Context-Aware Application Communication Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cellular communication devices lack adequate solutions to manage application data usage efficiently, leading to excessive data consumption, bandwidth utilization, and potential throttling by providers, as all applications communicate unless disabled globally, which is undesirable and can hinder device functionality.
Innovation Solution
A device and method that identify context-based scenarios to allow specific groups of applications to communicate while disallowing others, using context such as location, time, inertial sensor data, and user input to manage data usage and optimize communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If all applications are allowed to communicate by default, then device functionality is maintained, but data consumption increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments applications into different groups based on their communication needs and contexts. Instead of treating all applications uniformly, the system divides them into categories (e.g., foreground, background, high-priority, low-priority) and applies different communication policies to each group, thereby reducing overall data consumption while maintaining essential functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic communication management where application communication permissions are not static but change based on device context. The system continuously monitors context factors (location, time, user activity) and dynamically adjusts which applications are allowed to communicate, optimizing data usage while preserving functionality when needed.
2Loss of energy
If global communication is disabled to reduce data usage, then data consumption decreases, but device functionality is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different communication behaviors for different applications based on their specific needs and the current context. Instead of a blanket disablement, the system selectively enables communication for specific applications in specific contexts, ensuring that essential functions remain operational while non-essential communications are blocked.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables applications to effectively self-regulate their communication behavior through context-aware policies. Applications in foreground or high-priority groups automatically maintain communication capabilities when context permits, while background applications self-limit their communications, reducing the need for manual user intervention while preserving necessary functionality.
3Productivity
If application communication is unrestricted, then bandwidth is over-utilized, but service provider bandwidth allocation is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic evaluation of application communication needs based on changing contexts. The system periodically reassesses which applications should be allowed to communicate by monitoring context factors over time, enabling communication during appropriate periods and blocking it during others, thereby optimizing bandwidth utilization while maintaining productivity when necessary.
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, a first device may include at least one processor and storage accessible to the at least one processor. The storage may include instructions executable by the at least one processor to identify a context associated with the first device and identify a first group of applications associated with the context. While the context is ongoing, the instructions may be executable to allow the first group of applications to communicate with one or more other devices besides the first device and to disallow a second group of applications from communicating with one or more other devices besides the first device.