MOBILE APPLICATION TRAFFIC OPTIMIZATION

• US 20120135726A1
• Filed: 07/22/2011
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seven Networks LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Seven Networks Inc
• Inventors: Luna, Michael, Ylinen, Heikki, Salorinne, Seppo
• Granted Patent: US 8,886,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/122 by diverting traffic away from congested entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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 67/288 Distributed intermediate devices, i.e. intermediate devices for interaction with other intermediate devices on the same level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2885 Hierarchically arranged intermediate devices, e.g. for hierarchical caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5683 Storage of data provided by user terminals, i.e. reverse caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 : Maintenance of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 : Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 : Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 : Reducing energy consumption in communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for mobile application traffic optimization are disclosed. In one aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure include a distributed proxy and cache system, including, a local proxy on a mobile device for intercepting a data request made via a mobile device, and a proxy server coupled to the mobile device and a content server to which the data request is directed. In one embodiment, the local proxy can forward the data request to the proxy server for transmission to the content server for a response to the data request. In addition, the proxy server sends the data request to the content server independent of activities on the local proxy and notifies the local proxy when changed or different content on the content server is detected for the data request. One embodiment of the distributed proxy and cache system further includes a cache shared between the local proxy and the proxy server and the component on the local proxy and is queried for a locally stored response to the data request prior to the data request being forwarded on to the proxy server.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing traffic in a wireless network, the method, comprising:

using application behavior of multiple applications accessed on a mobile device to align content requests made over the wireless network;

polling over the wireless network in accordance with the aligned content requests to satisfy data requests of at least some of the multiple applications.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, aligning content requests for the at least some of the multiple applications based on content types requested by the multiple applications.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, content requests are aligned based on mobile device parameters.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, content requests are aligned and polled based on network parameters or conditions.

5. A method for optimizing traffic in a wireless network, the method, comprising:

using application behavior of multiple applications accessed on a mobile device to detect recurrences in application requests made by the multiple applications;

using the recurrences, offloading polling of content sources that would result from the application requests that would be performed at the mobile device to be performed instead, by a proxy server remote from the mobile device in the wireless network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, the proxy server notifies the mobile device when content change is detected in response to the polling of the content sources.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, cached content is provided when content change is not detected in the polling of the content sources.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein, recurrences of application behavior are identified by tracking patterns in application behavior.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, application patterns include, one or more of, frequency that requested content is the same, frequency with which a same request is made, interval between requests, applications making a request.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein, use of cached content versus requesting data from the content source is determined based on the patterns in application behavior.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising, generating an application profile using the application behavior.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein, the polling is offloaded when the recurrences match a rule.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein, the application behavior is tracked by a local proxy on the mobile device and communicated to the proxy server as connection metadata, the proxy server being coupled to the content sources.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, the local proxy identifies and retrieves mobile device properties including, one or more of, battery level, network that the device is registered on, radio state, whether the mobile device is being used.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein, the local proxy delays or modifies data prior to transmission to the proxy server.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein, the local proxy includes a local cache and satisfies application requests on the mobile device using cached content stored in the local cache.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein, the proxy server includes a device information cache to store device properties.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein, the proxy server delays or modifies data from the local proxy prior to transmission to the content sources.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein, the proxy server delays delivery of a response received from the content sources.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein, the local proxy delays delivery of a response received from the content sources.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein, the proxy server uses device properties and connection metadata to generate rules for satisfying request of applications on the mobile device.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein, the proxy server gathers real time traffic information about requests of applications for later use in optimizing similar connections with the mobile device or other mobile devices.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein, the local proxy and the proxy server are transparent to the multiple applications executing on the mobile device.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the local proxy is transparent to an operating system of the mobile device.

