Tail optimization protocol for cellular radio resource allocation

• US 10,244,410 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2016
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gerber, Alexandre, Mao, Zhuoqing, Qian, Feng, Sen, Subhabrata, Spatscheck, Oliver, Wang, Zhaoguang
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US15/179,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20160286415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 455509
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/005 Routing actions in the presence of nodes in sleep or doze mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 triggered by timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Power and resource efficiency of a mobile network device are increased. In one aspect, a tail optimization protocol (TOP) enables cooperation between a mobile device and an associated radio access network to eliminate idle periods (e.g., tails) when possible. Various systems and methods described herein can leverage the ability of applications and/or their associated connections to accurately predict a long tail time, from which a mobile device can notify an associated cellular network on such an imminent tail in order to allow the cellular network to immediately release tail resources. Various other aspects provided herein realize TOP via fast dormancy and/or other similar notification mechanisms, which enable a handset or other device to notify a cellular network for immediate resource release.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

based on trace data representing empirical communication traces that have been collected via devices operating via carrier networks, adjusting parameter data associated with a tail timing criterion that is employable to transition a user equipment from a first communicative state to a second communicative state, wherein first radio resources of a group of radio resources utilized by the user equipment in the first communicative state are greater than second radio resources of the group of radio resources utilized by the user equipment in the second communicative state, and wherein the parameter data comprises a tail threshold interval,

receiving inter transfer data indicative of an inter transfer time period associated with a connection of an application executed via the user equipment, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the inter transfer data from the application via a defined application programming interface, and wherein the inter transfer time period comprises an estimated inter-arrival time between a transmission of a last packet of an application-defined transfer and a potential transmission of a first packet of a subsequent application-defined transfer, and

based on comparing the inter transfer data with the parameter data, facilitating the transition of the user equipment from the first communicative state to the second communicative state.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the facilitating the transition comprises facilitating the transition in response to determining that the inter transfer time period is greater than the tail threshold interval.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from a content provider device, connection data representing network connections associated with the user equipment, and wherein the adjusting further comprises adjusting the parameter data based on the connection data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the content provider device is related to a website and the connection data is embedded within a header of the website.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting the parameter data independent of network-defined tail timing data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the inter transfer time period is determined based on timestamp data that is indicative of a first time at which a user data transfer between the user equipment and a radio access network device, has been completed.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the user data transfer is a first user data transfer, wherein the inter transfer time period is measured from the first time to a second time at which a second user data transfer between the user equipment and the radio access network device is likely to be initiated.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting the parameter data in response to determining that the inter-transfer time period is greater than the tail threshold interval.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the inter transfer data is first inter transfer data, the inter transfer time period is a first inter transfer time period, the connection is a first connection, the application is a first application, and the operations further comprise:

receiving second inter transfer data indicative of a second inter transfer time period associated with a second connection of a second application executed via the user equipment, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the second inter transfer data from the second application via the defined application programming interface; and

coordinating the first inter transfer data and the second inter transfer data to facilitate the transition.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the coordinating comprises determining an aggregated inter transfer time period based on the first inter transfer time period and the second inter transfer time period, and wherein the facilitating the transition comprises facilitating the transition based on comparing the aggregated inter transfer time period with the tail threshold interval.

11. A method, comprising:

based on trace data representing empirical communication traces that have been collected via devices operating via carrier networks, modifying, by a system comprising a processor, parameter data associated with a tail timing criterion that is to be utilized for a transition of a user equipment from a first communicative state to a second communicative state, wherein a first group of radio resources utilized by the user equipment in the first communicative state is greater than a second group of the radio resources utilized by the user equipment in the second communicative state, and wherein the parameter data comprises a tail threshold time period;

receiving, by the system, inter transfer data indicative of an inter transfer time period associated with a connection of an application executed via the user equipment, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the inter transfer data from the application via a defined application programming interface, and wherein the inter transfer time period comprises an estimated inter-arrival time between a transmission of a last packet of an application-defined transfer and a potential transmission of a first packet of a subsequent application-defined transfer; and

based on comparing the inter transfer data with the parameter data, determining that the user equipment is to be transitioned from the first communicative state to the second communicative state.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the modifying further comprises modifying the parameter data based on connection data representing network connections between the user equipment and a radio access network device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, the connection data from a content provider device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, the connection data from the application.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining, by the system, the connection data based on header data of a webpage accessed by the application.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, in response to execution cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

based on trace data representing empirical communication traces that have been collected via devices operating via carrier networks, customizing a tail timing criterion that is to be utilized to facilitate a transition of a user equipment from a first communicative state to a second communicative state, wherein first radio resources utilized by the user equipment in the first communicative state are greater than second radio resources utilized by the user equipment in the second communicative state, and wherein the tail timing criterion comprises a tail threshold time period;

employing a defined application programming interface to receive, from an application of the user equipment, inter transfer data indicative of an inter transfer time period associated with a connection of the application executed via the user equipment, wherein the inter transfer time period comprises an estimated inter-arrival time between a transmission of a last packet of an application-defined transfer and a potential transmission of a first packet of a subsequent application-defined transfer; and

based on a comparison of the inter transfer data and the parameter data, facilitating the transition of the user equipment from the first communicative state to the second communicative state.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining connection data representing network connections between the user equipment and a radio access network device, and wherein the customizing is based on the connection data.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the determining the connection data comprises receiving the connection data from a content provider device.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the determining the connection data comprises receiving the connection data from the application.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the determining the connection data comprises determining the connection data based on header data of a webpage accessed by the application.