Application Behavior Policy Enforcement for Network Capacity Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Mobile operators face affordability issues due to increasing data traffic, necessitating strategies to manage network capacity effectively, as average revenue per user does not keep pace with traffic growth, leading to challenges in investing in network capacity enhancements.

Innovation Solution

Implementing application behavior policies that regulate and influence applications on communication devices, allowing mobile operators to control bandwidth usage by setting configuration parameters, enforcing compliance through task managers, and applying financial charges or priority adjustments for non-compliant applications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If mobile operators deploy network capacity enhancements to handle increasing data traffic, then network capacity and service quality are improved, but investment costs and operational expenses increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork capacityVSAvoidinvestment cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter of application behavior by imposing policies that limit keep-alive messages and regulate data transmission patterns. This controls the effective data traffic volume without requiring physical network expansion, thereby maintaining network capacity while avoiding the costs associated with capacity enhancements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If mobile operators allow unrestricted application behavior to maintain service quality, then user convenience and application functionality are preserved, but network bandwidth consumption increases and congestion occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveapplication functionalityVSAvoidbandwidth consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by selectively regulating only specific application behaviors (keep-alive messages, data transmission patterns) rather than restricting all application functionality. This partial control reduces bandwidth consumption from excessive traffic patterns while preserving essential application operations and user convenience.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Productivity

If mobile operators implement application behavior policies to reduce bandwidth consumption, then network capacity efficiency is improved, but application functionality and user experience may be degraded

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork capacity efficiencyVSAvoidapplication functionality
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the policy enforcement entity monitors application behavior and adjusts policy application based on network conditions and application performance. This feedback loop allows the system to maintain network capacity efficiency while adapting to preserve essential application functionality and user experience when needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2853061B1Method and apparatus for application behavior policies
Publication Date: 2019.08.14 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
  • EP2853061B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2853061B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2853061B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Various methods are described with respect to application behavior polices according to example embodiments. One example method may comprise determining an application behavior policy of one or more application behavior policies for an application, the application behavior policy comprising one or more configuration parameters. The method of this embodiment may also include causing the application to be launched, such that once launched the application operates in accordance with the application behavior policy. The method of this embodiment may also include causing the application to perform a negotiation with a remote peer, wherein the negotiation comprises a determination with respect to the one or more configuration parameters. The method of this embodiment may also include causing the application behavior policy to be enforced against the application.