Radio efficient TCP release

• US 9,648,659 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2012
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Karlsen, Johnny, Willars, Per
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhu, Alvin
• Application Number:
  US14/349,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20140241251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,677 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/34 Selective release of ongoing connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/36 for reassigning the resources associated with the released connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 triggered by timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16

Abstract

A radio communication handling device handling communication for an application running in a mobile station and communicating with an application server via a mobile communication network includes a radio resource determination unit that determines a state transition for the radio resources between the mobile station and the mobile communication network from a first current state to a second state, where the first state involves communication with a higher bandwidth than the second state, and informs, prior to the transition, at least one application communication control unit about the transition in order to allow the application communication control unit to release unused application communication connections before the transition. The application communication control unit receives the information about the following state transition and determines whether to release an application communication connection or not based on the information.

Claims

1. A method for enabling avoiding of unnecessary radio resource use by a mobile station having an application communicating with an application server via a mobile communication network using an application communication protocol comprising Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections between the mobile station and the application server, the method being performed for radio communication involving the mobile station and comprising:

estimating, in a radio resource determination unit, a predicted state transition for the radio resources between the mobile station and the mobile communication network from a first current state to a second state, where the first current state involves communication with a higher bandwidth than the second state,

wherein estimating the predicted state transition comprises determining an estimate that predicts that a future state transition from the first current state to the second state will be initiated in the future,

informing, by the radio resource determination unit and prior to the future state transition, at least one application communication control unit about the predicted state transition in order to allow the application communication control unit to release unused ones of the TCP connections between the mobile station and the application server before the future state transition,

releasing, by the application communication control unit and responsive to the predicted state transition, the unused ones of the TCP connections between the mobile station and the application server prior to the future transition from the first current state to the second state, and

disregarding, by the radio resource determination unit, TCP messages for releasing a TCP connection received at the mobile station from an application handling unit as data activity in relation to a state transition.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predicted state transition is based on estimating the time of expiry of at least one state change timer of the mobile communication network prior to the at least one state change timer expiring.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending, by the radio resource determination unit to the application communication control an indication of the current state and considering, in the application communication control unit, the current state when releasing TCP connections.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the considering of the current state comprises sequentially initiating the release of multiple TCP connections with a time interval therebetween.

5. The method according to claim 1, farther comprising, determining, by the application communication control unit whether to release a TCP connection or not based on knowledge of the connection release behaviour of a corresponding application server.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the radio resource determination unit is provided in a node of the mobile communication network and the at least one application communication control unit is a proxy unit that is separate from the mobile station in the mobile communication network handling communication of the application in the mobile station with the application server, where the informing is an informing of the proxy unit of the predicted state transition, in order to let the proxy unit release at least one TCP connection prior to the future transition from the first current state to the second state.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the application server is external to the mobile communication network.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the estimate is determined prior to a determination by the mobile station or a radio network controller of the mobile communication network that the future state transition shall occur.

9. A method for enabling avoiding of unnecessary radio resource use by a mobile station having an application communicating with an application server via a mobile communication network using an application communication protocol comprising Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections between the mobile station and the application server, the method being performed for radio communication involving the mobile station and comprising:

estimating, in a radio resource determination unit, a predicted state transition for the radio resources between the mobile station and the mobile communication network from a first current state to a second state, where the first current state involves communication with a higher bandwidth than the second state,

wherein estimating the predicted state transition comprises determining an estimate that predicts that a future state transition from the first current state to the second state will be initiated in the future,

informing, by the radio resource determination unit and prior to the future state transition, at least one application communication control unit about the predicted state transition in order to allow the application communication control unit to release unused ones of the TCP connections between the mobile station and the application server before the future state transition, and

releasing, by the application communication control unit and responsive to the predicted state transition, the unused ones of the TCP connections between the mobile station and the application server prior to the future transition from the first current state to the second state,

wherein the radio resource determination unit is provided in the mobile station, the application communication control unit is a connection handling unit in the mobile station and the predicted state transition is estimated based on a low activity indicator of the mobile station.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the low activity indicator is obtained based on investigating the amount of data of a transmission buffer of the mobile station or the amount of data sent or received during a time period.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the low activity indicator is obtained based on a low activity level of a user interface.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the estimate is determined prior to a determination by the mobile station or a radio network controller of the mobile communication network that the future state transition shall occur.

13. A radio communication handling device handling communication for an application running in a mobile station and communicating with an application server via a mobile communication network using an application communication protocol comprising Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections between the mobile station and the application server, the radio communication handling device comprising:

a radio resource determination unit configured to;

estimate a predicted state transition for the radio resources between the mobile station and the mobile communication network from a first current state to a second state, where the first current state involves communication with a higher bandwidth than the second state,

wherein estimating the predicted state transition comprises determining an estimate that predicts that a future state transition from the first current state to the second state will be initiated in the future,

inform, prior to the future state transition, at least one application communication control unit about the predicted state transition in order to allow the application communication control unit to release unused TCP connections before the future state transition from the first current state to the second state, and

wherein the radio resource determination unit is further configured to disregard TCP messages for releasing a TCP connection received at the mobile station from an application handling unit as data activity in relation to a state transition.

14. The radio communication handling device according to claim 13, wherein the radio resource determination unit comprises a network state change estimating clement configured to estimate the time of expiry of at least one state change timer of the mobile communication network prior to the at least one state change timer expiring.

