Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02792629 2015-05-06
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING ACCESS TO A SERVICE FOR A
COMMUNICATION DEVICE
FIELD OF DISCLOSURE
[0001] The disclosure provided herein describes generally a system and
method of
managing access to a service provided for a communication device in a
communication
network. In particular, an embodiment generates messages and manages account
modifications for the device when the communication device lacks an account
feature that
would allow the service to be provided on the device.
BACKGROUND OF DISCLOSURE
[0002] A carrier for a communication network, such as AT&T in the U.S. and
Bell in Canada
(both trade-marks), offers communication devices and services to customers to
allow the
customers to access the network and communicate with others. Typically a
carrier offers a
range of types of accounts that have different service levels providing a
matrix of levels of
service and features supported by the network. The types typically range from
a very basic
level (e.g. limited voice only services), to a standard level (e.g. some
enhanced voice services,
text messaging and email services) to an enhanced level (e.g. all services of
the basic level plus
Internet access, Wi-Fl, Facebook (trade-mark) access, tethering and others).
[0003] A person using a communication device in the network may not recall
what account
features have been provided for the device. If the person makes a request on
the
communication device for a service for which the device (and / or its
associated account) is not
configured to allow, then a generic message is currently provided on the
device indicating that
the service is not available. Such a message is misleading, as the service may
be available, but
the user's current account may not be allowed access to the service.
[0004] There is a need for a system and method which addresses deficiencies
in the prior
art.
SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE
[0005] In a first aspect of an embodiment as provided in this disclosure, a
method of
managing a request for a service by a communication device in a communication
network is
provided. The method comprises in the communication device: receiving a
request for a
service provided through the communication network; determining whether an
account
associated with the communication device has all features required to access
the service: when
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the all features are not provided by the account displaying a first message on
a display of the
communication device indicating that access to the service is denied for the
communication
device, identifying alternative accounts for the communication network,
displaying a second
message on the display listing the alternative accounts and when a selection
is provided of a
selected account from the alternative accounts, sending a request to an
account manager to
update the account to the selected account for the communication device; and
when the
selected account is activated for the communication device providing access to
the service.
[0006] In the method, access to the service may be provided through a
service interface
module in the communication device.
[0007] The method may be executed in a module operating on the
communication device.
[0008] The method may further comprise when the all features are provided
by the account,
providing access to the service.
[0009] In the method, identifying the alternative accounts for the
communication network
may comprise identifying all accounts available to the network.
[0010] In the method, the second message may comprise the all accounts
available to the
network.
[0011] In the method, the second message may show in emphasis any accounts
of the all
accounts that have all features required to provide the service to the
communication device.
[0012] In the method, identifying the alternative accounts for the
communication network
may comprise identifying all accounts available to the network that have all
features required for
the communication device to access the service.
[0013] In the method, the second message may show the all accounts.
[0014] The method may further comprise when the all features are not
provided by the
account: tracking a list of one or more alternative services for the service;
displaying a third
message on the display showing the list; and upon receiving message selecting
an alternative
service from the list, initiating a request for the alternative service.
[0015] In the method, an address for a server associated with the service
may be used to
control access to the service.
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[0016] The method may further comprise when a communication link between
the
communication device and a server for the service is not established
displaying a third message
on the display indicating that the communication link to the server is not
established.
[0017] In the method, the service may be a social media service; and the
all features may
include authorization to access the social media service.
[0018] In the method, the service may be a text messaging service; and the
all features may
allow access to the text messaging service.
[0019] In a second aspect of an embodiment, a system for managing requests
for services
by a communication device is provided. The system comprises: a processor; a
memory
module for storing instructions for execution on the processor; and a service
analysis module for
providing instructions for execution on the processor. The instructions
include instructions to:
receive a request for a service; determine whether an account associated with
the
communication device has all features required to provide the service to the
communication
device; when the all features are not provided by the account display a first
message on a
display of the communication device indicating that access to the service is
denied for the
communication device, identify alternative accounts for the communication
network, display a
second message on the display listing the alternative accounts and send a
request to an
account manager to update the account to the selected account for the
communication device
when a selection is provided of a selected account from the alternative
accounts; and when the
selected account is activated for the communication device provide approval to
access to the
service.
[0020] The system may further comprise an interface analysis module for
providing
instructions for execution on the processor to: determine when the service
analysis module
provides approval to access to the service; and provide the access to the
service for the
communication device.
[0021] In the system, the service analysis module may further provide
instructions for
execution on the processor to: identify all accounts available to the network;
and show the all
accounts available to the network in the second message.
[0022] In the system, the service analysis module may further provide
instructions for
execution on the processor to show in emphasis any accounts of the all
accounts that have all
features required to provide the service to the communication device.
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[0023] In the system, the service analysis module may further provide
instructions for
execution on the processor to: identify the alternative accounts from all
accounts available to the
network that have all features required to provide the service to the
communication device; and
show the all accounts in the second message.
[0024] In the system, the service analysis module may further provide
instructions for
execution on the processor to: identify an alternative service for the service
for the
communication device; display a third message on the display listing the
alternative service;
receive message to select the alternative service; and initiate a request for
the alternative
service.
[0025] In the system, an address for a server associated with the service
may be used to
control access to the service.
[0026] In the system, the service may be a social media service; and the
all features may
include authorization to access the social media service.
