Traffic aggregation at end device

• US 9,549,335 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2014
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kotecha, Lalit R., Nelson, Matthew W., Draznin, Sagiv
• Primary Examiner(s): MANOHARAN, MUTHUSWAMY GANAPATHY
• Application Number:
  US14/257,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20150304880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/28 in relation to timing considerations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/365 Dynamic adaptation of the packet size
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0215 based on user or device properties, e.g. MTC-capable devices services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] H04W4/70; wireless resource selection or allocation plan definition based on terminal or device properties H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A method, a device, and a non-transitory storage medium to store traffic aggregation settings that include hold time values that each indicate a maximum period of time to suspend a transmission of data; receive data from a resident application; determine a type of application from which the data is received; determine whether the device in an active state; select one of the hold time values in response to a determination that the device is not in the active state; suspend a transmission of the data in response to a selection of the one of the hold time values, wherein the transmission of the data is suspended for at least a portion of a maximum time period indicated by the one of the hold time values; and transmit the data subsequent to the at least the portion of the maximum time period elapsing.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by an end device and from a network device, traffic aggregation settings that include group identifiers and hold time values for applications;

storing, by the end device, the traffic aggregation settings pertaining to a traffic aggregation service, wherein each of the hold time values indicates a maximum period of time to suspend a transmission of data from the end device;

receiving, by the end device, data from an application resident on the end device;

determining, by the end device, a type of application from which the data is received, wherein the determining comprises;

selecting, by the end device, one of the group identifiers based on the data received from the application;

determining, by the end device, whether the end device is in an active state;

selecting, by the end device, one of the hold time values in response to determining that the end device is not in the active state;

suspending, by the end device, a transmission of the data in response to the selecting, wherein the transmission of the data is suspended for at least a portion of a maximum time period indicated by the one of the hold time values;

releasing, by the end device, the suspension of the data;

instructing, by the end device, a first layer of a network communicative stack, via a second layer of the network communicative stack that suspends the transmission of the data, to operate on the data, wherein the second layer is a layer higher in the network communicative stack than the first layer; and

transmitting, by the end device, the data subsequent to the at least the portion of the maximum time period elapsed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the end device, a type of traffic pertaining to the data; and

selecting, by the end device, the one of the hold time values based on the type of traffic.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the type of traffic is traffic requesting an advertisement from an ad server device residing in a network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the hold time values are dynamic, and the method further comprising:

encapsulating, by the end device, the data into one or more packets.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the end device is in the active state further comprises:

determining, by the end device, whether a communication interface of the end device is in the active state.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, by the end device, historical data that indicates behaviors of applications resident on the end device, wherein the behaviors pertain to outbound communications;

predicting, by the end device, an arrival of other data from another application resident on the end device based on the historical data; and

extending, by the end device, the maximum time period indicated by the one of the hold time values based on the prediction of the arrival of the other data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the end device, a handover process between the end device and a network; and

extending, by the end device, the maximum time period indicated by the one of the hold time values based on the detection of the handover process.

8. An end device comprising:

a communication interface;

a memory, wherein the memory stores instructions; and

a processor, wherein the processor executes the instructions to;

receive, via the communication interface and from a network device, traffic aggregation settings, wherein the traffic aggregation settings include group identifiers and hold time values for applications;

store the traffic aggregation settings pertaining to a traffic aggregation service, wherein each of the hold time values indicates a maximum period of time to suspend a transmission of data from the end device;

receive data from an application resident on the end device;

determine a type of application from which the data is received, wherein when determining the type of application, the processor further executes the instructions to;

select one of the group identifiers based on the data received from the application;

determine whether the end device is in an active state;

select one of the hold time values in response to a determination that the end device is not in the active state;

suspend a transmission of the data in response to the selection of the one of the hold time values, wherein the transmission of the data is suspended for at least a portion of a maximum time period indicated by the one of the hold time values;

release the suspension of the data;

instruct a first layer of a network communicative stack, via a second layer of the network communicative stack that suspends the transmission of the data, to operate on the data, wherein the second layer is a layer higher in the network communicative stack than the first layer; and

transmit, via the communication interface, the data subsequent to the at least the portion of the maximum time period elapsed.

9. The end device of claim 8, wherein the processor further executes the instructions to:

determine a type of traffic pertaining to the data; and

select the one of the hold time values based on the type of traffic, wherein the state of the end device includes a state of the communication interface, and wherein the end device is a mobile device.

