ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND BASE STATION FOR MAINTAINING A NETWORK CONNECTION

• US 20100185773A1
• Filed: 03/29/2010
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: DUNK, Craig Allan
• Granted Patent: US 8,073,964 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

An electronic device and wireless base station for maintaining a persistent connection are provided. In an embodiment, a system includes an electronic device that connects to a web-server via a physical link that is bandwidth-constrained. The physical link also includes a wireless base station and at least one network address translation (“NAT”) router that is configured to terminate idle connections between the client and the web-server. One of the electronic device and the wireless base station is configured to send keep-alive packets to the web-server in order to reduce the likelihood of the NAT router terminating the connection. The keep-alive packets are sent on a variable basis that is intended to reduce bandwidth consumption while ensuring that the NAT router does not deem the connection idle and terminate the connection.

Claims

1. An electronic device for maintaining a persistent connection, the electronic device comprising:

a network interface for communicating with a second electronic device via a network connection carried over a physical link that includes an equipment for terminating said connection if said network connection remains idle according to a predefined time-out criterion of said equipment;

a processor configured to send keep-alive signals on said connection;

said processor configured to send said keep-alive signals according to a plurality of different time intervals and to determine when one of said time intervals results in said equipment terminating said connection, thereby determining said predefined time-out criterion of said equipment;

said processor further configured to continue sending said keep-alive signals following determination of said predefined time-out criterion.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein said processor is further configured to send said keep-alive signals only when said connection is idle.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2 wherein said processor is further configured to request an HTTP web-page via said connection of said second electronic device and wherein said keep-alive signal is a no-op signal.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein said equipment is a NAT router.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein said criterion is a predefined time-out period.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 wherein said processor is further configured to determine said predefined time-out period by:

establishing said connection with an initial default time period;

sending a keep-alive signal to said second electronic device once during said time period;

increasing said time period if said time period does not cause said connection to be dropped then repeating said sending step; and

maintaining a last-known good time period if said time period does cause said connection to be dropped;

reestablishing said connection; and

thereafter,

sending keep-alive signals to said second electronic device based on said last-known good time period.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6 wherein said electronic device is a client, said second electronic device is a web-server and at least a portion of said link includes the Internet.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7 wherein said client is battery operated and said time periods are increased more quickly as said battery life is depleted to thereby reduce battery consumption while determining said predefined time-out period.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8 wherein said client is a wireless device and at least a portion of said physical link includes a wireless connection from said wireless device to the Internet.

10. A method of maintaining a network connection, the method comprising:

loading a time period into a first electronic device of an initial default value;

establishing a connection from said first electronic device to a second electronic device via a physical link that includes an equipment for terminating said connection if said connection remains idle for a predefined time-out period;

sending keep-alive signals from said first electronic device to said second electronic device via said equipment according to said time period;

increasing said time period and repeating said sending step; and

,

repeating said increasing step until said connection is terminated by said equipment in order to determine said predefined time-out period;

fixing said time period to a value less than said determined predefined time-out period; and

thereafter,

sending said keep-alive signals using said time period established at said fixing step.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein said first electronic device is a base station, said second electronic device is a web-server and at least a portion of said link includes the Internet.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising sending said keep-alive signals only when said connection is idle.

13. The method according to claim 10 wherein said fixing step is performed by iteratively decreasing said time period until said connection is no longer terminated by said equipment.

14. The method according to claim 10 wherein said connection carries an HTTP web-page request by said first electronic device of said second electronic device and said keep-alive signal is a no-op signal.

15. The method according to claim 10 wherein said equipment is a NAT router.

16. The method according to claim 10 wherein said first electronic device is a client, said second electronic device is a web-server and at least a portion of said link includes the Internet.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

following said fixing step, sending said determined predefined time-out period to at least one other client.

18. The method according to claim 10 wherein said first electronic device is battery operated and said increasing step is based on larger intervals when said battery life is approaching depletion.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein said first electronic device is a wireless device and at least a portion of said link includes a wireless connection from said wireless device to the Internet.

20. A computer-readable storage medium containing a set of programming instructions;

said programming instructions, when executed by a first electronic device, for performing a method comprising;

loading a time period into a first electronic device of an initial default value;

establishing a connection from said first electronic device to a second electronic device via a physical link that includes an equipment for terminating said connection if said connection remains idle for a predefined time-out period;

sending keep-alive signals from said first electronic device to said second electronic device via said equipment according to said time period;

increasing said time period and repeating said sending step; and

,

repeating said increasing step until said connection is terminated by said equipment in order to determine said predefined time-out period;

fixing said time period to a value less than said determined predefined time-out period; and

thereafter,

sending said keep-alive signals using said time period established at said fixing step.