[0027] In other aspects, various combinations of sets and subsets of the
above aspects are
provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] Embodiments of the disclosure will now be described, by way of
example only, with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0029] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication network
having a
communication device in a process of accessing an application server in a
network according to an embodiment;
[0030] Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of the communication device of
Fig. 1
implementing a service access process according to an embodiment;
[0031] Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of the communication device of
Fig. 2 and a
module implementing the service access process to access the application
server of Fig. 1 according to an embodiment;
[0032] Fig. 4 is a flowchart of an example account identification process
executed by the
service access process in the communication device of Fig. 2 according to an
embodiment;
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[0033] Figs. 5A and 5B are sections of a flowchart of an example account
modification
process executed by the service access process in the communication device
of Fig. 2 according to an embodiment;
[0034] Figs. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D are snapshots of exemplary graphical user
interfaces
(GUIs) that are generated on a display of the communication device of Fig. 2
during execution of the service access process of Figs. 5A and 5B according
to an embodiment; and
[0035] Fig. 7 is a block diagram of certain internal components of the
communication
device of Fig. 2.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0036] Details of example embodiments are provided herein. The description
which follows
and the embodiments described therein are provided by way of illustration of
an example or
examples of particular embodiments of principles of the present disclosure.
These examples
are provided for the purposes of explanation and not limitation of those
principles and of the
disclosure. In the description which follows, like parts are marked throughout
the specification
and the drawings with the same respective reference numerals.
[0037] Generally an embodiment provides a system, method, module and device
for
managing access to a service provided for a communication device in a
communication
network. In particular, an embodiment provides additional detailed messaging
to a
communication device providing information on specific requirements for an
account when the
communication device is requesting access to a service for which the account
associated with
the communication device currently does not support. Additional options are
provided for the
communication device to allow its user to change or modify the account to
enable access to the
service. Additional options are provided to show alternative access features
that would provide
a different access route to the service than the access route initially
requested and to show
alternative services that may be used instead of the requested service.
[0038] Before discussing details on specific features of an embodiment, a
description is
provided on a network having a device, as a server, that provides connections
to other devices,
as clients, according to an embodiment. Then, details are provided on an
example device in
which an embodiment operates.
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[0039] First, details are provided on example networks where devices
according to an
embodiment may operate. Referring to Fig. 1, details on a system of example
networks and
communication devices according to an embodiment are provided. Fig. 1 shows
communication system 100 where network 102 provides access to a suite of
applications,
services and data as provided by application servers 104 to devices 106 (and
other devices)
connected to network 102.
[0040] Local area network (LAN) 108 is connected to network 102 and
provides local wired
and wireless connections to its devices 106a and 106b. Access point (AP) 110a
provides a
connection within network 102 to LAN 108. AP 110a is a communication device
that contains a
radio receiver/transmitter (or transceiver) and functions as a bridge between
network 102 and
LAN 108) for its carried communications. AP 110a may be a non-fixed wireless
device and as
such AP 110a is effectively another device 106.
[0041] Internet 112 may be connected to network 102 providing a connection
for device
106c and AP 110b to network 102.
[0042] System 100 includes wireless network 114 that provides wireless
communication
coverage to devices that are located within the wireless transmission area of
a cellular network.
Wireless network 114 in one embodiment is a cellular network having a
transmission area
defined schematically by circle 116. Devices 106d-f have wireless
communication capabilities
with one or more wireless networks. Wireless network 114 may have multiple
transmission
areas by having multiple communication towers. Provisioning server 118 may be
a repository
for managing accounts associated with wireless network 114. Provisioning
server 118 is shown
to be in network 102, but it may be located elsewhere in system 100.
Provisioning server 118 is
an account managing server for wireless network 114.
[0043] Wireless devices 106d-f communicate through a data link layer in
wireless network
114. Wireless devices 106d-f include handheld devices, cell phones and
computers (either
desktop or portable) having a (wireless) network card, network adapter and /
or network
interface controller ("Nies') installed therein.
[0044] Other networks in system 100 may be provided, such as a Wi-Fi
network 120 that
follows standards set by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee, known as IEEE
802,
through its working group "11". The IEEE 802.11 standard defines media access
control (MAC)
and physical (PHY) layers in the OSI protocol model for a wireless local area
network (WLAN).
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A Wi-Fl network is one type of WLAN. Currently, the family of IEEE 802.11
amendments
encompass six wireless modulation techniques that all use the same
communication protocol
among their communicating elements. Other modulation techniques may be used.
Current
versions of IEEE 802.11 networks include: IEEE 802.11a, b, g and n,
representing PHY
amendments to IEEE 802.11. As shown, Wi-Fl network 120 is established within
network 114,
where device 106e acts as an AP 110c for the Wi-Fl network 120, so that
devices 106e and
106f are in both networks 116 and 120.
[0045) Communication services for wireless network 114 are offered by a
network carrier,
such as AT&T, Verizon, Bell and Rogers (all trade-marks). A carrier typically
offers to its
customers a selection of accounts providing different features, levels of
service, types of service
and limits to the services, It will be seen that features for accounts can
follow a general
progression from limited features to standard features to enhanced features. A
carrier may
group accounts into categories that capture this progression (e.g. personal
account, business
account ¨ light, business account ¨ standard, business account ¨ heavy,
business account ¨
traveller, etc.). Each account may be priced according to the features
provided. As an
example, a carrier for wireless network 114 may offer the following types of
accounts, where
each account has the listed features, per Table A:
Table A
Account Cellular Text Internet Wi-Fl Social Map
Type Services Messaging access (YIN) Media services
(Y/N ¨ limit) (Y/N ¨ limit) (Y/N ¨ limit) access (Y/N ¨ limit)
(Y/N)
Account A Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
500 5000 20 GB / 100 MB /
minutes / messages / month month
month month
Account B Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
200 200 10 GB / 50 MB /
minutes / messages / month month
month month
Account C Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
200 100 5 GB ! 10 MB /
minutes / messages / month month
month month
Account D Yes No No Yes No No
100
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minutes!
month
Social media access as noted may refer to access to one or more websites and
servers
providing social media services (e.g. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter (all trade-
marks), etc.).
