Method and apparatus for selecting user policies
AssigneeBritish Telecommunication, plc
InventorKing L K Cheng
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Application sessions are matched to user network usage or buying policies based upon a scoring system which reflects a user value to each policy for different applications. Several user policies are stored, each containing a list of matching criteria. Each criterion has a score for each element. The content of an application session description is used to compare with each user policy, and a policy score is awarded to each criterion if matched, or else, no score is awarded. The user policy which scores the highest policy score (which may be adjusted to be expressed as a percentage) is then chosen as the policy to use for the application session.
Claims19
A machine-implemented method of selecting user network usage policies for use respectively with each of a plurality of application sessions, the application sessions, each being provided with a session description identifying a network application to which the application session relates, said method comprising using at least one programmed computer to effect:
- a) storing a plurality of user network usage policies and performing the following in respect of each of said application sessions:
- b) for each policy of at least a subset of the stored policies, comparing, with reference to the session description of the application session and in dependence on the network application identified by that session description, one or more characteristics of the application session with one or more policy characteristics to determine a policy score for each policy in the subset;
- and
- c) selecting a network usage policy for use in dependence on the policy scores.
An apparatus for selecting user network usage policies for use with each of a plurality of application sessions, the application sessions, each being provided with a session description identifying a network application to which the application session relates, said apparatus comprising:
- a) storage means for storing data representing a plurality of user network usage policies;
- b) comparison means arranged, for each policy of at least a subset of the stored policies, to compare, with reference to the session description of the application session and in dependence on the network application identified by that session description, one or more characteristics of each of said application sessions with one or more policy characteristics and to determine a policy score for each policy in the subset in dependence on the comparison;
- and
- c) selection means arranged to select a network usage policy for use in each of said application sessions in dependence on the respectively corresponding policy scores.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.