System and method for providing a content delivery network via a motor vehicle

• US 10,104,054 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2016
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bari, Farooq, Hu, Qingmin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harley, Jason
• Application Number:
  US14/993,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20160127345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A cache server disposed in a motor vehicle receives and caches content from a content distribution network when a load of a cellular link to the content distribution network is low. The cache server determines that the motor vehicle is turned off, broadcasts a wireless signal as part of a wireless network when the motor vehicle is turned off, and provides a device access to the content cached in the cache server via the wireless network.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

a processor of a first cache server of a vehicle that executes the instructions to perform operations, operations comprising;

receiving content;

activating an access point of the vehicle when the vehicle is determined to be turned off;

broadcasting, by utilizing the access point and when the vehicle is determined to be turned off, a wireless signal that identifies a wireless network corresponding to a first localized coverage area;

joining a device to the wireless network in response to receiving a request to join the wireless network from the device;

detecting a second cache server of a different vehicle based on the first localized coverage area overlapping with a second localized coverage area created by a different access point of the different vehicle;

authenticating the first cache server with the second cache server if the first cache server and the second cache server are both determined to be associated with a same service provider;

providing, if the second cache server has an updated version of the content, the device with access to the updated version of the content via the wireless network;

downloading, by utilizing the second cache server, a first portion of the updated version of the content to the device via the wireless network; and

downloading, if the different vehicle drives away and while the first portion of the updated version of the content is being downloaded, a remaining portion of the updated version of the content to the device via a cellular network instead of via the second cache server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise detecting, if the first cache server and the second cache server are both associated with the same service provider, whether the second cache server has the updated version of the content.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise joining the device to the wireless network after authenticating the device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining if the vehicle is turned off.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving authentication information from the device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise authenticating the device by comparing the authentication information to a list of authentication information stored at the first cache server.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise providing the device with access to the content if the second cache server does not have the updated version of the content.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise verifying a credential of the device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise generating a lookup table to identify that the updated version of the content is located at the second cache server.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the content via a cellular link associated with a content distribution network.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise caching the content at the first cache server.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first cache server includes the access point.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise providing an address of the second cache server to the device to enable the device to access the updated version of the content.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving content;

determining, by utilizing instructions from a memory that are executed by a processor of a first cache server of a vehicle, when the vehicle is turned off;

activating an access point of the vehicle when the vehicle is determined to be turned off;

transmitting, by utilizing the access point and when the vehicle is determined to be turned off, a wireless signal associated with a wireless network corresponding to a first localized coverage area;

joining a device to the wireless network in response to receiving a request to join the wireless network from the device;

detecting a second cache server of a different vehicle based on the first localized coverage area overlapping with a second localized coverage area created by a different access point of the different vehicle;

authenticating the first cache server with the second cache server if the first cache server and the second cache server are both determined to be associated with a same service provider;

providing, if the second cache server has an updated version of the content, the device with access to the updated version of the content via the wireless network;

transmitting, by utilizing the second cache server, a first portion of the updated version of the content to the device via the wireless network; and

transmitting, if the different vehicle drives away and while the first portion of the updated version of the content is being transmitted, a remaining portion of the updated version of the content to the device via a cellular network instead of via the second cache server.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising detecting, if the first cache server and the second cache server are both associated with the same service provider, whether the second cache server has the updated version of the content.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving an authentication file including a list of authentication information for each of a plurality of devices.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising authenticating the device by comparing authentication information received from the device to the list of authentication information.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising caching the updated version of the content at the first cache server.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing the device with access to the content if the second cache server does not have the updated version of the content.

20. A computer readable device comprising instructions, which, when loaded and executed by a processor of a first cache server of a vehicle, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving content;

activating an access point of the vehicle when the vehicle is determined to be turned off;

transmitting, by utilizing the access point and when the vehicle is turned off, a wireless signal associated with a wireless network corresponding to a first localized coverage area;

receiving, from a device, a request to join the wireless network;

joining the device to the wireless network in response to receiving the request to join the wireless network;

detecting a second cache server of a different vehicle based on the first localized coverage area overlapping with a second localized coverage area created by a different access point of the different vehicle;

authenticating the first cache server with the second cache server if the first cache server and the second cache server are both determined to be associated with a same service provider;

providing, if the second cache server has an updated version of the content, the device with access to the updated version of the content via the wireless network;

providing, by utilizing the second cache server, a first portion of the updated version of the content to the device via the wireless network; and

providing, if the different vehicle drives away and while the first portion of the updated version of the content is being provided, a remaining portion of the updated version of the content to the device via a cellular network instead of via the second cache server.