Energy-Efficient Data Transfer Primitives for Laptops Using Mobile Handhelds

We introduce two novel data transfer primitives for weakly connected laptops that can be switched off frequently and have intermittent network access. Relying on the user's data enabled phone and a service gateway added to the data path between the laptop and the Internet, the primitives allow the efficient transfer of data across the network even when the laptop is switched off or sleeping, in a way that is fully transparent to the application layer. One primitive targets network folder based applications while the other primitive works for web based applications. The primitives have been successfully deployed in the field as part of a commercial solution.