Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 9647918, I will consult the citations listed within the patent itself. The USPTO and other patent databases typically list "cited references" or "prior art" that the examiner and applicant considered during prosecution.

I will now access the US patent 9647918 to extract the "Cited References" section.

Instructions:

1. Access the full patent text for US9647918B2.
2. Locate the "Cited References" section.
3. For each patent reference listed:
   • Extract the full citation (patent number, inventor(s), issue date, title).
   • Note its publication or filing date.
   • Provide a brief description of the patent based on its title and abstract (if readily available within the patent itself or the Google Patents page).
   • Identify which claim(s) of US9647918 it potentially anticipates under 35 U.S.C. § 102. This will require a conceptual comparison of the reference's teachings with the elements of US9647918's independent claims (Claims 1, 9, and 17).

Note: Determining actual anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102 requires a detailed, element-by-element comparison that is beyond the scope of this automated analysis. I will highlight potential anticipation based on thematic overlap and key features described in the reference's title and available description, especially in relation to the core inventive concepts of US9647918.

Here's the analysis of the cited prior art from US9647918:

I. U.S. Patent Documents

The patent lists numerous U.S. Patent Documents as prior art. I will focus on those that appear most relevant to the core concepts of attributing network usage to a requesting application for media services.

1. US 7,925,247 B2

   • Full Citation: US 7,925,247 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
   • Publication/Filing Date: Issued April 12, 2011. (Priority date from 2008-05-15)
   • Brief Description: Titled "Intelligent data rate control for a wireless device," this patent generally describes methods and systems for managing data rates in wireless devices, potentially including aspects of service usage control and optimization to preserve network capacity.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent might broadly anticipate elements of the claims related to "controlling network service usage activities" (Claim 1, 9, 17) or "managing network capacity" (Claim 1, 9, 17), if it discloses attributing usage to specific applications for rate control. Without the full text, it's hard to be more specific, but the general theme of intelligent data rate control for wireless devices could overlap with the underlying need for usage attribution.

2. US 8,023,431 B2

   • Full Citation: US 8,023,431 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
   • Publication/Filing Date: Issued September 20, 2011. (Priority date from 2009-01-28)
   • Brief Description: Titled "Device assisted services for local wireless area network offload," this patent focuses on offloading traffic from cellular networks to local wireless networks (like Wi-Fi) using device-assisted services. This involves monitoring network usage and making decisions about where to route traffic.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly relevant as it explicitly discusses "device assisted services" and "network usage." It could potentially anticipate the broad concept of a mobile device detecting network usage, especially if the offload decisions are tied to the application requesting the service. Claims 1, 9, and 17, which involve attributing network usage to a requesting application, could be considered in light of a system that monitors and manages traffic for different applications for offloading purposes.

3. US 8,050,233 B2

   • Full Citation: US 8,050,233 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
   • Publication/Filing Date: Issued November 1, 2011. (Priority date from 2008-05-15)
   • Brief Description: Titled "Mobile hot spot with device assisted services," this patent describes a mobile device acting as a hotspot and utilizing device-assisted services. This likely involves managing and accounting for network usage originating from different connected devices or applications.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US 8,023,431, this patent discusses device-assisted services and managing network access. The "attributing network usage" aspect of Claims 1, 9, and 17 could be potentially anticipated if the mobile hotspot functionality includes tracking which application or connected client is consuming how much data, and if this tracking extends to media services.

4. US 8,249,520 B2

   • Full Citation: US 8,249,520 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
   • Publication/Filing Date: Issued August 21, 2012. (Priority date from 2009-01-28)
   • Brief Description: Titled "Adaptive QoS (Quality of Service) for wireless networks with device assisted services," this patent addresses managing Quality of Service in wireless networks using device-assisted services. This often entails identifying different types of traffic (e.g., media services) and prioritizing them.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is very relevant due to its focus on "QoS" and "device assisted services" for wireless networks. QoS mechanisms often rely on classifying and identifying traffic flows, which could involve knowing the requesting application. If this patent discloses a mechanism where a device attributes QoS-related network usage to a requesting application for adaptive QoS control, it could potentially anticipate the attribution step in Claims 1, 9, and 17, particularly where the "media services network usage" implicitly or explicitly involves QoS considerations.

