Application layer protocol support for sleeping nodes in constrained networks

• US 10,517,040 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2014
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IOT Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lu, Guang, Seed, Dale N., Gauvreau, Jean-Louis, Rahman, Shamim Akbar
• Primary Examiner(s): Mattis, Jason E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed, Nizam U
• Application Number:
  US14/146,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20140112232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,182 Days
• Field of Search: 370311
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/12 Application layer protocols, e.g. WAP [Wireless Application Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods and systems providing application layer support for one or more sleeping nodes in constrained networks are contemplated. Embodiments contemplate inserting sleep information in a header option or payload of an application layer message. The application layer message may be conveyed in a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) or a constrained application protocol (CoAP). Embodiments contemplate communicating the application layer message to a server, which may serve as a caching and/or buffering proxy.

Claims

1. A first device, the first device being associated with a communication network, the first device comprising:

a transmitter, the transmitter configured at least to;

communicate with a second device, the second device being in communication with the communication network;

a receiver, the receiver configured at least to;

receive information regarding availability of the second device via a uniform resource identifier (URI) in an application layer message sent in a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP); and

a processor, the processor configured at least to;

determine that the second device is unavailable based at least in part on the URI in the application layer message; and

perform a queuing function for the second device on a condition that the application layer message indicates that the second device is unavailable, the queuing function including accumulating one or more messages on behalf of the second device,

the transmitter being further configured to;

forward at least one of the accumulated one or more messages to the second device upon a status transition of the second device from unavailable to available.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is at least one of a constrained device or a non-constrained device.

3. The first device of claim 1, wherein the second device is at least one of a constrained device or a non-constrained device.

4. The first device of claim 1, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the application layer message from the second device.

5. The first device of claim 1, wherein the information regarding availability of the second device is included in one or more fields of the application layer message.

6. The first device of claim 5, wherein the one or more fields of the application layer message are a part of at least one of a header or a payload.

7. The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the one or more accumulated messages is received from a third device, the third device being in communication with the communication network.

8. A method, the method performed by a first device, the method comprising:

communicating by the first device, via a transmitter, with a second device;

receiving, at the first device, via a receiver, an application layer message that includes unavailability information from the second device, the unavailability information encoded in a uniform resource identifier (URI) of a first constrained application protocol (CoAP) message, the unavailability information including an indication that the second device is in an unavailable status;

performing, by the first device, via a processor, a queuing function for the second device on a condition that the application layer message indicates that the second device is in the unavailable status, the queuing function including accumulating one or more messages on behalf of the second device; and

forwarding, by the first device, via the transmitter, at least one of the accumulated one or more messages to the second device upon a transition of the second device to an available status.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the unavailability information includes sleep information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the sleep information includes a sleep duration.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the unavailable status includes being in a sleep state.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first device is at least one of a constrained device or non-constrained device.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the second device is a constrained device.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first device functions as a proxy device.

15. A first device, the first device being associated with a communication network, the first device comprising:

a transmitter, the transmitter configured at least to;

communicate with a second device;

a receiver, the receiver configured at least to;

receive an application layer message that includes unavailability information from the second device, the unavailability information encoded in a uniform resource identifier (URI) of a first constrained application protocol (CoAP) message, the unavailability information including an indication that the second device is in an unavailable status; and

a processor, the processor configured at least to;

perform a queuing function for the second device on a condition that the application layer message indicates that the second device is in an unavailable status, the queuing function including accumulating one or more messages on behalf of the second device,

the transmitter being further configured to forward at least one of the accumulated one or more messages to the second device upon a transition of the second device to an available status.

16. The first device of claim 15, wherein the unavailability information includes sleep information.

17. The first device of claim 16, wherein the unavailable sleep information includes a sleep duration.

18. The first device of claim 15, wherein the unavailable status includes being in a sleep state.

19. The first device of claim 15, wherein the first device is at least one of a constrained device or a non-constrained device, and the first device functions as a proxy device.

20. The first device of claim 15, wherein the second device is a constrained device.