Controlling wireless transition timers based on application and content

• US 8,971,194 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2012
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tofighbakhsh, Mostafa, Lekutai, Gaviphat, Wolter, David R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Min
• Application Number:
  US13/662,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20140119195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311, 370/328, 370/241
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 triggered by timers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Techniques for adaptively controlling wireless transition timers associated with wireless transition states in relation to use of applications by user equipment (UE) are presented herein. A UE can include a transition management component (TMC) that can adaptively control wireless transition timers associated with wireless states based on application type, session content, or other factors. The TMC monitors data flow associated with an application and, for a current or subsequent communication session, controls the length of wireless transition timers and switching between wireless states to improve UE, application, and/or network performance while maintaining QOE for the user. The TMC can access a timer look-up table that maps wireless transition timers to application type, content type, user behavior, or other factors. The TMC also can desirably control maintaining persistence or always-on connections by controlling switching between wireless states using the adapted wireless transition timers.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying, by a system including a processor, a wireless transition timer based on information relating to activity of an application and a wireless communication device; and

controlling, by the system, switching of the wireless communication device between wireless states based on a set of wireless transition timers, wherein the wireless states comprise a first wireless state and a second wireless state, the set of wireless transition timers comprises the wireless transition timer, and the set of wireless transition timers is identified based on a mapping relating to the wireless states and wireless transition timers of the set of wireless transition timers in relation to a change in data flow associated with the application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring, by the system, the activity of the application and the wireless communication device; and

identifying, by the system, an application type of the application, the change in the data flow associated with the application, and a type of content associated with the application, based on the activity of the application and the wireless communication device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

analyzing, by the system, the mapping relating to the wireless states and the wireless transition timers in relation to the application type, the change in the data flow associated with the application, and the type of the content; and

identifying, by the system, the set of the wireless transition timers, comprising the wireless transition timer, based on the mapping, wherein the controlling the switching of the wireless communication device between the wireless states comprises controlling, the switching of the wireless communication device between the wireless states based on the set of wireless transition timers, wherein the wireless states comprise an idle state, a dedicated-channel state, a forward-access-channel state, and a paging state, and wherein the first wireless state is one wireless state of the wireless states and the second wireless state is another wireless state of the wireless states.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying, by the system, a communication-network protocol associated with a communication network device, wherein the analyzing the mapping comprises analyzing the mapping in relation to the communication-network protocol, the application type, the change in the data flow associated with the application, and the type of the content.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying, by the system, a frequency of sending of keep-alive messages from the wireless communication device to a communication network device by the application to facilitate maintaining an always-on communication connection between the wireless communication device and the communication network device;

determining, by the system, that the frequency of the sending of the keep-alive messages from the wireless communication device to the communication network device is to be reduced to a lower frequency to facilitate reducing resource usage associated with the wireless communication device while maintaining a defined acceptable level of communication between the wireless communication device and the communication network device; and

controlling the sending of the keep-alive messages from the wireless communication device to the communication network device based on the lower frequency.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the system, a set of parameters associated with the application and the wireless communication device;

obtaining, by the system, information relating to the set of parameters, wherein the information relating to the set of parameters relates to the wireless transition timers associated with the wireless communication device, the wireless states associated with the wireless communication device, an application type of the application, the change in the data flow associated with the application, and a type of content associated with the application;

generating, by the system, the mapping based on the information relating to the set of parameters that relates to the wireless transition timers, the wireless states, the application type, the change in the data flow, and the type of the content; and

storing, by the system, the mapping in a data store, wherein the identifying the wireless transition timer is based on the mapping.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, updated information relating to the mapping;

modifying, by the system, the mapping to generate an updated mapping based on the updated information; and

storing, by the system, the updated mapping in the data store.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

modifying, by the system, the wireless transition timer to an updated wireless transition timer based on the updated mapping; and

controlling, by the system, switching of the wireless communication device between the first wireless state and the second wireless state based on the updated wireless transition timer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling the switching of the wireless communication device between the wireless states comprises controlling switching of the wireless communication device between the wireless states of a set of wireless states based on the set of wireless transition timers, wherein the first wireless state is associated with a first amount of power consumption by the wireless communication device that is higher than a second amount of power consumption by the wireless communication device that is associated with the second wireless state.

