US 8,971,841 B2 · Operating system supporting cost aware applications

Abstract

A mobile computing device that supports cost-aware application components for operation over a metered network. A current basis for computing usage charges over one or more networks may be made available to the cost-aware application components through an application programming interface supported by an operating system service. That service may receive a policy for charging for data usage over a network and may also obtain information defining data usage for the mobile computing device. Based on this information, the service may determine a current basis for charging for data usage. With this information, the application component can determine a manner for executing network operations that involve data transmission over the network, such as deferring the operation or selecting an alternative network.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

for each network of at least one network, receiving information defining a policy for charging for data usage;
for each network, determining data usage on the each network;
determining, by a computing device for an identified network based on the policy and data usage, a current basis for usage charges on the identified network;
and
providing, to a user mode component executing on the computing device, current network information comprising at least the current basis for usage charges on the identified network, where the user mode component comprises a component configured for updating software, for deferring execution of a download until a free network is detected, and for indicating that usage of the identified network is over a cap for the network.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Operating system supporting cost aware applications

Life of this patent

Operating system supporting cost aware applications

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17