Application Server Link Loss Detection via Registration Monitoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current communication networks lack effective mechanisms to detect and respond to losses of connection between interconnection gateways and application services, leading to user inconvenience and service disruptions, especially in scenarios like power outages or network reorganizations.

Innovation Solution

An application server capable of detecting link losses by monitoring registration requests and suspension messages, triggering specific actions such as user notifications, gateway restarts, or test messages to determine the cause of the loss, and initiating corresponding responses.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If no connection detection mechanism is implemented, then the system remains simple, but service reliability deteriorates due to undetected link losses

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice reliabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The application server implements a feedback mechanism by monitoring registration requests from gateways. When the server receives a registration request or registration suspension message, it updates the connection status accordingly. This continuous feedback loop allows the system to detect link losses automatically without adding complex external monitoring equipment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The connection detection mechanism utilizes existing gateway registration procedures to self-detect link losses. The gateway's own registration requests serve as the detection signal, eliminating the need for separate probe messages or external monitoring systems. The server simply observes whether registration requests are received within expected timeframes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Loss of information

If connection loss detection is implemented, then user notification capability is improved, but information loss worsens due to lack of cause identification

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecause identificationVSAvoiduser notification
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The notification system is segmented into multiple independent channels: SMS notifications, email notifications, and visual indicators on the gateway. Each channel can convey different types of information, allowing the system to provide both alert notification and detailed cause identification through appropriate channels without overwhelming a single interface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by sending notifications immediately upon detecting a link loss, while simultaneously initiating diagnostic procedures to identify the cause. This ensures users are alerted without delay while comprehensive information gathering proceeds in parallel.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Speed

If automated response actions are triggered, then service restoration speed is improved, but device complexity worsens due to multiple action types

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice restoration speedVSAvoidresponse mechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The response mechanism is designed to be dynamic and adaptive. The system evaluates the type of link loss and selects appropriate response actions from a predefined set: sending test messages to verify gateway status, triggering gateway reinitialization procedures, or notifying operators for manual intervention. This dynamic selection avoids the complexity of implementing all possible response mechanisms simultaneously while maintaining fast automated responses for common failure modes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2273763B1System and method for detecting connection loss between a gateway and an application service
Publication Date: 2018.11.07 ORANGE SA
  • EP2273763B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP2273763B1 patent drawingFigure 4
  • EP2273763B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

The server (AS-DETECT) has a detection unit to detect loss of connection between an interconnection gateway (GTW) and an application service accessible by the gateway, due to absence of reception of a registration request from the gateway or upon receipt of a message to suspend registration from the gateway in predefined time. A triggering unit triggers a predetermined action in response to detection of loss of connection between the gateway and the application service. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) a method for detecting connection loss between an interconnection gateway and an application service (2) a computer program comprising a set of instructions for implementing a method for detecting connection loss between an interconnection gateway and an application service (3) a recording medium on which the computer program is recorded.