Apparatus and method for data transmission in a wireless communications network

• US 20080056225A1
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Brok, Jacco
• Granted Patent: US 7,907,938 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/342
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Non-urgent data messages of an IP based application hosted by a cellular device are only transmitted when a predetermined condition is met. A data message may be: a presence report; a check for new email sent by an email client to a server; and a keep-alive message sent to a server, but this is not an exhaustive list of the relevant types of data message.

The predetermined condition, may, for example, be met when the first of the following occurs: the airlink is open 4; a maximum delay time has elapsed 7; a store for non-urgent messages is full 9; and a maximum number of messages is stored 10. The invention reduces the number of times when the airlink is open, thus preventing the 3 to 10 seconds additional open time for each occurrence. This saves battery life for the cellular device.

The invention is also applicable to other types of messaging in which small data messages are periodically transmitted over an airlink.

Claims

1. A method of data transmission across an airlink in a wireless communications network, including the step of arranging for a non-urgent data message to be transmitted only when a predetermined condition is met.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the data message is associated with an IP application.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 and including the steps of:

monitoring the airlink to determine when it is open, and arranging for a non-urgent data message to be transmitted only when the airlink is open.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 and wherein the step of monitoring the airlink is carried out by an application to determine when to transmit its messages.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 and including the steps of:

providing a data message for transmission;

designating the urgency of the message; and

, when the message is designated as non-urgent, storing it until the predetermined condition is met, whereupon it is transmitted.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 and wherein the predetermined condition is that the airlink is open.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5 and wherein the predetermined condition is that a maximum delay time has elapsed.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 and wherein a non-urgent data message is associated with an application and the application marks the message with a maximum allowed delay time.

9. The method as claimed in claim 5 and wherein a non-urgent data message is associated with an application and the application marks the message to designate its urgency.

10. The method as claimed in claim 5 and wherein the predetermined condition is that a store for storing non-urgent data messages is full.

11. The method as claimed in claim 5 and wherein the predetermined condition is that a maximum number of non-urgent messages is held in a store.

12. The method as claimed in claim 5 and wherein, when the predetermined condition is met, all the stored messages are transmitted.

13. The method as claimed in claim 5 and wherein the predetermined condition is met when the first of the following occurs:

the airlink is open;

a maximum delay time has elapsed;

storage for non-urgent messages is full; and

a maximum number of messages is stored.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1 and wherein each of a plurality of data messages is associated with a respective predetermined condition.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the data message is one of:

a presence report;

a check for new email sent by an email client to a server; and

a keep-alive message sent to a server.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1 and wherein a message is deemed to be non-urgent if it is included in a particular class of messages.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1 and including determining the urgency of data messages associated with an application and intended to be sent at intervals over a period of time.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the data message is for transmission by a cellular device.

19. The method as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the data message is for transmission by a battery-powered device.

20. A method of data transmission across an airlink in a wireless communications network, including the steps of:

classifying data packets to be transmitted into urgent and non-urgent data messages; and

arranging for non-urgent data messages to be transmitted only when a predetermined condition is met.

21. A device for transmitting data across an airlink in a wireless communications network, comprising:

a monitor for monitoring when a predetermined condition is met; and

means for transmitting a non-urgent data message only when said predetermined condition is met.

22. The device as claimed in claim 21 and wherein said predetermined condition is met when the first of the following occurs:

the airlink is open;

a maximum delay time has elapsed;

a store for non-urgent messages is full; and

a maximum number of messages is stored.

23. The device as claimed in claim 21 and wherein the data message is associated with an IP application hosted by the device.

24. The device as claimed in claim 21 and wherein the device includes a battery.