15. The radio communication handling device according to claim 13, further comprising at least one of said at least one application communication control unit being configured to determine whether to release a TCP connection or not based on said informing.

16. The radio communication handling device according to claim 15, said application communication control unit being configured to determine whether to release a TCP connection or not based on knowledge of the connection release behaviour of the corresponding application server.

17. The radio communication handling device according to claim 15, the application communication control unit being further configured to receive an indication of the current state from the radio resource determination unit and consider the current state when releasing TCP connections.

18. The radio communication handling device according to claim 13, where the radio communication handling device is provided in a network node that is separate front the mobile station.

19. The radio communication handling device according to claim 18, wherein the application communication control unit is a proxy unit provided in the network node that is separate from the mobile station, said proxy unit handling communication of the application running in the mobile station with the application server.

20. The radio communication handling device according to claim 13, wherein the estimate is determined prior to a determination by the mobile station or a radio network controller of the mobile communication network that the future state transition shall occur.

21. A radio communication handling device handling communication for an application running in a mobile station and communicating with an application server via a mobile communication network using an application communication protocol comprising Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections between the mobile station and the application server, the radio communication handling device comprising:

a radio resource determination unit configured to;

estimate a predicted state transition for the radio resources between the mobile station and the mobile communication network from a first current state to a second state, where the first current state involves communication with a higher bandwidth than the second state,

wherein estimating the predicted state transition comprises determining an estimate that predicts that a future state transition from the first current state to the second state will be initiated in the future, and

inform, prior to the future state transition, at least one application communication control unit about the predicted state transition in order to allow the application communication control unit to release unused TCP connections before the future state transition from the first current state to the second state,

wherein the radio communication handling device is the mobile station and the application communication control unit is a connection handling unit in the mobile station.

22. The radio communication handling device according to claim 21, wherein the radio resource determination unit comprises a local state change element configured to estimate the predicted state transition based on a low activity indicator of the mobile station.

23. The radio communication handling device according to claim 22, wherein the local state change element is configured to estimate the predicted state transition based on the low activity indicator by investigating the amount of data of a transmission buffer of the mobile station or the amount of data sent or received during a time period.

24. The radio communication handling device according to claim 22, wherein the local state change element is configured to estimate the predicted state transition based on a low activity level of a user interface.

25. The radio communication handling device according to claim 21, wherein the estimate is determined prior to a determination by the mobile station or a radio network controller of the mobile communication network that the future state transition shall occur.

26. A method for controlling the release of application communication connections for an application in a mobile station, said application communicating with a corresponding application server via a mobile communication network using an application communication protocol comprising Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections between the mobile station and the application server, the method being performed in an application communication control unit and comprising:

receiving, from a radio resource determination unit for radio communication involving the mobile station, information about an estimate that predicts that a future state transition, for the radio communication between the mobile station and the mobile communication network from a first current state to a second state will be initiated by a radio network controller of the mobile communication network separate from the mobile station, where the first current state involves communication with a higher bandwidth than the second state,

releasing a TCP connection prior to the future state transition based on the information about the estimate, and

receiving an indication of the current state and considering the current state when Releasing TCP connections,

wherein the considering of the current state comprises sequentially initiating the release of multiple TCP connections with a time interval therebetween.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein releasing the TCP connection is further based on knowledge of the connection release behaviour of the corresponding application server.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the application communication control unit is a proxy unit that is separate from the mobile station in the mobile communication network handling communication of the application with the application serer and further comprising releasing, by the proxy unit, at least one TCP connection before the future state transition to the second state thereby making the application in the mobile station also release at least one TCP connection.

29. The method according to claim 26, wherein the TCP connections are TCP connections between the mobile station and the application server.

30. The method according to claim 26, wherein the information about the estimate is received prior to a determination by the radio network controller of the mobile communication network that the future state transition shall occur.

31. A connection releasing device for controlling the release of application communication connections for an application in a mobile station, said application communicating with a corresponding application server via a mobile communication network using an application communication protocol comprising Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections between the mobile station and the application server, the connection releasing device comprising an application communication control unit configured to:

receive, from a radio resource determination unit for radio communication involving the mobile station, information about an estimate that predicts that a future state transition for the radio communication between the mobile station and the mobile communication network from a first current state to a second state will be initiated by a radio network controller of the mobile communication network separate from the mobile station, where the first current state involves communication with a higher bandwidth than the second state,

release a TCP connection prior to the future state transition based on the information about the estimate, and

receive an indication of the current state and consider the current state when releasing TCP connections,

wherein the considering of the current state comprises sequentially initiating the release of multiple TCP connections with a time interval therebetween.

32. The connection releasing device according to claim 31, wherein the application communication control unit is further configured to release the TCP connection based on knowledge of the connection release behaviour of the corresponding application server.

33. The connection releasing device according to claim 31, wherein the connection releasing device is a network node that is separate from the mobile station and the application communication control unit is a proxy unit handling communication of the application with the application server, the proxy unit being further configured to release at least one TCP connection before the future state transition to the second state thereby making the application in the mobile station also release at least one TCP connection.

34. The connection releasing device according to claim 31, wherein the application communication connection releasing device is a mobile station and the application communication control unit is a connection handling unit in the mobile station.

35. The connection releasing device according to claim 31, wherein the information about the estimate is received prior to a determination by the radio network controller of the mobile communication network that the future state transition shall occur.