billing interface 127, and a MVNO billing system 123 (and other network elements as shown in FIG. 1).
As shown in FIG. 1, a CDR storage, aggregation, mediation, feed 118 (e.g., service usage 118, including a billing aggregation data store and rules engine) is a functional descriptor for, in some embodiments, a device/network level service usage information collection, aggregation, mediation, and reporting function located in one or more of the networking equipment components attached to one or more of the sub-networks shown in FIG. 1 (e.g., central provider access network 109 and/or central provider core network 110), which is in communication with the service controller 122, and a central billing interface 127. As shown in FIG. 1, service usage 118 is shown as a function in communication with the central provider core network 110. In some embodiments, the CDR storage, aggregation, mediation, feed 118 function is located elsewhere in the network or partially located in elsewhere or integrated with as part of other network elements. In some embodiments, CDR storage, aggregation, mediation, feed 118 functionality is located or partially located in the AAA server 121 and/or the mobile wireless center/Home Location Register (HLR) 132 (as shown, in communication with a DNS/DHCP server 126). In some embodiments, service usage 118 functionality is located or partially located in the base station, base station controller and/or base station aggregator, collectively referred to as base stations 125A and 125B in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, CDR storage, aggregation, mediation, feed 118 functionality is located or partially located in a networking component in the central provider access network 109, a networking component in the core network 110, the central billing system 123, the central billing interface 127, and/or in another network component or function. This discussion on the possible locations for the network based and device based service usage information collection, aggregation, mediation, and reporting function (e.g., CDR storage, aggregation, mediation, feed 118) can be easily generalized as described herein and as shown in the other figures described herein by one of ordinary skill in the art. Also as shown in FIG. 1, the service controller 122 is in communication with the central billing interface 123 (also sometimes referred to as the external billing management interface or billing communication interface) 127, which is in communication with the central billing system 123. As shown, an order management 180 and subscriber management 182 are also in communication with the central provider core network 110 for facilitating order and subscriber management of services for the devices 100 in accordance with some embodiments.
FIG. 2 illustrates another wireless network architecture for providing device assisted CDR creation, aggregation, mediation and billing in accordance with some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 2, some devices 100 are in communication with DOCSIS Head End 125C and some devices 100 are in communication with DSLAM 125D, which are in communication with the central provider access network 109.
FIG. 3 illustrates another wireless network architecture for providing device assisted CDR creation, aggregation, mediation and billing in accordance with some embodiments. Referring now to the 4G/3G/2G access network as shown in FIG. 3, the 4G/3G and 3G/2G base stations/nodes 125E and 125F are in communication with a 4G/3G/2G Radio Access Network (RAN) gateway 410 via a radio access network 405, which are in communication with a 4G/3G/2G transport gateway 420 via an access transport network 415. The central provider core network 110 is in network communication with the access transport network 415 (e.g., via a dedicated/leased line, and as shown, via a firewall 124). The Internet 120 is available via a firewall 124 and the transport gateway(s) 420, as shown. Also, as shown, a network apparatus provisioning system 160, order management 180, and subscriber management 182 are in communication with the central provider core network 110. As shown, a AAA server 121, a mobile wireless center/Home Location Register (HLR) 132, a DNS/DHCP 126, and CDR storage, aggregation, mediation, feed 118 are also in communication with the access transport network 415. The central billing system 123 and the central billing interface 127 are shown in communication with the central provider core network 110.
FIG. 4 illustrates provisioning of a wireless network for providing device assisted CDR creation, aggregation, mediation and billing in accordance with some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 4, the provisioning of various network equipment is provided as shown to recognize each other as an authorized source of CDRs (e.g., this can be done manually or in an automated manner). For example, order management 180, subscriber management, billing interface 127, billing system 123, network provisioning system 160, service controller 122, access network AAA server 121, mobile wireless center 132, and CDR storage, aggregation, mediation feed 118 communicate with each other for such provisioning, which can be implemented using various techniques. In some embodiments, the various network elements are provisioned to recognize device assisted CDRs being generated by the service controller 122, which, for example, can be provided to the billing interface 127 and/or the billing system 123. In some embodiments, network generated CDRs are provided by RAN/Access gateway 410, aggregation/transport gateway 425, and/or base station controller 125G. In some embodiments, other network elements generate/receive/store device assisted CDRs.
In some embodiments, the service control device link 1691 agent messages are transmitted asynchronously as they are generated by one or more of the service agents. In some embodiments, the service control device link 1691 performs collection or buffering of agent messages between transmissions. In some embodiments, the service control device link 1691 determines when to transmit based potentially on several parameters including, for example, one or more of the following parameters: periodic timer trigger, waiting until a certain amount of service usage or traffic usage has occurred, responding to a service controller message, responding to a service controller request, initiated by one or more agents, initiated by a verification error condition, initiated by some other error or status condition. In some embodiments, once a transmission trigger has occurred, the service control device link 1691 assembles all buffered agent communications and frames the communications.
