Mobile Device Background App Update Synchronization

Solution Overview

Problem

Mobile devices experience increased signaling load and battery consumption due to uncoordinated updates from multiple applications running in the background, leading to frequent radio connections and inefficient resource usage.

Innovation Solution

A method is implemented to manage mobile device applications by distinguishing between background and foreground modes, where in background mode, network access requests are suppressed and only transmitted upon transitioning to foreground mode, thereby synchronizing updates and reducing signaling load and battery consumption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If applications update content periodically based on their own timing, then each application can maintain its content freshness, but the signaling load and battery consumption increase due to uncoordinated updates and frequent radio connections

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent freshnessVSAvoidbattery consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple application updates into a single coordinated update cycle by introducing a synchronization mechanism. The system determines a common update time point for multiple applications and delays their updates until this synchronized moment, thereby combining what would have been separate radio connections into one, reducing signaling load and battery consumption while maintaining content freshness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary determination of update timing by calculating a synchronized update time point before actually executing the updates. This preliminary action involves analyzing multiple applications' update requirements and establishing a coordinated schedule, which prevents premature or duplicate radio connections and optimizes energy usage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of information

If applications update content periodically based on their own timing, then each application can maintain its content freshness, but the signaling load increases due to uncoordinated updates and frequent radio connections

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent freshnessVSAvoidsignaling load

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple application updates into a single coordinated update cycle by introducing a synchronization mechanism. The system determines a common update time point for multiple applications and delays their updates until this synchronized moment, thereby combining what would have been separate radio connections into one, reducing signaling load and battery consumption while maintaining content freshness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary determination of update timing by calculating a synchronized update time point before actually executing the updates. This preliminary action involves analyzing multiple applications' update requirements and establishing a coordinated schedule, which prevents premature or duplicate radio connections and optimizes energy usage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Speed

If network access requests are transmitted immediately by background applications, then real-time updates are achieved, but unnecessary network connections and power usage occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveupdate speedVSAvoidpower usage

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements periodic action by establishing a synchronized update cycle where multiple applications wait for a predetermined update time point before transmitting network access requests. This periodic coordination ensures that updates occur at optimal intervals rather than continuously, reducing unnecessary power usage while maintaining acceptable update speed through the coordinated transmission mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP2820896B1Optimizing signaling load overhead and battery consumption for background applications

Publication Date: 2017.04.19 QUALCOMM INC

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AI summary

The disclosure relates to managing applications configured for execution on a mobile device. An embodiment of the disclosure receives one or more network access requests from one or more applications executing on the mobile device, determines that the mobile device is operating in a background mode, suppresses transmission to a network of the one or more network access requests to a network based on the determination, and transmits a subset of the one or more network access requests upon transition out of the background mode.