Mobile device and method attributing media services network usage to requesting application
A wireless end-user device has a wireless modem, a network stack configurable to receive and transmit data via the modem and a wireless network, and two Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) available to device applications. The first API allows applications to open and use data flows via the network stack. The second API allows applications to make data transfer requests for media objects associated with network resource identifiers. The second API prompts a media service manager to manage network data transfers for the media object via the network stack. A service classification agent associates wireless network data usage for the media object network data transfers with the device application making the request.
1. A wireless end-user device, comprising:
a wireless modem configurable to connect to a wireless network;
a network stack configurable to receive and transmit data via the wireless modem and the wireless network;
a first network stack Application Programming Interface (API), containing at least one first call accessible to each of a plurality of device applications, the first network stack API callable by each of the plurality of device applications to open and use data packet flows via the network stack, the wireless modem, and the at least one wireless network;
a second API containing at least one second call accessible to each of the plurality of device applications, the second API callable by each of the plurality of device applications to make a data transfer request for a media object associated with a network resource identifier supplied by the calling device application;
a media service manager prompted by the second call, to manage network data transfers for the media object by interfacing with the network stack to retrieve the media object associated with the network resource identifier via the wireless modem and the wireless network; and
one or more service classification and measurement agents to associate wireless network data usage for the media object network data transfers with the device application that requests the data transfer for the media object, to associate wireless network data usage for respective data packet flows opened and used via the first network stack API with the device application opening such respective data packet flow, and to reconcile wireless network data usage for each of the plurality of device applications to track an aggregate wireless network data usage attributable to each of the plurality of device applications via both the first network stack API and the second API.
2. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , wherein to associate wireless network data usage for the media object network data transfers with the device application that makes the data transfer request for the media object comprises to identify at least one of an application name, an application identifier, or a process identifier for the application that makes the data transfer request.
3. The wireless end-user device of claim 2 , wherein the data transfer request comprises a network resource identifier that identifies a source of the data to be transferred, a proxy to the source of the data to be transferred, or the media object to be transferred, in particular, wherein the network resource identifier comprises one or more of an Internet Protocol address, a Uniform Resource Locator, a remote file name/address, a stream name, and an object name.
4. The wireless end-user device of claim 3 , wherein to associate wireless network data usage for the media object network data transfers with the device application that makes the data transfer request for the media object further comprises to store an entry comprising the at least one of the application name, the application identifier, or the process identifier for each of the device applications that makes a data transfer request, each stored entry further comprising information about the corresponding network resource identifier for the data transfer request.
5. The wireless end-user device of claim 4 , wherein the one or more service classification and measurement agents includes a requesting application storing function within the media services manager.
6. The wireless end-user device of claim 5 , wherein the media service manager is a first media service manager and the requesting application storing function is a first requesting application storing function, the device further comprising a second media service manager of a different type than the first media service manager, the service classification agent including a second requesting application storing function within the second media service manager.
7. The wireless end-user device of claim 6 , further comprising a usage and classification database, the one or more service classification and measurement agents to receive application association information stored by the first and second requesting application storing functions, and to maintain the usage and classification database based in part on the received application association information.
8. The wireless end-user device of claim 3 , wherein to manage network data transfers for the media object by interfacing with the at least one network stack comprises to map the data transfer request and network resource identifier to one or more data flow connections communicated through the device network stack.
9. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , further comprising a media player and a user interface, wherein the media object comprises media data that is, as a result of the media service manager management of network data transfers for the media object, received by the device and played by the media player through the user interface.
10. The wireless end-user device of claim 9 , the media service manager to receive, from the application launching the data transfer request, a network resource indicator that identifies the media object,
return to the application a media object handle descriptor,
call a proxy service to perform one or more network data transfers comprising the media object,
accept, from the application, commands associated with the media object handle descriptor, and
control playback of the media data by the media player based on the commands.
11. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more service classification and measurement agents comprise:
a requesting application storage agent to, for each device application that makes a data transfer request using the second API, store application identification information and network resource identification information;
a network data flow storage agent to, for each network data flow associated with the media service manager, identify network data flow identification information; and
an association agent to match the network data flow identification information for a network data flow with application identification information for the network data transfer associated with the network data flow.
12. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a local database to store data usage, including data usage for network data transfers managed by the media service manager on behalf of a device application, the stored data usage classified by device application;
a user interface; and
a user interface display agent to display the data usage classified by application to a user.
