Method, nodes and a communication device for handling feedback information

• US 9,705,975 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Fersman, Elena, Goedde, Curtis, Liang, Hongxin, Trnkvist, Robert, Niemoeller, Joerg
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, DUYEN MY
• Application Number:
  US14/893,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20160119411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 709201, 709203, 709223-225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/16 Arrangements for providing special services to substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54

Abstract

A method for and a feedback node capable of making feedback information provided from communication devices accessible to an application server, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server, the feedback node comprising a processor and a memory comprising executable code which when executed by the processor causes the feedback node to: receive a second set of instructions from the application server, instructing the feedback node, under which conditions to provide feedback information from at least one of the communication devices to the application server; received feedback information from the at least one communication device, and forward the received feedback information to the application server according the second set of instructions.

Claims

1. A method executed in an application server for accessing feedback information from communication devices, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server, the method comprising:

transmitting a first set of instructions to at least one of the communication devices, said first set of instructions instructing the at least one communication device under which conditions the at least one communication device is to use a feedback node for sending feedback information to the application server, and

receiving feedback information from the feedback node, as provided to the feedback node from the at least one communication device, according to the first set of instructions.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting the first set of instructions to the at least one communication device comprises transmitting the first set of instructions via the feedback node.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising an initial step of:

transmitting, for each of the at least one service, to the feedback node, a respective plug-in, the plug-in being configured to handle protocol conversions between the respective service and the feedback node.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising an initial step of:

adding, to each of the at least one service, a respective adapter layer, the adapter layer being configured to support a protocol applied by the feedback node.

5. The method according to claim 1, comprising the further step of:

transmitting a second set of instructions to the feedback node, instructing the feedback node under which conditions the feedback node is to provide the application server with the feedback information sent to the feedback node from the at least one communication device, and

receiving the feedback information from the feedback node, according to the second set of instructions.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the first and second set of instructions comprise aggregation instructions instructing the feedback node or the at least one communication device under which conditions to aggregate and transmit the feedback information.

7. The method according to claim 1, comprising the further steps of:

executing an action, based on the feedback information as received by the application server, and

transmitting data resulting from the executed action to the at least one communication device, via the feedback node.

8. A method executed in a feedback node for making feedback information provided from communication devices accessible to an application server, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided for the communication devices by the application server, the method comprising:

receiving a second set of instructions from the application server, said second set of instructions instructing the feedback node under which conditions to provide the feedback information to the application server;

receiving the feedback information from the at least one communication device, and

forwarding the feedback information to the application server, according to the second set of instructions.

9. The method according to claim 8, comprising the further steps of:

receiving a first set of instructions from the application server, said first set of instructions instructing at least one of the communication devices under which conditions the at least one communication device is to use the feedback node to provide feedback information to the application server, and

forwarding the first set of instructions to the at least one communication device.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising, following the reception of the second set of instructions:

recognizing a trigger to request feedback information from the at least one communication device, according to the second set of instructions,

transmitting the triggered request for feedback information to the at least one communication device,

receiving feedback information from the at least one communication device in response to the request,

and forwarding the received feedback information to the application server, according to the second set of instructions.

11. A method executed in a communication device for making feedback information provided from the communication device accessible to an application server, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server to the communication device, the method comprising:

receiving a first set of instructions from the application server, said first set of instructions instructing the communication device under which conditions the communication device is to use a feedback node to provide feedback information from the communication device to the application server;

acquiring feedback information associated with the at least one service,

determining, based on the first set of instructions, that the feedback information is to be provided to the application server via the feedback node, and, in response, providing the feedback information to the feedback node.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the providing step comprises aggregating the acquired feedback information together with additional feedback information according to aggregation instructions provided in the first set of instructions, before transmitting the feedback information towards the application server via the feedback node.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the aggregation instructions comprise instructions to aggregate feedback information according to at least one of:

aggregating all feedback information associated with a specific communication device and one or more specific applications running on that communication device, and

aggregating all feedback information associated with a specific application from a specific group of communication devices.

14. The method according to claim 11, comprising the further step of acquiring the feedback information upon identifying the occurrence of a trigger event indicated in the first set of instructions.

