TRAFFIC BACKFILLING

• US 20130324104A1
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Joshi, Kaustubh, Cavilla, Horacio Andres Lagar, Varshavsky, Alex
• Granted Patent: US 8,611,213 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The disclosed subject matter relates to an architecture that can opportunistically leverage existing periods of inactivity or low activity for sending data at virtually no marginal cost. In particular, the architecture can receive data that is to be transmitted over a communications network. The data can be examined to determine whether or not the data is delay-tolerant. If so, then such data can be stored to a staging queue. The data can then be transmitted at a later time, particularly during a high-energy state facilitated by a different data transaction, but for which there are inactive or low-activity times.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the instructions to perform operations, comprising;

receiving data to be transmitted by way of a communication transaction via a network device of a network;

determining that the data is tolerant to a delay;

storing the data to a staging queue in response to the data being determined to be tolerant to the delay;

receiving different data to be transmitted via the network device by way of a different communication transaction that differs from the communication transaction;

transmitting the different data via the network device by way of the different communication transaction; and

transmitting the data during an inactive period associated with the different communication transaction, wherein the inactive period is associated with an inactivity timer that begins in response to determining that the different data is not being transmitted by way of the different communication transaction.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining the data is tolerant to the delay based on input received from an application associated with the data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the data comprises transmitting the data based on a network condition.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

processing the staging queue; and

initiating a clearing communication transaction to transmit a portion of the data included in the staging queue.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the clearing communications transaction is initiated based on a size of the data in the staging queue.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the clearing communications transaction is initiated based on a length of time the data has been in the staging queue.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the clearing communications transaction is initiated based on a degree of tolerance to the delay associated with the data in the staging queue.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the inactive period occurs during a dedicated transport channel state associated with the different communication transaction.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise transitioning from the dedicated transport channel state to a different state in response to a portion of the data in the staging queue being determined to have been transmitted.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the transition from the dedicated transport channel state to the different state simulates a state transition determined to occur without data stored in the staging queue being transmitted.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, transmission data identified for transmission by way of a communication transaction via a network device of a network;

determining, by the system, that the transmission data is delay-tolerant;

storing, by the system, the transmission data in a queue in response to the transmission data being determined to be delay-tolerant;

receiving, by the system, different transmission data to be transmitted by way of a different communication transaction that differs from the communication transaction;

determining, by the system, that the different data is not delay-tolerant;

transmitting, by the system, the different transmission data via the network device by way of the different communication transaction; and

transmitting the transmission data during an inactive period associated with the different communication transaction, wherein the inactive period is associated with an inactivity timer that begins in response to determining that the different transmission data is not being transmitted by way of the different communication transaction.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining that the transmission data is delay-tolerant comprises determining that the transmission data is delay-tolerant based on input received from an application associated with the transmission data.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining that the transmission data is delay-tolerant comprises determining that the transmission data is delay-tolerant based on a classification of the transmission data according to a determined degree of delay-tolerance.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising initiating, by the system, a clearing communication transaction to transmit at least a portion of the transmission data stored in the queue.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein inactivity timer is associated with a dedicated transport channel beginning to count, and wherein the dedicated transport channel is associated with the different communication transaction.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising facilitating, by the system, a transition from a dedicated transport channel state to a different state in response to at least a portion of the transmission data being transmitted.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the facilitating the transition comprises simulating an expected state transition for a state wherein the transmission data stored in the queue is not transmitted.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution, cause a computer system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

receiving transmission data to be transmitted via a communication transaction by way of a network device of a communications network;

determining that the transmission data is tolerant to a delay;

maintaining the transmission data in a queue in response to the transmission data being determined to be tolerant to the delay;

receiving different transmission data to be transmitted via a different communication transaction by way of the network device;

determining that the different transmission data is not tolerant to the delay;

transmitting the different transmission data via the communications network by way of the different communication transaction; and

transmitting the transmission data during an inactive period associated with the different communication transaction, wherein the inactive period is associated with an inactivity timer that begins in response to determining that the different transmission data is not being transmitted by way of the different communication transaction.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprising facilitating transitioning from a first energy state to a second energy state lower than the first energy state in response to at least a portion of the transmission data being transmitted.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the facilitating transitioning comprises simulating a state transition that is expected for a state wherein the transmission data stored in the queue is not transmitted.