SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING APPLICATION UPDATES ACROSS A WIRELESS INTERFACE

• US 20120207098A1
• Filed: 03/23/2007
• Published: 08/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: ZenZui, Inc. (Aclate, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cooley, James W., Tucker, Neal E.
• Application Number:
  US11/690,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20120207098A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• 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: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method for managing connections between a mobile device and a network server over a single connection in a bandwidth-efficient manner. In one embodiment, a single persistent wireless interface connection is maintained in a manner that allows for multiplexing several services over that connection in a dynamic service priority manner. Each type of data that is to be communicated across the air interface has a priority associated therewith. By managing the data transfer in accordance with its priority, the bandwidth of the total data transfer across the interface is managed so as to conserve battery life and minimize the bandwidth required at any point in time. From time to time, the priority of any given type of data can be adjusted dynamically depending upon several factors. Thus, it is possible to delay certain data transfers in favor of other data transfers, thereby conserving bandwidth and battery life.

Claims

1. A method of managing application updates on a mobile device;

said method comprising;

associating a priority function with each said application;

dynamically adjusting said priority function on an application by application basis; and

retrieving application updated data over a wireless network, said application updated data retrieved based at least in part on a current priority function for each application.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said retrieving is based at least in part on bandwidth limitations over said wireless network.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said dynamically adjusting for a particular application is based on at least one function from the list of:

known uses for said particular application;

time of day;

frequency of use of said particular application;

bandwidth used for a period of time;

battery usage, current device activity.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said retrieving is from a server and wherein said server provides data for a plurality of applications;

said method further comprising;

coordinating said retrieval of data for all applications on said mobile device through a single connection between said server and said mobile device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said coordinating is based upon a relative current priority function of each said application served by said server.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

adding side channel messages to any said connection between said server and said mobile device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said side channel messages comprise messages that are short in duration as compared to said updated application data.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said retrieving comprises:

pausing all data retrieval for a period of time based upon allocated bandwidth.

9. A mobile device having a plurality of user available applications contained thereon;

said device comprising;

a message connection manager for controlling a wireless communication channel between said device and a particular network location; and

a service manager for coordinating updates to device applications from said particular network location, said updates managed from time to time based upon a then current relative priority among said applications.

10. The mobile device of claim 9 wherein all device applications that require updates from said particular network location communicate with said particular location over said controlled wireless communication channel.

11. The mobile device of claim 9 wherein said message manager is operable for pausing any data transfer over said communication channel for periods of time based, at least in part, on an allocation of bandwidth as a function of time.

12. The mobile device of claim 11 wherein said service manager is operable for dynamically changing a priority of any said application.

13. The mobile device of claim 12 wherein said dynamically changing priority for a particular application is based upon at least one of the following:

known uses for said particular application;

time of day;

frequency of use of said particular application;

bandwidth used for a period of time;

estimated battery level;

current device activity.

14. The mobile device of claim 10 further comprising:

at least one additional message connection manager for controlling a separate wireless communication channel between said device and other particular network locations, each said separate wireless communication channel handling updates for all applications that receive updates from said particular other network location.

15. Machine controllable code for use in a mobile wireless telephone, said code operable for:

controlling a communication channel between said telephone and a particular network location; and

managing updates from said particular network location to applications resident on said telephone, said updates managed from time to time based upon a then current relative priority among said applications.

16. The code of claim 15 further operable for

pausing any data transfer for periods of time based, at least in part, on an allocation of bandwidth as a function of time.

17. The code of claim 16 further operable for:

dynamically changing a priority of any said application.

18. The code of claim 17 wherein said dynamically changing priority for a particular application is based upon at least one of the following:

known uses for said particular application;

time of day;

frequency of use of said particular application;

bandwidth used for a period of time;

battery usage;

current usage of said telephone.

19. The code of claim 18 further operable for:

coordinating data transfer between said telephone and particular location over side channels of said communication channel.

20. The code of claim 19 wherein said last-mentioned data transfer is used for transferring flag signals between said particular network location and said telephone.