Reducing signaling load on a mobile network

• US 10,136,355 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2012
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vasona Networks, Inc. (ZephyrTel, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vasona Networks, Inc. (ZephyrTel, Inc.)
• Inventors: Strasman, Nery, Peltz, Ariel, Weill, Ofer
• Primary Examiner(s): Bednash, Joseph A
• Application Number:
  US13/685,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20140146665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,185 Days
• Field of Search: 370230, 370235, 3702301
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/323 Discarding or blocking control packets, e.g. ACK packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/08 Load balancing or load distribution transferring a connection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12

Abstract

One or more packets associated with a wakeup event for a mobile user device is/are delayed, thereby extending the duration of the wakeup event. Because the duration of the wakeup event is extended, the start of the next wakeup event for the mobile user device is delayed by a time interval, and therefore the signaling load on the mobile network is reduced during this time interval compared to the signaling load that would have been on the mobile network if the start of the next wakeup event had not been delayed. If the delayed packet(s) is/are data packet(s), then the disclosure presents a solution which involves data to solve a problem relating to signaling.

Claims

1. An intercept module capable of reducing signaling load on a mobile network, comprising:

an inspection module capable of inspecting intercepted packets originating from a plurality of mobile devices, to determine packets transmitted from a respective mobile device to a public data network due to a wakeup event of the respective mobile device and to determine packets to be delayed from among the packets determined to have been transmitted due to a wakeup event; and

a delay module configured to determine a delay duration for packets originating from the plurality of mobile devices, determined to be delayed by the inspection module, and configured to delay said packets for the entire determined delay duration and upon elapse of the determined delay duration, from reception of the packet by the intercept module, to forward the packet to its intended destination, thereby causing a start of a next wakeup event for said mobile device to be delayed by a time interval, and a consequent reduction in the signaling load on the mobile network during said interval compared to the signaling load that would have been on the mobile network during said interval if said start had not been delayed.

2. The intercept module of claim 1, wherein at least one of the delayed packets is a data packet.

3. The intercept module of claim 1, wherein said delay module is capable of delaying said packets by storing said packets temporarily in memory.

4. The intercept module of claim 1, wherein the delay module is configured to determine a fixed delay duration for all packets determined to be delayed by the inspection module.

5. The intercept module of claim 1, wherein the delay module is configured to determine the delay duration based on identification of the mobile device.

6. The intercept module of claim 1, wherein the delay module is configured to determine the delay duration based on a load on the mobile network.

7. The intercept module of claim 1, wherein the delay module is configured to determine the delay duration of a packet based on a type of a session to which the delayed packet belongs.

8. A method of reducing signaling load on a mobile network, comprising:

intercepting packets originating from mobile devices, by a module separate from the mobile devices on a path between the mobile devices and public data network;

inspecting the intercepted packets to determine that at least one packet originating from a mobile device is to be delayed at least partly because said at least one packet was transmitted from the mobile device to a public data network due to a wakeup event of the transmitting mobile device;

determining a delay duration, from interception until forwarding, for the at least one packet determined to be delayed; and

delaying said at least one packet originating from the mobile device for the determined delay duration and upon elapse of the determined delay duration from interception, forwarding the packet to its intended destination, thereby causing a start of a next wakeup event for said mobile device to be delayed by a time interval, and a consequent reduction in the signaling load on the mobile network during said interval compared to the signaling load that would have been on the mobile network during said interval if said start had not been delayed.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein only one packet relating to said wakeup event is delayed.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein a plurality of packets relating to said wakeup event is delayed.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said determining includes:

determining that a packet is to be delayed at least partly because said packet is a data packet.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein said determining includes:

determining that a packet is to be delayed at least partly based on time or number of packets since a previous packet delay.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein said determining includes:

determining that a packet is to be delayed at least partly based on mobile device identification.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein said determining includes:

determining that a packet is to be delayed at least partly based on flow direction of packet.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein said determining includes:

determining that a packet is to be delayed at least partly based on at least one preceding packet.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein said determining includes:

determining that a packet is to be delayed at least partly based on load.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of said at least one packet is delayed by a variable delay whose value is dependent on at least one factor.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said factor includes at least one selected from a group comprising:

timing, identification of mobile device, load, policy, service identification, or network happening.

19. The method of claim 8, wherein delaying the at least one packet comprises delaying a plurality of packets originating from the mobile device by a standard fixed duration delay.

20. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the delay duration for the at least one packet determined to be delayed comprises determining for each packet a randomly selected variable delay.

21. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the delay duration for the at least one packet determined to be delayed comprises determining a fixed delay duration for all packets determined to be delayed.

22. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the delay duration for the at least one packet determined to be delayed comprises determining the delay duration based on identification of the mobile device.

23. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the delay duration for the at least one packet determined to be delayed comprises determining the delay duration based on a load on the mobile network.

24. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the delay duration for the at least one packet determined to be delayed comprises determining the delay duration based on a type of a session to which the delayed packet belongs.

25. The method of claim 8, comprising forwarding the at least one packet to its intended destination after the determined delay duration has elapsed.

26. The method of claim 8, wherein determining that at least one packet is to be delayed comprises determining that a control packet is to be delayed.

27. The method of claim 8, wherein determining that at least one packet is to be delayed comprises determining that the at least one packet originated from a mobile device due to a wakeup event of the mobile device.

28. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for reducing signaling load on a mobile network, the computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code for causing the computer to intercept packets originating from a plurality of mobile devices, to inspect the intercepted packets and determine packets to be delayed, at least partly because said packets were transmitted from respective mobile devices to a public data network due to a wakeup event a of the transmitting mobile device; and

computer readable program code for causing the computer to determine a delay duration, from reception by the computer until forwarding, for packets originating from the plurality of mobile devices, determined to be delayed and to delay said packets for the determined delay duration and upon elapse of the determined delay duration from reception by the computer to forward the packet to its intended destination, thereby causing a start of a next wakeup event for said mobile device to be delayed by a time interval, and a consequent reduction in the signaling load on the mobile network during said interval compared to the signaling load that would have been on the mobile network during said interval if said start had not been delayed.