Aggregating Network Connection Maintenance to Reduce Radio Tail Power

Solution Overview

Problem

Mobile computing devices face limitations in resources such as memory, storage, and battery life due to increasing demands from applications requiring frequent radio usage for real-time updates, leading to prolonged radio 'tail' power consumption and reduced battery life.

Innovation Solution

A communication protocol stack that manages network connection maintenance by utilizing a timer and tolerance factor to identify and aggregate maintenance operations, such as sending keep-alive packets, to optimize resource usage and minimize radio spin-ups, thereby extending battery life.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If network connections are maintained with frequent radio usage for real-time updates, then connection reliability is improved, but battery life deteriorates due to prolonged radio tail power consumption

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection reliabilityVSAvoidbattery life

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple separate maintenance operations (keep-alive packets, connection checks, resource availability notifications) into a single aggregated maintenance event. When the radio powers on for any purpose, the system identifies all connections requiring maintenance and performs them simultaneously, combining multiple energy-consuming operations into one radio activation event.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary identification of connections requiring maintenance before the radio actually powers on. By using timers and tolerance factors to predict which connections will need maintenance, the system prepares a batch of operations in advance that can be executed together, preventing separate radio activations for each connection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Stability of the object's composition

If maintenance operations are performed individually for each network connection, then connection stability is improved, but resource consumption increases due to multiple radio spin-ups

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection stabilityVSAvoidresource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple separate maintenance operations (keep-alive packets, connection checks, resource availability notifications) into a single aggregated maintenance event. When the radio powers on for any purpose, the system identifies all connections requiring maintenance and performs them simultaneously, combining multiple energy-consuming operations into one radio activation event.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The radio resource is made multi-functional by using it for multiple purposes simultaneously: primary data transmission tasks and aggregated maintenance operations for multiple connections. This universal approach allows the radio to serve connection maintenance needs across different applications during a single activation, reducing the need for separate spin-ups.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If the radio is powered on frequently for connection maintenance, then connection availability is improved, but device battery life deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection availabilityVSAvoidbattery life

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple separate maintenance operations (keep-alive packets, connection checks, resource availability notifications) into a single aggregated maintenance event. When the radio powers on for any purpose, the system identifies all connections requiring maintenance and performs them simultaneously, combining multiple energy-consuming operations into one radio activation event.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements periodic maintenance based on timer values and tolerance factors rather than continuous or frequent individual operations. By scheduling maintenance at optimal intervals and aggregating multiple connections into periodic radio activations, the system maintains connection availability while reducing the frequency of radio power-on events.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS8521887B2Aggregating connection maintenance to optimize resource consumption

Publication Date: 2013.08.27 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

Combining network connection maintenance operations that use a resource to extend battery life. Each of the network connections has a timer and a defined tolerance for early connection maintenance. After receiving notification of an event, the network connections are accessed to identify the connections for which a maintenance operation may be performed early based on the timer and the tolerance. In an embodiment, the maintenance operation includes sending a transmission control protocol (TCP) keep-alive packet on the connection.