# US 12,772,104 B2 · Communication control device, communication control method, and non-transitory computer readable medium storing application control program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,772,104 B2 - Document ID: US12772104B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/752,557 - Filed: 2024-06-24 - Published: 2024-10-17 - Granted: 2026-10-20 - Earliest claimed: 2022-01-06 - Assignees: Denso Corporation - Applicants: Denso Corporation - Inventors: Kousuke Yamaoka - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12772104B2 ## CPC - H04W 28/0284: {detecting congestion or overload during communication (monitoring arrangements H04L43/00)} - H04W 24/08: Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic - H04W 28/20: Negotiating bandwidth - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Disclosed is a technique for controlling communication between a subject device and an external device. The communication is performed via a second network by an application executed by the subject device connected to a first network different from the second network. In the controlling, occurrence of congestion on a communication line used for the communication is detected by monitoring a state of the communication line. Based on the detecting the occurrence of congestion, a notification is transmitted to the application that has used the communication line on which the occurrence of congestion has been detected. The notification indicates congestion on the communication line in use. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A communication control device comprising a communication controller configured to carry out controlling communication between a subject device and an external device, the communication being performed via a second network by an application executed by the subject device connected to a first network different from the second network, wherein the controlling includes detecting occurrence of congestion on a communication line used for the communication by monitoring a state of the communication line, transmitting, based on the detecting the occurrence of congestion, a notification to the application that has used the communication line on which the occurrence of congestion has been detected, the notification indicating congestion on the communication line in use, acquiring a communication speed of the communication line, and transmitting, based on detecting the communication line with the communication speed equal to or lower than a predetermined value, a speed decrease notification to the application that has used the communication line with the communication speed equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the speed decrease notification indicating that the communication line is in a low-speed state. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the notification is a signal indicating the congestion on the communication line in use and a cause for the congestion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the controlling further includes applying a bandwidth limitation to the application based on the detecting the occurrence of congestion on the communication line, and the transmitting the notification includes outputting the notification to the application to which the bandwidth limitation is applied. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The communication control device according to claim 3, wherein the notification is a signal indicating a limitation applied to a communication speed of the application and a cause for the limitation. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The communication control device according to claim 3, wherein the controlling further includes transmitting reference information to the application to which the bandwidth limitation has been applied, the reference information being information for the application determining response control to the bandwidth limitation. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The communication control device according to claim 5, wherein the reference information is at least one of content of control recommended by the communication controller for the application to execute, a predicted time until a cause for the bandwidth limitation is resolved, predictive data on a traffic volume for each duration in a data flow through the communication line, information on the communication line available at a time of the outputting of the notification, a radio wave map indicating communication quality for each location, or next communicable timing. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The communication control device according to claim 5, wherein the controlling further includes acquiring a notification level from the application, the notification level indicating fineness or an amount of the reference information that the application requests to be notified of, and the transmitting the reference information includes providing the application to which the bandwidth limitation has been applied with the reference information that corresponds to the notification level designated by the application. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the controlling further includes acquiring a notification condition from the application, the notification condition being a condition under which the application requests the notification to be transmitted, and the transmitting the notification includes transmitting the notification to the application based on satisfying the notification condition. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the controlling further includes outputting, based on the detecting of the occurrence of congestion on the communication line, a bandwidth limitation request to the application, the bandwidth limitation request requesting the application to limit a communication volume per predetermined time to a predetermined value or less. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The communication control device according to claim 9, wherein the controlling further includes determining whether the application that has received the bandwidth limitation request complies with the bandwidth limitation request, and applying a bandwidth limitation to the application based on determining that the application fails to comply with the bandwidth limitation request. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the controlling further includes transmitting, based on detecting disconnection of the communication line, a line disconnection notification to the application that has used the communication line being disconnected, the line disconnection notification indicating that the communication line in use has become unavailable. ### Claim 12 (depends on 3) The communication control device according to claim 3, wherein the application is one of applications executed by at least one or more devices connected to the first network, and the outputting the notification is performed without outputting the notification to an application to which no bandwidth limitation is applied among the applications. ### Claim 13 A communication control method performed by a communication control device for controlling communication between a subject device and an external device, the communication being performed via a second network by an application executed by the subject device connected to a first network different from the second network, the communication control method comprising: detecting occurrence of congestion on a communication line used for the communication by monitoring a state of the communication line; transmitting, based on the detecting the occurrence of congestion, a notification to the application that has used the communication line on which the occurrence of congestion has been detected, the notification indicating congestion on the communication line in use; acquiring a communication speed of the communication line; and transmitting, based on detecting the communication line with the communication speed equal to or lower than a predetermined value, a speed decrease notification to the application that has used the communication line with the communication speed equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the speed decrease notification indicating that the communication line is in a low-speed state. ### Claim 14 A non-transitory computer readable medium storing an application control program that includes instructions for a subject device executing an application for performing data communication with an external device, the instructions being configured to, when executed by at least one processor, cause the subject device to carry out: receiving a message from a communication control device configured to control communication between the application and the external device, the message indicating that congestion has occurred on a communication line used for the communication with the application; and limiting the communication based on the receiving of the message indicating that congestion has occurred on the communication line; wherein the communication control device is configured to control communication between the application and the external device by: detecting occurrence of congestion on the communication line used for the communication by monitoring a state of the communication line; transmitting, based on the detecting the occurrence of congestion, the message to the application that has used the communication line on which the occurrence of congestion has been detected; acquiring a communication speed of the communication line; and transmitting, based on detecting the communication line with the communication speed equal to or lower than a predetermined value, a speed decrease notification to the application that has used the communication line with the communication speed equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the speed decrease notification indicating that the communication line is in a low-speed state.