In some embodiments, the transmission trigger is controlled by waiting for an amount of service usage, such as waiting until a certain amount of data traffic has passed, which reduces the control plane communication channel traffic usage to a fraction of the data plane traffic. For example, this approach preserves network capacity and reduces service cost even in traffic scenarios in which data traffic is light.
In some embodiments, the transmission trigger is based on waiting for an amount of service usage, and also including a minimum transmission rate that triggers a transmission according to one or more of the following parameters: a maximum time between transmissions clock to keep the service processor 115 in communication with the service controller 122 when little or no service usage is occurring, a polling request of some kind from the service controller 122, a response to a service controller heartbeat, a transmission generated by a service verification error event, or a transmission generated by some other asynchronous event with time critical service processor 115 (or service controller 122) messaging needs, such as a transaction or service billing event or a user request. For example, service control plane traffic down is reduced to a relatively inexpensive and capacity conserving trickle when device 100 data traffic is not significant. At the same time, this approach also provides an effective flow of real time or near real-time service control plane traffic that is both cost and capacity efficient, because the service control plane traffic is a relatively small percentage of the data plane traffic when data plane traffic usage is heavy. For example, when data plane traffic usage is heavy is generally the time when close monitoring of service policy implementation verification or compromise prevention can be particularly important and by keeping the control plane overhead to a fraction of data plane traffic close monitoring and control of services are maintained at a reasonable cost in terms of percentage of both bandwidth used and network capacity. In some embodiments, the service usage or service activity trigger occurs based on some other measure than traffic usage, such as a number of messages transacted, one or more billing events, number of files downloaded, number of applications run or time that an application has been running, usage of one or more specified applications, GPS coordinate changes, roaming event, an event related to another network connection to the device and/or other service related measures.
In some embodiments, the device 100 is capable of connecting to more than one network and device service policies are potentially changed based on which network the device is connected to at the time. In some embodiments, the network control plane servers detect a network connection change and initiate the service policy implementation established for the second network. In some embodiments, the device based adaptive policy control agent, as described herein (e.g., policy control agent 1692), detects network connection changes and implements the service policies established for the second network.
In some embodiments, when more than one access network is available, the network is chosen based on which network is most preferred according to a network preference list or according to which network that optimizes a network cost function. For example, the network preference list can be pre-established by the service provide and/or the user and/or later modified/adjusted by either the service provider and/or the user. For example, the cost function can be based on determining a minimum service cost, maximum network performance, whether or not the user or device has access to the network, maximizing service provider connection benefit, reducing connections to alternative paid service providers, and/or any other cost related criteria for network selection purposes.
In some embodiments, the device 100 detects when one or more preferred networks are not available, implements a network selection function or intercepts other network selection functions, and offers a connection to the available service network that is highest on a preference list. For example, the preference list can be set by the service provider, the user and/or the service subscriber. In some embodiments, a notification is provided to the device/user when the device is not connected to a network (e.g., indicating in a pop-up/bubble or other UI based display a notification, such as “You are not connected to the network. Click here to learn more, get free trial, use a session, sign-up for service”). In some embodiments, the notification content can be determined based on usage service patterns, locally stored and/or programmable logic on the device and/or a server (e.g., device reports that user is not connected and WWAN is available). Decisions on what bubble to present when may be in pre-stored logic on device.
In some embodiments, service policies are automatically adapted based on the network to which device 100 is connected. For example, the device can be a cellular communication based device connected to a macrocell, a microcell, a picocell, or a femtocell (e.g., femto cells generally provide a low power, small area cellular network used, for example, in homes or offices, which, for example, can be used as an alternative to Wi-Fi access). In some embodiments, service monitoring agent 1696 and/or billing agent 1695 modify service usage counting and/or billing based on whether the device is connected to a macrocell, microcell, picocell or femtocell. In some embodiments, the device recognizes which type of network it is currently connecting to (e.g., looking up in a local or network table for the current base station connected to, and/or the information is broadcast to the device upon the connection with the base station), that is, whether it is a macrocell, microcell, picocell or femtocell. In other embodiments, the device does not recognize which type of network it is currently connected to, but reports its current base station, and the network uses a network lookup function to determine which type of network it is connected to. In some embodiments, the device adjusts the billing based on the type of network it is connected to, or in other embodiments, the device calculates an offset to such billing based on the type of network it is connected to, and/or in other embodiments, the device records such service usage associated with the type of network it is connected to and the network billing can adjust the billing accordingly. For example, the billing can be lower for service data usage over a femtocell versus a macrocell. In some embodiments, service policies are adjusted based on the type of network that the device is connected, such as billing, user notification, data usage/bandwidth, throttling, time of day, who owns the cellular network connection (e.g., user's home femtocell, or user's work femtocell, or a commercial business's femtocell like a coffee shop or any other common area like an airport) and/or any other service policy can be different for a femtocell connection (or for any other type of connection, such as a macrocell, microcell, or picocell). In some embodiments, the local service usage counter is adjusted based on the type of network (and/or based on the time of day of such service activity) that the device is connected, such as billing, user notification, data usage/bandwidth, and/or any other service policy can be different for a femtocell connection (or for any other type of connection, such as a macrocell, microcell, or picocell). In some embodiments, the service policies and/or billing policies are adjusted based on network congestion.