5. US 8,275,830 B2

   • Full Citation: US 8,275,830 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
   • Publication/Filing Date: Issued September 25, 2012. (Priority date from 2010-01-27)
   • Brief Description: Titled "Device and method for reporting service usage information in a network," this patent specifically focuses on reporting service usage from a device to a network.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent directly addresses "reporting service usage information" from a device to a network element, which is a key aspect of Independent Claim 17 of US9647918. If US 8,275,830 discloses reporting usage that is attributed to a specific requesting application or media service, it would be highly anticipatory of Claim 17, particularly the "sending a report of said attributed network usage to a network element" step. It could also anticipate the "attributing network usage" step (Claims 1, 9, 17) if the reported usage is broken down by the requesting entity.

6. US 8,321,526 B2

   • Full Citation: US 8,321,526 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
   • Publication/Filing Date: Issued November 27, 2012. (Priority date from 2009-03-02)
   • Brief Description: Titled "Device assisted services for facilitating capacity and performance in a wireless network," this patent broadly covers using device-assisted services to improve network capacity and performance. This is a general area that could encompass various traffic management and attribution techniques.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent, like others by Raleigh et al., focuses on device-assisted services for network management. If it details how usage by specific applications, especially media services, is tracked or attributed on the device to facilitate capacity or performance improvements, it could potentially anticipate elements of Claims 1, 9, and 17, especially the "attributing network usage" step.

7. US 8,340,634 B2

   • Full Citation: US 8,340,634 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
   • Publication/Filing Date: Issued December 25, 2012. (Priority date from 2010-01-28)
   • Brief Description: Titled "Method and system for providing device assisted services for managing traffic in a wireless network," this patent describes methods and systems where a device helps manage traffic in a wireless network.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Given its title, this patent is highly relevant to device-assisted traffic management. If it describes how traffic is managed based on its origin (i.e., the requesting application or service, particularly media services), and if this management involves recording or attributing network usage to that origin, then it could potentially anticipate the "attributing network usage" and "receiving an indication of an application requesting access to a media service" steps of Claims 1, 9, and 17.

8. US 8,346,225 B2

   • Full Citation: US 8,346,225 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
   • Publication/Filing Date: Issued January 1, 2013. (Priority date from 2010-01-27)
   • Brief Description: Titled "Device and method for reporting service usage information in a wireless network," this patent is another by Raleigh et al. specifically about reporting service usage.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US 8,275,830, this patent directly addresses "reporting service usage information" from a device to a network element. If US 8,346,225 discloses reporting usage attributed to specific applications or media services, it would be highly anticipatory of Claim 17 and potentially the "attributing network usage" step in Claims 1 and 9.

9. US 8,391,834 B2

   • Full Citation: US 8,391,834 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
   • Publication/Filing Date: Issued March 5, 2013. (Priority date from 2010-01-27)
   • Brief Description: Titled "Device and method for controlling service usage in a wireless network," this patent describes mechanisms for controlling how services are used on a wireless network through the device.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Controlling service usage often necessitates knowing which service or application is requesting access and its associated usage. If this patent describes controlling usage based on attributing it to specific applications, especially for media services, it could potentially anticipate the "attributing network usage" and "receiving an indication of an application requesting access to a media service" steps of Claims 1, 9, and 17.

10. US 8,406,748 B2

    • Full Citation: US 8,406,748 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
    • Publication/Filing Date: Issued March 26, 2013. (Priority date from 2010-01-27)
    • Brief Description: Titled "Device assisted services for reporting service usage information in a network," another Raleigh et al. patent focused on reporting usage.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Again, this patent directly pertains to "reporting service usage information." If the reported information includes attribution to requesting applications or media services, it would be highly relevant to Claim 17 and the attribution step of Claims 1 and 9.

11. US 8,548,428 B2

    • Full Citation: US 8,548,428 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
    • Publication/Filing Date: Issued October 1, 2013. (Priority date from 2010-01-27)
    • Brief Description: Titled "Method and system for providing device assisted services for managing traffic in a wireless network," this is similar to US 8,340,634.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US 8,340,634, if this patent describes how traffic is managed based on the requesting application or service (e.g., media services), and if this management involves recording or attributing network usage, then it could potentially anticipate the "attributing network usage" and "receiving an indication of an application requesting access to a media service" steps of Claims 1, 9, and 17.

12. US 8,589,541 B2

    • Full Citation: US 8,589,541 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
    • Publication/Filing Date: Issued November 19, 2013. (Priority date from 2011-05-25)
    • Brief Description: Titled "Mobile device and method for generating a QoS activity map," this patent focuses on creating a "QoS activity map" on a mobile device.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): The concept of a "QoS activity map" strongly suggests the need to identify and categorize activities on the device that consume network resources and potentially require different QoS levels. If this mapping involves associating network usage with specific applications (including media services), it could be highly relevant to the attribution steps of Claims 1, 9, and 17.

