Network Bandwidth Prioritization for Foreground Applications

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Solution Overview

Problem

Mobile devices often experience slower response times due to competing background applications consuming bandwidth after a data connection outage, requiring manual user intervention to prioritize foreground tasks, which is inconvenient and not user-friendly.

Innovation Solution

A method and device that automatically detect network connection outages and restorations, prioritizing foreground applications by monitoring connection states and reserving bandwidth, ensuring the user's foreground application receives priority access to the network connection without manual user intervention.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If background applications are allowed to access the network connection after restoration, then network resources are utilized efficiently, but foreground application response time deteriorates due to bandwidth competition

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork resource utilizationVSAvoidforeground application response time

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating network access rights for different applications based on their foreground/background status. Background applications are restricted to limited bandwidth while foreground applications receive priority access, creating localized quality differences in network resource allocation that resolve the contradiction between overall utilization and foreground performance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system automatically detects connection restoration and autonomously prioritizes foreground applications without requiring manual user intervention. The operating system self-manages the bandwidth allocation by monitoring application states and dynamically adjusting network access rights, allowing the system to serve itself in resolving the bandwidth competition problem.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Speed

If manual background synchronization switching is implemented, then foreground application performance is improved, but user operation complexity increases and user convenience deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveforeground application response timeVSAvoiduser intervention requirement

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically detects connection restoration events and autonomously prioritizes foreground applications without requiring manual user intervention. The operating system self-manages the bandwidth allocation by monitoring application states and dynamically adjusting network access rights, allowing the system to serve itself in resolving the bandwidth competition problem.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors network connection status and application foreground/background states, using this feedback to dynamically adjust bandwidth allocation. When the connection is restored, the system detects the current foreground application and automatically grants it priority access, creating a closed-loop feedback mechanism that maintains optimal performance without user intervention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Speed

If bandwidth is reserved for foreground application, then foreground application response time is improved, but overall network resource utilization deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveforeground application response timeVSAvoidoverall network resource utilization

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of completely blocking background applications, the system allows them to access a partial portion of the bandwidth (e.g., 20-30%) while reserving the majority for foreground applications. This partial action approach ensures foreground performance while maintaining some level of background application functionality and overall network utilization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS9955521B2Device connectivity

Publication Date: 2018.04.24 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

A method of operating a device comprising connecting to an external data source via a network, determining that the network connection has been broken, determining that the network connection has been restored, detecting that a user is accessing an application that requires access to the network connection, and prioritizing the accessed application with respect to the required access to the network connection.