Preserving sessions in a wireless network

• US 8,099,504 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2005
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ericsson Evdo, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Airvana Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cherian, Sanjay, Ng, Dennis, Barabell, Arthur J., Ramaswamy, Suresh, Garg, Deepak
• Primary Examiner(s): Bates, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Tom Y
• Application Number:
  US11/166,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20060294241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,398 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/228, 709/239, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections

Abstract

A radio network controller and methods for reestablishing sessions in a wireless network are described. At least a portion of session information associated with a first session is saved; and in response to detecting an unexpected degradation of the first session, reestablishment of the first session is triggered using the portion of the session information.

Claims

1. A method performed by a network device, comprising:

receiving, session information used to pass session data to an access terminal, wherein the session information is associated with a session established on the access terminal;

saving a minimum portion of the session information for reestablishing the session, the minimum portion of the session information comprising (i) a unicast access terminal identifier, a hardware identifier, and a packet data serving node identifier, and (ii) a control channel cycle identifying a periodic window of time in which the access terminal is configured to receive a close session message; and

in response to a degradation of the session, triggering a reestablishment of the session using the minimum portion of the session information,

wherein triggering the reestablishment of the session comprises;

determining that a present time corresponds to the periodic window of time in which the access terminal is configured to receive the close session message; and

causing the close session message to be sent to the access terminal, the close session message causing the access terminal to (i) terminate the session established on the access terminal, and (ii) reestablish the session on the access terminal using the minimum portion of the session information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the degradation of the session comprises a cessation of the session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network device comprises a first network device, the session is established between the access terminal and a second network device, and wherein the method further comprises:

detecting the degradation of the session by detecting a state of the second network device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the state comprises a failure state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering complies with a 1 x Evolution-Data Optimized protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the close session message is sent following detection of the degradation of the session.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the close session message is sent after receiving a request to transmit data to the access terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network device comprises a first network device, the session is reestablished with a second network device, and wherein the reestablishment of the session is triggered based on a load state of the second network device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the access terminal comprises a first access terminal, and wherein the method further comprises:

placing data for one or more degraded sessions in a queue configured to transmit the close session message;

receiving a request to transmit data to a second access terminal associated with a selected, degraded session; and

following receipt of the request;

moving data for the selected, degraded session up in the queue.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more degraded sessions comprise one or more breached sessions.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the access terminal comprises at least one of:

a cellular telephone, a personal data assistant, and a laptop computer.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving a timer comprising a predefined period of time;

determining that the access terminal has failed to request to open a new session, after the predefined period of time has elapsed; and

deleting the minimum portion of the session information for the session.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the network device comprises a first network device, and wherein the method further comprises:

reestablishing the session between the access terminal and a second network device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the session information is saved in a data repository on the network device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the network device comprises a first network device, and wherein the close session message is generated by a second network device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the close session message is transmitted to the access terminal by the second network device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the session comprises a first session, and wherein the method further comprises:

establishing a second session on the access terminal;

and

saving a minimum portion of the second session information to the network device, wherein the minimum portion of the second session information is used to reestablish the second on the access terminal.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, based on the minimum portion of the session information, the close session message for the access terminal for the session.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the session comprises a first session and the access terminal comprises a first access terminal, and wherein the method further comprises:

placing data for the first session in a queue for reestablishment of the first session;

placing data for a second session in the queue for reestablishment of the second session, wherein the second session is prioritized below the first session in the queue;

receiving a request to transmit data to a second access terminal associated with the second session; and

promoting the data for the second session above the data for the first session in the queue, in response to receiving the request to transmit data.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

monitoring a period of time that the data for the first session has spent in the queue; and

deleting the data for the first session from the queue, when the period of time that the data for the first session has spent in the queue exceeds a predetermined time period.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the network device comprises a first network device, wherein the session is established between the access terminal and a second network device, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving data bound for the second network device, after the degradation of the session; and

saving the data until the session is reestablished on the access terminal.

22. A system comprising:

a network device; and

one or more machine-readable media configured to store instructions that are executable by the network device to perform functions comprising;

receiving session information that is used to pass session data to an access terminal, wherein the session information is associated with a session established on the access terminal;

saving a minimum portion of the session information for reestablishing the session, the minimum portion of the session information comprising (i) a unicast access terminal identifier, a hardware identifier, and a packet data serving node identifier, and (ii) a control channel cycle identifying a periodic window of time in which the access terminal is configured to receive a close session message;

in response to a degradation of the session, triggering a reestablishment of the session using the minimum portion of the session information,

wherein triggering the reestablishment of the session comprises;

determining that a present time corresponds to the periodic window of time in which the access terminal is configured to receive the close session message; and

causing the close session message to be sent to the access terminal, the close session message causing the access terminal to (i) terminate the session established on the access terminal, and (ii) reestablish the session on the access terminal using the minimum portion of the session information.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the degradation of the session comprises a termination of the session.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the network device is configured to comply with a Ix Evolution-Data Optimized protocol.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the close session message is transmitted after detection of the degradation of the session on the access terminal.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the degradation of the session comprises a cessation of the session.