10. A system, comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

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

determining a wireless transition timer based on information relating to activity of an application and a mobile communication device; and

controlling transition of the mobile communication device between wireless states of a set of wireless states based on a set of wireless transition timers comprising the wireless transition timer, wherein the set of wireless states comprises a first wireless state and a second wireless state, and the set of wireless transition timers is determined based on a mapping relating to the wireless states and wireless transition timers of the set of wireless transition timers in connection with a change in data flow associated with the application.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

monitoring the activity of the application and the mobile communication device;

receiving information relating to the activity of the application and the mobile communication device; and

identifying an application type of the application, the change in the data flow associated with the application, and a type of content associated with the application based on the information relating to the activity of the application and the mobile communication device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

analyzing the mapping relating to the wireless transition timers and the wireless states in connection with the application type, the change in the data flow associated with the application, and the type of the content;

determining the set of wireless transition timers, comprising the wireless transition timer, based on the mapping, wherein the controlling the transition of the mobile communication device between the wireless states comprises controlling the transition of the mobile communication device between the wireless states based on the set of wireless transition timers, wherein the wireless states comprise an idle state, a dedicated-channel state, a forward-access-channel state, and a paging state, and wherein the first wireless state is one wireless state of the wireless states and the second wireless state is a different wireless state of the wireless states.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying a communication-network protocol associated with a communication network device, wherein the analyzing the mapping comprises analyzing the mapping in connection with the communication-network protocol, the application type, the change in the data flow associated with the application, and the type of the content.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying a set of wireless-communication-related parameters associated with the application and the mobile communication device;

receiving information relating to the set of wireless-communication-related parameters, wherein the set of wireless-communication-related parameters relates to the wireless transition timers associated with the mobile communication device, the wireless states associated with the mobile communication device, an application type of the application, the change in the data flow associated with the application, and a type of content associated with the application;

generating the mapping based on the information relating to the set of wireless-communication-related parameters that relates to the wireless transition timers associated with the mobile communication device, the wireless states associated with the mobile communication device, the application type, the change in the data flow, and the type of the content; and

storing the mapping in a data store.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving updated information relating to the mapping;

modifying the mapping to generate an updated mapping based on the updated information; and

storing the updated mapping in the data store.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

adjusting the wireless transition timer to an updated wireless transition timer based on the updated mapping; and

controlling transition of the mobile communication device between the first wireless state and the second wireless state based on the updated wireless transition timer.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the controlling the transition of the mobile communication device between the wireless states comprises:

controlling transition of the mobile communication device between the wireless states of the set of wireless states based on the set of wireless transition timers that comprises the wireless transition timer, wherein the first wireless state is associated with a first amount of power consumption by the mobile communication device that is higher than a second amount of power consumption by the mobile communication device that is associated with the second wireless state.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

identifying a wireless transition timer of a set of wireless transition timers based on information relating to activity of an application and a mobile communication device; and

controlling transitioning of the wireless communication device between wireless states of a set of wireless states based on the set of wireless transition timers, wherein the set of wireless states comprises a first wireless state and a second wireless state, and the set of wireless transition timers is determined based on a mapping relating to the wireless states and wireless transition timers of the set of wireless transition timers with respect to a change in data flow associated with the application.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

monitoring the activity of the application and the wireless communication device; and

identifying an application type of the application, the change in the data flow associated with the application, and a type of content associated with the application, based on the activity of the application and the wireless communication device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying a set of parameters associated with the application and the wireless communication device;

accessing information relating to the wireless transition timers associated with the wireless communication device, the wireless states associated with the wireless communication device, an application type of the application, the change in the data flow associated with the application, and a type of content associated with the application;

generating a mapping based on the information relating to the wireless transition timers, the wireless states, the application type, the change in the data flow, and the type of thecontent; and

setting the wireless transition timer based on the mapping.