Application data delivery service for networks supporting multiple transport mechanisms

Abstract

An Application Data Delivery Service (ADDS) facilitates application data transfer between applications that may reside in a device domain (e.g., M2M/MTC devices and gateways) and applications residing in a network domain (e.g., an AS or SCS). The ADDS leverages existing 3GPP transport mechanisms, such as NAS, SMS, USSD, and User Plane, and it is configured to select a transport mechanism for delivering application data based on criteria, such as application data characteristics, application/end node characteristics and availability, subscription information, policies of the network, network conditions (such as congestion, node availability) and the like.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . In a communication network in which a first application executing on a first end node in the network may transmit a message to a second application executing on a second end node, and wherein the network is capable of supporting a plurality of different message transport mechanisms that may be used to send the message to the second application, a method comprising:
 receiving from the first application executing on the first end node a request to send a message to the second application executing on the second end node, wherein the request includes a unique identifier of the second application;   based on at least one of information about the first application, information about the first or second end node, or information about the message to be transmitted, selecting one of the plurality of different message transport mechanisms supported by the network; and   sending the message to the second end node on which the second application resides using the selected transport mechanism.   
     
     
         2 . The method recited in  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of different message transport mechanisms comprises a Short Message Service (SMS) transport mechanism, a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) transport mechanism, an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) mechanism, or the user plane transport mechanism of a 3GPP network. 
     
     
         3 . The method recited in  claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second end nodes may comprise one of a M2M or MTC device or gateway, a machine, a sensor, an appliance, a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a pager, a personal digital assistant, a computer, a mobile phone, a smart phone, service capability server (SCS), M2M Server, MTC Server, a Service Capability Layer (SCL), a Common Services Entity (CSE), or an application server (AS). 
     
     
         4 . The method recited in  claim 1 , wherein the steps of the method are performed by a logical entity executing on the first end node. 
     
     
         5 . The method recited in  claim 1 , wherein the steps of the method are performed by a logical entity executing on a core network node. 
     
     
         6 . The method recited in  claim 1 , wherein the information about the first application comprises one or more of message rate, quality-of-service requirements, delay tolerance, application availability, and acceptable message loss rate. 
     
     
         7 . The method recited in  claim 1 , wherein the information about the message comprises one or more of message size and message importance. 
     
     
         8 . The method recited in  claim 1 , wherein the information about the first or second end node comprises one or more of end node capabilities and end node availability. 
     
     
         9 . The method recited in  claim 1 , further comprising sending from the first end node a request for a network connection that supports a plurality of different message transport mechanisms. 
     
     
         10 . The method recited in  claim 9 , wherein the request for a network connection that supports a plurality of different message transport mechanisms is indicated to the network by including an indicative Access Point Name (APN) or request flag in a NAS message. 
     
     
         11 . A network node comprising a processor and a memory, the network node being connected to a communication network that supports a plurality of different message transport mechanisms that may be used to send messages between applications executing on end nodes in the network, the memory of the network node storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor of the network node, cause the network node to perform steps comprising:
 receiving from a first application a request to send a message to a second application executing on an end node of the communication network, wherein the request includes a unique identifier of the second application;   based on at least one of information about the first application, information about the end node on which the second application resides, or information about the message to be transmitted, selecting one of the plurality of different message transport mechanisms supported by the network; and   sending the message to the end node on which the second application resides using the selected transport mechanism.   
     
     
         12 . The network node recited in  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of different message transport mechanisms comprises a Short Message Service (SMS) transport mechanism, a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) transport mechanism, an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) mechanism, or the user plane transport mechanism of a 3GPP network. 
     
     
         13 . The network node recited in  claim 11 , wherein the network node comprise one of a M2M or MTC device or gateway, a machine, a sensor, an appliance, a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a pager, a personal digital assistant, a computer, a mobile phone, a smart phone, service capability server (SCS), M2M Server, MTC Server, a Service Capability Layer (SCL), a Common Services Entity (CSE), or an application server (AS). 
     
     
         14 . The network node recited in  claim 11 , wherein the first application executes on the network node. 
     
     
         15 . The network node recited in  claim 11 , wherein the network node comprises a core network node. 
     
     
         16 . The network node recited in  claim 11 , wherein the information about the first application comprises one or more of message rate, quality-of-service requirements, delay tolerance, application availability, and acceptable message loss rate. 
     
     
         17 . The network node recited in  claim 11 , wherein the information about the message comprises one or more of message size and message importance. 
     
     
         18 . The network node recited in  claim 11 , wherein the information about the end node on which the second application resides comprises one or more of end node capabilities and end node availability. 
     
     
         19 . The network node recited in  claim 11 , wherein selecting one of the plurality of different message transport mechanisms supported by the network is further based on information about the network node. 
     
     
         20 . The network node recited in  claim 11 , wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the network node to send a request for a network connection that supports a plurality of different message transport mechanisms. 
     
     
         21 . The network node recited in  claim 20 , wherein the request for a network connection that supports a plurality of different message transport mechanisms is indicated to the network by the network node including an indicative Access Point Name (APN) or request flag in a NAS message.