PROXY SERVER FOR FACILITATING POWER CONSERVATION IN WIRELESS CLIENT TERMINALS

• US 20090221261A1
• Filed: 03/03/2008
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Soliman, Samir S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,402,277 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/343.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• 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

A novel power conservation scheme is provided for conserving power in client terminals by using a proxy server. The client terminal, having a low-power communication interface and a high-power communication interface, may power down its high-power communication interface, to conserve power. Prior to shutting off its high-power communication interface, the client terminal may assign a host terminal to act as a proxy for the client terminal. The host terminal monitors the paging channels for the client terminal via a high-power communication interface. If the host terminal detects a paging message for the client terminal, it forwards at least a portion of the paging message to the client terminal via a low-power communication interface. Upon receipt of the paging message from the host terminal via its low-power communication interface, the client terminal may power up its high-power communication interface and directly respond to an access terminal that initiated the paging message.

Claims

1. A host terminal comprising:

a first communication interface for communicating with an access point;

a second communication interface for communicating with a client terminal;

a processing circuit coupled between the first communication interface and the second communication interface, the processing circuit configured to

receive a notification from the client terminal to operate as a proxy for the client terminal;

listen for paging messages on paging channels for the client terminal via the first communication interface; and

send at least a portion of a received paging message to the client terminal via the second communication interface.

2. The host terminal of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

add the client terminal to a proxy list.

3. The host terminal of claim 2, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

remove the client terminal from the proxy list after the portion of the paging message is sent to the client terminal.

4. The host terminal of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

translate the portion of the paging message from a first communication protocol associated with the first communication interface to a second communication protocol associated with the second communication interface.

5. The host terminal of claim 1, wherein the first communication interface is a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) compliant interface and the second communication interface is any Bluetooth compliant interface.

6. The host terminal of claim 1, wherein the first communication interface consumes relatively more power than the second communication interface for a given time of operation.

7. The host terminal of claim 1, wherein the notification from the client terminal includes a client identifier and one or more paging channels associated with the client terminal.

8. The host terminal of claim 1, wherein the portion of the paging message sent by the host terminal is sufficient for the client terminal to respond to the paging message directly to the access point via the first communication interface.

9. The host terminal of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

acknowledge the notification from the client terminal to operate as the proxy.

10. The host terminal of claim 1, wherein the portion of the paging message includes at least one of a traffic channel and a sector.

11. The host terminal of claim 1, wherein the first communication interface has a longer range than the second communication interface.

12. The host terminal of claim 1, wherein the first communication interface has a greater bandwidth than the second communication interface.

13. The host terminal of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first communication interface and the second communication interface is a wireless communication interface.

14. A method operational on a host terminal comprising:

receiving a notification from a client terminal to operate as a proxy for the client terminal;

listening for paging messages on paging channels for the client terminal via a first communication interface; and

sending at least a portion of a paging message to the client terminal via a second communication interface.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

adding the client terminal to a proxy list; and

removing the client terminal from the proxy list after the portion of the paging message is sent to the client terminal via the second communication interface.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

translating the portion of the paging message from a first communication protocol associated with the first communication interface to a second communication protocol associated with the second communication interface.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first communication interface consumes relatively more power than the second communication interface for a given time of operation.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the host terminal operates as a proxy for a plurality of client terminals by monitoring paging channels associated with the plurality of client terminals.

19. A host terminal comprising:

means for receiving a notification from a client terminal to operate as a proxy for the client terminal;

means for listening for paging messages on paging channels for the client terminal via a first communication interface; and

means for sending at least a portion of a paging message to the client terminal via a second communication interface.

20. The host terminal of claim 19, further comprising:

means for translating the portion of the paging message from a first communication protocol associated with the first communication interface to a second communication protocol associated with the second communication interface.

21. The host terminal of claim 19, wherein the first communication interface has a longer range than the second communication interface.

22. A processor readable medium having one or more instructions operational on a host terminal for facilitating power consumption in client terminals, which when executed by a processor causes the processor to:

receive a notification from a client terminal to operate as a proxy for the client terminal;

listen for paging messages on paging channels for the client terminal via a first communication interface; and

send at least a portion of a paging message to the client terminal via a second communication interface.

23. The processor readable medium of claim 22, further having one or more instructions which when executed by a processor causes the processor to:

translate the portion of the paging message from a first communication protocol associated with the first communication interface to a second communication protocol associated with the second communication interface.

24. The processor readable medium of claim 22, wherein the first communication interface consumes relatively more power than the second communication interface for a given time of operation.

25. A processor comprising:

a processing circuit configured to

receive a notification from a client terminal to operate as a proxy for the client terminal;

listen for paging messages on paging channels for the client terminal via a first communication interface; and

send at least a portion of a paging message to the client terminal via a second communication interface.