Application Layer Protocol Support For Sleeping Nodes In Constrained Networks

• US 20120151028A1
• Filed: 06/17/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lu, Guang, Seed, Dale N., Gauvreau, Jean-Louis, Rahman, Shamim Akbar
• Granted Patent: US 8,626,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• 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 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/12 Application layer protocols, e.g. WAP [Wireless Application Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• 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

Methods and systems providing application layer support for one or more sleeping nodes in constrained networks are contemplated. Embodiments contemplate inserting sleep information in a header option or payload of an application layer message. The application layer message may be conveyed in a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) or a constrained application protocol (CoAP). Embodiments contemplate communicating the application layer message to a server, which may serve as a caching and/or buffering proxy.

Claims

1. A first node, the first node being associated with a first communication network and the first node being in communication with a second communication network, the first node being configured, at least in part, to:

communicate with a second node, the second node being associated with the second communication network;

receive sleep information from the second node; and

manage at least one resource of the second node based, at least in part, on the sleep information.

2. The first node of claim 1, wherein the first node is a non-constrained node, and the first node functions as a proxy node.

3. The first node of claim 1, wherein the second node is a constrained node.

4. The first node of claim 1, wherein the first node is further configured to receive an application layer message from the second node.

5. The first node claim 4, wherein the sleep information is included in one or more fields of the application layer message.

6. The first node of claim 5, wherein the one or more fields of the application layer message are a part of at least one of a header or a payload.

7. The first node of claim 4, wherein the application layer message is provided in at least one of hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) or a constrained application protocol (CoAP).

8. The first node of claim 1, wherein the sleep information includes at least one of a sleep duration or a sleep state.

9. The first node of claim 1, wherein the first node is further configured to receive a message from a third node, the third node being associated with the first communication network, and the message from the third node being directed to the second node.

10. The first node of claim 9, wherein the management of the at least one resource of the second node includes caching the message from the third node and providing the message to the second node.

11. A method, the method performed by a first node, the first node being associated with a first communication network and the first node being in communication with a second communication network, the method comprising:

communicating with a second node, the second node being associated with the second communication network;

receiving sleep information from the second node; and

managing at least one resource of the second node based, at least in part, on the sleep information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first node is a non-constrained node, the first node functions as a proxy node, and the second node is a constrained node.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises receiving an application layer message from the second node.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the sleep information is included in one or more fields of the application layer message, and the one or more fields of the application layer message are a part of at least one of a header or a payload.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises subscribing to the second node to receive the sleep information.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises responding to the second node upon receipt of the sleep information.

17. A method, the method performed by a first node, the first node being associated with a first communication network, and the first node being in communication with a second communication network, the method comprising:

communicating with a second node, the second node being associated with the second communication network;

receiving a constrained application protocol (CoAP) message from the second node, the CoAP including at least one header;

determining one or more sleep attributes of the second node from the at least one CoAP message header; and

responding to the message from the second node.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the sleep attributes are represented by a uniform resource identifier (URI) in the at least one CoAP message header.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises synchronizing with the second node upon the second node transitioning from a sleep mode to a non-sleep mode.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises placing the second node into a sleep mode.