Extending delay tolerance of mobile applications for optimizing mobile traffic management

• US 9,603,049 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seven Networks LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Seven Networks LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Alisawi, Rami, Srinivasan, Suresh, Backholm, Ari, Lee, Yuan Kang, Sengupta, Chaitali, Jukar, Tejas
• Primary Examiner(s): Nooristany, Sulaiman
• Application Number:
  US14/147,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20150023162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2475 for supporting traffic characterised by the type of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0236 radio quality, e.g. interference, losses or delay
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for extending delay tolerance of mobile applications to optimize mobile traffic management are disclosed. In a mobile device, network stack timers or protocol stack timers are modified to extend delay tolerance of applications for radio alignment. In an embodiment, tolerance of mobile applications on a mobile device to delay in establishing a connection to a wireless network is extended by an application or a local proxy on a mobile device. Based on the tolerance that is extended, requests intercepted from the mobile applications are aggregated, over a period of time, such that transfer of the requests intercepted during the period of time is delayed. This minimizes the number of times the mobile device connects to the network, reducing the power consumption on the mobile device and unnecessary signaling in the network.

Claims

1. A method for managing mobile traffic in a mobile device, comprising:

on a mobile device having a memory and a processor, the mobile device having mobile applications each having an initial timeout;

extending, by the processor, tolerance of mobile applications on the mobile device to delay in establishing a connection to a wireless network, wherein extending the tolerance of the mobile applications to delay includes modifying one or more system functions, wherein the system function includes an ability to access the wireless network for the mobile applications, and

wherein the mobile device is further configured, by the processor, to determine;

a first tolerance based on receipt of a message over a wireless radio directed to one of the applications;

a second tolerance based on detection of a screen on the mobile device being turned on; and

a third tolerance that is a predetermined value;

and wherein the mobile device is configured, by the processor, to select a shorter of the first, second, and third tolerances;

based on the tolerance that is extended, batching, by the processor, over a period of time, requests from the mobile applications such that transfer of the requests during the period of time is delayed,

wherein the tolerance that is extended includes;

the first tolerance when the first tolerance is shorter than the second tolerance and the third tolerance;

the second tolerance when the second tolerance is shorter than the first tolerance and the third tolerance

the third tolerance when the third tolerance is shorter than the first tolerance and the second tolerance;

determining, by the processor, connection timeouts to extend the tolerance of the mobile applications to delay.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer of the requests during the period of time is delayed without the mobile applications being aware.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein extending the tolerance of the mobile applications to delay further comprises increasing connection timeouts associated with system timers on which the mobile applications rely when establishing a connection to the wireless network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the system timers include protocol-specific timers or network stack timers.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the connection timeouts associated with the protocol-specific timers are modified by a framework wrapper in the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the protocol-specific timers are associated with a protocol over which the mobile applications communicate.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the protocol includes Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) or Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the period of time over which the requests are batched is variable.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the period of time over which the requests are batched is one of:

a maximum period of time defined by a gating parameter or the maximum period of time adjusted by an occurrence of an event that causes a radio on the mobile device to turn on or change from low power mode to high power mode.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the period of time is dynamically determined based on a policy.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to establishment of a connection to the wireless network at an end of the period of time, transferring the requests batched over the period of time over the wireless network to respective servers to which the requests are directed.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving responses to at least some of the requests from respective servers;

providing the responses to respective mobile applications, such that time elapsed between issuing of the requests and receiving of the responses is within the tolerance of the mobile applications to delay that is extended.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a local proxy on the mobile device aggregates the requests from the mobile applications over the period of time.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a local proxy on the mobile device provides connection timeouts to the mobile applications to extend the tolerance of the mobile applications to delay.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the requests are non-user interactive traffic from the mobile applications.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the requests are low priority or non-time critical requests from the mobile applications.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the tolerance is determined on an application by application basis.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein a radio of the mobile device is powered off in response to a screen of the mobile device being off.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein the batched requests are transmitted based on a sensed motion of the mobile device.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein the batched requests are transmitted based on a battery status of the mobile device.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein the tolerance is further based on a background status of an application of the mobile applications.

17. A mobile device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor, the mobile device configured for;

extending tolerance of mobile applications on a mobile device from an initial timeout period to delay in establishing a connection to a wireless network, wherein extending the tolerance of the mobile applications to delay includes modifying one or more system functions, wherein the system function includes an ability to access the wireless network for the mobile applications; and

wherein the mobile device is further configured to determine by the processor;

a first tolerance based on receipt of a message over a wireless radio directed to one of the applications;

a second tolerance based on detection of a screen on the mobile device being turned on; and

a third tolerance that is a predetermined value;

and wherein the mobile device is configured, by the processor, to select a shorter of the first, second, and third tolerances;

based on the tolerance that is extended, aggregating, by the processor, over a period of time, requests from the mobile applications such that transfer of the requests during the period of time is delayed,

wherein the tolerance that is extended includes;

the first tolerance when the first tolerance is shorter than the second tolerance and the third tolerance;

the second tolerance when the second tolerance is shorter than the first tolerance and the third tolerance;

or

the third tolerance when the third tolerance is shorter than the first tolerance and the second tolerance,

determining, by the processor, connection timeouts to extend the tolerance of the mobile applications to delay.

18. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the transfer of the requests during the period of time is delayed without the applications being aware.

19. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein extending the tolerance of the mobile applications to delay further comprises increasing connection timeouts associated with system timers on which the mobile applications rely when establishing a connection to the wireless network.

20. The mobile device of claim 19, wherein the system timers include protocol-specific timers or network stack timers.

21. The mobile device of claim 20, wherein the connection timeouts associated with the protocol-specific timers are modified by a framework wrapper in the mobile device.

22. The mobile device of claim 20, wherein the protocol-specific timers are associated with a protocol over which the mobile applications communicate.

23. The mobile device of claim 22, wherein the protocol includes Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) or Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP).

24. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the period of time over which the requests are aggregated is variable.

25. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the period of time over which the requests are aggregated is one of:

a maximum period of time defined by a gating parameter or the maximum period of time adjusted by an occurrence of an event that causes a radio on the mobile device to turn on or change from low power mode to high power mode.

26. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the period of time is dynamically determined based on a policy.

27. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the mobile device is further configured for:

responsive to establishment of a connection to the wireless network at the end of the period of time, transferring the requests aggregated over the period of time over the wireless network to respective servers to which the requests are directed.

28. The mobile device of claim 27, wherein the mobile device is further configured for:

receiving responses to at least some of the requests from respective servers;

providing the responses to respective mobile applications, such that time elapsed between issuing of the requests and receiving of the responses is within the tolerance of the mobile applications to delay that is extended.

29. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein a local proxy on the mobile device aggregates the requests from the mobile applications over the period of time.

30. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein a local proxy on the mobile device provides connection timeouts to the mobile applications to extend the tolerance of the mobile applications to delay.

31. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the requests are non-user interactive traffic from the mobile applications.

32. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the requests are low priority or non-time critical requests from the mobile applications.