SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING IP ADDRESSES AND NETWORK TRAFFIC IN WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20120099586A1
• Filed: 10/19/2011
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Cherian, George, Wang, Jun, Payyappilly, Ajith Tom, Zhao, Suli
• Granted Patent: US 8,964,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5053 Lease time; Renewal aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatus described herein include features that enable efficient management of keep-alive messages utilized to maintain IP addresses and/or PDN connections associated with idle data traffic channels. An access terminal may consolidate keep-alive messages for idle data traffic channels, reducing the number of keep-alive messages transmitted. An access terminal may select which idle data traffic channels to maintain, and may transmit a consolidated keep-alive message for associated IP addresses and/or PDN connections. Timers may be associated with PDN connections and sub-timers may be associated with IP addresses associated with a PDN connection. Keep-alive messages can be consolidated based on the timers, sub-timers and/or combination of timers and sub-timers. In a complementary method, a PDN gateway or other network node cooperates with access terminals to reduce network traffic. In another complementary method, the PDN gateway or other network node synchronizes the timers and/or sub-timers provided with an access terminal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving two or more network addresses from a network, each network address having an associated timer and an associated data traffic channel; and

transmitting a consolidated keep-alive message in order to refresh the timers associated with a group of the two or more network addresses each network address being associated with a different device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more network addresses are provided with a Packet Data Network (PDN) connection, and the PDN connection is associated with a timer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein some of the network addresses are included in a single PDN connection.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the network addresses are included in two or more PDN connections, wherein each PDN connection includes at least one network address.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying idle data traffic channels and the associated network addresses;

determining whether to maintain the associated network address for each idle data traffic channel; and

consolidating keep-alive messages for identified network addresses.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an acknowledgement in response to the transmitted consolidated keep-alive message; and

refreshing the timers associated with the acknowledgement.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive two or more network addresses from a network, each network address having an associated timer and an associated data traffic channel; and

a transmitter configured to transmit a consolidated keep-alive message in order to refresh the timers associated with a group of the two or more network addresses each network address being associated with a different device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more network addresses are provided with a Packet Data Network (PDN) connection, and the PDN connection is associated with a timer.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein some of the network addresses are included in a single PDN connection.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the network addresses are included in two or more PDN connections, wherein each PDN connection includes at least one network address.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a processing system configured to;

identify idle data traffic channels and the associated network addresses;

determine whether to maintain the associated network address for each idle data traffic channel; and

consolidate keep-alive messages for identified network addresses.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive an acknowledgement in response to the transmitted consolidated keep-alive message, and wherein the processing system is further configured to refresh the timers associated with the acknowledgement.

13. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving two or more network addresses from a network, each network address having an associated timer and an associated data traffic channel; and

means for transmitting a consolidated keep-alive message in order to refresh the timers associated with a group of the two or more network addresses each network address being associated with a different device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more network addresses are provided with a Packet Data Network (PDN) connection, and the PDN connection is associated with a timer.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein some of the network addresses are included in a single PDN connection.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the network addresses are included in two or more PDN connections, wherein each PDN connection includes at least one network address.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for processing configured to;

identify idle data traffic channels and the associated network addresses;

determine whether to maintain the associated network address for each idle data traffic channel; and

consolidate keep-alive messages for identified network addresses.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the receiving means is further configured to receive an acknowledgement in response to the transmitted consolidated keep-alive message, and wherein the processing means is further configured to refresh the timers associated with the acknowledgement.

19. A computer program product for wirelessly communicating comprising a computer readable medium comprising instructions that when executed cause an apparatus to:

receive two or more network addresses from a network, each network address having an associated timer and an associated data traffic channel; and

transmit a consolidated keep-alive message in order to refresh the timers associated with a group of the two or more network addresses each network address being associated with a different device.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising instructions that when executed cause an apparatus to:

identify idle data traffic channels and the associated network addresses;

determine whether to maintain the associated network address for each idle data traffic channel; and

consolidate keep-alive messages for identified network addresses.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising instructions that when executed cause an apparatus to:

receive an acknowledgement in response to the transmitted consolidated keep-alive message; and

refresh the timers associated with the acknowledgement.