Power management via coordination and selective operation of timer-related tasks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10375645-B2
Application number	US-201715625590-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2017
Priority date	Dec 27, 2010
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

Mobile computing device power consumption can be reduced by using expiration window timers, state-based timers and/or the coordination of keep-alive timers. A mobile computing device can execute tasks associated with multiple keep-alive timers used for maintaining communication links between the device and cloud-based service providers in a single active state. A cloud-based keep-alive service can maintain mobile computing device-service provider communication links by sending one keep-alive communication to a mobile computing device in place of multiple communications. Upon receiving a response, the keep-alive surface can send a plurality of keep-alive communications to a plurality of cloud-based service providers.

First claim

We claim:

1. A networked computing system comprising a processor and memory, wherein the networked computing system implements a keep-alive service, the networked computing system being adapted to perform a method of maintaining communication between a mobile computing device and a plurality of cloud-based service providers, the method comprising:
sending a first keep-alive communication for the keep-alive service to the mobile computing device;
receiving a response to the first keep-alive communication from the mobile computing device for the keep-alive service; and
responsive to receiving the response to the first keep-alive communication, sending a plurality of second keep-alive communications for the keep-alive service to the plurality of cloud-based service providers, respectively.

2. The networked computing system of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises determining that a keep-alive timer associated with a communication link between one of the plurality of cloud-based service providers and the mobile computing device has expired or is permitted to expire.

3. The networked computing system of claim 2 , wherein the determining comprises receiving a keep-alive message from one of the plurality of cloud-based service providers.

4. The networked computing system of claim 2 , wherein the sending the first keep-alive communication is performed as a result of the determining.

5. The networked computing system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of second keep-alive communications is sent to one of the plurality of cloud-based service providers that is operating or associated with an unexpired keep-alive timer.

6. The networked computing system of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises determining that a plurality of keep-alive timers, each associated with a communication link between one of the plurality of cloud-based service providers and the mobile computing device, have expired or are permitted to expire.

7. The networked computing system of claim 6 , wherein the sending the first keep-alive communication is performed as a result of the determining.

8. The networked computing system of claim 1 , wherein sending the plurality of second keep-alive communications comprises sending the response to the first keep-alive communication to the plurality of cloud-based service providers.

9. A method of maintaining communication between a mobile computing device and a plurality of cloud-based service providers, the method comprising:
determining that a plurality of keep-alive timers, each associated with a communication link between one of the plurality of cloud-based service providers and the mobile computing device, have expired or are permitted to expire;
sending a first keep-alive communication for the keep-alive service to the mobile computing device;
receiving a response to the first keep-alive communication from the mobile computing device for the keep-alive service; and
sending a plurality of second keep-alive communications for the keep-alive service to the plurality of cloud-based service providers, respectively.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the determining comprises receiving a keep-alive message from one of the plurality of cloud-based service providers.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the sending the first keep-alive communication is performed as a result of the determining.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the plurality of second keep-alive communications is sent to one of the plurality of cloud-based service providers that is operating or associated with an unexpired keep-alive timer.

13. One or more computer-readable memory storing computer-executable instructions for causing a mobile computing device programmed thereby to perform a method of maintaining communication between the mobile computing device and a plurality of cloud-based service providers, comprising:
sending a first keep-alive communication for the keep-alive service to the mobile computing device;
receiving a response to the first keep-alive communication from the mobile computing device for the keep-alive service; and
responsive to receiving the response to the first keep-alive communication, sending a plurality of second keep-alive communications for the keep-alive service to the plurality of cloud-based service providers, respectively.

14. The one or more computer-readable memory of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:
determining that a keep-alive timer associated with a communication link between one of the plurality of cloud-based service providers and the mobile computing device has expired or is permitted to expire, wherein the sending the first keep-alive communication is performed as a result of the determining.

15. The one or more computer-readable memory of claim 14 , wherein the determining comprises receiving a keep-alive message from one of the plurality of cloud-based service providers.

16. The one or more computer-readable memory of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the plurality of second keep-alive communications is sent to one of the plurality of cloud-based service providers that is operating or associated with an unexpired keep-alive timer.

17. The one or more computer-readable memory of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises determining that a plurality of keep-alive timers, each associated with a communication link between one of the plurality of cloud-based service providers and the mobile computing device, have expired or are permitted to expire, and wherein the sending the first keep-alive communication is performed as a result of the determining.

18. The one or more computer-readable memory of claim 13 , wherein sending the plurality of second keep-alive communications comprises sending the response to the first keep-alive communication to the plurality of cloud-based service providers.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Pingili Sudeesh R
• Siravara Bharath
• Regen Martin
• Brown Ray
• Mann Justin
• Karoubi Stephane
• Xu Li

Classifications

• H04W52/0261 Primary

  managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level · CPC title

• H04W52/0251

  using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity · CPC title

• G06F1/3206

  Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality · CPC title

• H04W4/20

  Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel · CPC title

• G06F9/4418

  Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake · CPC title