Mobile device which hands over connectivity from one network connection to another network connection without interruption in application data flow and methods therefor

• US 8,886,195 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2013
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seven Networks LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Seven Networks Inc
• Inventors: Lee, Yuan Kang, Sengupta, Chaitali, Srinivasan, Suresh
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TIMOTHY X
• Application Number:
  US13/784,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20130229976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 370/315, 370/331, 340/328
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0221 power availability or consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0027 for a plurality of data sessions of end-to-end connections, e.g. multi-call or multi-bearer end-to-end data connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Mobile devices which hand over connectivity from one network connection to another network connection without interruption in application data flow and methods therefor are disclosed. One embodiment further includes, a system for managing handover from a first wireless connection to a second wireless connection for applications, the system including, a network interface operable to communicate with the first wireless network and the second wireless network, wherein the network interface is operable to receive first data from a first wireless network and receive second data for the application from a second wireless network and generate a continuous data flow for applications when handover from the first wireless network to the second wireless network occurs.

Claims

1. A method of handover from a first connection to a second connection at a mobile device which provides an application at the mobile device with continuous data flow, the method comprising:

receiving a first data set for the application from the first connection, wherein the first connection is between a network and the mobile device;

receiving a second data set for the application from the second connection, wherein the second connection is between a network and the mobile device, wherein the first connection and the second connection are accessible to the mobile device during at least partially overlapping periods of time;

anticipating that the first connection is to be disconnected;

determining an amount of the first data set to be retrieved for the application from the first connection to provide the application with continuous data flow when connecting to the second connection; and

retrieving the determined amount of data from the first connection and transmitting to the mobile device with the second connection to provide the application with a continuous data flow using the first and second data sets,

wherein the first and second datasets are retrieved or received at an interface able to identify an application class of the application to which the first and second datasets are directed, wherein the interface is associated with a relay for the application class based on a protocol utilized for the application class.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second data set is received at or around a handover from the first connection to the second connection.

3. The method of claim 1, the first connection is active at the time the second data set from the second connection is received, wherein both connections are active for an overlapping period of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, the determined amount of data from the first connection is determined based on the connection quality or bandwidth with the first connection.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein, a relay is associated with the application and a socket based on a protocol used with the relay;

wherein, responsive to disconnection of the first connection, the relay opens a new connection with the second connection and maintains the socket connection with the application.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, the relay requests the second set of data to be provided to the application in an uninterrupted manner.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, the continuous data flow is provided to the application in a Transport Control Protocol (TC) session or as User Datagram Protocol (UDP) data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first connection is over a cellular network and the second connection is over a wireless internet network.

9. A machine-readable non-transitory storage medium, having instructions stored thereon which when executed causes a processor to seamlessly handover wireless connection from a first wireless network to a second wireless network, further causing the processor to be configured for:

receiving a first data set for an application from a first connection associated with the first wireless network;

receiving a second data set for the application from a second connection associated with the second wireless network, wherein the first connection and the second connection are accessible to the mobile device during at least partially overlapping periods of time;

anticipating that the first connection is to be disconnected;

determining an amount of the first data set to be retrieved for the application from the first connection to provide the application with continuous data flow when connecting to the second connection;

retrieving the determined amount of data from the first connection and transmitting to the mobile device with the second connection to provide the application with a continuous data flow using the first and second data sets;

wherein, the data is provided to the mobile application without interruption even when connections to the different network connections require change in IP addresses,

wherein the first and second datasets are retrieved or received at an interface able to identify an application class of the application to which the first and second datasets are directed, wherein the interface is associated with a relay for the application class based on a protocol utilized for the application class.

10. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein, the determined amount of the first data set is based on the connection quality or bandwidth with the first connection.

11. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein, the amount of data retrieved via the other network connection is a partial retrieval including a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) GET request via the RANGE field.

12. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein, the amount of data retrieved via the other network connection is a partial retrieval including one or more of File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Post Office Protocol (POP), or Instant Message (IM).

13. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein, the amount of data retrieved is retrieved via a streaming application via Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) or RTP Control Protocol (RTCP).

14. A mobile device which hands over connectivity from a first network connection to a second network connection without interrupting data flow to an application, the mobile device comprising:

radios each operable to connect to one or more networks;

a network interface coupled to the radios;

a processor;

a memory coupled to the process having instructions stored thereon which when executed causes the processor to;

service the application using a first data set for the application from the first network connection and a second data set for the application from the second network connection;

anticipate that the first connection is to be disconnected;

determine an amount of the first data set to be retrieved for the application from the first connection to provide the application with continuous data flow when connecting to the second network connection; and

retrieve the determined amount of data such that the first and second data sets are received by the application continuously during the handover without interruption,

wherein the first and second datasets are retrieved or received at an interface able to identify an application class of the application to which the first and second datasets are directed, wherein the interface is associated with a relay for the application class based on a protocol utilized for the application class.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein, the network interface includes a connectivity engine.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein, the connectivity engine is a mobile seamless connectivity engine.

17. The mobile device of claim 14, further comprises, multiple applications accessed thereon, wherein, for each of the multiple applications, continuous data flow to each of the multiple applications during the handover is ensured.

18. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the relay provides the continuous data for to each of the other applications in the application class on the mobile device.

19. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein, the radios include, one or more of, a cellular radio, a Bluetooth radio, a WiFI or Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) radio interface.

20. A system for managing handover from a first wireless connection to a second wireless connection for applications, the system comprising:

a network interface operable to communicate with the first wireless network and the second wireless network;

wherein the network interface is operable to receive first data from a first wireless network and receive second data for the application from a second wireless network, anticipate that the first wireless connection is to be disconnected, determine an amount of the first data set to be retried for the application from the first wireless connection to provide the application with continuous data flow when connecting to the second wireless connection, and retrieve the determined amount of data from the first connection and transmitting to the mobile device with the second connection to provide a continuous data flow for applications when handover from the first wireless network to the second wireless network occurs,

wherein the first and second datasets are retrieved or received at an interface able to identify an application class of the application to which the first and second datasets are directed, wherein the interface is associated with a relay for the application class based on a protocol utilized for the application class.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the first and second data are directed to applications of application classes identifiable by the network interface.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein, a socket is associated with the relay, based on a protocol of the application class used with the associated relay.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein, the relay coordinates transfer of the data of the applications from the first wireless network to the second wireless network to ensure the continuous data flow during the handover.

24. The system of claim 22, further comprising,

multiple relays associated with multiple sockets coupled to the network interface;

wherein, the network interface tracks protocols used by each of the multiple sockets for communications and monitors communication of the multiple sockets to manage handover situations when the handover from the first wireless network to the second wireless network involves different protocols such that the continuous data flow is ensured for applications.