Blocking application traffic for resource conservation in a mobile device

• US 10,693,797 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2019
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seven Networks LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Seven Networks LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Alisawi, Rami, Backholm, Ari, Hu, Huajie, Seleznyov, Alexandr, Wei, Jie, Yoon, Sungwook
• Primary Examiner(s): Pollack, Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US16/395,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20190253363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: 709225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2475 for supporting traffic characterised by the type of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 67/2876 Pairs of inter-processing entities at each side of the network, e.g. split proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5683 Storage of data provided by user terminals, i.e. reverse caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0221 power availability or consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/12 Application layer protocols, e.g. WAP [Wireless Application Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile device is configured for communicating over a shared channel and an application specific channel. The application specific channel is a channel for an application on the mobile device to communicate with an application server. The mobile device is further configured for blocking the application specific channel to offload traffic therefrom to the shared channel. The blocking occurs in response to a screen of the mobile device being off and the blocking includes blocking the application from accessing the application server over the application specific channel.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

a memory;

a processor configured to control the mobile device for;

communicating over a shared channel and an application specific channel, wherein the application specific channel is a channel for an application on the mobile device to communicate with an application server;

blocking the application specific channel to offload traffic therefrom to the shared channel, wherein the blocking occurs in response to a screen of the mobile device being off and the blocking includes blocking the application from accessing the application server over the application specific channel;

wherein blocking the application from accessing the application server includes suspending the application;

receiving a message directed to the application over the shared channel from a messaging server;

allowing the application to access the application server over the application specific channel in response to receipt of the message;

wherein allowing the application to access the application server includes resuming the application for a period of time; and

re-blocking the application specific channel after allowing the application to access the application server over the application specific channel for the period of time.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein suspending the application includes killing the application.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein blocking the application specific channel includes blocking keepalive traffic.

4. The mobile device of claim 3, wherein the blocked keepalive traffic is offloaded to the shared channel.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the application specific channel is a TCP connection.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising unblocking the application specific channel when user activity is detected, wherein the user activity includes whether the mobile device is being interacted with.

7. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the application specific channel that is unblocked is a subsequent TCP connection.

8. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the screen of the mobile device is off as a result of the mobile device not being interacted with by a user.

9. A non-transient computer readable storage medium containing computer readable program code configured for:

communicating over a shared channel and an application specific channel, wherein the application specific channel is a channel for an application on a mobile device to communicate with an application server;

blocking the application specific channel to offload traffic therefrom to the shared channel, wherein the blocking occurs in response to a screen of the mobile device being off and the blocking includes blocking the application from accessing the application server over the application specific channel;

wherein blocking the application from accessing the application server includes suspending the application;

receiving a message directed to the application over the shared channel from a messaging server;

allowing the application to access the application server over the application specific channel in response to receipt of the message;

wherein allowing the application to access the application server includes resuming the application for a period of time; and

re-blocking the application specific channel after allowing the application to access the application server over the application specific channel for the period of time.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein suspending the application includes killing the application.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein blocking the application specific channel includes blocking keepalive traffic.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the blocked keepalive traffic is offloaded to the shared channel.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the application specific channel is a TCP connection.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising unblocking the application specific channel when user activity is detected, wherein the user activity includes whether the mobile device is being interacted with.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the application specific channel that is unblocked is a subsequent TCP connection.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the screen of the mobile device is off as a result of the mobile device not being interacted with by a user.

17. A method comprising:

communicating over a shared channel and an application specific channel, wherein the application specific channel is a channel for an application on a mobile device to communicate with an application server;

blocking the application specific channel to offload traffic therefrom to the shared channel, wherein the blocking occurs in response to a screen of the mobile device being off and the blocking includes blocking the application from accessing the application server over the application specific channel;

wherein blocking the application from accessing the application server includes suspending the application;

receiving a message directed to the application over the shared channel from a messaging server;

allowing the application to access the application server over the application specific channel in response to receipt of the message;

wherein allowing the application to access the application server includes resuming the application for a period of time; and

re-blocking the application specific channel after allowing the application to access the application server over the application specific channel for the period of time.