13. US 8,606,911 B2

    • Full Citation: US 8,606,911 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
    • Publication/Filing Date: Issued December 10, 2013. (Priority date from 2012-01-24)
    • Brief Description: Titled "Mobile device and method for enforcing network service usage policies based on application layer traffic attributes," this patent directly addresses enforcing policies based on application layer traffic attributes.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is exceptionally relevant. The phrase "enforcing network service usage policies based on application layer traffic attributes" strongly implies the identification of the requesting application and the attribution of its network usage. If this patent explicitly discloses detecting an application requesting a media service, enabling a session, and attributing usage to that application for policy enforcement, it could be highly anticipatory of Claims 1, 9, and 17. The term "application layer traffic attributes" specifically points to the level of granularity (application) that US9647918 is claiming.

14. US 8,626,115 B2

    • Full Citation: US 8,626,115 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
    • Publication/Filing Date: Issued January 7, 2014. (Priority date from 2011-09-09)
    • Brief Description: Titled "Method and system for providing device assisted services for managing traffic in a wireless network," this is another patent by Raleigh et al. on device-assisted traffic management.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US 8,340,634 and US 8,548,428, if this patent describes how traffic is managed based on the requesting application or service (e.g., media services), and if this management involves recording or attributing network usage, then it could potentially anticipate the "attributing network usage" and "receiving an indication of an application requesting access to a media service" steps of Claims 1, 9, and 17.

15. US 8,635,335 B2

    • Full Citation: US 8,635,335 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
    • Publication/Filing Date: Issued January 21, 2014. (Priority date from 2011-05-25)
    • Brief Description: Titled "Mobile device and method for generating a QoS activity map based on service usage characteristics," this patent expands on the QoS activity map concept by basing it on "service usage characteristics."
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent, building on the "QoS activity map," strengthens the potential for anticipation. "Service usage characteristics" would likely involve identifying the application or service consuming the network, and thus attributing usage. If the "characteristics" include the requesting application for media services, it could anticipate the attribution steps of Claims 1, 9, and 17.

16. US 8,725,123 B2

    • Full Citation: US 8,725,123 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
    • Publication/Filing Date: Issued May 13, 2014. (Priority date from 2011-09-28)
    • Brief Description: Titled "Mobile device and method for communicating network congestion information," this patent focuses on a mobile device communicating network congestion information.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): While not directly about usage attribution, methods for communicating congestion information might rely on knowing which applications or services are contributing to the congestion, potentially involving some form of usage tracking or attribution. Less direct anticipation than others, but could be relevant background.

17. US 8,745,191 B2

    • Full Citation: US 8,745,191 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
    • Publication/Filing Date: Issued June 3, 2014. (Priority date from 2011-10-04)
    • Brief Description: Titled "Mobile device and method for enforcing network service usage policies," this patent broadly covers enforcing network usage policies on a mobile device.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent's title suggests that it might involve the core concept of enforcing policies, which often requires identifying the source of usage. If it details policy enforcement based on knowing which application (e.g., a media service) is consuming network resources and attributing that usage, it could anticipate Claims 1, 9, and 17.

18. US 8,793,758 B2

    • Full Citation: US 8,793,758 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
    • Publication/Filing Date: Issued July 29, 2014. (Priority date from 2011-12-01)
    • Brief Description: Titled "Mobile device and method for classifying network service usage for differential access control," this patent directly addresses classifying network service usage for differential access control.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is highly relevant. "Classifying network service usage" for "differential access control" strongly implies identifying the nature of the usage (e.g., media service) and the application generating it. If it discloses classifying media service usage and then controlling access based on that classification, it could potentially anticipate the "receiving an indication of an application requesting access to a media service" and "attributing network usage" steps of Claims 1, 9, and 17, as classification often precedes or is intertwined with attribution.

19. US 8,832,777 B2

    • Full Citation: US 8,832,777 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
    • Publication/Filing Date: Issued September 9, 2014. (Priority date from 2011-09-20)
    • Brief Description: Titled "Mobile device and method for controlling service usage based on application layer traffic attributes," this patent directly targets controlling service usage based on application layer traffic attributes.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is another extremely relevant reference, similar to US 8,606,911. The focus on "application layer traffic attributes" for "controlling service usage" implies the device must identify the requesting application (e.g., a media service) and attribute usage to it. If it explicitly details these steps, it could be highly anticipatory of Claims 1, 9, and 17, particularly the attribution of usage based on the requesting application.

