System and Method for Supporting a Keep Alive Mechanism in a Wireless Communications System

• US 20100267342A1
• Filed: 04/14/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Julka, Vibhor, Xiang, Zhixian
• Granted Patent: US 8,571,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/63.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0241 where no transmission is received, e.g. out of range of the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system and method for supporting a keep alive mechanism in a wireless communications system are provided. A method for communications device operation includes if the communications device is operating within an idle time window and if the communications device is in the idle state, initiating a keep alive procedure, and if the communications device is not operating within the idle time window and if an elapsed time since a last transmission by the communications device is greater than an upper boundary of the idle time window, initiating the keep alive procedure. The method further includes if the communications device is not operating within the idle time window and if the elapsed time since the last transmission by the communications device is less than a lower boundary of the idle time window, not initiating the keep alive procedure.

Claims

1. A method for communications device operation, the method comprising:

determining if a communications device is operating within an idle time window, wherein the idle time window is specified by a first time and a second time, and wherein the second time is greater than or equal to the first time;

determining if the communications device is in an idle state;

if the communications device is operating within the idle time window and if the communications device is in the idle state, initiating a keep alive procedure;

if the communications device is not operating within the idle time window and if an elapsed time since a last transmission by the communications device is greater than the second time, initiating the keep alive procedure; and

if the communications device is not operating within the idle time window and if the elapsed time since the last transmission by the communications device is less than the first time, not initiating the keep alive procedure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting if a communications device is operating within an idle time window comprises determining if an elapsed time since a last transmission by the communications device occurred within the first time and the second time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the elapsed time is maintained by a timer that is set to a specified value each time the communications device makes an outgoing transmission or receives an incoming transmission.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first time and the second time specify a start time and a stop time of the idle time window, respectively.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating a keep alive procedure comprises:

tuning the communications device to an alternate communications system, wherein the communications device was tuned to a current communications system prior to tuning to the alternate communications system; and

transmitting a message to an access network of the alternate communications system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein initiating a keep alive procedure further comprises:

receiving a response message from the access network; and

resetting an elapsed time since a last transmission by the communications device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications device is tuned to a current communications system, and wherein determining if the communications device is in an idle state comprises determining if the communications device is communicating with any other device in the current communications system.

8. A method for communications device operation, the method comprising:

updating a timer that maintains an elapsed time since a last transmission by a communications device;

determining if the communications device is operating in a first priority state;

if the communications device is operating in the first priority state and if the communications device is in an idle state, initiating a keep alive procedure;

determining if the communications device is operating in a second priority state; and

if the communications device is operating in the second priority state, initiating the keep alive procedure.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising repeating the updating a timer, the determining if the communications device is operating in a first priority state, the if the communications device is operating in the first priority state and if the communications device is in an idle state, the determining if the communications device is operating in a second priority state, and the if the communications device is operating in the second priority state if the communications device is not operating in the first priority state or the second priority state.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein initiating a keep alive procedure comprises:

tuning the communications device to an alternate communications system, wherein the communications device was tuned to a current communications system prior to tuning to the alternate communications system; and

transmitting a message to an access network of the alternate communications system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein initiating a keep alive procedure further comprises:

receiving a response message from the access network; and

resetting the timer.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting a message to an access network of the alternate communications system comprises transmitting multiple messages to the access network of the alternate communications system, and wherein initiating a keep alive procedure further comprises:

retuning the communications device to the current communications system; and

resetting the timer.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein determining if the communications device is operating in a first priority state comprises determining if a value of the timer meets a first criteria.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining if a value of the timer meets a first criteria comprises determining if a difference between a maximum session time and the value is less than a first threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining if the communications device is operating in a second priority state comprises determining if the value meets a second criteria.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining if the value meets a second criteria comprises determining if a difference between a maximum session time and the value is less than a second threshold.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second threshold is smaller than the first threshold.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining if the communications device is operating in a third priority state; and

if the communications device is operating in the third priority state,

suspending an active application in the communications device, and

initiating the keep alive procedure.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining if the communications device is operating in a third priority state comprises determining if a difference between a maximum session time and the value is less than a third threshold, wherein the third threshold is larger than or equal to the first threshold and smaller than or equal to the second threshold.

20. The method of claim 8, wherein if the communications device is operating in the second priority state further comprises prompting a user of the communications device for permission to proceed with the keep alive procedure, and wherein initiating the keep alive procedure occurs only if the user grants permission to proceed.

21. The method of claim 8, wherein if the communications device is operating in the second priority state further comprises notifying a current communications system that a current session with the current communications system will be suspended.

22. A communications device comprising:

a receiver to be coupled to an antenna, the receiver configured to receive signals detected by the antenna;

a transmitter to be coupled to the antenna, the transmitter configured to transmit signals using the antenna;

a timer configured to measure elapsed time; and

a controller coupled to the receiver, to the transmitter, and to the timer, the controller configured to initiate a communications device initiated keep alive procedure based on an elapsed time measured by the timer, wherein the communications device initiated keep alive procedure keeps an alternate session with an alternate communications system alive while the communications device is in a current session with a current communications system.

23. The communications device of claim 22, wherein the controller comprises:

a timer control unit coupled to the timer, the timer control unit configured to configure the timer, and to control the timer;

a transmission detect unit coupled to the transmitter, to the receiver, and to the timer control unit, the transmission detect unit configured to detect a transmission or reception made by the communications device in the alternate communications system;

a threshold unit coupled to the timer, the threshold unit configured to specify a threshold value based on a desired behavior of the communications device;

a comparison unit coupled to the threshold unit and the timer, the comparison unit configured to compare the elapsed time measured by the timer and the threshold value; and

a switching unit coupled to the comparison unit, to the transmitter, and to the receiver, the switching unit configured to tune the communications device from the current communications system to the alternate communications system based on an output of the comparison unit.

24. The communications device of claim 23, wherein the controller further comprises a user/network notification unit coupled to the comparison unit, the user/network notification unit configured to prompt a user of the communications device for permission to initiate the communications device initiated keep alive procedure.

25. The communications device of claim 24, wherein the user/network notification unit is further configured to notify the current communications system of the communications device initiate keep alive procedure.