Accounts can be billed in so-called "post-paid" or "pre-paid" schemes. For a
'post-paid"
account, an account holder is typically invoiced by the carrier on a monthly
basis for the type of
account provided. Administration of the accounts, current limits for the
accounts and other
matters are managed by provisioning server 118.
[00461 Wireless network 114 may also provide access to services and
applications. Some
example services are listed below:
= Voice communications services, where different accounts may provide
different limits on
the number of minutes provided per month;
= Text messaging services, where different accounts may provide different
limits on the
number of text messages that can be sent or received per month;
= Messaging services, such as BBM, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger and Windows
Live
Messenger (all trade-marks), where an account may provide access to one or
more of
these messaging services;
= Internet services, where different accounts may provide different limits
on the amount of
data that can be downloaded / uploaded (in MB or GB) per month;
= Wi-Fi services;
= Mapping service / global positioning services (GPS), such as Foursquare
(trade-mark)
where different accounts may provide different limits on the amount of data
that can be
downloaded for maps and location information;
= Social network services, such as Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, MySpace
(all trade-
marks) and others, where an account may provide access to one or more of these
messaging services;
= Application download services, where an account may be provided with
access to a
certain number of "apps" that may be downloaded to the device;
= Other miscellaneous services that may be provided through a server (e.g
traffic reports,
weather reports, news feeds, sports scores, RSS feeds, ring tones, media
services,
etc.); and
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= Other services or systems that provides an identifiable (and trackable)
product or service
(e.g. through a stock keeping unit (SKU) number or account) and a service
provider to
provision it.
Administration of these services and access to these services may also be
managed by
provisioning server 118. In wireless network 114, services may be provided by
application
servers 104 or through other devices. The accounts provided by the carrier for
wireless network
114 may offer different features that provide access to none, one or more of
the above noted
services, providing a matrix of account options for clients in wireless
network 114. In managing
access to such services, provisioning server 118 may communicate directly with
devices 106d-f
and enable/disable communication features for a specific device 106. The
account may be
associated with a specific device (e.g. such as for a cellular device) or to a
user (e.g. for an
Internet account) or to both. In wireless network 114 servers relating to the
provided servers
may be identified by a unique service address (e.g. an IP address) or a
website domain name.
As such, while an account may provide a general level of service to a network,
such as the
Internet, specific locations in the network may be provided with restricted
access. As such, the
address for a server associated with the service may be checked when an access
request is
made and may be used to determine whether access to the service is provided or
not. Other
services, such as text messaging services, may be provided as part of wireless
network 114
and as such, access to such services may be directly controlled by the carrier
(e.g. through
provisioning server 118).
10047] For applications and services managed and monitored for a carrier,
provisioning
server may also track requirements for such services. This information may be
used when a
device in wireless network 114 makes a request for a service. An analysis of
any requirements
and options that an account may need to have can be conducted when determining
whether to
provide the device with access to the service. Table B lists example
requirements of example
services offered through wireless network 114 for an embodiment.
Table B
Service Required Alternative Alternative Service Min. data Other
networks networks / available for reqsmts
characteristic account
Facebook Internet Wi-Fi, 1.MySpace / 10 MB none
access Cellular lower bandwidth
connection
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2. Linkedln /
higher bandwidth
MySpace Internet Wi-Fl, 1. Facebook/ n/a None
access Cellular more expensive
connection
Linkedln Internet Wi-Fl, Facebook n/a None
access Cellular
Maps Cellular WI-Fl, 1. Google maps / 50 Mb 100 min.
access Cellular high bandwidth remaining
connection airtime
needed
2. Apple Maps
/ 25 GB data
needed
[0048] With some account features described, further detail is provided on
an account
management feature provided by an embodiment for a network. Briefly, an
embodiment
provides management of an account for a communication device operating on a
communication
network. An embodiment also monitors for a request to access a service from
the device and
upon detection of the request, an embodiment compares features of the account
associated
with the device against any network or other requirement(s) that are required
to enable the
device to access to the service. If the feature(s) of the account meet the
requirements, then the
embodiment permits the request to be fulfilled and the device is provided
access to the service.
If the feature(s) do not meet the requirements, then a message is generated on
the device
providing details identifying why the service cannot be provided at the
current instance in a
graphical user interface (GUI). Also an embodiment analyzes potential
alternative types of
accounts for the network in an attempt to identify one or more alternative
accounts that have
features that would allow the device to access the service. Such alternative
types of accounts
are presented on the device in a GUI. The alternatives may identify different
(more costly)
accounts that the user may select an alternative account from the GUI to
change the account.
The embodiment may process the change and may initiate activation of the
selected account to
then allow the device to access the service. Any changes to the user's account
would be
reflected and updated in the account records of provisioning server 118.
[0049] One aspect of an embodiment implements account management features
on device
106. For requests for services that are managed through external devices, such
as through
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application servers 104, an embodiment provides an interface on device 106
between
communications destined for servers 104 to intercept, process and modify as
needed such
requests. As such, there is a reduction of amendments needed for processes on
server 104 to
implement features of an embodiment. An aspect of an embodiment provides a
supplier of the
J
device (e.g. the carrier) with control over how its devices in its network
communicate with
external services.
[0050] Further features of an embodiment are disclosed with
reference to Fig. 3, which
shows part of system 100 in layout 300. Therein, device 106d in wireless
network 114 is shown
that is in the process of making a request for a service provided by server
104, located in
wireless network 114. For the sake of illustration, server 104 is shown as
hosting a social
network application, such as Facebook (trade-mark). Server 104 may host other
applications
and services for services provided for the carrier for by wireless network 114
as noted above.
[0051] Device 106d has several modules that provide processing
instructions that are
executed on a processor (not shown) that provide communications and other
functions for
device 106d. For example, device 106d has Facebook module 302A that operates
as an
interface between requests from device 106d to (Facebook) application server
104. Other
modules 302 may provide interfaces to other services, which may be any service
/ website, as
noted earlier. Device 106d also has service analysis module (SAM) 302B that
provides an
additional interface core functions of device 106d and wireless network 114.
