Patent ID: 8437738

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, by a mobile device, a policy from a wireless carrier that specifies one or more data usage thresholds allotted by the wireless carrier for data transferred over a wireless carrier network during a billing cycle; determining, by the mobile device, an amount of data that has been transferred by the mobile device over the wireless carrier network during the billing cycle; determining, by the mobile device, an extent to which the billing cycle has elapsed; selecting, by the mobile device, a variable adjustment value based on the extent to which the billing cycle has elapsed, wherein the variable adjustment value is selected from among at least a first variable adjustment value and a different, second variable adjustment value, wherein the first variable adjustment value is associated with a first portion of the billing cycle and the second variable adjustment value is associated with a second, later portion of the billing cycle, and wherein the first variable adjustment value is greater than the second variable adjustment value; determining, by the mobile device, that the amount of data that has been transferred by the mobile device over the wireless carrier network during the billing cycle exceeds one or more of the data usage thresholds by the selected variable adjustment value; and displaying, by the mobile device, a notification that the amount of data that has been transferred by the mobile device over the wireless carrier network during the billing cycle exceeds the one or more of the data usage thresholds by the selected variable adjustment value.