Seamless application connectivity

• US 10,244,451 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2015
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jain, Arvind
• Primary Examiner(s): Onamuti, Gbemileke J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dewan, Sanjay K
• Application Number:
  US14/967,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20160112919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 1/16 by means of discharge device having at least three electrodes H03C1/28 - H03C1/34, H03C1/50, H03C1/52, H03C1/62 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00692 using simultaneous multiple data streams, e.g. cooperative multipoint [CoMP], carrier aggregation [CA] or multiple input multiple output [MIMO] allocation of physical resources in CoMP or in CA H04L5/0035
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/185 using make before break

Abstract

In some implementations, a request to switch to using a second network connection is received at a first computing device that is currently communicating with a second computing device over a first network connection. While still using the first network connection, the second network connection may be initiated. During a period of transition, the first computing device may communicate with the second computing device using both the first network connection and the second network connection. To use both the first and second network connections, data from the second computing device may be received over the first network connection, and data may be sent to the second computing device over the second network connection. The first computing device may identify an end of the period of transition. In response, the first computing device may communicate with the second computing device using only the second network connection.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first device in communication with a second device over a first network connection, a request to switch from using the first network connection to using a second network connection for communication between the first device and the second device;

while maintaining the first network connection between the first device and the second device, establishing, by the first device, the second network connection between the first device and the second device;

while maintaining both (i) the first network connection between the first device and the second device and (ii) the second network connection between the first device and the second device, mapping, by the first device, the first network connection and the second network connection to a single connection alias that represents, to applications running on the first device, both the first network connection and the second network connection as a single network connection, the single connection alias including an identifier of the first device and an identifier of the second device;

after mapping the first network connection and the second network connection to the single connection alias and during a period of time;

receiving, by the first device and from the second device, data over the first network connection and not over the second network connection, and

transmitting, by the first device and to the second device, data over the second network connection and not over the first network connection; and

after the period of time has elapsed;

terminating the first network connection,

receiving, by the first device and from the second device, data over the second network connection and not over the first network connection that has terminated, and

transmitting, by the first device and to the second device, data over the second network connection and not over the terminated first network connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the first network connection and the second network connection to the single connection alias comprises:

assigning the first network connection for receiving data at the first device from the second device when using the single connection alias; and

assigning the second network connection for transmitting data from the first device to the second device when using the single connection alias.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the first network connection and the second network connection to the single connection alias comprises:

mapping the first network connection for receiving data by the first device using the single connection alias, and mapping the second network connection for transmitting data by the first device using the single connection alias.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating during the period of time using both the first network connection and the second network connection comprises:

managing communications between the first device and second device over both the first network connection and the second network connection using a middleware layer that is running on the first device, the middleware layer acting as an intermediate network layer between an application layer of the first device and a kernel layer of the first device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein communicating during the period of time using both the first network connection and the second network connection comprises:

using, by the application layer, the single communication alias to communicate with the second device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the first network connection and the second network connection to the single connection alias comprises:

updating the single connection alias to split communications of an application over the first network connection and the second network connection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the first network connection and the second network connection to the single connection alias comprises:

mapping the network connections so that (i) the first network connection is assigned as a read-only connection of the first device with the second device, and (ii) the second network connection is assigned as a write-only connection of the first device with the second device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein communicating during the period of time using both the first network connection and the second network connection comprises:

concurrently (i) receiving data by the first device from the second device over the first network connection, and (ii) sending data from the first device to the second device over the second network connection.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising, after the end of the period of time, mapping only the second network connection to the single connection alias, the second network connection being assigned for sending and receiving data between the first device and the second device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the first network connection and the second network connection to the single connection alias comprises:

updating the single connection alias to represent two different pairs of IP addresses.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device has a first network interface assigned a first IP address, and the first device has a second network interface assigned a second IP address, the second IP address being different from the first IP address;

wherein mapping the first network connection and the second network connection to the single connection alias comprises;

designating a connection between the first IP address and a third IP address for the second device; and

designating the single connection alias to use a connection between the first IP address and a third IP address for the second device.

12. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a first device in communication with a second device over a first network connection, a request to switch from using the first network connection to using a second network connection for communication between the first device and the second device;

while maintaining the first network connection between the first device and the second device, establishing, by the first device, the second network connection between the first device and the second device;

while maintaining both (i) the first network connection between the first device and the second device and (ii) the second network connection between the first device and the second device, mapping, by the first device, the first network connection and the second network connection to a single connection alias that represents, to applications running on the first device, both the first network connection and the second network connection as a single network connection, the single connection alias including an identifier of the first device and an identifier of the second device;

after mapping the first network connection and the second network connection to the single connection alias and during a period of time;

receiving, by the first device and from the second device, data over the first network connection and not over the second network connection, and

transmitting, by the first device and to the second device, data over the second network connection and not over the first network connection; and

after the period of time has elapsed;

terminating the first network connection,

receiving, by the first device and from the second device, data over the second network connection and not over the first network connection that has terminated, and

transmitting, by the first device and to the second device, data over the second network connection and not over the terminated first network connection.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein mapping the first network connection and the second network connection to the single connection alias comprises:

updating the single connection alias to split communications of an application over the first network connection and the second network connection.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein mapping the first network connection and the second network connection to the single connection alias comprises:

mapping the network connections so that (i) the first network connection is assigned as a read-only connection of the first device with the second device, and (ii) the second network connection is assigned as a write-only connection of the first device with the second device.

15. A device comprising:

one or more processors; and

an interface that is programmed to receive a request to switch from using a first network connection to using a second network connection for communicating with a second device; and

a connectivity manager that is configured to;

while maintaining the first network connection between the first device and the second device, establish, by the first device, the second network connection between the first device and the second device;

while maintaining both (i) the first network connection between the first device and the second device and (ii) the second network connection between the first device and the second device, map, by the first device, the first network connection and the second network connection to a single connection alias that represents, to applications running on the first device, both the first network connection and the second network connection as a single network connection, the single connection alias including an identifier of the first device and an identifier of the second device;

after mapping the first network connection and the second network connection to the single connection alias and for a period of time;

receive, by the first device and from the second device, data over the first network connection and not over the second network connection, and

transmit, by the first device and to the second device, data over the second network connection and not over the first network connection; and

after the period of time has elapsed;

terminate the first network connection,

receive, by the first device and from the second device, data over the second network connection and not over the first network connection that has terminated, and

transmit, by the first device and to the second device, data over the second network connection and not over the terminated first network connection.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to map the first network connection and the second network connection to the single connection alias by updating the single connection alias to split communications of an application over the first network connection and the second network connection.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the connectivity manager is configured to map the first network connection and the second network connection to the single connection alias by mapping the network connections so that (i) the first network connection is assigned as a read-only connection for communicating with the second device, and (ii) the second network connection is assigned as a write-only connection for communicating with the second device.