METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CONSERVING ENERGY USED BY A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20110151944A1
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morgan, William
• Granted Patent: US 8,155,625 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for saving energy in a mobile device configured to maintain a persistent communication session with an application server over a wireless network. A method comprises detecting a traffic pattern between a mobile device and an application server for maintaining a persistent communication session and automatically initiating a transition of the mobile device from a first operating state to a second operating state in response to detecting the traffic pattern. The power consumption associated with the second operating state is less than power consumption associated with the first operating state.

Claims

1. A method of saving energy in a mobile device configured to maintain a persistent communication session with an application server over a wireless network, the method comprising:

detecting a traffic pattern between the mobile device and the application server for maintaining the persistent communication session; and

automatically initiating a transition of the mobile device from a first operating state to a second operating state in response to detecting the traffic pattern, wherein power consumption associated with the second operating state is less than power consumption associated with the first operating state.

2. The method of claim 1, the persistent communication session comprising persistent internet protocol (IP) connection, wherein detecting the traffic pattern comprises identifying an acknowledgment message sent by the mobile device to the application server in response to the mobile device receiving a push notification from the application server.

3. The method of claim 1, the persistent communication session comprising persistent internet protocol (IP) connection, wherein detecting the traffic pattern comprises identifying an acknowledgment message received by the mobile device in response to the mobile device sending a keep-alive notification to the application server.

4. The method of claim 1, the persistent communication session comprising persistent internet protocol (IP) connection, the persistent IP connection having configuration information associated therewith, wherein detecting the traffic pattern comprises determining a first packet received by the mobile device has configuration information matching the configuration information for the persistent IP connection.

5. The method of claim 1, the persistent communication session comprising persistent internet protocol (IP) connection, the persistent IP connection having configuration information associated therewith, wherein detecting the traffic pattern comprises determining a first packet sent by the mobile device has configuration information matching the configuration information for the persistent IP connection.

6. The method of claim 1, the persistent communication session comprising persistent internet protocol (IP) connection, wherein detecting the traffic pattern comprises identifying a packet having an IP address associated with the application server.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the packet is selected from the group consisting of a TCP/IP packet, an IP datagram, and a TCP segment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically initiating the transition to the second operating state comprises transmitting a signaling connection release indication to the wireless network.

9. The method of claim 8, the wireless network being configured to send an acknowledgment message in response to the signaling connection release indication, wherein the method further comprises configuring the mobile device for the second operating state in response to receiving the acknowledgment message.

10. The method of claim 9, the mobile device including a transmitter arrangement and a receiver arrangement, wherein configuring the mobile device for the second operating state comprises disabling at least one of the transmitter arrangement and the receiver arrangement.

11. The method of claim 1, the first operating state comprising a CELL_DCH state, wherein automatically initiating the transition to the second operating state comprises configuring the mobile device for an operating state selected from the group consisting of a CELL_FACH state, a CELL_PCH state, a URA_PCH state, and an idle state.

12. A method for operating user equipment configured to wirelessly communicate with a radio access network, the method comprising:

establishing, by the user equipment, a persistent internet protocol (IP) connection with an application service over the radio access network;

identifying, by the user equipment, a traffic pattern for maintaining the persistent IP connection; and

automatically configuring the user equipment for an idle state in response to identifying the traffic pattern.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the traffic pattern comprises identifying a packet having configuration information corresponding to configuration information for the persistent IP connection.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying the traffic pattern comprises determining an IP address associated with the packet corresponds to an IP address for the application service.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying the traffic pattern comprises determining a TCP port associated with the packet corresponds to a TCP port for the application service.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising monitoring data traffic at the user equipment, the data traffic comprising one or more packets sent and/or received by the user equipment, wherein identifying the packet comprises identifying the packet from among the one or more packets sent and/or received by the user equipment.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein automatically configuring the user equipment for the idle state comprises automatically transmitting a signaling connection release indication in response to identifying the traffic pattern.

18. A mobile device comprising:

an application module configured to execute application software, the application software being configured to support a persistent connection with an application server in communication with a wireless network;

a baseband module coupled to the application module;

a transmitter arrangement coupled to the baseband module, the baseband module and the transmitter arrangement being cooperatively configured to transmit messages to the application server from the application software over the wireless network, wherein the baseband module is configured to;

identify a message being transmitted on behalf of the application software for maintaining the persistent connection; and

disabling the transmitter arrangement after identifying the message.

19. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the baseband module is configured to:

identify a keep-alive notification being transmitted by the application software; and

disable the transmitter arrangement in response to identifying the keep-alive notification.

20. The mobile device of claim 18, further comprising a receiver arrangement coupled to the baseband module, the baseband module and the receiver arrangement being cooperatively configured to receive messages for the application software from the application server over the wireless network, the application software being configured to transmit an acknowledgment message in response to receiving a push notification from the application server, wherein the baseband module is configured to:

identify the acknowledgment message being transmitted by the application software; and

disable the transmitter arrangement in response to identifying the acknowledgment message.