METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING APPLICATION UPDATE TRAFFIC IN CELLULAR NETWORKS

• US 20120005276A1
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Guo, Katherine H., Lumezanu, Cristian
• Granted Patent: US 8,954,515 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• 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 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable

Abstract

An application proxy is disposed between a user device and an application server. The application server supports an application that is available on the user device. The user device registers with the application proxy for the application. The user device is prevented from transmitting application update request messages to the application server. The application proxy transmits application update request messages to the application server on behalf of the user device. The application proxy receives application update response messages from the application server. The application proxy determines, based on the application update response messages from the application server, whether to send an application update notification message toward the user device. In this manner, application update traffic normally transmitted via the network between the user device and the application proxy is reduced. The application update request and response messages may be polling messages, keep-alive messages, and the like.

Claims

1. A method for reducing application update traffic in a network, the method comprising:

transmitting, from an application proxy toward an application server, an application update request message associated with an application supported by the application server and available on a user device, wherein the application update message is transmitted by the application proxy on behalf of the user device;

receiving, at the application proxy, an application update response message of the application server; and

determining, based on the application update response message, whether to transmit an application update notification message toward the user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application update request message comprises at least one of a polling message and a keep-alive message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the polling message is adapted for polling the application server for determining whether new application content is available on the application server for the user, wherein the application update response message is indicative of whether new application content is available on the application server for a user of the user device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the keep-alive message is adapted for:

indicating to a middle-box device that the state of the connection between the user device and the application server should be maintained by the middle-box device, wherein the middle-box device is located between the user device and the application server.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the application update response message is indicative of whether the state of the connection is active on the middle-box device.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the keep-alive message is adapted for indicating to the application server that a connection should be maintained on the application server for a user of the user device, wherein the application update response message is indicative of whether the connection is active for the user device on the application server.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a determination not to send the application update notification message toward the user device, dropping the application update response message received from the application server.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a determination to send the application update notification message toward the user device, sending the application update notification message toward the user device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the application comprises at least one of an email application, an instant messaging (IM) application, a social networking application, a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) application, a virtual private network (VPN) application, and a mobility application.

10. A method for reducing update traffic in a network, the method comprising:

preventing, at a user device, transmission of an application update request message that would normally be transmitted from the user device to an application server for an application supported by the application server and available on the user device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

prior to preventing transmission of the application update request message;

transmitting, from the user device toward an application proxy, a registration request message for registering the user device with the application proxy for the application, wherein the application proxy is configured to communicate with the application server for the application on behalf of the user device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user device is configured to prevent transmission of an application update request message in response to transmission of the registration request message.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

in response to receiving a registration response message indicative that the user device is not registered with the application proxy for the application;

enabling transmission, by the user device, of an application update request message for the application.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the user device is configured to prevent transmission of an application update request message in response to receiving a registration response message indicative that the user device is registered with the application proxy for the application.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the user device comprises an application client for running the application on the user device, wherein preventing transmission of the application update request message comprises:

configuring the application client to prevent transmission of the application update request message toward the application server.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, at the user device from an application proxy, an application update response message associated with the application, wherein the application update response message comprises new content available from the application server for a user of the user device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting, from the user device toward the application server, an application content request message adapted for requesting new content available from the application server for a user of the user device.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the application update request message comprises at least one of a polling message and a keep-alive message.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein at least one of:

the polling message is adapted for polling the application server for determining whether new content is available for a user of the user device; and

the keep-alive message is adapted for at least one of;

indicating to a middle-box device that the state of the connection between the user device and the application server should be maintained by the middle-box device, wherein the middle-box device is located between the user device and the application server; and

indicating to the application server that a connection should be maintained on the application server for a user of the user device.

20. An apparatus for reducing application update traffic in a network, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor for preventing transmission of an application update request message that would normally be transmitted from the user device to an application server for an application supported by the application server and available on the user device.