Managing connections in a wireless communications network

• US 20070140193A1
• Filed: 05/12/2006
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Wikman, Johan, Dosa, Ferenc
• Granted Patent: US 8,023,477 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections

Abstract

A method of managing connections in a mobile communications network, the method comprising: transmitting over a connection from a network entity to a mobile device natural traffic and keepalive messages at a frequency determined by at least one keepalive parameter; at the mobile device, monitoring receipt of natural traffic and keepalive messages, and in the event of inadequate natural traffic and missing keepalive messages, closing the connection; and dynamically adjusting the at least one keepalive parameter for subsequent transmission of keepalive messages from the network entity so as to maintain the connection at a minimum frequency of keepalive messages.

Claims

1. A method of managing connections in a mobile communications network, the method comprising:

transmitting over a connection from a network entity to a mobile device natural traffic and keepalive messages at a frequency determined by at least one keepalive parameter;

at the mobile device, monitoring receipt of the natural traffic and the keepalive messages, and closing the connection upon detection of inadequate natural traffic and missing keepalive messages; and

dynamically adjusting the at least one keepalive parameter for subsequent transmission of the keepalive messages from the network entity so as to maintain the connection at a minimum frequency of keepalive messages.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the keepalive parameter is an interval between the keepalive messages.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

selecting a first interval when the connection is first established;

establishing a new connection when the connection has been closed; and

selecting a second interval for transmission of the keepalive messages over the new connection.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting the first and second intervals from the mobile device to the network entity.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

establishing an additional keepalive connection for conveying only keepalive messages which are monitored by the mobile device to determine the minimum frequency of the keepalive messages.

6. A method according to claim 2, wherein the step of dynamically adjusting the at least one keepalive parameter comprises reducing the interval (i) to a new interval (inew) where inew=r.i, where r is less than 1.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of dynamically adjusting the at least one keepalive parameter is implemented at the network entity.

8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising:

establishing a tuple [i,m] of keepalive settings for the at least one keepalive parameter including an interval (i) between the keepalive messages and a maximum latency (m).

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

dynamically adjusting the maximum latency at the network entity.

10. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

using a default tuple when the connection is first established.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

selecting a new tuple when a new connection is made after the connection has been closed.

12. A method according to claim 10, further comprising:

selecting a new tuple when a keepalive message is to be transmitted.

13. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

conveying the tuple with a keepalive message.

14. A network entity for use in a mobile communications network, the network entity comprising:

means for establishing a connection with a mobile device;

means for transmitting over the connection keepalive messages at a frequency determined by at least one keepalive parameter; and

means for dynamically adjusting the at least one keepalive parameter for subsequent transmission of the keepalive messages from the network entity so as to maintain the connection at a minimum frequency of keepalive messages.

15. A network entity as claimed in claim 14, wherein the means for dynamically adjusting the keepalive parameter comprises:

means for receiving information from the mobile device identifying a required setting for the at least one keepalive parameter.

16. A network entity as claimed in claim 14, wherein the means for dynamically adjusting the at least one keepalive parameter comprises a processor programmed to execute a connectivity algorithm which determines keepalive settings or said at least one keepalive parameter.

17. A network entity as claimed in claim 16, wherein said keepalive settings are in the form of a tuple including an interval and a maximum latency m.

18. A network entity as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

an internet server.

19. A mobile device for use in a mobile communications network, the mobile device comprising:

means for establishing a connection with a network entity;

means for receiving over said connection natural traffic and keepalive messages at a frequency determined by at least one keepalive parameter;

means for monitoring receipt of the natural traffic and the keepalive messages and closing the connection upon detection of inadequate natural traffic and missing keepalive messages; and

means for transmitting to a network entity information identifying a new parameter for subsequent transmission of the keepalive messages.

20. A mobile device according to claim 19, which comprises means for establishing a new connection in the event that an initial connection is closed.

21. A communications network providing a connection between a mobile device and a network entity, at least a portion of which is provided by a wireless channel, wherein the network entity comprises:

means for transmitting natural traffic and keepalive messages to the mobile device, the keepalive messages being at a frequency determined by at least one keepalive parameter, and

means for dynamically adjusting the at least one keepalive parameter for subsequent transmission of keepalive messages so as to maintain the connection at a minimum frequency of keepalive messages; and

wherein the mobile device comprises monitoring receipt of the natural traffic and the keepalive messages, and closing the connection upon detection of inadequate natural traffic and missing keepalive messages.

22. A method of managing a connection in a network entity, the method comprising:

establishing a connection with a mobile device;

transmitting over the connection keepalive messages at a frequency determined by at least one keepalive parameter; and

dynamically adjusting the at least one keepalive parameter for subsequent transmission of the keepalive messages so as to maintain the connection at a minimum frequency of the keepalive messages.

23. A method of managing a connection at a mobile device, comprising:

establishing a connection with a network entity in a mobile communications network;

receiving over said connection natural traffic and keepalive messages at a frequency determined by at least one keepalive parameter;

monitoring receipt of the natural traffic and the keepalive messages;

closing the connection upon detection of inadequate natural traffic and missing keepalive messages; and

transmitting to a network entity information identifying a new parameter for subsequent transmission of the keepalive messages.

24. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, the computer program managing a connection in a network entity and configured to perform the steps of:

establishing a connection with a mobile device;

transmitting over the connection keepalive messages at a frequency determined by at least one keepalive parameter; and

dynamically adjusting the at least one keepalive parameter for subsequent transmission of the keepalive messages so as to maintain the connection at a minimum frequency of the keepalive messages.

25. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, the computer program managing a connection at a mobile device and configured to perform the steps of:

establishing a connection with a network entity in a mobile communications network;

receiving over said connection natural traffic and keepalive messages at a frequency determined by at least one keepalive parameter;

monitoring receipt of the natural traffic and the keepalive messages;

closing the connection upon detection of inadequate natural traffic and missing keepalive messages; and

transmitting to a network entity information identifying a new parameter for subsequent transmission of the keepalive messages.

26. A network entity for use in a mobile communications network, the network entity comprising:

an interface configured to establish a connection with a mobile device via the mobile communications network;

a processor configured to transmit over the connection keepalive messages at a frequency determined by at least one keepalive parameter;

said processor being operable to dynamically adjust the at least one keepalive parameter for subsequent transmission of the keepalive messages so as to maintain the connection at a minimum frequency of the keepalive messages.

27. A mobile device for use in a mobile communications network, the mobile device comprising:

an interface configured to establish a connection with a network entity in the mobile communications network;

a receiver configured to receive over said connection natural traffic and keepalive messages at a frequency determined by at least one keepalive parameter; and

a processor configured to monitor receipt of the natural traffic and the keepalive messages and closing the connection upon detection of inadequate natural traffic and missing keepalive messages; and

a transmitter configured to transmit to a network entity information identifying a new parameter for subsequent transmission of the keepalive messages.