15. The method according to claim 11, comprising the further step of acquiring the feedback information upon receiving a request for feedback information from the feedback node.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first set of instructions comprise instructions to use the feedback node for providing feedback information to the application server according to at least one of:

upon determining by the communication device that a channel other than any channel used by the feedback node for providing feedback information from the communication device to the application server is un-accessible;

upon determining by the communication device that the capacity of a channel other than any channel used by the feedback node for providing feedback information from the communication device to the application server has fallen below a certain threshold value;

upon predicting by the communication device that the capacity of a channel other than any channel used by the feedback node for providing feedback information from the communication device to the application server is about to fall below a certain threshold value;

at a specified time interval; and

upon receiving a request for specific feedback information from the application server.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first set of instructions comprise instructions to provide feedback information according to at least one of:

at a specific time interval, and

upon receiving a request for specific feedback information from the application server.

18. An application server configured to access feedback information from communication devices, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server, the application server comprising a processor and a memory storing executable code, which when executed by the processor causes the application server to:

transmit a first set of instructions to at least one of the communication devices, said first set of instructions instructing the at least one communication device under which conditions the at least one communication device is to use a feedback node to provide the feedback information to the application server, and

receive feedback information provided from the at least one communication device via the feedback node, according to the first set of instructions.

19. The application server according to claim 18, wherein the application server is further configured to transmit the first set of instructions to the at least one communication device via the feedback node.

20. The application server according to claim 18, wherein the application server is further configured to transmit, for each of the at least one service, to the feedback node, a respective plug-in, the plug-in being configured to handle protocol conversions between the respective service and the feedback node.

21. The application server according to claim 18, wherein the application server is further configured to add, to each of the at least one service, a respective adapter layer, the adapter layer being configured to support a protocol applied by the feedback node.

22. The application server according to claim 18, wherein the application server is further configured to:

transmit a second set of instructions to the feedback node, instructing the feedback node under which conditions to provide feedback information from the at least one of the communication devices, and

receive feedback information provided from the feedback node, as provided to the feedback node from at least one of the communication devices, according to the second set of instructions.

23. The application server according to claim 22, wherein the application server is configured to provide at least one of the first and second sets of instructions as aggregation instructions instructing the at least one communication device and/or the feedback node under which conditions to aggregate and transmit feedback information provided from the communication devices towards the application server via the feedback node.

24. The application server according to claim 18, wherein the application server is further configured to:

execute an action based on the received feedback information, and

transmit, to the at least one communication device, via the feedback node, data resulting from the executed action.

25. A feedback node configured to make feedback information provided from communication devices accessible to an application server, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server, the feedback node comprising a processor and a memory storing executable code which when executed by the processor configures the feedback node to:

receive a second set of instructions from the application server, instructing the feedback node under which conditions to provide feedback information from at least one of the communication devices to the application server;

receive feedback information from the at least one communication device, and

forward the received feedback information to the application server, according the second set of instructions.

26. The feedback node according to claim 25, wherein the feedback node is further configured to receive, from the application server, for each of the at least one service, a respective plug-in, the plug-in being configured to handle protocol conversions between the respective service and the feedback node, and to activate the respective plug-in at the feedback node.

27. The feedback node according to claim 25, wherein the feedback node is further configured to aggregate feedback information provided from at least one of the communication devices towards the application server, according to instructions forming part of the second set of instructions.

28. The feedback node according to claim 25, wherein the feedback node is further configured to:

receive a first set of instructions from the application server, said first set of instructions instructing at least one of the communication devices under which conditions the at least one communication device is to use the feedback node to provide feedback information from the at least one communication device to the application server, and

forward the first set of instructions to the at least one communication device.

29. The feedback node according to claim 25, wherein the feedback node is configured to recognize a trigger to transmit a request for feedback information to the at least one communication device according to a periodicity indicated in the second set of instructions, transmit such a request and 4e-forward feedback information received in response to such a request, as indicated in the second set of instructions.

30. A communication device configured to make feedback information from the communication device accessible to an application server, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server to the communication device, the communication device comprising a processor and a memory storing executable code which when executed by the processor configures the communication device to:

receive a first set of instructions from the application server, said first set of instructions instructing the communication device under which conditions the communication device is to use a feedback node to provide feedback information from the communication device to the application server;

acquire feedback information associated with the at least one service;

determine, based on the first set of instructions, that the feedback information is to be provided to the application server via the feedback node, and, in response, transmit the feedback information towards the application server via the feedback node.

31. The communication device according to claim 30, wherein the communication device is further configured to transmit the feedback information after having aggregated the acquired feedback information together with additional feedback information, according to aggregation instructions provided in the first set of instructions.

32. The communication device according to claim 30, wherein the communication device is configured to acquire the feedback information upon identifying the occurrence of a trigger event indicated in the first set of instructions.

33. The communication device according to claim 31, wherein the communication device is configured to acquire the feedback information upon receiving a request for feedback information from the feedback node.