Transport protocol layer optimization for managing signaling and power consumption

• US 9,973,965 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2014
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seven Networks LLC (FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC))
• Original Assignee: Seven Networks LLC (FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC))
• Inventors: Backholm, Ari, Luna, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): La, Phong
• Application Number:
  US14/474,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20150016261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/283 in response to processing delays, e.g. caused by jitter or round trip time [RTT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for optimizing signaling in a mobile network and conserving battery resources based on transport protocol layer such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) layer optimization techniques are disclosed. A distributed proxy system, in various embodiments, can implement one or more optimization techniques including deferring TCP socket closures or closing network sockets with TCP RST instead of TCP FIN to save on signaling in the wireless (e.g., mobile network) and conserve battery resources. In some embodiments, the disclosed system can implement various methods to prevent or reduce number of TCP and/or application level retries, and thereby reduce signaling in the wireless network and conserve battery resources. In other embodiments, the distributed proxy system can multiplex all TCP sockets in a mobile device through a single socket to reduce TCP/IP overhead and thus conserve device and network resources.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor, the mobile device configured to;

detect a request from a mobile application on the mobile device to close a network connection over a mobile network with an application server;

detect that the mobile network is unreliable and a connection to the application server cannot be established through another network, wherein the mobile network is unreliable when the mobile network is one of congested, inoperative, or non-responsive; and

cause the network stack to utilize a second mechanism instead of a first mechanism in closing the network connection when the mobile network is unreliable so as to prevent additional signaling in the mobile network,

wherein a source of the additional signaling includes at least one of the network stack or a change in a radio state of the mobile device from an idle state to a connected state,

wherein the network stack is a Transport Control Protocol (TCP) stack and wherein the second mechanism closes the network connection using a TCP RST and the first mechanism is configured to close a network connection using a TCP FIN,

wherein closing the network connection using the TCP RST avoids the need for the application server to send an acknowledgement and prevents the network stack from retrying to close the network connection if a prior attempt failed.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is further configured to:

respond to the request from the mobile application to close the network connection in accordance with the first mechanism.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the second mechanism includes sending a TCP RST message to the mobile application.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the second mechanism includes ending a TCP RST message to the application server.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein preventing additional signaling in the network includes preventing a radio in the mobile device from turning on unnecessarily.

6. A mobile device, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor, the mobile device configured to;

detect at least one attempt from the mobile application on the mobile device to establish a network connection over a mobile network with an application server;

detect at least one condition, wherein the at least one condition includes unavailability of the application server;

in response to detecting the at least one condition, prevent a network stack from making further attempts to establish the network connection to prevent additional signaling in the mobile network,

wherein the network stack is a Transport Control Protocol (TCP) stack,

wherein the at least one condition includes the mobile application timing out or no longer expecting a response,

wherein preventing additional signaling includes blocking traffic between the mobile application and the TCP stack via a firewall within the mobile device; and

provide a response to the mobile application to prevent the network stack from retrying to establish the network connection.

7. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the application server is unavailable when the mobile network is one of congested, inoperative, or non-responsive.

8. The mobile device of claim 6, preventing additional signaling includes directing the traffic to operator-friendlier push mechanisms.

9. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein preventing additional signaling includes dropping a TCP connection from an application.

10. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein preventing additional signaling includes rejecting a TCP connection from an application.