10. The end device of claim 9, wherein the type of traffic is one of traffic requesting an advertisement or heartbeat traffic.

11. The end device of claim 8, wherein the processor further executes the instructions to:

predict an arrival of other data from another application resident on the end device based on historical data; and

extend the maximum time period indicated by the one of the hold time values based on the prediction of the arrival of the other data.

12. The end device of claim 8, wherein the hold time values are dynamic, wherein the processor further executes the instructions to:

collect historical data pertaining to behaviors of applications resident on the end device, wherein the behaviors pertain to characteristics of outbound communications;

store the historical data;

analyze the historical data;

calculate one or more hold time values for one or more of the applications; and

store the one or more hold time values, wherein the hold time values include the one or more hold time values.

13. The end device of claim 8, wherein the processor further executes the instructions to:

detect a handover process between the end device and a network; and

extend the maximum time period indicated by the one of the hold time values based on the detection of the handover process.

14. The end device of claim 8, wherein the processor further executes the instructions to:

provide a user interface that allows a user to configure the traffic aggregation settings.

15. The end device of claim 8, wherein the processor further executes the instructions to:

prevent the communication interface from entering a dormant state when data is predicted to be received by an application within a certain time window and a probability value pertaining to a prediction meets a certain threshold value.

16. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a processor of a computational device, which when executed cause the computational device to:

receive traffic aggregation settings from a network device, wherein the traffic aggregation settings include group identifiers and hold time values for applications;

store the traffic aggregation settings pertaining to a traffic aggregation service, wherein each of the hold time values indicates a maximum period of time to suspend a transmission of data from the computational device;

receive data from an application resident on the computational device;

determine a type of application from which the data is received, wherein the determining further comprises to select one of the group identifiers based on the data received from the application;

determine whether the computational device is in an active state;

select one of the hold time values in response to a determination that the computational device is not in the active state;

suspend a transmission of the data in response to the selection of the one of the hold time values, wherein the transmission of the data is suspended for at least a portion of a maximum time period indicated by the one of the hold time values;

release the suspension of the data;

instruct a first layer of a network communicative stack, via a second layer of the network communicative stack that suspends the transmission of the data, to operate on the data, wherein the second layer is a layer higher in the network communicative stack than the first layer; and

transmit the data subsequent to the at least the portion of the maximum time period elapsed.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further storing instructions executable by the processor of the computational device, which when executed cause the computational device to:

determine a type of traffic pertaining to the data; and

select the one of the hold time values based on the type of traffic, wherein the state of the computational device includes a state of a communication interface of the computational device.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the hold time values are user-configurable.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further storing instructions executable by the processor of the computational device, which when executed cause the computational device to:

suspend a transmission of other data during the maximum time period, wherein the other data pertains to another application resident on the computational device; and

aggregate the data and the other data before a transmission of the data and the other data.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further storing instructions executable by the processor of the computational device, which when executed cause the computational device to:

prevent the computational device from entering a dormant state when data is predicted to be received by an application within a certain time window and a probability value pertaining to a prediction meets a certain threshold value.

21. A method comprising:

storing, by an end device, traffic aggregation settings pertaining to a traffic aggregation service, wherein the traffic aggregation settings include hold time values that each indicate a maximum period of time to suspend a transmission of data from the end device;

receiving, by the end device, data from an application resident on the end device;

determining, by the end device, a type of application from which the data is received;

determining, by the end device, whether the end device is in an active state;

selecting, by the end device, one of the hold time values in response to determining that the end device is not in the active state;

suspending, by the end device, a transmission of the data in response to the selecting, wherein the transmission of the data is suspended for at least a portion of a maximum time period indicated by the one of the hold time values;

transmitting, by the end device, the data subsequent to the at least the portion of the maximum time period elapsing

receiving, by the end device, other data from another application resident on the end device;

determining, by the end device, a type of application from which the other data is received;

determining, by the end device, whether the end device is in the active state;

selecting, by the end device, another one of the hold time values in response to determining that the end device is not in the active state;

suspending, by the end device, a transmission of the other data in response to the selecting the other one of the hold time values, wherein both the data and the other data are suspended, and wherein a maximum time period indicated by the other one of the hold time values is different than the maximum time period indicated by the one of the hold time values;

aggregating, by the end device, the data and the other data; and

transmitting, by the end device, the data and the other data subsequent to the at least the portion of the maximum time period elapsed.