Device Triggered Channel Selection

• US 20130316716A1
• Filed: 11/13/2012
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Tapia, Pablo, Ionescu, Alexandru Catalin
• Granted Patent: US 8,923,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states

Abstract

A telecommunication device having a network interface module that is operable to detect an action at a network-driven application of the telecommunication device, which uses broadband Internet access to carry out its primary application functions. The network interface module then determines whether the detected action initiates a data transfer request corresponding to an application-specific rule identifying a timing sensitivity of the network-driven application. Then, based on this determination, the network interface module identifies and triggers a transition to a designated radio resource control (RRC) connected mode channel for a data transfer of the network-driven application to another network device, to improve a user'"'"'s quality of experience (QoE) by reducing latency associated with the data transfer.

Claims

1. A telecommunication device comprising:

a radio transceiver;

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing a plurality of applications and a network interface module,

wherein the network interface module is executed by the one or more processors to;

detect an action at a network-driven application of the plurality of applications;

determine whether the action initiates a data transfer request that corresponds to an application-specific rule that is related to a data-type sensitivity level of the network-driven application; and

identify a designated connected mode communication channel for a data transfer of the network-driven application to a network device in response to determining that the data transfer request corresponds to the application-specific rule.

2. The telecommunication device of claim 1, wherein the data transfer of the network-driven application transfers application-specific content to the network device over a telecommunication network.

3. The telecommunication device of claim 1, wherein the network-driven application comprises one of a web-browser, a media content storefront application, and a data streaming application.

4. The telecommunication device of claim 1, wherein the network interface module is further operable by the one or more processors to add supplemental data to a corresponding data transfer request after identifying the designated connected mode communication channel, wherein the supplemental data includes dummy data or buffered data.

5. The telecommunication device of claim 4, wherein the supplemental data is added by padding the dummy data to the corresponding data transfer request or by piggybacking the buffered data to the corresponding data transfer request, and wherein the supplemental data is added to the corresponding data transfer request to affect a channel state transition from a current communication channel to the designated connected mode communication channel.

6. The telecommunication device of claim 1, wherein the designated connected mode communication channel is a transport channel comprising a forward access channel (FACH) or a dedicated channel (DCH).

7. The telecommunication device of claim 1, wherein the application-specific rule is based on a data-type sensitivity level of a network-driven media-streaming application.

8. A method comprising:

detecting an action at an application of a telecommunication device;

determining whether the action corresponds to a request for data associated with the application;

comparing the data request to at least one application-specific rule of the application to determine if a corresponding rule exists for the data request; and

identifying a communication channel for transferring data of the data request from the telecommunication device to another network device, upon determining the corresponding rule to exist for the data request.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the application is a network-driven application comprising one of a web-browser, a media content storefront application, and a data streaming application.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising adding supplemental data to the data request, wherein the supplemental data includes either dummy data or buffered data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein adding the supplemental data to the data request further comprises padding the dummy data to the data request or piggybacking the buffered data to the data request.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the identified communication channel is a connected mode transport channel comprising a forward access channel (FACH) or a dedicated channel (DCH).

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the application-specific rule is based on data-type sensitivity level of a network-driven web browser application.

14. A computer storage device with a stored computer-executable program, which when executed by one or more processors, performs acts, comprising:

detecting a data request at a network-driven application of a telecommunication device;

identifying a designated communication channel for a data transfer of the data request to a network device;

adding supplemental data to the data request to affect a channel state transition to the designated communication channel, wherein the supplemental data includes dummy data or buffered data; and

transferring data associated with the network-driven application to the network device using the designated communication channel.

15. The computer storage device of claim 14, wherein the data transfer of the network-driven application transfers application-specific content to the network device over a telecommunication network.

16. The computer storage device of claim 14, wherein the network-driven application comprises one of a web-browser, a media content storefront application, and a data streaming application.

17. The computer storage device of claim 14, wherein the supplemental data is added to the data request by padding the dummy data to the data request or by piggybacking the buffered data to the data request.

18. The computer storage device of claim 14, wherein the designated communication channel is a connected mode transport channel comprising a forward access channel (FACH) or a dedicated channel (DCH).

19. The computer-storage device of claim 14, wherein the act of identifying the designated communication channel includes determining whether the data request corresponds to an application-specific rule of the network-driven application.

20. The computer storage device of claim 19, wherein the application-specific rule is associated with a data-type sensitivity level of the network-driven application.

21. A method comprising:

determining a designated transport channel allocated to a user device;

transmitting, at the user device, supplemental data to a network service provider;

detecting, at the user device, a transport channel state transition that occurs in response to the network service provider receiving a specific quantity of the supplemental data;

determining, at the user device, the specific quantity of supplemental data causing the transport channel state transition; and

setting, at the user device, a transport channel state transition threshold, based on the specific quantity of supplemental data causing the transport channel state transition.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the designated transport channel is a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode channel associated with one of the Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) air interface or the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) air interface.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the supplemental data transmitted to the network service provider is dummy data, and wherein the transport channel state transition occurs in response to the service provider receiving a specific quantity of dummy data from the user device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the transport channel state transition threshold set at the user device is substantially equivalent to a corresponding transport channel state transition threshold set by the service provider.