Electronic Device and Base Station for Maintaining a Network Connection

Abstract

An electronic device and wireless base station for maintaining a persistent connection are provided. In an embodiment, a system includes an electronic device that connects to a web server via a physical link that is bandwidth-constrained. The physical link also includes a wireless base station and at least one network address translation (“NAT”) router that is configured to terminate idle connections between the client and the web-server. One of the electronic device and the wireless base station is configured to send keep-alive packets to the web-server in order to reduce the likelihood of the NAT router terminating the connection. The keep-alive packets are sent on a variable basis that is intended to reduce bandwidth consumption while ensuring that the NAT router does not deem the connection idle and terminate the connection.

1 . A mobile device for use in a wireless network, the mobile device comprising:
 a processor and a network interface, the processor configured to:   establish a connection, via the network interface, with a network component having a connection timeout interval for terminating the connection;   send signals on the connection to the network component at a plurality of different time intervals until a termination time interval is reached where the connection terminates;   re-establish a connection with the network component via the network interface; and   send further signals at time intervals less than the termination time interval whereby the re-established connection with the network component is maintained.   
     
     
         2 . A mobile device according to  claim 1  wherein the plurality of different time intervals are a plurality of increasing time intervals. 
     
     
         3 . A mobile device according to  claim 1  wherein the signals and the further signals include transactional signals for relay by the network component and non-transactional signals for preventing termination of the connection. 
     
     
         4 . A mobile device according to  claim 1  wherein the network component is a component of an other network connected to the wireless network. 
     
     
         5 . A mobile device according to  claim 4  wherein the other network is an Internet network. 
     
     
         6 . A mobile device according to  claim 4  wherein the connection is terminated by a gateway connecting the wireless network and the other network. 
     
     
         7 . A mobile device according to  claim 4  wherein the connection is terminated by a router in the other network. 
     
     
         8 . A mobile device according to  claim 7  wherein the connection is terminated by a Network Address Translator. 
     
     
         9 . A mobile device according to  claim 1  wherein the connection is an HTTP connection. 
     
     
         10 . A method in a mobile device having a processor and a network interface connected to a wireless network, the method comprising:
 establishing a connection, via the network interface, with a network component having a connection timeout interval for terminating the connection;   sending signals on the connection to the network component at a plurality of different time intervals until a termination time interval is reached where the connection terminates;   re-establishing a connection with the network component via the network interface; and   sending further signals at time intervals less than the termination time interval whereby the re-established connection with the network component is maintained.   
     
     
         11 . A mobile device according to  claim 10  wherein the plurality of different time intervals are a plurality of increasing time intervals. 
     
     
         12 . A mobile device according to  claim 10  wherein the signals and the further signals include transactional signals for relay by the network component and non-transactional signals for preventing termination of the connection. 
     
     
         13 . A mobile device according to  claim 10  wherein the network component is a component of an other network connected to the wireless network. 
     
     
         14 . A mobile device according to  claim 13  wherein the other network is an Internet network. 
     
     
         15 . A mobile device according to  claim 13  wherein the connection is terminated by a gateway connecting the wireless network and the other network. 
     
     
         16 . A mobile device according to  claim 13  wherein the connection is terminated by a router in the other network. 
     
     
         17 . A mobile device according to  claim 16  wherein the connection is terminated by a Network Address Translator. 
     
     
         18 . A mobile device according to  claim 10  wherein the connection is an HTTP connection. 
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a plurality of computer-readable instructions, executable by a mobile device having a processor and a network interface connected to a wireless network, for performing a method comprising:
 establishing a connection, via the network interface, with a network component having a connection timeout interval for terminating the connection;   sending signals on the connection to the network component at a plurality of different time intervals until a termination time interval is reached where the connection terminates;   re-establishing a connection with the network component via the network interface; and   sending further signals at time intervals less than the termination time interval whereby the re-established connection with the network component is maintained.