Method, System, User Equipment and Program For Dynamically Selecting Proxies For Communication With Servers Using Known Paths

• US 20120284328A1
• Filed: 10/25/2011
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telcordia Technologies Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Telcordia Technologies Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Chung, Chit, Jain, Ashish, Wullert, John R. II, Shim, Hyong Sop, Egan, Dennis
• Granted Patent: US 9,003,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing

Abstract

Method, User equipment, system and program for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server. The method comprising establishing communication links between a plurality of user equipments based upon a proximity of the plurality of user equipments, determining a tactical common mission group selected from the linked plurality of user equipments using a mission profile stored in each of the plurality of user equipments; and selecting a proxy for the tactical common mission group. The proxy communicates with a server on behalf of the tactical common mission group. A proxy is selected based upon a ranking.

Claims

1. A method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server, the method comprising:

establishing communication links between a plurality of user equipments based upon a proximity of the plurality of user equipments;

determining a tactical common mission group selected from the linked plurality of user equipments using a mission profile stored in each of the plurality of user equipments; and

selecting a proxy for the tactical common mission group for subsequent communication with a server on behalf of the tactical common mission group based upon a ranking.

2. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 1, wherein the selected proxy periodically transmits update information to the server.

3. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 2, wherein the update information includes at least location information and mission processing information.

4. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 3, wherein if the plurality of user equipments is not selected as a proxy, the method further comprises:

de-activating mission processing; and

replacing an identifier of a server with an identifier of the proxy, wherein location information is only transmitted by the proxy to the server.

5. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 2, wherein the updating information includes identifiers corresponding to each of the plurality of user equipments to indicate that the proxy is acting on behalf of the tactical common mission group.

6. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 1, wherein the proximity of each of the plurality of user equipments is determined by a short-range communication protocol for each of the user equipment.

7. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 1, wherein multiple proxies are selected.

8. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 7, wherein a number of proxies is determined based upon information in a mission profile.

9. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 1, wherein a user equipment is a member of multiple tactical common mission groups.

10. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 1, wherein the selecting comprises:

computing mission vectors and a ranking using a preset ranking criterion; and

transmitting the ranking to other user equipment in the tactical common mission group.

11. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 10, wherein the preset ranking criterion is a random number.

12. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 10, wherein the preset ranking criterion is an operational parameter of the user equipment.

13. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 12, wherein the operational parameter is a state of a battery.

14. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 12, wherein the operational parameter is a communication property of the user equipment.

15. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 12, wherein the operational parameter is an available capacity of a processor or storage unit in the user equipment.

16. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 10, wherein the preset ranking criterion is a priority of an entity corresponding to the user equipment.

17. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 10, wherein the preset ranking criterion is a weighted combination of at least two parameter selected from a group consisting of:

a random number, at least one operational parameter and a priority of an entity corresponding to the user equipment.

18. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 1, wherein the establishing the communication link comprises:

receiving user equipment discovery messages from user equipment; and

broadcasting a user equipment discovery message, wherein each user equipment discovery message includes at least a network identifier of the user equipment and a mission identifier corresponding to the user equipment sending the user equipment discovery message.

19. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 10, wherein the computing the mission vectors and a ranking is performed when the user equipment detects at least one other linked plurality of user equipments having the same mission.

20. The method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a new or updated mission profile from the server.

21. A user equipment used for wireless communication comprising:

a wireless transceiver for initially transmitting a user equipment discovery message, receiving messages from each discovered user equipment, the messages including mission identifier and a ranking corresponding to each discovered user equipment and transmitting a message to each discovered user equipment containing a mission identifier and a ranking corresponding to the user equipment;

a storage device configured to store at least one mission profile including the mission identifier and a preset ranking criterion corresponding to the user equipment;

a processor configured to when executing a program stored in the storage device provide

a group controller for establishing a communication link between each discovered user equipment and the user equipment, the communication link is based a proximity of user equipment; and

a mission controller for determining whether to create or join a tactical common mission group based upon the mission identifier in the at least one mission profile stored in the storage device of the user equipment and the mission identifiers contained in the messages received by the user equipment from the coupled user equipment, computing mission vectors and a ranking based upon the preset ranking criterion, and determining whether the user equipment is a proxy for the tactical common mission group for subsequent communication with a server on behalf of the communication mission group based upon the computed ranking and rankings in the messages received from each discovered user equipment.

22. The user equipment used for wireless communication of claim 21, wherein the wireless transceiver transmits mission information to the server when the user equipment is the proxy.

23. The user equipment used for wireless communication of claim 21, wherein the wireless transceiver ceases transmission of mission information to the server when the user equipment is not determined to be the proxy.

24. The user equipment used for wireless communication of claim 23, wherein when the user equipment becomes unlinked from the discovered user equipment, the wireless transceiver restarts the transmission of the mission information to the server.

25. The user equipment used for wireless communication of claim 21, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured with multiple access network protocols including a short range access protocol and a wifi protocol.

26. The user equipment used for wireless communication of claim 25, wherein the short range access protocol is used for user equipment discovery.

27. A computer readable storage medium having a computer program for causing a computer to execute a method for limiting an amount of information transmitted between a plurality of user equipments and a server, the method comprising:

establishing communication links between a plurality of user equipments based upon a proximity of the plurality of user equipments;

determining a tactical common mission group selected from the linked plurality of user equipments using a mission profile stored in each of the plurality of user equipments; and

selecting a proxy for the tactical common mission group for subsequent communication with a server on behalf of the tactical common mission group based upon a ranking.