As part of the
interface functions, SAM 3028 provides an additional interface for device 106d
between
provisioning server 118 and Facebook module 302A. As such, with Facebook
module 302A
and SAM 302B, wireless network 114 and application server 104 provide a
standardized
interface for communicating with device 106d. This reduces the amount of
special handling
functions that may need to be otherwise provided to manage all requests
received from devices
106 in wireless network 114. Device 106d also has GUI module 302C, which
generates a
screen on a display providing a GUI showing icons for representative
applications and services
available to device 106d. A user may view and navigate through the various
GUIs generated
thereby allowing the user to highlight and select actions, applications and
services to be initiated
on device 106d.
[0052] For an embodiment, one flow of communications between
device 106d and
application server 104 is as follows. As shown, an inbound communication from
application
server 104 to device 106d is processed initially by Facebook module 302A,
which then provides
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selected communications to SAM 302B, which then provides selected
communications to GUI
module 3020. Similarly, when a request from GUI module 302C for the service
provided by
application server 104 is initiated, an outbound communication from GUI module
302C is sent to
SAM 302B, which then processes the communication and provides it to Facebook
module
302A, which then further processes the communication and sends a standardized
request to
application server 104 that provisioning server 118 can recognize and process.
[0053] Also for an embodiment, another flow of communications between
device 106d and
provisioning server 118 is that communications relating to accounts, status of
accounts and
other administrative matters provided by wireless network 114 are handled in
part through
communications between SAM 3028 and provisioning server 118, As such, if there
are issues
relating to permissions for device 106d to access application server 104, part
of the analysis is
performed using information provided by provisioning server 118 to SAM 302B.
In one
embodiment, application server 104 may not need to directly communicate with
provisioning
server 118 when device 106d initiates a request for a service provided by
server 104.
(0054] Services (and access to services) may also be deactivated for a
variety of reasons
(e.g. the user voluntarily cancelled an account, the service was terminated by
the provider, etc.).
In addition to tracking a status of services that are currently activated or
available through
wireless network 114, an embodiment may also track services that an account
previously had
access to. This additional information may be used by an embodiment to modify
parameters for
an account. For example, a discount or additional marketing effort may be
provided to an
account holder for a service when an embodiment identifies that there is a
connection between
that service and a service that was discontinued for the account.
[0055] With selected components of device 106d identified, further details
are provided on
exemplary processing of service requests on device 106d in SAM 302B and other
modules by
an embodiment. SAM 302B is a module that can be inserted (as software in one
embodiment)
into device 106d. SAM 3028 is provided as a separate module, so that if SAM
302B were
removed or not installed in device 106d, device 106d would still operate.
Other modules in
device 106d may have software check mechanisms (e.g. installation flags,
messaging routines,
etc.) to determine whether SAM 3028 is installed on device 106d and to provide
one set of
operating functions if SAM 302B is installed and another set of operating
functions if SAM 302B
is not installed. Further, SAM 302B may have its own software check mechanisms
to identify
what other modules are installed on device 106d.
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[0056] A carrier may decide to invoke or not invoke functionalities
provided by an
embodiment. As such, a carrier invocation flag may be set and its value may be
stored at
provisioning server 118. SAM 302B may check the status of the flag at any
instance, such as
when SAM 3028 retrieves account information from provisioning server 118.
[0057] Now, referring to Fig. 4, as part of analyzing a service request
initiated by device
106, device 106d is provided with information regarding the features of the
account associated
with device 106d for wireless network 114. Such information is typically
stored centrally, such
as on provisioning server 118. Process 400 shows an example account inquiry
process
conducted on device 106d, typically by SAM 302B. Periodically, device 106d may
request and /
or be provided with a current status of an account that is associated with
device 106d and / or
its user. At process 402, device 106d initiates a request for account
particulars from
provisioning server 118. Once the request is received at provisioning server
118, provisioning
server 118 will review its records and provide a response to device 106d. At
process 404, once
the response from provisioning server 118 is received at device 106d, device
106d will update
its records to reflect the current account and selected additional
information, such as current
remaining values for downloads, access time, associated with the account,
additional accounts
available to device 106d, additional services available to device 106d and a
mapping of
additional accounts to additional services. This data is stored at device 106d
or stored at a
location in system 100 that is accessible to device 106d.
[0058] Device 106d may obtain data relating to the accounts and their
parameters from
provisioning server 118 and may also receive data on the current account
associated with it and
any current usage levels tracked for it. If the account is associated with a
user (e.g. an Internet
account), then a similar process is used to retrieve data relating to that
user account.
[0059] Next, referring to Figs. 5A and 5B, details are provided on an
aspect of an
embodiment in processing a request for a service and analyzing the request
against features of
an account associated with device 106d, as shown in process 500 (i) and (ii),
which collectively
provide process 500. Functions of process 500 are implemented in SAM 3028. In
other
embodiments, functions of process 500 may be distributed in one or more
modules,
components and applications in device 106d and other devices in system 100.
[0060] Next, in process 502, SAM 302B monitors for receipt of a request for
a service. One
source of a request is from a user's input, activating an application or a
service (e.g. activating a
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"Facebook" icon) on device 106d. Another source is a request generated from an
application or
another module operating on device 106d. Still another source is a request
received by device
106d from another device (e.g. a device that is tethered to device 106d). As
part of an initial
message exchange, SAM 302B may contact a related module on device 106d that is
associated
with the service. For example, for a Facebook connection request, SAM 302B may
exchange
some initial messages with Facebook module 302A on device 106d. Facebook
module 302A
may generate some initial signon GUIs on device 106d and prompt the user to
provide login
credentials for an account, per GUI 600 (Fig. 6A). At this time device 106d
has not yet made a
connection to the related Facebook application server 104.
