Method and apparatus for download prioritization

• US 20060077897A1
• Filed: 10/12/2004
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kotzin, Michael D.
• Application Number:
  US10/963,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20060077897A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

A method (700) and apparatus (601) control information transfer in a Radio Access Network (RAN) between a network content server (101) and a network client (420), e.g. wireless subscriber device, over an Internet network (102) by determining a likelihood of a request for a unit of information including a hypertext link to a page (315) associated with an Internet website. Information is transferred using a push transfer operation based on the likelihood. A request frequency for the unit of information from a second network client (430) affects the likelihood. A request profile for the network client includes a request history and the likelihood is based on the request profile. The push transfer is made automatically without the request from the network client.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an information transfer between a Radio Access Network and a first network client, the method comprising:

determining a likelihood of a request for a unit of information associated with the information transfer being generated from the first network client to form a determined likelihood; and

transferring the unit of information to the first network client based on the determined likelihood,

wherein the determined likelihood is based on a request frequency for the unit of information from a second network client different from the first network client.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second network client is associated with a group address and wherein the transferring the unit of information includes broadcasting the unit of information using the group address.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the determined likelihood is based on a group request frequency for the unit of information from a group of network clients sharing a group address.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the transferring the unit of information includes automatically transferring the unit of information to the first network client without the request being generated by the first network client.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the determining the likelihood of a request includes tracking requests made by the first network client, the second network client and one or more groups of network clients to form a metric.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the transferring the unit of information includes transferring the unit of information to the first network client based on the metric.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the network includes an Internet network and wherein the unit of information is associated with a hypertext link to a content page associated with a World Wide Web site on the Internet network.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising updating the determined likelihood based on tracking requests made by the first network client, the second network client and one or more groups of network clients.

9. An infrastructure device configured to be capable of facilitating the transfer of information between a Radio Access Network (RAN) and a first network client, the infrastructure device comprising:

a RAN interface;

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the RAN interface and the memory, the memory storing instructions for causing the processor to;

track a past request for a unit of information associated with the RAN to form a first request history;

establish a likelihood of a future request for the unit of the information associated with the RAN by the first network client based on the first request history; and

transfer the unit of information to the first network client based on the likelihood.

10. An infrastructure device in accordance with claim 9, further comprising a second network client different from the first network client, wherein the processor is further configured to establish the likelihood of the future request based on a request frequency for the unit of information from the second network client.

11. An infrastructure device in accordance with claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to establish a request profile associated with the first network client, the request profile including a second request history associated with the first network client, wherein the likelihood of the future request is further based on the request profile.

12. An infrastructure device in accordance with claim 9, wherein the processor, in transferring, is further configured to automatically transfer the unit of information to the first network client without the future request being generated by the first network client.

13. An infrastructure device in accordance with claim 9, wherein the RAN includes an Internet network;

and wherein the unit of information includes a page associated with an Internet website.

14. An infrastructure device in accordance with claim 9, wherein the first network client includes a wireless communication unit.

15. A method for transferring information associated with a content server between a Radio Access Network (RAN) and a first network client having a group address, the method comprising:

counting requests for a unit of information associated with the content server from a group of clients sharing the group address to form a group request frequency;

determining a likelihood of a request for the unit of information being generated from the first network client based on the group request frequency to form a determined likelihood; and

transferring the unit of information to the first network client based on the determined likelihood.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the transferring the unit of information includes broadcasting the unit of information using the group address.

17. A method in accordance with claim 15, further comprising establishing a request profile associated with the first network client based on a partial request frequency associated with a portion of the group,

wherein the determined likelihood is based on the request profile.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17, wherein the request profile reflects a common request preference associated with the portion of the group and the first network client.

19. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the transferring the unit of information includes automatically transferring the unit of information to the first network client without the request being generated by the first network client.

20. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the first network client includes a wireless communication unit.

21. A subscriber device configured to be capable of receiving an automatic information transfer from a Radio Access Network (RAN), the information transfer based on a likelihood of a request for a unit of information associated with the information transfer being generated from the subscriber device:

a RAN interface;

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the RAN interface and the memory, the processor configured to;

determine a mode associated with the operation of the subscriber device; and

communicate the mode to the RAN over the RAN interface,

wherein the mode is used by the RAN to affect the likelihood of the request for the unit of information.

22. A subscriber device in accordance with claim 21, wherein the processor, in determining the mode, is further configured to determine the mode from a plurality of modes, each of the plurality of modes having a set of predetermined preferences.

23. A subscriber device in accordance with claim 21, wherein the RAN is connected to an Internet network and wherein the unit of information is associated with a hypertext link to a content page associated with a World Wide Web site on the Internet network.

24. A subscriber device in accordance with claim 21, wherein the likelihood of the request is based on a group request frequency for the unit of information from a group of network clients sharing a group address.

25. A subscriber device in accordance with claim 24, wherein the group of network clients sharing the group address is associated with the mode.