Subscription Synchronization via Consolidated Status Updates
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Solution Overview
Problem
In packet data communication systems, particularly in presence networks, the frequent refresh of subscriptions by Watchers to prevent expiration leads to a significant burden on system capacity and power consumption, and there is a risk of missed notifications due to subscription drops when wireless coverage is lost.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that synchronize subscriptions by allowing a user terminal to request a consolidated status update from a Subscription Service Host, which provides a summary of all subscription statuses, enabling the terminal to determine synchronization and refresh subscriptions efficiently, reducing the need for frequent individual subscription refreshes and minimizing the impact of subscription drops.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If Watchers frequently refresh subscriptions to prevent expiration, then subscription reliability is improved, but system capacity burden and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic subscription refreshes with exponential backoff timing. Instead of frequent periodic refreshes, the system uses progressively longer intervals between refresh attempts (e.g., 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x timeout periods), reducing overall communication frequency while maintaining subscription reliability through strategic periodic actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The Watcher autonomously manages subscription refresh operations by locally determining refresh timing based on timeout values from NOTIFY messages. The system self-adjusts refresh behavior without requiring constant server intervention, reducing system capacity burden while maintaining reliability through intelligent local decision-making.
2Reliability
If Watchers frequently refresh subscriptions to prevent expiration, then subscription reliability is improved, but system capacity burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses exponential backoff timing for subscription refreshes, implementing periodic actions with progressively increasing intervals. This reduces the frequency of refresh operations on the system, lowering capacity burden while maintaining subscription reliability through strategically timed periodic refreshes.
Solution Approach 2:
The Watcher autonomously determines refresh timing based on timeout values received from NOTIFY messages, eliminating the need for server-managed refresh scheduling. This self-service approach reduces system capacity burden by transferring refresh management responsibilities to the client device.
3Measurement precision
If Watchers refresh subscriptions individually, then subscription status accuracy is improved, but messaging overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual subscription refresh operations into a single consolidated refresh message. Instead of sending separate SUBSCRIBE messages for each subscription, the system merges them into one message that refreshes all subscriptions atomically, reducing messaging overhead while maintaining accurate subscription status for all watched entities.
4Adaptability or versatility
If Watchers maintain many subscriptions to watched entities, then monitoring completeness is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements exponential backoff timing for subscription refreshes, using progressively longer intervals between refresh attempts. This periodic action with increasing periods reduces the frequency of power-consuming operations while maintaining monitoring completeness across all subscriptions through strategically timed refreshes.
Solution Approach 2:
The Watcher autonomously manages refresh timing for all its subscriptions based on timeout values from NOTIFY messages. This self-service approach allows the device to monitor completeness across many subscriptions while minimizing power consumption through intelligent local control of refresh operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication system synchronizes subscriptions between a user terminal (UT) and a Subscription Service Host (SSH). The UT conveys, to the SSH, multiple subscription messages associated with a Watcher that each initiates a subscription associated with the Watcher and requests watched entity status information. The UT starts a timer and, in response to an expiration of the timer, conveys a subscription information consolidated status update (SICSU) request to the SSH that requests a consolidated status update of all subscriptions associated with the Watcher. In response, the UT receives an SICSU notification comprising a first one or more SICSU values that indicate a status of multiple subscriptions associated with the Watcher, determines a corresponding second one or more SICSU values based on its own list, compares the first SICSU values to the second SICSU values, and determines whether the UT is out of synchronization with the SSH based on the comparison.