27. The system of claim 22, the close session message is transmitted to the access terminal after the network device receives a request to transmit data to the access terminal.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein the access terminal comprises a first access terminal, and wherein the functions further comprise:

generating a queue configured to transmit the close session message, with data for one or more degraded sessions being placed in the queue;

receiving a notification of a request to transmit data to a second access terminal associated with at least one of the one or more degraded sessions; and

moving, in response to the notification, data for the at least one of the one or more degraded sessions to a higher entry in the queue.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the one or more degraded sessions comprise one or more breached sessions.

30. The system of claim 22, wherein the network device comprises one or more of random access memory, flash memory, and disk memory.

31. The system of claim 22, wherein the network device comprises a first network device is configured to establish a communication with a second network device.

32. The system of claim 22, wherein the network device comprises a first network device, wherein the session is established between the access terminal and a second network device, and wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving data bound for the second network device after the degradation of the session and

saving the data until the session is reestablished on the access terminal.

33. The system of claim 22, wherein the network device comprises a first network device, the session is established between the access terminal and a second network device, and wherein the functions further comprise:

detecting the degradation of the session by detecting a state of the second network device.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the state comprises a failure state.

35. The system of claim 22, wherein the functions further comprise:

retrieving a timer comprising a predefined period of time;

determining that the access terminal has failed to request to open a new session, after the predefined period of time has elapsed; and

deleting the minimum portion of the session information for the session.

36. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, executed by a processor of a first network device for:

receiving session information used to pass session data to an access terminal, wherein the session information is associated with a session established on the access terminal;

saving a minimum portion of the session information for reestablishing the session, the minimum portion of the session information comprising (i) a unicast access terminal identifier, a hardware identifier, and a packet data serving node identifier, and (ii) a control channel cycle identifying a periodic window of time in which the access terminal is configured to receive a close session message; and

in response to a degradation of the session, triggering a reestablishment of the session using the minimum portion of the session information,

wherein triggering the reestablishment of the session comprises

determining that a present time corresponds to the periodic window of time in which the access terminal is configured to receive the close session message; and

causing the close session message to be transmitted to the access terminal, the close session message causing the access terminal to (i) terminate the session established on the access terminal and (ii) reestablish the session on the access terminal using the minimum portion of the session information.

37. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein the network device is configured to communicate using a 1 x Evolution-Data Optimized protocol.

38. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein the network device comprises a first network device, the session is reestablished with a second network device, and wherein the reestablishment of the session is triggered based on a load state of the second network device.

39. The computer readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein the session comprises a first session, the access terminal comprises a first access terminal, and wherein the functions further comprise:

placing data for the first session in a queue for reestablishment of the first session;

placing data for a second session in the queue for reestablishment of the second session, wherein the second session is prioritized below the first session in the queue;

receiving a request to transmit data to a second access terminal associated with the second session; and

promoting the data for the second session above the data for the first session in the queue, in response to receiving the request to transmit data.

40. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 39, wherein the functions further comprise:

triggering reestablishment of the first session, after triggering reestablishment of the second session.

41. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein the access terminal comprises a first access terminal, and wherein the functions further:

receiving a request to transmit data to a second access terminal associated with the session; and

after receiving the request to transmit data;

triggering reestablishment of the session on the second access terminal.

42. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein the network device comprises a first network device, wherein the session is established between the access terminal and a second network device, and wherein the functions further comprise

receiving data bound for the second network device, after the degradation of the session;

and

saving the data until the session is reestablished on the access terminal.

43. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein the network device comprises a first network device, the session is established between the access terminal and a second network device, and wherein the functions further comprise:

detecting the degradation of the session by detecting a state of the second network device.

44. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 43, wherein the state comprises a failure state.

45. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 36, wherein the functions further comprise:

retrieving a timer comprising a predefined period of time;

determining that the access terminal has failed to request to open a new session, after the predefined period of time has elapsed; and

deleting the minimum portion of the session information for the session.