13. The wireless end-user device of claim 1 , the one or more service classification and measurement agents to further associate one or more traffic flows, comprising the media object network data transfers, with the device application that makes the data transfer request, the device further comprising an enforcement agent to, based on the association between the one or more traffic flows and the device application, enforce an application-based usage control on network data usage by one or more of the device applications.
14. A method of operating a wireless end-user device when connected via a wireless modem to a wireless network, the method comprising:
operating a first network stack Application Programming Interface (API), containing at least one first call accessible to each of a plurality of device applications, the first network stack API callable by each of the plurality of device applications to open and use data flows via a network stack coupled to the wireless modem;
operating a second API containing at least one second call accessible to each of the plurality of device applications, the second API callable by each of the plurality of device applications to make a data transfer request for a media object associated with a network resource identifier supplied by the calling device application;
operating a media service manager prompted by the second call, the media service manager managing network data transfers for the media object by interfacing with the network stack to retrieve the media object associated with the network resource identifier via the wireless modem and the wireless network; and
associating wireless network data usage for the media object network data transfers with the device application that requests the data transfer for the media object, associating wireless network data usage for respective data packet flows opened and used via the first network stack API with the device application opening such respective data packet flow, and reconciling wireless network data usage for each of the plurality of device applications to track an aggregate wireless network data usage attributable to each of the plurality of device applications via both the first network stack API and the second API.
15. A wireless end-user device, comprising:
a wireless modem configurable to connect to a wireless network;
a network stack configurable to receive and transmit data via the wireless modem and the wireless network;
a first network stack Application Programming Interface (API), containing at least one first call to allow device applications to open and use data flows via the network stack, the wireless modem, and the at least one wireless network;
a second API containing at least one second call to allow device applications to make a data transfer request for a media object associated with a network resource identifier supplied by the device application, wherein the data transfer request comprises a network resource identifier that identifies a source of the data to be transferred, a proxy to the source of the data to be transferred, or the media object to be transferred, in particular, wherein the network resource identifier comprises one or more of an Internet Protocol address, a Uniform Resource Locator, a remote file name/address, a stream name, and an object name;
a media service manager prompted by the second call, to manage network data transfers for the media object by interfacing with the network stack to retrieve the media object associated with the network resource identifier via the wireless modem and the wireless network; and
a service classification agent to associate wireless network data usage for the media object network data transfers with the device application that requests the data transfer for the media object, wherein to associate data usage for the media object network data transfers with the device application that makes the data transfer request for the media object comprises to identify and store at least one of an application name, an application identifier, or a process identifier for the application that makes the data transfer request, each stored entry further comprising information about the corresponding network resource identifier for the data transfer request.
16. The wireless end-user device of claim 15 , wherein the service classification agent includes a requesting application storing function within the media services manager.
17. The wireless end-user device of claim 16 , wherein the media service manager is a first media service manager and the requesting application storing function is a first requesting application storing function, the device further comprising a second media service manager of a different type than the first media service manager, the service classification agent including a second requesting application storing function within the second media service manager.
18. The wireless end-user device of claim 17 , further comprising a usage and classification reconciliation agent and a usage and classification database, the usage and classification reconciliation agent to receive application association information stored by the first and second requesting application storing functions, and to maintain the usage and classification database based in part on the received application association information.
19. A wireless end-user device, comprising:
a wireless modem configurable to connect to a wireless network;
a network stack configurable to receive and transmit data via the wireless modem and the wireless network;
a first network stack Application Programming Interface (API), containing at least one first call to allow device applications to open and use data flows via the network stack, the wireless modem, and the at least one wireless network;
a second API containing at least one second call to allow device applications to make a data transfer request for a media object associated with a network resource identifier supplied by the device application, wherein the data transfer request comprises a network resource identifier that identifies a source of the data to be transferred, a proxy to the source of the data to be transferred, or the media object to be transferred, in particular, wherein the network resource identifier comprises one or more of an Internet Protocol address, a Uniform Resource Locator, a remote file name/address, a stream name, and an object name;
a media service manager prompted by the second call, to manage network data transfers for the media object by interfacing with the network stack to retrieve the media object associated with the network resource identifier via the wireless modem and the wireless network, wherein to manage network data transfers for the media object by interfacing with the at least one network stack comprises to map the data transfer request and network resource identifier to one or more data flow connections communicated through the device networking stack; and
a service classification agent to associate wireless network data usage for the media object network data transfers with the device application that requests the data transfer for the media object, wherein to associate data usage for the media object network data transfers with the device application that makes the data transfer request for the media object comprises to identify at least one of an application name, an application identifier, or a process identifier for the application that makes the data transfer request.