20. US 8,893,009 B2

    • Full Citation: US 8,893,009 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
    • Publication/Filing Date: Issued November 18, 2014. (Priority date from 2011-12-01)
    • Brief Description: Titled "Mobile device and method for enforcing network service usage policies based on service usage characteristics," this patent builds on enforcing policies using "service usage characteristics."
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US 8,635,335 and US 8,793,758, if "service usage characteristics" includes identifying the requesting application for media services and attributing usage to it for policy enforcement, it could anticipate the attribution steps of Claims 1, 9, and 17.

21. US 8,898,293 B2

    • Full Citation: US 8,898,293 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
    • Publication/Filing Date: Issued November 25, 2014. (Priority date from 2011-09-21)
    • Brief Description: Titled "Mobile device and method for generating a QoS activity map," this is another patent focusing on QoS activity maps.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This is another instance of a "QoS activity map" patent. If this involves identifying the application and attributing its usage to create such a map for media services, it could potentially anticipate the attribution steps of Claims 1, 9, and 17.

22. US 8,924,469 B2

    • Full Citation: US 8,924,469 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
    • Publication/Filing Date: Issued December 30, 2014. (Priority date from 2011-09-28)
    • Brief Description: Titled "Mobile device and method for communicating network congestion information and for generating QoS activity map," this patent combines aspects of congestion communication and QoS activity maps.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): The combination of communicating congestion and generating a QoS activity map suggests that identifying and attributing network usage to specific applications (e.g., media services) would be necessary. If this is explicitly disclosed, it could anticipate elements of Claims 1, 9, and 17.

23. US 8,924,543 B2

    • Full Citation: US 8,924,543 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
    • Publication/Filing Date: Issued December 30, 2014. (Priority date from 2011-09-28)
    • Brief Description: Titled "Mobile device and method for enforcing network service usage policies," this is another patent on enforcing policies.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to other policy enforcement patents, if this reference describes detecting an application requesting a media service, enabling a session, and attributing usage to that application for the purpose of enforcing policies, it could anticipate the core steps of Claims 1, 9, and 17.

24. US 9,270,559 B2

    • Full Citation: US 9,270,559 B2 (Raleigh et al.)
    • Publication/Filing Date: Issued February 23, 2016. (Priority date from 2013-12-05)
    • Brief Description: Titled "System and method for identifying and controlling traffic flows using application flow attributes," this patent directly addresses identifying and controlling traffic flows using "application flow attributes."
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is highly anticipatory. "Identifying and controlling traffic flows using application flow attributes" directly aligns with the inventive concept of US9647918, which is to attribute network usage to a requesting application. The term "application flow attributes" explicitly refers to identifying the application associated with a traffic flow. If this patent discloses the steps of receiving an indication of an application requesting access to a service (specifically media service), enabling a network session, and attributing network usage for that session to the requesting application, it would directly anticipate Claims 1, 9, and 17.

Key Observation Regarding U.S. Patent Documents:
A significant number of the cited U.S. patents are by the same inventor (Raleigh et al.) and share a common theme of "device assisted services" for managing and optimizing wireless network usage, often involving QoS, traffic control, and reporting. Several of these, particularly US 8,606,911 B2, US 8,793,758 B2, US 8,832,777 B2, and US 9,270,559 B2, explicitly discuss concepts very close to attributing network usage to applications or application layer traffic attributes for purposes of policy enforcement, classification, or control. These would be considered the most relevant prior art in this category.

II. Other Prior Art (Non-Patent Literature/Foreign Patents - if cited)

The provided Google Patents document for US9647918B2 primarily lists U.S. Patent Documents as "Prior art documents" on the main page. Without direct access to the full examiner's search history or Information Disclosure Statements (IDS) from the USPTO PAIR system, it is difficult to comprehensively list all non-patent literature or foreign patent prior art. However, based on typical patent examination practices, the "Prior art keywords" (network, service, qos, application, wireless) and the definitions within the patent indicate the broader technological context.

For the purpose of this analysis, I will focus on the explicitly listed "U.S. Patent Documents" as the most directly cited and readily available prior art from the patent document itself.

Disclaimer: This analysis of potential anticipation is based on the titles and general descriptions of the cited patents. A definitive determination of anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102 would require a thorough claim construction and an element-by-element comparison of each independent claim of US9647918 with the full disclosure of each prior art reference.