METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING A ZERO RATING SERVICE TO AN END-USER DEVICE
Methods and systems for providing a zero rating service to an end-user device are described. In one embodiment, a method for providing a zero rating service to an end-user device involves redirecting a request that is directed to a third party URL from an end-user device to a zero rating URL and performing a URL transformation in response to the redirected request. Other embodiments are also described.
1 . A method for providing a zero rating service to an end-user device, the method comprising:
redirecting a request that is directed to a third party URL from an end-user device to a zero rating URL; and
performing a URL transformation in response to the redirected request.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein redirecting the request that is directed to the third party URL comprises:
receiving the request that is directed to the third party URL from the end-user device;
instructing the end-user device to redirect the request to the zero rating URL; and
receiving a request that is directed to the zero rating URL from the end-user device, wherein the request that is directed to the zero rating URL is received in response to the instruction.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein performing the URL transformation in response to the redirected request comprises:
rewriting the request that is directed to the zero rating URL into at least one request that is directed to the third party URL;
receiving at least one response to the at least one request from the third party URL; and
rewriting the at least one response into at least one response that is from the zero rating URL.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the zero rating URL is a URL that a request that is directed to or a response that is from is not counted toward a data quota of a network operator.
5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the zero rating URL is a URL that a request that is directed to or a response that is from is not charged as traffic volume by a network operator.
6 . The method of claim 3 , wherein receiving the request that is directed to the zero rating URL comprises receiving the request that is directed to the zero rating URL over a wireless communications channel, wherein the at least one response that is from the zero rating URL is transmitted to the end-user device over the wireless communications channel, and wherein the zero rating URL is a URL that a request that is directed to and a response that is from are not counted toward a data quota by an operator of the wireless communications channel and are not charged as traffic volume by the operator of the wireless communications channel.
7 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the request that is directed to the zero rating URL includes one of a session cookie, a header, and a query-string that is used to notify the zero rating proxy.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein subsequent requests from the end-user device that are directed to the third party URL are redirected to the zero rating URL.
9 . The method of claim 1 further comprising using the zero rating proxy to make a subsequent request that is directed to the third party URL on behalf of the end-user device.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the third party URL is pointed to a third party application backend.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the third party URL is pointed to a third party website.
12 . A method for providing a zero rating service to an end-user device, the method comprising:
intercepting communications messages that are directed to a third party URL from an end-user device; and
redirecting the communications messages to a single domain that is zero rated.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the single domain is a domain that a request that is directed to or a response that is from is not counted toward a data quota of a billing infrastructure.
14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the single domain is a domain that a request that is directed to or a response that is from is not charged as traffic volume by a billing infrastructure.
15 . A method for providing a zero rating service to an end-user device, the method comprising:
receiving a request that is directed to a third party URL from an end-user device at a zero rating proxy;
instructing the end-user device to redirect the request to a zero rating URL using the zero rating proxy;
receiving a request that is directed to the zero rating URL from the end-user device at the zero rating proxy, wherein the request that is directed to the zero rating URL is received in response to the instruction;
rewriting the request that is directed to the zero rating URL into at least one request that is directed to the third party URL using the zero rating proxy;
receiving at least one response to the at least one request from the third party URL at the zero rating proxy; and
rewriting the at least one response into at least one response that is from the zero rating URL using the zero rating proxy.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the zero rating URL is a URL that a request that is directed to or a response that is from is not counted toward a data quota of a network operator.
17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the zero rating URL is a URL that a request that is directed to or a response that is from is not charged as traffic volume by a network operator.
18 . A system for providing a zero rating service to an end-user device, the proxy is configured to:
redirect a request that is directed to a third party URL from an end-user device to a zero rating URL; and
perform a URL transformation in response to the redirected request.
19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the zero rating URL is a URL that a request that is directed to or a response that is from is not counted toward a data quota of a network operator.
20 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the zero rating URL is a URL that a request that is directed to or a response that is from is not charged as traffic volume by a network operator.
21 . A proxy for providing a zero rating service to an end-user device, the proxy is configured to:
receive a request that is directed to a third party URL from an end-user device;
instruct the end-user device to redirect the request to a zero rating URL;
receive a request that is directed to the zero rating URL from the end-user device, wherein the request that is directed to the zero rating URL is received in response to the instruction;
rewrite the request that is directed to the zero rating URL into at least one request that is directed to the third party URL;
receive at least one response to the at least one request from the third party URL; and
rewrite the at least one response into at least one response that is from the zero rating URL.
22 . The proxy of claim 21 , wherein the zero rating URL is a URL that a request that is directed to or a response that is from is not counted toward a data quota of a network operator.
23 . The proxy of claim 21 , wherein the zero rating URL is a URL that a request that is directed to or a response that is from is not charged as traffic volume by a network operator.