Tail optimization protocol for cellular radio resource allocation

• US 8,744,367 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2010
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• 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): Nguyen, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US12/872,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20120052814A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,372 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.11
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/005 Routing actions in the presence of nodes in sleep or doze mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 triggered by timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for increasing the power and resource efficiency of a mobile network device are presented herein. More particularly, described herein is a novel Tail Optimization Protocol (TOP) and/or other mechanisms, systems and methods for enabling cooperation between a mobile device and an associated radio access network to eliminate idle periods (e.g., tails) when possible. Various systems and methods described herein can leverage the ability of applications and/or their associated connections to accurately predict a long tail time, from which a mobile device can notify an associated cellular network on such an imminent tail in order to allow the cellular network to immediately release tail resources. Various other aspects provided herein realize TOP via fast dormancy and/or other similar notification mechanisms, which enable a handset or other device to notify a cellular network for immediate resource release.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

based on a time period of a network inactivity timer associated with a state transition of a user equipment from a first communicative state to a second communicative state, determining, by a system comprising a processor, a tail timing criterion, wherein a first set of radio resources utilized by the user equipment in the first communicative state is greater than a second set of the radio resources utilized by the user equipment in the second communicative state; and

in response to determining that inter-transfer time data satisfies the tail timing criterion, determining, by the system, that the user equipment is to be transitioned from the first communicative state to a third communicative state, wherein the inter-transfer time data is indicative of an estimated delay between a data transfer associated with the user equipment and a radio access network device, and a subsequent data transfer associated with the user equipment and the radio access network device, and wherein a third set of radio resources utilized by the user equipment in the third communicative state is less than the second set of the radio resources utilized by the user equipment in the second communicative state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the tail timing criterion comprises determining the tail timing criterion based on threshold data representing a tail threshold that is received from a content provider device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the tail timing criterion comprises updating the tail timing criterion to balance a tradeoff between a conservation of a radio resource of the radio resources and an overhead associated with a state transition from the third communicative state to the first communicative state.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the tail timing criterion comprises determining the tail timing criterion based on the system trace information that represents a relationship between a change in a duration of a set of state promotions and a tail threshold value, wherein a state promotion of the set of state promotions comprises a state transition of the user equipment from the third communicative state to the first communicative state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the tail timing criterion comprises determining the tail timing criterion based on the system trace information that represents a relationship between a change in a duration of a set of dedicated channel tail time periods and a tail threshold value, wherein the dedicated channel tail time periods comprise a time period during which data is not transferred via a dedicated channel established between the user equipment and the radio access network device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the user equipment is to be transitioned comprises determining that the user equipment is to be transitioned from the first communicative state to the third communicative state in response to verifying that the user equipment has not been previously transitioned to the second communicative state within a defined time interval.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the system, the inter-transfer time data based on data transfer time data that is associated with a set of network applications related to the user equipment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the tail timing criterion comprises tail threshold data and the method further comprises:

comparing, by the system, the inter-transfer time data with the tail threshold data, wherein the comparing facilitates the determining that the inter-transfer time data satisfies the tail timing criterion.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the tail timing criterion comprises determining the tail timing criterion based on the time period of the inactivity timer associated with the state transition from a dedicated channel state to a forward access channel state.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the time period is a first time period and the determining that the user equipment is to be transitioned from the first communicative state to the third communicative state comprises determining that a second time period that represents time elapsed subsequent to the user equipment receiving communication data is greater than a guard time period that is defined based on measurement data received from the radio access network device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the determining that the user equipment is to be transitioned from the first communicative state to the third communicative state, facilitating, by the system, a transmission of a message to a network controller device that instructs the network controller device to facilitate a disconnection of subset of the first set of radio resources.

12. A user equipment, comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

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

receiving, from a radio access network device of a communication network, timing data that is employed to customize a tail timing criterion, wherein the timing data represents a time period of a network inactivity timer associated with a state transition of a user equipment from a first communicative state to a second communicative state, and

in response to determining that inter-transfer time data, representing an estimated time period between a first data transfer and a second data transfer associated with the user equipment and a radio access network device, satisfies the tail timing criterion, determining that the user equipment is to be transitioned from the first communicative state to a third communicative state, wherein a first set of radio resources utilized by the user equipment in the first communicative state is greater than a second set of the radio resources utilized by the user equipment in the second communicative state and the second set of the radio resources is greater than a third set of the radio resources utilized by the user equipment in the third communicative state.

13. The user equipment of claim 12, wherein the tail timing criterion comprises a threshold time period and the determining that the user equipment is to be transitioned comprises:

in response to determining that the estimated time period is greater than the threshold time period, determining that the user equipment is to be transitioned from the first communicative state to the second communicative state.

14. The user equipment of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining the tail timing criterion based on threshold data representing a tail threshold that is received from a content provider device of the communication network.

15. The user equipment of claim 12, wherein the inter-transfer time data is received from a set of applications of the user equipment.

16. The user equipment of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

based on measurement data received from the radio access network device, determining guard time data indicative of a guard time period, wherein the determining that the user equipment is to be transitioned comprises determining that the user equipment is to be transitioned from the first communicative state to the third communicative state in response to determining that time elapsed since communication data has been received by the user equipment is greater than the guard time period.

17. The user equipment of claim 16, wherein the first communicative state is a dedicated channel state, the second communicative state is a forward access channel state and the third communicative state is an idle state.

18. A computer readable storage device comprising executable instructions that, in response to execution cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

determining a tail time period that is specified by a network inactivity timer associated with transitioning a user equipment from a first communicative state to a second communicative state, wherein the user equipment utilizes a first set of the radio resources during the first communicative state that is greater than a second set of the radio resources utilized by the user equipment during the second communicative state; and

in response to determining that an estimated time period after which a data transfer between a user equipment and a radio access network device is likely to be performed, is greater than the tail time period, facilitating a transition of the user equipment from the first communicative state to a third communicative state, wherein the user equipment utilizes a third set of the radio resources during the third communicative state that is less than the second set of the radio resources utilized by the user equipment during the second communicative state.

19. The computer readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the facilitating the transition comprises facilitating the transmission in response to determining that an elapsed time period is greater than a guard time period, wherein the elapsed time period represents time elapsed after the user equipment has received communication data and the guard time period is determined based on measurement data received from the radio access network device.

20. The computer readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the determining the tail time period comprises determining the tail time period based on threshold data indicative of a tail threshold that is received from a content provider device.