Method and apparatus for mitigating the impact of receiving unsolicited IP packets at a wireless device

• US 8,379,553 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2005
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Lioy, Marcello, Nookala, Sriram Nagesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Huy C
• Application Number:
  US11/135,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20060109846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,829 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/338
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0238 where the received signal is an unwanted signal, e.g. interference or idle signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

To initiate dormancy early, a wireless device receives an IP packet from a wireless network and determines whether the received IP packet is an unsolicited IP packet. An unsolicited IP packet may be declared if the received IP packet causes the wireless device to reactivate from dormancy or is not delivered to an application or service running at the wireless device. The wireless device transitions to dormancy early if the received IP packet is deemed to be an unsolicited IP packet and no other events prevent transition to dormancy. The wireless device may use (1) a shortened value for an inactivity timer for a predetermined time duration if an unsolicited IP packet is detected and (2) a nominal value for the inactivity timer thereafter. The wireless device resets the inactivity timer whenever an IP packet is sent or received and transitions to dormancy upon expiration of the inactivity timer.

Claims

1. A wireless device comprising:

a processor operative to receive a packet from a wireless network while in dormancy; and

a controller operative to determine whether the received packet is an unsolicited packet not requested from the wireless network and to initiate transition back to dormancy early if the received packet is determined to be an unsolicited packet,

wherein the controller is operative to reset an inactivity timer to a shortened value if the received packet is determined to be an unsolicited packet and to initiate transition to dormancy upon expiration of the inactivity timer,

wherein the controller is operative to reset the inactivity timer to a predetermined value if the received packet is determined not to be an unsolicited packet and to initiate transition to dormancy upon expiration of the inactivity timer, and

wherein the shortened value is shorter than the predetermined value.

2. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the controller is operative to determine the received packet to be an unsolicited packet if the received packet is not delivered to an application or a service running at the wireless device.

3. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the controller is operative to determine the received packet to be an unsolicited packet if the received packet results in no reply or a reject reply.

4. The wireless device of claim 3, wherein the reject reply includes sending a transmission control protocol (TCP) reset packet.

5. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the controller is operative to determine the received packet to be an unsolicited packet if a subsequent data exchange, if any, following receipt of the packet is shorter than a predetermined time duration.

6. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the shortened value of the inactivity timer is configurable based upon network conditions.

7. The wireless device of claim 6, wherein the shortened value of the inactivity timer is within a range of 1 to 5 seconds.

8. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined value of the inactivity timer is configurable based upon network conditions.

9. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the controller is operative to re-establish one or more traffic channels with the wireless network and remain in an active state for a particular period of time if the received packet is determined not to be an unsolicited packet.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, at a wireless device, a packet from a wireless network while in dormancy;

determining whether the received packet is an unsolicited packet not requested from the wireless network; and

transitioning back to dormancy early if the received packet is determined to be an unsolicited packet, by;

resetting an inactivity timer to a shortened value if the received packet is determined to be an unsolicited packet

resetting the inactivity timer to a predetermined value if the received packet is determined not to be an unsolicited packet and

initiating transition to dormancy upon expiration of the inactivity timer,

wherein the shortened value is shorter than the predetermined value.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining whether the received packet is an unsolicited packet comprises determining the received packet to be an unsolicited packet if the received packet is not delivered to an application or a service.

12. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a packet from a wireless network while in dormancy;

means for determining whether the received packet is an unsolicited packet not requested from the wireless network; and

means for transitioning back to dormancy early if the received packet is determined to be an unsolicited packet, the means for transitioning comprising;

means for resetting an inactivity timer to a shortened value if the received packet is determined to be an unsolicited packet;

means for resetting the inactivity timer to a predetermined value if the received packet is determined not to be an unsolicited packet; and

means for initiating transition to dormancy upon expiration of the inactivity timer,

wherein the shortened value is shorter than the predetermined value.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

means for determining the received packet to be an unsolicited packet if the received packet is not delivered to an application or a service.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations, on a wireless device, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

instructions to determine whether a packet received from a wireless network while in dormancy is an unsolicited packet not requested from the wireless network; and

instructions to initiate transition back to dormancy early if the received packet is determined to be an unsolicited packet, comprising;

instructions to reset an inactivity timer to a shortened value if the received packet is determined to be an unsolicited packet;

instructions to reset the inactivity timer to a predetermined value if the received packet is determined not to be an unsolicited packet; and

instructions to initiate transition to dormancy upon expiration of the inactivity timer,

wherein the shortened value is shorter than the predetermined value.

15. A wireless device comprising:

a processor operative to receive a packet from a wireless network while in dormancy; and

a controller operative to

determine whether the received packet is an unsolicited packet not requested from the wireless network,

use a first timer value for an inactivity timer for a predetermined time duration if the received packet is determined to be an unsolicited packet, the inactivity timer reset to the first timer value upon receipt of a packet during the predetermined time duration,

use a second timer value for the inactivity timer after the predetermined time duration, the inactivity timer reset to the second timer value upon receipt of a packet after the predetermined time duration, and

initiate transition to dormancy upon expiration of the inactivity timer.

16. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the predetermined time duration is equal to the first timer value or the second timer value.

17. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the first timer value is configurable.

18. A method comprising:

determining, at a wireless device, whether a packet received while in dormancy is an unsolicited packet not requested from a wireless network;

using a first timer value for an inactivity timer if the received packet is determined to be an unsolicited packet, wherein the first timer value is used for a predetermined time duration, wherein the inactivity timer is reset to the first timer value upon receipt of each packet during the predetermined time duration;

using a second timer value for the inactivity timer after the predetermined time duration;

wherein the inactivity timer is reset to the second timer value upon receipt of each packet after the predetermined time duration; and

transitioning to dormancy upon expiration of the inactivity timer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the predetermined time duration is equal to the first timer value or the second timer value.

20. A wireless device comprising:

a processor operative to receive a packet from a wireless network; and

a controller operative to determine whether the received packet is an unsolicited packet not requested from the wireless network, to reset an inactivity timer to a nominal value if the received packet is not determined to be an unsolicited packet, to reset the inactivity timer to a shortened value if the received packet is determined to be an unsolicited packet, and to initiate transition to dormancy upon expiration of the inactivity timer, wherein the shortened value is shorter than the nominal value.