[0061] Next, at process 504, the request is analyzed to determine whether
it can be
granted. Some general system checks may be provided in this process. For
example, a check
may be conducted to determine if there is a network connection available to
device 106d. If no
communication fink is available (e.g. due to a network failure), then an error
message can be
displayed on a display of device 106d, indicating that there is a general
network failure.
However, for process 504 an embodiment analyzes account features that are
required for the
requested service against the features of the current account associated with
device 106d and /
or its user that go beyond a basic check to determine if the communication
link is active. The
current account features were provided to device 106d per process 400 (Fig.
4).
[0062] Then, at process 506, a comparison is conducted between the account
features that
are required for the requested service and the features of the current
account. If the features of
the account provide sufficient and necessary network connections or other
resources (e.g.
bandwidth, data limits, etc.), then it is determined that device 106d can be
provided with access
to the requested service, per process 508. Other characteristics may also be
checked, such as
the battery level of device 106d, the strength of the communication connection
for device 106d,
the current data usage and remaining data usage for the account for device
106d, the current
location of device 106d etc. These other characteristics may need to meet a
threshold in order
to grant access to the service. However, if the features of the account (and
any other
characteristics of device 106d) do not provide sufficient and necessary
network connections or
other resources for the requested service, then the device 106d is not
provided with access to
the service and process 500 moves to process 510 to initiate adjustment
measures for the
account. There may be other restrictions or checks made, such as temporal
checks for blackout
periods or allowed transaction periods.
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[0063] To start the adjustment measures, process 510 is initiated to
generate a notification
on the display of device 106d that the service cannot be provided on device
106d because of a
limitation of the current account (see GUI 602, Fig. 6A), which is shown as a
pop-up message
window. This message is helpful because it provides additional context to the
user of device
106d with more details as to why the service cannot currently be provided to
device 106d. The
message may include text that states that the current account associated with
device 106d does
not support the requested service. As part of generating the message, the
related GUI may
provide selections to close the request (button 604, Fig. 6A) or to
investigate other accounts
(button 606, Fig. 6A) and wait for a response. An embodiment may provide
customizations for
the message to include logos, trademarks and to use specific fonts and
graphics.
[0064] Next, at process 512, in SAM 302B (and device 106d) a response is
provided to the
selections by the user. If the user selects to close the request, then
effectively no further action
needs to be conducted and access to the service is denied, per process 514, A
termination
message may be generated at this time.
[0065] However, if the user selects to investigate other accounts, then
process 500
continues to process 516. At process 516, a further analysis of other types of
accounts that are
available to device 106d from network 114 is conducted to attempt to identify
any additional
accounts that have sufficient and necessary features that would enable the
requested service to
be provided on device 106d. The other account features may have been provided
to device
106d per process 400 (Fig. 4). If no other account is available to device 106d
that can provide
the features required by the service, then process 516 ends and the process
proceeds to
process 514 to end.
[0066] In addition to examining features of other accounts, other
conditions (notably
operating conditions of device 106d and / or network 114) may also be examined
as part of the
analysis. Exemplary conditions/characteristics may include one or more of the
following
parameters:
= the current power connectivity and/or battery capacity of device 106d;
= expected /required data transmission rate, transmission power levels and
type of
connection that are expected to be required to properly support the service on
device
106d; and
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= expected maximum/minimum/desired connection time (e.g. 5/10/15/45/60/120+
etc.
minutes) for the service.
[0067] If other account(s) are identified as having have the required
features for the
requested service (and if other conditions also allow access to the service),
then options
relating to the other accounts is provided on device 106d, Details of the
other accounts are
collected and a message is generated on the display of device 106d providing a
selection of
the accounts that can be reviewed and selected by the user of device 106d, per
GUI 608a with
options 610a, b, c and d (Fig. 6B). Alternatively, a list of all available
accounts may be
provided on device 106d without analyzing their features against the
requirements of the
service. In one embodiment GUI 608a shows all available alternative accounts
(610a-d) for
device 106d therein. In another embodiment, GUI 608b shows a list of all
available alternative
accounts, but also highlights, in some manner, a subset of the accounts that
have features that
would permit device 106d to access the requested service (610a-b). In another
embodiment,
GUI 608c shows a list of only available alternative accounts that have
features that would
permit device 106d to access the requested service (610a-b).
[0068] An embodiment may also provide a list of accounts and plans that are
available to
device 106d in certain circumstances relating to device 106d. For example,
when device 106d
is roaming outside its "standard" coverage area, this condition may be
detected and an
embodiment may display a list of roaming plans that would enable the user to
activate a
roaming access package for device 106d, allowing the user to avoid roaming
charges.
[0069] An embodiment may also provide a list of accounts and plans that are
available to
device 106d in certain circumstances relating to a user of device 106d. For
example, an
account may be identified as having a high usage rate. This identification may
be made through
usage data or external data from the service providers. This condition may be
detected and an
embodiment may display a list of additional services or plans that would
enable the user to
activate a plan / change an account that has would increase the service levels
for device 106d.
[0070] As an alternative or additional analysis, SAM 302B may attempt to
identify alternative
features that may be used to provide access to the requested service. For
example, for
wireless network 114, a connection to Facebook application server 104 is
provided through the
network architecture. However, an alternative access may be provided to
Facebook server 104
through an alternative network, such as a Wi-Fi network (that makes an
alternative connection
to wireless network 114, which then provides the connection to server 104).
Similarly, a
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=
secondary server (not shown) may provide a comparable or mirrored service as
Facebook
server 104. As such, provisioning server 118 and / or device 106d may also
track alternative
connection schemes for the requested service or alternative service providers
for the requested
service. Further still, an alternative service may be identified as a
replacement for the
requested service. For example, instead of providing a social network service
from Facebook
(as requested), an alternative service can be identified, such as MySpace
(trade-mark). Such
information may be stored and tracked in provisioning server 118, per Table B.
