Managing data transfers over network connections based on priority and a data usage plan

Abstract

Embodiments manage use of different network connections for data transfer in view of priority information and a data usage plan identifying threshold limits associated with the different network connections. A computing device receives data transfer requests from applications executing on the computing device. The data transfer requests have priority information associated therewith. The computing device compares the priority information with available network connections. One or more of the data transfer requests are selected for initiation based on the comparison and on the threshold limits.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for managing use of network connections for data transfer, said system comprising:
 a memory area associated with a computing device, said memory area storing a plurality of data transfer requests received from at least one application of a plurality of applications executing on the computing device, the memory area further storing priority information associated with the plurality of data transfer requests; and   a processor programmed to:
 compare the priority information stored in the memory area with a plurality of available network connections; 
 select, from the received plurality of data transfer requests, a data transfer request identified as a high priority data transfer request for initiation over a first network connection of the plurality of network connections based on the comparison; 
 notify the application associated with the selected data transfer request, the application initiating the selected data transfer request; 
 detect an absence of the first network connection; 
 determine that all other available network connections have data transfer costs that are greater than a data transfer cost associated with the first network connection; 
 based on the determination that all other available network connections have data transfer costs that are greater than a data transfer cost associated with the first network connection, determine that none of the other available network connections should be used to initiate data transfer requests unless the data transfer requests are high priority; 
 notify the application associated with the selected data transfer request of the detected absence; and 
 based on notifying the application associated with the selected data transfer request of the detected absence, the application executes the selected data transfer request over one or more of the available network connections.