Method and apparatus for providing a dynamic inactivity timer in a wireless communications network

• US 8,611,825 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2010
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), Board of Regents of the University of Michigan (University of Michigan)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gerber, Alexandre, Mao, Zhuoqing, Qian, Feng, Sen, Subhabrata, Spatscheck, Oliver, Wang, Zhaoguang
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsieh, Ping
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANG, CHUNG TIEN
• Application Number:
  US12/946,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20120122405A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.11, 4553431- 5, 455/454, 370/311, 370/350
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0232 according to average transmission signal activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method, a computer readable medium and an apparatus for providing a dynamic inactivity timer are disclosed. For example, the method monitors a timer for a time threshold associated with a burst of a plurality of bursts of packets, and determines if the timer for the time threshold associated with the burst has expired. The method predicts an inter-burst time for the burst, if the timer for the time threshold associated with the burst has expired and sets the dynamic inactivity timer in accordance with the inter-burst time for the burst.

Claims

1. A method for providing a dynamic inactivity timer in a network, comprising:

monitoring, by a processor, a timer for a time threshold associated with a burst of a plurality of bursts of packets;

determining, by the processor, if the timer for the time threshold associated with the burst has expired;

predicting, by the processor, an inter-burst time for the burst, when the timer for the time threshold associated with the burst has expired; and

setting, by the processor, the dynamic inactivity timer in accordance with the inter-burst time for the burst, wherein the setting the dynamic inactivity timer comprises determining if the inter-burst time is greater than an inactivity timer for transitioning from a first state to a second state, wherein the first state is associated with a first level of radio resource, wherein the second state is associated with a second level of radio resource, wherein the first level of radio resource is larger than the second level of radio resource.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a packet;

determining if the packet is for the burst;

resetting the timer for the time threshold associated with the burst, when the packet is for the burst; and

recording a new burst and setting a second timer for a second time threshold associated with the new burst, when the packet is not for the burst.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting the dynamic inactivity timer further comprises:

setting the dynamic inactivity timer to a value of the inactivity time for transitioning from the first state to the second state, when the predicted inter-burst time is not greater than the inactivity timer for transitioning from the first state to the second state; and

setting the dynamic inactivity timer to zero, when the inter-burst time is greater than the inactivity timer for transitioning from the first state to the second state.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first state is a cell_dch state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second state is a cell_fach state.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

storing a value of the dynamic inactivity timer.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

storing a value of the predicted inter-burst time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting the dynamic inactivity timer is performed on a per user endpoint device basis.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining inter-arrival time data associated with a user endpoint device; and

performing machine learning based on the inter-arrival time data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the performing the machine learning is performed at a radio network controller.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the performing the machine learning is based on data collected from a plurality of user endpoint devices.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein inter-arrival time data is obtained on a per user endpoint device basis.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the predicting the inter-burst time is performed by utilizing a decision tree as a classifier of inter-burst times.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the decision tree is based on a feature that characterizes inter-burst times.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for providing a dynamic inactivity timer in a network, the operations comprising:

monitoring a timer for a time threshold associated with a burst of a plurality of bursts of packets;

determining if the timer for the time threshold associated with the burst has expired;

predicting an inter-burst time for the burst, when the timer for the time threshold associated with the burst has expired; and

setting the dynamic inactivity timer in accordance with the inter-burst time for the burst, wherein the setting the dynamic inactivity timer comprises determining if the inter-burst time is greater than an inactivity timer for transitioning from a first state to a second state, wherein the first state is associated with a first level of radio resource, wherein the second state is associated with a second level of radio resource, wherein the first level of radio resource is larger than the second level of radio resource.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a packet;

determining if the packet is for the burst;

resetting the timer for the time threshold associated with the burst, when the packet is for the burst; and

recording a new burst and setting a second timer for a second time threshold associated with the new burst, when the packet is not for the burst.

17. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the setting the dynamic inactivity timer further comprises:

setting the dynamic inactivity timer to a value of the inactivity time for transitioning from the first state to the second state, when the predicted inter-burst time is not greater than the inactivity timer for transitioning from the first state to the second state; and

setting the dynamic inactivity timer to zero, when the inter-burst time is greater than the inactivity timer for transitioning from the first state to the second state.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first state is a cell_dch state.

19. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the second state is a cell_fach state.

20. An apparatus for providing a dynamic inactivity timer in a network, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

monitoring a timer for a time threshold associated with a burst of a plurality of bursts of packets;

determining if the timer for the time threshold associated with the burst has expired;

predicting an inter-burst time for the burst, when the timer for the time threshold associated with the burst has expired; and

setting the dynamic inactivity timer in accordance with the inter-burst time for the burst, wherein the setting the dynamic inactivity timer comprises determining if the inter-burst time is greater than an inactivity timer for transitioning from a first state to a second state, wherein the first state is associated with a first level of radio resource, wherein the second state is associated with a second level of radio resource, wherein the first level of radio resource is larger than the second level of radio resource.