As such,
process 516 may also identify an alternative service(s) for the service for
the communication
device; display a message on the display listing the alternative service(s);
receiving message to
select an alternative source; and initiating a request to the alternative
source for the alternative
service.
[0071] Tracking alternative connections and alternative services may be
kept in data in
device 106d and / or in provisioning server 118. Options for these
alternatives may be provided
in GUI 618 (Fig. 6D) on device 106d as part of process 516.
[0072] Once GUI 608a-c is generated, SAM 302B waits for the user to input
his selection.
[0073] Next, at process 518 a response selection is provided to the
selections by the user.
If the user selects an account that does not provide the required features for
the requested
service then process 518 transits to process 520, where a message indicating
that the selected
account is not sufficient is generated on the display of device 106d and
access to the service is
denied, per process 514. However, if the user selects an account that does
provide the
required features for the requested service then process 518 transits to
process 522. As part of
process 518, if an alternative connection scheme for the requested service is
provided then a
different message may be generated, providing details on the alternative
scheme. If an
alternative service provider for the requested service has been selected (e.g.
a Wi-Fi connection
as opposed to an Internet connection), then again a different message may be
generated,
providing details on the alternative service provider. In both the alternative
service provider and
alternative connection scheme cases, SAM 3028 may need to activate different
connection
components in device 106d and / or different application interface modules
302. For the latter
case, if an alternative service to Facebook was selected (e.g. a MySpace
server ¨ trade-mark),
then Facebook module 302A is be terminated and a corresponding MySpace module
(not
shown) is activated and initiated to make a connection request to the
corresponding MySpace
server 104 in wireless network 114. There may be (positive and negative)
characteristics
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associated with the alternatives (e.g. faster communication link, more
expensive communication
link, etc.). The characteristics may be collectively graded and ranked and the
alternatives may
be provided in a list in an order based on the rankings.
[0014] In process 522, the account for device 106d is updated. In one
embodiment SAM
302B sends a message to server 104, requesting the addition of the feature the
user has
chosen. SAM 3028 then sends a request to the carrier to update the account.
This request
may be sent to another server in wireless network 114 or to provisioning
server 118. That
server, upon successful purchase/upgrade of the user's plan, notifies
provisioning server 118 of
success. Provisioning server 118 then updates service records for device 106d.
This update is
detected by SAM 3028 and subsequently allows access to the service.
Alternatively, this may
be achieved by SAM 302B sending a message to provisioning server 118
indicating of the
upgrade in the account. Provisioning server would then update its records to
reflect the revised
account for device 106d and may send a message to SAM 302B indicating that the
account has
been updated. Once SAM 3028 determines that the account has been updated, then
a success
message may be generated (per GUI 612 with radio button 614, Fig. 6C).
Finally, process 508
is executed, where device 106d is provided access to the requested service.
For the example
Facebook service request, communications are provided between SAM 302B and
Facebook
module 302A to indicate that device 106d is provided access to Facebook
application server
104 and a connection is established between device 106d and application server
104 through
Facebook module 302A. GUI 616 (Fig. 6C) shows a resulting GUI on the display
of device
106d once a connection to Facebook application server 104 is provided to
device 106d.
Similarly, a secondary server (not shown) may provide a comparable or mirrored
service as
Facebook server 104. As such, provisioning server 118 and I or device 106d may
also track
alternative connection schemes for the requested service or alternative
service providers for the
requested service. Options for these alternatives may be provided in another
GUI on device
106d as part of process 516. As an additional function, if the user selected
an account that
does provide the required features for the requested service then the account
may still be
updated to the selected account in any event.
[0075] Referring to Figs. 6A-6D, a summary of exemplary GUIs generated on
device 106d
as process 500 is executed are shown. In Fig. 6A, GUI 600 is an initial GUI
generated by
Facebook module 302A when device 106d makes an initial request to access
Facebook
application server 104. This GUI is generated before device 106d has been
cleared to access
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server 104. In Fig. 6A, when it is determined that device 106d does not have
an account that
has sufficient features to allow access to Facebook application server 104,
then GUI message
602 is generated on top of GUI 600. Message 602 provides more details as to
why access to
server 104 has been currently denied. If the user of device 106d wishes to
investigate possible
account alternatives, once process 500 completes its analysis, one of GUIs
608a-c is generated
(Fig. 6B). GUI 618 (Fig. 6D) shows a message generated when alternative
services are offered
to device 106d, showing as an example two alternatives and some of their
characteristics.
Once a user has selected an upgraded account GUI 612 providing a success
message.
[0076] While process 500 was described above for an example context of
providing access
to a Facebook server, other access requests, such as an access to a map server
and access to
a text messaging service follow comparable features of an embodiment as
described above.
For an example map server, one characteristics of an account on device 106d is
that it includes
a data limit (to download / upload data) that allows access to the map service
and / or has an
account that has sufficient current reserves in its data limit to access the
map service.
[0077] It will be seen that process 500 provides flexibility in designating
required features for
an account for a requested service. For example, servers 104 that connect to
wireless network
114 may lack sufficient distinguishing features amongst them that would enable
them to be
individually identified by an account that simply provides access to wireless
network 114.
However, by providing specific account types that identify specific features
and by providing an
intermediary interface through (Facebook) module 302A for device 106d permits
an
embodiment to clearly define specific servers 104 that can be accessed for
specific account
types.
[0078] It will be appreciated that processes described for processes 400
and 500 may be
executed in various orders, in parallel and in different modules, while still
performing the
functions recited therein. It will further be appreciated that all or part of
processes described for
processes 400 and 500 may be executed in other devices, servers and components
in system
100 when device 106d makes its service request.