In some embodiments, all or a portion of the service processor 115 functions disclosed herein are implemented in software. In some embodiments, all or a portion of the service processor 115 functions are implemented in hardware. In some embodiments, all or substantially all of the service processor 115 functionality (as discussed herein) is implemented and stored in software that can be performed on (e.g., executed by) various components in device 100. In some embodiments, it is advantageous to store or implement certain portions or all of service processor 115 in protected or secure memory so that other undesired programs (and/or unauthorized users) have difficulty accessing the functions or software in service processor 115. In some embodiments, service processor 115, at least in part, is implemented in and/or stored on secure non-volatile memory (e.g., non volatile memory can be secure non-volatile memory) that is not accessible without pass keys and/or other security mechanisms. In some embodiments, the ability to load at least a portion of service processor 115 software into protected non-volatile memory also requires a secure key and/or signature and/or requires that the service processor 115 software components being loaded into non-volatile memory are also securely encrypted and appropriately signed by an authority that is trusted by a secure software downloader function, such as service downloader 1663 as shown in FIG. 9. In some embodiments, a secure software download embodiment also uses a secure non-volatile memory. Those of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate that all memory can be on-chip, off-chip, on-board and/or off-board.
A complication arises when upper layer reliable communication protocols, such as TCP, are employed in the networking stack in which the downstream transmitting end repeats the packet transmission if the receiving TCP protocol stack does not send a packet receipt acknowledge (ACK) within a certain period of time. If packets are arbitrarily delayed or dropped, then the TCP re-transmission traffic can reduce, completely eliminate or even reverse the network capacity advantage gained by reducing the average traffic speed or other transmission quality measure for one or more service activities. To solve this problem, in some embodiments, the packet traffic control parameters (e.g., downstream delay, drops, burst length, burst frequency and/or burst jitter) are optimized for TCP re-transmission efficiency so that changes in traffic control access bandwidth or speed for one or more service activities are implemented in such a manner that the TCP re-transmission delay at the network transmitting end adapts to be long enough so that wasted packet re-transmission bandwidth is reduced. In addition, and either in combination or in isolation, in some embodiments, the packet traffic control parameters (e.g., downstream delay, drops, burst length, burst frequency and/or burst jitter) can be adjusted so that the access network downstream MAC and/or PHY efficiencies are optimized.
Numerous other embodiments for the detailed implementation of packet flow processing in both downstream and upstream will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the various embodiments described herein. In some embodiments, as described herein, the following are provided: (A) traffic shaping is performed in a verifiable manner, (B) traffic shaping is performed in a manner that results in improved network capacity by taking into account to some degree the manner in which the access network PHY layer and/or MAC layer responds to packet parameters (e.g. burst delay, burst drops, burst length, burst frequency and/or burst jitter), (C) traffic shaping is performed in a manner that results in improved network capacity by taking into account how the packet parameters (e.g., burst delay, burst drops, burst length, burst frequency and/or burst jitter) impact layer 3 and higher ACK protocol or other network protocol network capacity efficiencies, (D) packet shaping is performed in a manner that is aware of and optimized for the particular type of communication protocol or packets being sent (e.g., TCP packets can be dropped to slow the application rate of transfer whereas UDP packets are never dropped, because there is no re-transmission), (E) a virtual or literal packet tagging system is used in a verifiable traffic shaping service control system to provide a deeper level of service monitoring and control or to simplify the processing of the packets, and/or (F) starting with these low level packet processing, traffic control or access control building blocks one or more additional layers of higher level policy control can be added on the device or in the network to create service profiles for the service provider network that define complete services, such as ambient services and many other variations of service profile settings that each define a device or user service experience and can be associated with a billing plan. For example, the use of higher layers of service profile control to form more complete service solutions starting with these relatively simple low-level traffic control, access control or firewall processing steps or functions is also described herein.
FIGS. 14A through 14E illustrate various embodiments of intermediate networking devices that include a service processor for the purpose of verifiable service usage measurement, reporting, and billing reports in accordance with some embodiments. For example, FIGS. 14A through 14E illustrate various extended modem alternatives for access network connection through an intermediate modem or networking device combination that has a connection (e.g., LAN connection) to one or more devices 100.
