Power based content modification, transmission, and caching

• US 8,599,707 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2010
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm Innovation Center Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm Innovation Center Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Garg, Dinesh K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Alpus H
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUO, ANTHONY L
• Application Number:
  US12/949,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20120131145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/219, 370/311, 370/252, 370/332, 370/338, 455/452.2, 455/522, 455/343.2, 711/3
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0802 Addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means, e.g. caches
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/601 Reconfiguration of cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0264 by selectively disabling software applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for operating a mobile device based upon a power capability of the mobile device are disclosed. In one embodiment, the mobile device includes a network selection component configured to select a particular transceiver for communication based upon the power capability of the mobile device and a quality of service associated with available networks. In addition, a cache management component is configured to increase, based upon an indication of the power capability of the mobile device, a size of the cache that is available for requested content so as to increase the likelihood that subsequent requests for the content will be loaded from the mobile device. Moreover, some variations of the mobile device are capable of providing an indication of a power capability of the mobile device to a remote server so the remote server may modify the requested content based upon the power capability.

Claims

1. A method for managing power on a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a user-request for content that is located at a remote location from the mobile device;

accessing, in advance of requesting the content from the remote location, a quality of service (QoS) power database, the quality of service power database including for each of a plurality of network options, quality of service and power information;

determining a quality of service that is desired to obtain the content from the remote location;

selecting, from among the plurality of wireless networks, a particular wireless network that requires a minimum amount of device power to achieve the quality of service that is desired to obtain the content from the remote location;

using the particular wireless network to obtain the content from the remote location;

caching, if a size of memory available for a browser cache is sufficient, a portion of the content that is cachable; and

increasing, based upon an indication of a decrease in an amount of power that remains available on the mobile device, the size of the memory that is available for the browser cache that is available for the content that is cachable to increase a likelihood that a subsequent request for the content will be loaded from the browser cache.

2. The method of claim 1, including:

utilizing, if the mobile device is capable of applying a power level associated with a higher quality of service than the desired quality of service, the higher quality of service to obtain the content from the remote location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein utilizing the higher quality of service is an option that is configurable so that the mobile device may be configured to utilize either the minimum amount of device power to achieve the desired quality of service or the higher quality of service if the mobile device is capable of applying the power level associated with the higher quality of service.

4. The method of claim 1, including:

dynamically configuring the QoS-power database.

5. A mobile device including:

a browser configured to enable a user to request content that is located at a remote location from the mobile device;

a plurality of transceivers, each of the transceivers configured to communicate with a corresponding one of a plurality of wireless networks;

a memory for caching the requested content;

a power source configured to provide power to components of the mobile device;

a network selection component configured to;

access, in advance of requesting the content from the remote location, a quality of service (QoS) power database, the quality of service power database including for each of the plurality of wireless networks, quality of service and power information;

determine a quality of service that is desired to obtain the content from the remote location;

select a particular one of the plurality of wireless networks for communication that requires a minimum amount of mobile device power to achieve the quality of service that is desired to obtain the content from the remote location; and

use the particular wireless network to obtain the content from the remote location; and

a cache management component configured to increase, based upon an indication of a decrease in an amount of power that remains available on the mobile device, the size of the memory that is available for the browser cache that is available for the content that is cachable to increase a likelihood that a subsequent request for the content will be loaded from the browser cache.

6. The mobile device of claim 5, including:

a device capability component configured to receive device-capability inquiries from a remote server and provide, responsive to each of the device-capability inquiries, an indication of the power capability of the power source so as to enable the remote server to modify the requested content based upon the power capability of the power source.

7. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the device capability component is configured to receive and initiate execution of a device-capability-inquiry-script that collects the indication of the power capability, and the device capability component is configured to provide to the remote server, responsive to the device-capability-inquiry-script, the indication of the power capability via an extensible markup language hypertext transfer protocol request.

8. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the a plurality of transceivers include transceivers corresponding to network types selected from the group consisting of 3G, 4G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and WiMax protocols.

9. A mobile device including:

means for receiving a user-request for content that is located at a remote location from the mobile device;

means for accessing, in advance of requesting the content from the remote location, a quality of service (QoS) power database, the quality of service power database including for each of a plurality of wireless networks, quality of service and power information;

means for determining a quality of service that is desired to obtain the content from the remote location;

means for selecting, from among the plurality of wireless networks, a particular wireless network that requires a minimum amount of device power to achieve the quality of service that is desired to obtain the content from the remote location;

means for using the particular wireless network to obtain the content from the remote location;

means for caching, if a size of memory available for a browser cache is sufficient, a portion of the content that is cachable; and

means for increasing, based upon an indication of a decrease in an amount of power that remains available on the mobile device, the size of the memory that is available for the browser cache that is available for the content that is cachable to increase a likelihood that a subsequent request for the content will be loaded from the browser cache.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, including:

means for receiving device-capability inquiries from a remote server and providing, responsive to each of the inquiries, the indication of the power capability of the mobile device so as to enable the remote server to modify the requested web content based upon the power capability of the mobile device.

11. A non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium, encoded with processor readable instructions to perform a method for managing power on a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a user-request for content that is located at a remote location from the mobile device;

accessing, in advance of requesting the content from the remote location, a quality of service (QoS)-power database, the QoS-power database including for each of a plurality of network options, quality of service and power information;

determining a quality of service that is desired to obtain the content from the remote location;

selecting, from among the plurality of wireless networks, a particular wireless network that requires a minimum amount of device power to achieve the quality of service that is desired to obtain the content from the remote location; and

using the particular wireless network to obtain the content from the remote location

caching, if a size of memory available for a browser cache is sufficient, a portion of the content that is cachable; and

increasing, based upon an indication of a decrease in an amount of power that remains available on the mobile device, the size of the memory that is available for the browser cache that is available for the content that is cachable to increase a likelihood that a subsequent request for the content will be loaded from the browser cache.

12. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 11, including encoded processor readable instructions to:

cache, if a browser cache is sufficient, at least a portion of the content;

increasing, based upon an indication of a decrease in an amount of power that remains available on the mobile device, a size of the browser cache that is available for the content that is cachable so as to increase a likelihood that a subsequent request for the content will be loaded from the mobile device.

13. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 12, including encoded processor readable instructions to:

decrease the size of the browser cache if another application requests memory associated with the browser cache.

14. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein increasing includes increasing the size of the browser cache by a configurable step in an inverse relation to a decrease in the amount of power that is available on the mobile device.

15. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 11, including encoded processor readable instructions to:

send, from the mobile device, a request to a web server for the content;

receive, from the web server, responsive to the request for the content, a device-capability-inquiry;

provide, responsive to the device-capability-inquiry, an indication of an amount of power that is available on the mobile device; and

receive, from the web server, the requested content that is modified based upon the amount of power that is available on the mobile device.

16. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 11, including encoded processor readable instructions to:

utilize, if the mobile device is capable of applying power associated with a higher quality of service than the desired quality of service, the higher quality of service to obtain the content from the remote location.

17. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein utilizing the higher quality of service is an option that is configurable so that the mobile device may be configured to utilize either the minimum amount of device power to achieve the quality of service that is desired or the higher quality of service.

18. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 11, including encoded processor readable instructions to:

dynamically configure the quality of service power database.