[0079] For example in one embodiment, process 500 is conducted in a module
that
combines one or more functions of both SAM 302B and one or more interface
modules, such as
Facebook module 302A. For another example, one or more features of process 500
are
executed at provisioning server 118 (or another location accessible in
wireless network 114)
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and device 104d communicates with provisioning server 118 (or other servers)
as needed when
accessing a service.
[0080] With aspects of main features of an embodiment described, further
detail is now
provided on internal components in device 106d.
[0081] Referring to Fig. 7, functional components of device 106d are
provided in schematic
700. The functional components are generally electronic, structural or electro-
mechanical
devices. In particular, processor 702 is provided to control and receive
almost all data,
transmissions, inputs and outputs related to device 106d. Processor 702 is
shown
schematically as coupled to keypad 212 and other internal devices. Processor
702 preferably
controls the overall operation of device 106d and its components. Exemplary
processors for
processor 702 include processors in the Data 950 (trade-mark) series, the 6200
series and the
PXA900 series, all available at one time from Intel Corporation. Processor 702
is connected to
other elements in device 106d through a series of electrical connections to
its various input and
output pins. Processor 702 has an 1RQ input line which allows it to receive
signals from various
devices and modules. Appropriate interrupt firmware is provided which receives
and reacts to
the signals detected on the IRQ line.
[0082] In addition to processor 702, other internal devices of device 106d
are shown
schematically in Fig. 7. These include: display 202; speaker 204; keypad 212;
communication
sub-system 704; short-range communication sub-system 706; auxiliary I/O
devices 708; serial
port 710; microphone port 712 for microphone 216; flash memory 714 (which
provides
persistent storage of data); random access memory (RAM) 716; clock 718 and
other device
sub-systems (not shown). Device 106d is in one example a two-way radio
frequency (RF)
communication device having voice and data communication capabilities. In
addition, device
106d in one example has the capability to communicate with other computer
systems via the
Internet.
[0083] Device 106d is operable to conduct wireless telephone calls, using
any wireless
phone system. Example technologies are any known wireless phone systems such
as a
Mobitex (trade-mark) network, a DataTAC (trade-mark) network, a General Packet
Radio
Service (GPRS) network and also a variety of data and voice communication
networks, such as
Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA),
Code Division
Multiple Access (COMA) system, wireless CDMA, CDMA 2000 system, Cellular
Digital Packet
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CA 02792629 2015-05-06
Data (CDPD) system, Personal Communication Service (PCS), Global System for
Mobile
Communication (GSM), Wi-Fl networks, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks,
etc. Other
wireless phone systems that device 106d may support may include Wireless WAN
(1MS),
Wireless MAN (Wi-Max or IEEE 802.16), Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11), Wireless PAN
(IEEE
802.15, Zigbee (trade-mark) and Bluetooth (trade-mark)), high-speed data
packet access
(FISDPA) networks, Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) networks, etc. and
any others
that support voice and data. Additionally, a Bluetooth network may be
supported. Other
embodiments include Voice over IP (VolP) type streaming data communications
that may
simulate circuit-switched phone calls. Device 106d may have capabilities of
communicating
with other devices using other communication technologies, including instant
messaging (1M)
systems, text messaging (TM) systems and short message service (SMS) systems.
[0084] Operating system software executed by processor 702 is preferably
stored in a
computer-readable medium, such as flash memory 714, but may be stored in other
types of
memory devices, such as read-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element. In
addition,
system software, specific device applications, or parts thereof, may be
temporarily loaded into a
volatile store, such as RAM 716. Communication signals received by the mobile
device may
also be stored to RAM 716.
[0085] In addition to an operating system operating on device 106d,
additional software
modules 302 enable execution of software applications on device 106d. A set of
software (or
firmware) applications, generally identified as modules 302, that control
basic device operations,
such as voice communication module 3020 and data communication module 302E,
may be
installed on device 106d during manufacture or downloaded thereafter. As well,
other software
modules are provided, such as Facebook module 302A, SAM 3028, GUI module 3026,
calendar module 3020, address book 302E and location module 302F.
[0086] Messages received and/or generated by any module 302 may be
processed by data
communications module 302E, including Facebook module 302A and SAM 3026.
Messages
may be transmitted / received in network layer communications, emails, and /
or other
messaging systems to wireless network 114. Module 302E receives messages from
external
devices 106, servers 104 and provisioning server 118, extracts relevant
information from them
and provides the information to relevant modules (such as SAM 302B and
Facebook module
302A).
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CA 02792629 2015-05-06
[0087] SAM 3028 also controls how and when connection requests for servers
104,
applications and services in wireless network 114 are evaluated per process
500 (Figs. 5A and
58). Communications and data are streamed through either communication modules
704 or
706. SAM 3028 may also receive signals from other modules providing
information to it on
other modules that are using communication modules 704 or 706. Processes to
evaluate and
authenticate connection requests from external device in wireless network 114
may be provided
in SAM 302B.
[0088] GUI module 302C is software and/or firmware that provides GUIs in
generating
display screens on display 202 of device 106d, such as screens shown in Fig.
6A-6D. GUIs that
receive data and account requests from input screens are processed by SAM 3028
and are
provided to other modules, such as Facebook module 302A.
[0089] Data associated with each application, the status of one or more
networks, profiles
for networks and trigger conditions for commands for networks can be stored
and updated in
flash memory 714.
[0090] Communication functions, including data and voice communications,
are performed
through the communication sub-system 704 and the short-range communication sub-
system
706. Collectively, sub-systems 704 and 706 provide the signal-level interface
for all
communication technologies processed by device 106d. Various modules 320
provide the
operational controls to further process and log the communications.