In some embodiments, device 100 includes a 3G and/or 4G network access connection in combination with the Wi-Fi LAN connection to the device 100. For example, the intermediate device or networking device combination can be a device that simply translates the Wi-Fi data to the WWAN access network without implementing any portion of the service processor 115 as shown in FIG. 14A. In some embodiments, an intermediate device or networking device combination includes a more sophisticated implementation including a networking stack and some embodiments a processor, as is the case for example if the intermediate networking device or networking device combination includes a router function, in which case the service processor 115 can be implemented in part or entirely on the intermediate modem or networking device combination. The intermediate modem or networking device combination can also be a multi-user device in which more than one user is gaining access to the 3G or 4G access network via the Wi-Fi LAN connection. In the case of such a multi-user network, the access network connection can include several managed service links using multiple instantiations of service processor 115, each instantiation, for example, being implemented in whole or in part on device 100 with the intermediate modem or networking device combination only providing the translation services from the Wi-Fi LAN to the WWAN access network.
Referring now to FIGS. 14B through 14D, in some embodiments, the service processors 115 are implemented in part or in whole on the intermediate modem or networking device combination. In the case where the service processor 115 is implemented in part or in whole on the intermediate modem or networking device combination, the service processor 115 can be implemented for each device or each user in the network so that there are multiple managed service provider accounts all gaining access through the same intermediate modem or networking device combination. In some embodiments, the functions of service processor 115 are implemented on an aggregate account that includes the WWAN access network traffic for all of the users or devices connected to the Wi-Fi LAN serviced by the intermediate modem or networking device combination. In some embodiments, the central provider can also provide an aggregated account service plan, such as a family plan, a corporate user group plan and/or an instant hotspot plan. In the case where there is one account for the intermediate modem or networking device combination, the intermediate modem or networking device combination can implement a local division of services to one or more devices 100 or users in which the services are controlled or managed by the intermediate modem or networking device combination or the device 100, but the management is not subject to service provider control and is auxiliary to the service management or service policy implementation performed by service processors 115. In some embodiments, another service model can also be supported in which there is an aggregate service provider plan associated with one intermediate modem or networking device combination, or a group of intermediate modems or networking device combinations but where each user or device still has its own service plan that is a sub-plan under the aggregate plan so that each user or device has independent service policy implementation with a unique instantiation of service processor 115 rather than aggregate service policy implementation across multiple users in the group with a single instantiation of service processor 115.
As shown in FIG. 14B, in some embodiments, device 100 includes a Wi-Fi modem, a Wi-Fi modem combined with a 3G and/or 4G WWAN modem on intermediate modem or networking device combination 1510, and the intermediate modem or networking device combination forwards WWAN access network traffic to and from device 100 via the Wi-Fi link. For example, the service processor 115 can be implemented in its entirety on device 100 and the service provider account can be associated exclusively with one device. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 14C, such an implementation can be provided using a different access modem and access network, such as a 2G and/or 3G WWAN, DSL wire line, cable DOCSIS wire line or fiber wire line configuration in place of the 3G and/or 4G access network connection to the intermediate modem or networking device combination 1510. In addition, various other embodiments similarly use DSL as shown in FIG. 14D, USB, Ethernet, Bluetooth, or another LAN or point to point connection from device 100 to the intermediate modem or networking device combination 1510, or a femto cell modem and DSL/cable/T1/other combination as shown in FIG. 14E.
FIG. 15 illustrates a wireless network architecture for providing device assisted CDR creation, aggregation, mediation and billing including a proxy server(s) 270 in accordance with some embodiments. As shown, FIG. 15 includes a proxy server(s) 270 in communication with a 4G/3G/2G wireless network operated by, for example, a central provider. For example, the proxy server(s) 270 can be used to implement and/or assist in providing various techniques described herein, such as service usage measurement and/or other techniques as described herein.
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Cooperative Classification H04M2215/2033, H04M2215/0164, H04M2215/0104, H04M15/8257, H04M15/00, H04M15/53, H04M15/43, H04M15/44, H04M2215/72, H04M15/8044, G06Q50/06, H04L12/1482, H04M15/80, H04M15/752, H04L12/1403, H04M2215/0172, H04L12/1485, H04M2215/78, H04L12/14, G06Q30/04, H04M2215/74, H04M2215/7213, H04M15/82, H04M2215/786, H04M2215/7886, H04L47/14, H04L47/20, H04L47/39, H04M15/75, H04W4/24, H04M15/85, H04M15/41, H04M15/61, H04M15/705, H04M15/58
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:RALEIGH, GREGORY G.;REEL/FRAME:033564/0353