25. A method for reducing traffic in a cellular network used to satisfy data requests made by a mobile application, the system, comprising:

intercepting a data request made by the mobile application on a mobile device;

querying a local repository on the mobile device to determine if any locally stored response is valid;

querying a remote proxy for any remotely stored response if the locally stored response is invalid;

wherein, either the locally stored response or the remotely stored response is provided to the mobile device without the mobile device needing to access the cellular network.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising, sending the data request to the remote proxy which forwards the data request to a content source.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising, receiving a response provided by the content source through the remote proxy, and locally storing the response in the local cache on the mobile device for subsequent use in satisfying same or similar data requests.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising, receiving a response provided by the content source through the remote proxy, and storing the response in the remote proxy for subsequent use in satisfying same or similar data requests.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising, notifying the remote proxy to monitor responses received for the data request from the content source for changed results prior to returning the result to the mobile device.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the notifying is performed when the data request to the content source has yielded changed or different results to be returned to the mobile device.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising, storing the response to the local cache for the data request when the remote proxy is notified to monitor the responses for the data request.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein, the remote proxy performs the data request identified for monitoring and notifies the mobile device when an unexpected response to the data request is detected.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising, erasing or replacing the locally stored response on the mobile device when notified of the unexpected response to the data request.

34. The method of claim 25, wherein, the mobile application includes a web-browsing application.

35. The method of claim 25, wherein the mobile application includes a video streaming application.

36. A system with distributed proxy for reducing traffic to satisfy data requests made in a wireless network, the system, comprising:

a mobile device having a local proxy for intercepting a data request made via the mobile device;

a proxy server coupled to the mobile device and a content server to which the data request is directed;

wherein, the proxy server is able to communicate with the local proxy, the local proxy forwards the data request to the proxy server for transmission to the content server for a response to the data request;

wherein, the proxy server sends the data request to the content server independent of activities on the local proxy and notifies the local proxy when different content on the content server is detected for the data request.

37. The system of claim 36, further comprising,

a cache shared between the local proxy and the proxy server;

wherein, the cache includes component on the local proxy and is queried for a locally stored response to the data request prior to the data request being forwarded on to the proxy server.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein, the local proxy identifies the data request which yields same results returned from the content server and notifies the proxy server to monitor responses received for the same data request made in the future for changed results prior to sending the result to the local proxy.

39. The system of claim 36, wherein, traffic between the proxy server and the content server is optimized at the protocol level.

40. A method for reducing traffic in a wireless network used to satisfy data requests made by a mobile application on a mobile device, the method, comprising:

intercepting a data request made by the mobile application;

simulating an application server authentication and querying a local cache on the mobile device to retrieve connection information if available;

upon authentication, simulating application server responses for the mobile application on the mobile device for data requests where responses are available in the local cache.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

routing the data request to a remote proxy over the wireless network to establish a connection with the application server to perform authentication and transfer of data between the application server and the mobile application on the mobile device.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein, the remote proxy stores information about the connection for subsequent use.

43. A system with distributed proxy for reducing traffic in a wireless network to satisfy data requests made by a mobile application the system, comprising:

a mobile device having a local proxy for intercepting a data request made by the mobile application;

the local proxy simulating application server responses for the mobile application on the mobile device for data requests where responses are available in the local cache;

a proxy server coupled to the mobile device and an application server to which the data request is made;

wherein, the proxy server is able to communicate with the local proxy, the local proxy forwards the data request to the proxy server for transmission to the application server for a response to the data request;

wherein, the proxy server queries the application server independent of activities of the mobile application for any changes to the data request that the mobile application has previously made and notifies the local proxy of such changes.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein, the wireless network includes the cellular network.

45. The system of claim 43, wherein, the wireless network includes a WiFi network.

46. A system with distributed proxy for reducing network resources used for keep-alive messages in a wireless network, the system, comprising:

a mobile device having a local proxy;

a proxy server coupled to the local proxy and a content server to which application requests from the mobile device are directed;

wherein, the proxy server is able to communicate with the local proxy, the local proxy prevents keep-alive messages from being sent from the mobile device over the wireless network;

wherein, the proxy server generates the keep-alive messages to maintain connectivity with the content server.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the local proxy is transparent to an application on the mobile device.

48. The system of claim 46, wherein the local proxy is bundled into a wireless modem.

49. The system of claim 46, wherein the local proxy is bundled into a firewall or router.

50. The system of claim 46, wherein, the proxy server generates the keep-alive messages independent of the operations of the local proxy on the mobile device.