Google Inc.

Irfan Sheriff

Robert Greenwalt

Winthrop Saville

Thomas Germano O'Neill

Jaikumar Ganesh

Angana Ghosh

Yuhao Zheng

In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes transmitting data over a first wireless connection with a first wireless access point; detecting, by the computing device, a wireless signal from a second wireless access point; accessing, for an account that is associated with a data service, information that identifies a portion of a budget for the account that has already been spent, wherein the budget identifies an amount of data that is available for transmission over a period of time in association with the account; determining whether the account currently has a budget deficit based on a comparison of i) the portion of the budget that has been spent and ii) a usage pattern; determining whether to switch to a second wireless connection with the second wireless access point; and establishing the second wireless connection as a result of the determining.

Computing device with wireless network selection feature

In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving, at a computing device and while the computing device is using a first wireless connection, a request to establish a second wireless connection using a same wireless radio standard as the first wireless connection; detecting whether the computing device is able to operate more than one wireless connection simultaneously using the wireless radio standard; based on the detecting, determining whether to terminate the first wireless connection and to establish the second wireless connection; based on the determining, terminating the first wireless connection and establishing the second wireless connection; detecting that the computing device has finished using the second wireless connection; and, in response to detecting that the computing device has finished using the second wireless connection, automatically terminating the second wireless connection and re-establishing the first wireless connection.

Using multiple wireless connections

Implementations of the present disclosure provide methods and systems for identifying peripheral devices with which problematic connections have been established. According to one embodiment, a method for detecting a model of peripheral device for which problematic connections with a computerized unit are common is disclosed. The method involves receiving values of each of one or more features of a particular connection between a computerized unit and a peripheral device, using the received values to determine a score for each of the features of the particular connection, calculating an overall connection score from the scores for each of the features, and generating a problematic peripheral device report including the model of the peripheral device if the overall connection score is indicative of a problematic connection.

Methodology for detecting problematic connections with peripheral devices

Mobile devices and associated systems and methods are described. According to one example, a mobile device may include a unique scan only mode in which a wireless communication component of the mobile device is prevented from connecting to wireless networks for data communication, but may still be used to scan for available wireless access points for location determination purposes. According to another example, a mobile device may select which of a plurality of location-determination components that the mobile device should use to determine a location of the mobile device based on whether the mobile device is configured in a unique scan only mode.

Configuring a mobile device to scan for available wireless access points when wireless data communication is disabled

In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes transmitting data over a first wireless connection by a computing device and with a first wireless access point; detecting a wireless signal from a second wireless access point; identifying, at the mobile computing device, a received signal strength of the wireless signal from the second wireless access point; determining, by the computing device and having transmitted less than a threshold number of data packets to the second wireless access point after detecting the wireless signal, an estimated level of data packet loss for the second wireless access point based on the signal strength for the second wireless access point; determining, based on the estimated level of data packet loss for the second wireless access point, to switch to a second wireless connection with the second wireless access point; and establishing the second wireless connection as a result of the determining.

Measurement-based network selection

A network device may select between two or more network connections based on a determination of whether the network device can access general Internet resources via an available, higher-preference network without providing additional (e.g., OSI Model Layer Seven) login credentials. In one example, a network device includes a first network interface configured to maintain a connection to a first network gateway, a second network interface configured to connect to a second, different network gateway upon determining that the second network gateway is both available and preferable over the first network gateway, and means for determining whether a remote network resource is currently accessible via the second network gateway. When the remote network resource is accessible via the second network gateway, the second network interface maintains the connection to the second network gateway.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Irfan Sheriff