Electronic devices for receiving pushed data

• US 10,536,902 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2019
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Fiennes, Hugo
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Mahendra R
• Application Number:
  US16/357,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20190289550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 302 Days
• Field of Search: 455574, 455466, 455436, 370217, 370311
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0241 where no transmission is received, e.g. out of range of the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0264 by selectively disabling software applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 triggered by timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Mobile devices such as cellular telephones are provided that communicate with wireless networks. Cellular telephone network equipment may communicate with a cellular telephone over a data connection. The cellular telephone may have an internet protocol (IP) address that allows data to be provided to the cellular telephone over the data connection. To conserve resources and release unused IP addresses, the cellular telephone network equipment may deactivate inactive data connections after a period of inactivity. A baseband processor within a mobile device may periodically send User Datagram Protocol (UDP) keep-alive packets over the data connection to ensure that the data connection remains active. The keep-alive packets may be directed to a packet sink server or may be associated with a black hole route. An applications processor in the telephone may remain in sleep mode during keep-alive packet transmission to conserve power.

Claims

1. A method of using a mobile device to communicate with a cellular network, the mobile device comprising a first processor for communicating with the cellular network, a second processor for implementing applications, and radio frequency circuitry for transmission and reception of wireless signals, the method comprising:

by the first processor;

obtaining a keep-alive packet from the second processor;

sending the keep-alive packet one or more times over a data connection between the mobile device and the cellular network while the second processor is in a low-power mode;

receiving from a server a notification of pending data; and

causing the second processor to exit the low-power mode to receive at least a portion of the pending data via the data connection;

wherein the second processor enters the low-power mode after providing the keep alive packet to the first processor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

by the first processor;

obtaining from the second processor a first time-out value; and

sending the keep-alive packet a first time over the data connection after waiting a first time period corresponding to the first time-out value.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first time-out value is based at least in part on a time of a most recent network communication over the data connection.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

by the first processor;

obtaining from the second processor a second time-out value; and

sending the keep-alive packet a second time over the data connection after waiting a second time period corresponding to the second time-out value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second time-out value is greater than the first time-out value.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the second time-out value is based at least in part on an inactivity timeout value for the cellular network to deactivate the data connection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the keep-alive packet includes an internet protocol (IP) address for a packet sink server that discards incoming packets or for a router associated with a black hole route.

8. A mobile device comprising:

radio frequency circuitry for transmission and reception of wireless signals;

a memory storing executable instructions;

a first processor communicatively coupled to the radio frequency circuitry and the memory and configured for communicating with a cellular network; and

a second processor communicatively coupled to the first processor and configured for implementing applications,

wherein execution of the executable instructions by the first processor causes the first processor to perform actions including;

obtaining a keep-alive packet from the second processor;

sending the keep-alive packet one or more times over a data connection between the mobile device and the cellular network while the second processor is in a low-power mode;

receiving from a server a notification of pending data; and

causing the second processor to exit the low-power mode to receive at least a portion of the pending data via the data connection;

wherein the second processor enters the low-power mode after providing the keep alive packet to the first processor.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the actions performed by the first processor further include:

obtaining from the second processor a first time-out value; and

sending the keep-alive packet a first time over the data connection after waiting a first time period corresponding to the first time-out value.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the first time-out value is based at least in part on a time of a most recent network communication over the data connection.

11. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the actions performed by the first processor further include:

obtaining from the second processor a second time-out value; and

sending the keep-alive packet a second time over the data connection after waiting a second time period corresponding to the second time-out value.

12. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the second time-out value is greater than the first time-out value.

13. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the second time-out value is based at least in part on an inactivity timeout value for the cellular network to deactivate the data connection.

14. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the keep-alive packet includes an internet protocol (IP) address for a packet sink server that discards incoming packets or for a router associated with a black hole route.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a first processor communicatively configured for communicating with a cellular network; and

a second processor communicatively coupled to the first processor and configured for implementing applications,

wherein the first processor is configured to perform actions that include;

obtaining a keep-alive packet from the second processor;

sending the keep-alive packet one or more times over a data connection between the apparatus and the cellular network while the second processor is in a low-power mode;

receiving from a server a notification of pending data; and

causing the second processor to exit the low-power mode to receive at least a portion of the pending data via the data connection;

wherein the second processor enters the low-power mode after providing the keep alive packet to the first processor.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the actions performed by the first processor further include:

obtaining from the second processor a first time-out value, and

sending the keep-alive packet a first time over the data connection after waiting a first time period corresponding to the first time-out value.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the actions performed by the first processor further include:

obtaining from the second processor a second time-out value; and

sending the keep-alive packet a second time over the data connection after waiting a second time period corresponding to the second time-out value.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first time-out value is based at least in part on a time of a most recent network communication over the data connection.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second time-out value is based at least in part on an inactivity timeout value for the cellular network to deactivate the data connection.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the keep-alive packet includes an internet protocol (IP) address for a packet sink server that discards incoming packets or for a router associated with a black hole route.