METHOD, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING DATA VIA MORE THAN ONE COMMUNICATIONS INTERFACE

• US 20130304847A1
• Filed: 05/10/2012
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: EWANCHUK, Andrew John, MAY, Darrell Reginald, RUSSELL, Graham
• Granted Patent: US 9,009,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A method system and apparatus for transferring data via more than one communications interface are provided. A data file is transferred, at a processor of a device, and via at least one communications network, on a first communications interface of the device and a second communications interface of the device, the second communications interface different from the first communications interface.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a processor, a first communications interface, and a second communications interface different from the first communications interface, the processor enabled to;

transfer a data file via at least one communications network on the first communications interface and the second communications interface.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further enabled to manage the transfer of the data file on the first communications interface and the second communications interface at an application layer of the device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further enabled to process an application for managing the transfer of the data file on the first communications interface and the second communications interface.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further enabled to transfer the data file on the first communications interface and the second communications interface by transferring respective chunks of the data file via the first communications interface and the second communications interface.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the transfer of the data file comprises an upload of the data file to a target device via the communications network and the processor is further enabled to break the data file into the respective chunks.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the transfer of the data file comprises a download of the data file from at least one remote device via the communications network and the processor is further enabled to:

assemble the respective chunks from the first communications interface and the second communications interface into the data file.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further enabled to:

first transfer the data file on one of the first communications interface and the second communications interface until a respective threshold transfer rate is reached; and

, then

transfer the data file on the first communications interface and the second communications interface.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further enabled to determine which of the first communications interface and the second interface to first transfer the data file based on one or more of:

a priority list of communications interfaces stored at a memory of the device;

respective quality of service (QOS) metrics associated with each of the first communications interface and the second communications interface;

respective speeds of transfer associated with each of the first communications interface and the second communications interface; and

,

respective costs of transfer associated with each of the first communications interface and the second communications interface.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one further communications interface, and the processor is further enabled to transfer the data file on two or more of the first communications interface, the second communications interface, and the at least one further communications interface.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the first communications interface, and the second communications interface comprises a respective radio.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the transfer of the data file comprises a torrent protocol.

12. A method comprising:

transferring a data file, at a processor of a device, and via at least one communications network on a first communications interface of the device and a second communications interface of the device, the second communications interface different from the first communications interface.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising managing, at the processor, the transfer of the data file on the first communications interface and the second communications interface at an application layer of the device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising processing, at the processor, an application for managing the transfer of the data file on the first communications interface and the second communications interface.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising transferring, via the processor, the data file on the first communications interface and the second communications interface by transferring respective chunks of the data file via the first communications interface and the second communications interface.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the transfer of the data file comprises an upload of the data file to a target device via the communications network, the method further comprising breaking the data file into the respective chunks.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the transfer of the data file comprises a download of the data file from at least one remote device via the communications network, the method further comprising assembling the respective chunks from the first communications interface and the second communications interface into the data file.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

first transferring, via the processor, the data file on one of the first communications interface and the second communications interface until a respective threshold transfer rate is reached; and

, then

transferring, via the processor, the data file on the first communications interface and the second communications interface.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining, at the processor, which of the first communications interface and the second interface to first transfer the data file based on one or more of:

a priority list of communications interfaces stored at a memory of the device;

respective quality of service (QOS) metrics associated with each of the first communications interface and the second communications interface;

respective speeds of transfer associated with each of the first communications interface and the second communications interface; and

,

respective costs of transfer associated with each of the first communications interface and the second communications interface.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising transferring, via the processor, the data file on two or more of the first communications interface, the second communications interface, and at least one further communications interface of the device.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the transfer of the data file comprises a torrent protocol.