Mobile network optimized method for keeping an application IP connection always on

• US 20080059582A1
• Filed: 09/06/2006
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kasanen, Pertti, Joutsenvirta, Mika, Hartikainen, Rauno
• Granted Patent: US 8,849,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities

Abstract

A system and method of maintaining an always-on application client communication is provided. An application programming interface implemented on a device hosting an always-on application client determines if network-based keep-alive functionality exists in a network where the device operates. If network-based keep-alive functionality exists, a network element is instructed to transmit keep-alive messages to the application server on behalf of the device. The network element can be implemented in or as a variety of existing network elements, e.g., as a GPRS gateway serving node or a standalone keep-alive network element. Alternatively, an application server communicatively connected to the always-on application client may query whether network-based keep-alive functionality exists. If network-based keep-alive functionality exists, the application server negotiates with the always-on application client to determine an application-specific mechanism for implementing the network-based keep-alive functionality. When an application server queries for network-based keep-alive functionality, an application programming interface need not be utilized.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining an always-on application client connection, comprising:

implementing a keep-alive application programming interface on a device communicatively connected to an always-on application client;

determining keep-alive parameters via the keep-alive application programming interface; and

instructing a network element via the keep-alive application programming interface to transmit keep-alive messages to an application server on behalf of the device, wherein the application server hosts an always-on application for the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the keep-alive parameters include a message sending period, at least one parameter defining message content, and a target IP address of the application server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the keep-alive application programming interface determines if a network element-based keep-alive messaging service exists in a network in which the always-on application client operates, before the transmitting of the keep-alive messages.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein upon a determination that a network element-based keep-alive messaging service does not exist, the device transmits the keep-alive messages to the application server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the keep-alive application programming interface comprises a filter description for defining application server messages that are not to be forwarded to the device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein upon a determination that the application server messages are not to be forwarded to the device, the transmission of the application server messages is prevented.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein before the transmitting of the keep-alive messages, the network element first determines whether the device is sending keep-alive messages.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein upon determining that the device is sending keep-alive messages, the network element instructs the device to stop sending the keep-alive messages.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining that the device is sending the keep-alive messages further comprises utilizing a filter to filter out the keep-alive messages from any outgoing traffic from the device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein before the transmitting of the keep-alive messages, the application server requests network element-based keep-alive messaging from the network element without utlizing the keep-alive application programming interface.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein before the requesting of the network-element-based keep-alive messaging, the application server performs a query to determine if network-element-based keep-alive messaging functionality is available.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein upon determining that the network-element-based keep-alive messaging functionality is available, the application server and the always-on application client negotiate an application-specific mechanism for the network-element-based keep-alive messaging.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the network element is a GPRS gateway serving node.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the network element is interposed between the device and the application server.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein upon determining an IP address of the network device during a dynamic host configuration protocol procedure, the device requests network address translation-based keep-alive messaging from the network element.

16. A device for maintaining an always-on application client connection, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory communicatively connected to the processor and including;

computer code for implementing a keep-alive application programming interface on a device communicatively connected to an always-on application client;

computer code for determining keep-alive parameters via the keep-alive application programming interface; and

computer code for instructing a network element via the keep-alive application programming interface to transmit keep-alive messages to an application server on behalf of the device, wherein the application server hosts an always-on application for the device.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the keep-alive parameters include a message sending period, at least one parameter defining message content, and a target IP address of the application server.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the keep-alive application programming interface determines if a network element-based keep-alive messaging service exists in a network in which the client device operates, before the transmitting of the keep-alive messages.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the memory unit further comprises computer code for, upon determining that a network element-based keep-alive messaging service does not exist, transmitting the keep-alive messages to the application server.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein the keep-alive application programming interface comprises a filter description for defining application server messages that are not to be forwarded to the device.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the memory unit further comprises computer code for, upon determining that the application server messages are not to be forwarded to the device, preventing the transmission of the application server messages.

22. The device of claim 16, wherein the memory unit further comprises computer code for, receiving instructions to stop sending keep-alive messages upon the network element determining that the device is sending the keep-alive messages.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the memory unit further comprises computer code for, utilizing a filter to filter out the keep-alive messages from any outgoing traffic from the device.

24. The device of claim 16, wherein the network element is a GPRS gateway serving node.

25. The device of claim 16, wherein the network element is interposed between the device and the application server.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the memory unit further comprises computer code for, upon determining an IP address of the network device during a dynamic host configuration protocol procedure, requesting network address translation-based keep-alive messaging from the network element.

27. A computer program product, embodied on a computer-readable medium, for maintaining an always-on application client connection, comprising:

computer code for implementing a keep-alive application programming interface on a device communicatively connected to an always-on application client;

computer code for determining keep-alive parameters via the application programming interface; and

computer code for instructing a network element via the application programming interface to transmit keep-alive messages to an application server on behalf of the device, wherein the application server hosts an always-on application for the device.

28. A method of maintaining an always-on application client connection, comprising:

communicatively connecting to an always-on application client, wherein a device has implemented therein a keep-alive application programming interface;

transmitting keep-alive messages to the device; and

receiving automated reply messages in response to the keep-alive messages.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the keep-alive application programming interface comprises a filter description for defining application server-originated keep-alive messages.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein responding to the keep-alive messages occurs if the keep-alive messages match the filter description for application server-originated keep-alive messages.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein a network element communicatively interposed between the application server and the device drops the keep-alive messages before reaching the device, preempting the need for responding to the keep-alive messages.

32. An application server for maintaining an always-on application client connection, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory communicatively connected to the processor and including;

computer code for communicatively connecting to an always-on application client, wherein a device has implemented therein a keep-alive application programming interface;

computer code for transmitting keep-alive messages to the device; and

computer code for receiving automated reply messages in response to the keep-alive messages.

33. The application server of claim 32, wherein the keep-alive application programming interface comprises a filter description for defining application server-originated keep-alive messages.

34. The application server of claim 33, wherein the memory unit further comprises computer code for, responding to the keep-alive messages if the keep-alive messages match the filter description for application server-originated keep-alive messages.

35. The application server of claim 34, wherein the memory unit further comprises computer code for, allowing the need for responding to the keep-alive messages to be preempted when a network element communicatively interposed between the application server and the device drops the keep-alive messages before reaching the device.

36. A computer program product, embodied on a computer-readable medium, for maintaining an always-on application client connection, comprising:

computer code for communicatively connecting to an always-on application client, wherein a device has implemented therein a keep-alive application programming interface;

computer code for transmitting keep-alive messages to the device; and

computer code for receiving automated reply messages in response to the keep-alive messages.

37. A method of maintaining an always-on application client connection, comprising:

implementing keep-alive functionality in a network element;

receiving keep-alive message sending parameters at the network element from a keep-alive application programming interface implemented on a device; and

transmitting keep-alive messages to an application server from the network element on behalf of a device, wherein the application server hosts an always-on application for the device.

38. A system for maintaining an always-on application client connection, comprising:

a device in which an always-on application client is hosted for communicatively connecting to a keep-alive application programming interface;

an application server configured to host an always-on application communicating with the always-on application client; and

a network element configured to transmit keep-alive messages to the application server on behalf of the device.