Communication sub-
system 704 includes receiver 720, transmitter 722 and one or more antennas,
illustrated as
receive antenna 724 and transmit antenna 726. In addition, communication sub-
system 704
also includes processing modules, such as digital signal processor (DSP) 728
and local
oscillators (L0s) 730. The specific design and implementation of communication
sub-system
704 is dependent upon the communication networic in which device 106d is
intended to operate.
For example, communication sub-system 704 of device 106d may on network
technologies
described earlier (e.g. GPRS, 802.11 network, Bluetooth networks, AMPS, TDMA,
CDMA,
CDMA 2000, PCS, GSM, WVVAN, WMAN, MAN, WPAN (Bluetooth), IM, TM, SMS, etc.).
[0091] Short-range communication sub-system 706 enables communication
between device
106d and other proximate systems or devices, which need not necessarily be
similar devices.
For example, the short-range communication sub-system may include an infrared
device and
associated circuits and components, a Wi-Fl or a Bluetooth (trade-mark)
communication module
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to provide for communication with similarly enabled systems and devices. Sub-
system 706 may
have one or more inputs or outputs to sub-system 504 in processing signals for
its networks.
[0092] In addition to processing communication signals, DSP 728 provides
control of
receiver 724 and transmitter 722. For example, gains applied to communication
signals in
receiver 724 and transmitter 722 may be adaptively controlled through
automatic gain-control
algorithms implemented in DSP 728. One particular operational aspect of
receiver 720 and
antenna 724 is that they need to be tuned to receive signals in the 802.11
network bands, e.g.
signals in the 2.4 GHz to 5.8 GHz range for sub-systems 706 and if needed, sub-
system 704.
Additional filters on antenna may also be used to provide such functionality.
[0093] Receiver 720 and antenna 724 provide at least some of the hardware
and software
elements needed to detect when device 106d is in the presence of communication
signals from
network 120, thereby enabling device 106d to communication with other devices
in networks
114 and 120.
[0094] Powering the entire electronics of the mobile handheld communication
device is
power source 732. In one embodiment, power source 732 includes one or more
batteries. In
another embodiment, the power source 732 is a single battery pack, especially
a rechargeable
battery pack. A power switch (not shown) provides an "on/off' switch for
device 106d. A power
source interface (not shown) may be provided in hardware, firmware, software
or a combination
of such elements to selectively control access of components in device 106d to
power source
732. Upon activation of the power switch an application is initiated to turn
on device 106d.
Upon deactivation of the power switch, the application is initiated to turn
off device 106d. Power
to device 106d may also be controlled by other devices and by software
applications 302.
[0095] Device 106d may also have global positioning system (GPS) 734 to
assist in
identifying a present location of device 106d and may also have light sensor
736 to provide data
on the ambient light conditions for device 106d.
[0096] It will be seen that embodiments described for processes 400 and 500
(Figs. 4, 5A
and 5B) are "pull" based, where accounts are reviewed and alternatives
identified when an
event occurs, namely a request for a service. Further these embodiments are
provided on
device 106d. In other alternative embodiments, a "push" based system may be
provided, where
account alternatives are identified and offered when events external to device
106d occur, e.g. a
change in a Facebook service, deployment of a new alternative service or
communication
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network, etc. It will be appreciated that SAM 302B, Facebook module 302A, GUI
module 302C
and other modules in the embodiments can be implemented using known
programming
techniques, languages, processes and algorithms. Although the modules,
processes and
applications described are implemented in device 106d, it will be appreciated
that some
functions of the modules may be provided in a separate server that is in
communication with
device 106d. The titles of the modules are provided as a convenience to
provide labels and
assign functions to certain modules. It is not required that each module
perform only its
functions as described above. As such, specific functionalities for each
application may be
moved between applications or separated into different applications. Modules
may be
contained within other modules. Different signalling techniques may be used to
communicate
information between applications using known programming techniques. Known
data storage,
access and update algorithms allow data to be shared between applications. It
will further be
appreciated that other applications and systems on device 106d may be
executing concurrently
with other modules. As such, any of modules 302 (or parts thereof) may be
structured to
operate in as a "background" application on device 106d, using programming
techniques known
in the art.
[00971 It will be appreciated that the embodiments relating to client
devices, server devices
and systems may be implemented in a combination of electronic modules,
hardware, firmware
and software. The firmware and software may be implemented as a series of
processes,
applications and / or modules that provide the functionalities described
herein. The modules,
applications, algorithms and processes described herein may be executed in
different order(s)
and in parallel. Interrupt routines may be used. Data, applications,
processes, programs,
software and instructions may be stored in volatile and non-volatile devices
described and may
be provided on other tangible medium, like USB drives, computer discs, CDs,
DVDs or other
substrates herein and may be updated by the modules, applications, hardware,
firmware and /
or software. The data, applications, processes, programs, software and
instructions may be
sent from one device to another via a data transmission.
[0098] As used herein, the wording "and / or" is intended to represent an
inclusive-or. That
is, "X and / or Y" is intended to mean X or Y or both.
[0099] In this disclosure, where a threshold or measured value is provided
as an
approximate value (for example, when the threshold is qualified with the word
"about"), a range
of values will be understood to be valid for that value. For example, for a
threshold stated as an
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CA 02792629 2015-05-06
approximate value, a range of about 25% larger and 25% smaller than the stated
value may be
used. Thresholds, values, measurements and dimensions of features are
illustrative of
embodiments and are not limiting unless noted. Further, as an example, a
"sufficient" match
with a given threshold may be a value that is within the provided threshold,
having regard to the
approximate value applicable to the threshold and the understood range of
values (over and
under) that may be applied for that threshold.
[00100] The present disclosure is defined by the claims appended hereto, with
the foregoing
description being merely illustrative of embodiments of the disclosure. Those
of ordinary skill
may envisage certain modifications to the foregoing embodiments which,
although not explicitly
discussed herein, do not depart from the scope of the disclosure, as defined
by the appended
claims.
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