DISTRIBUTED CONTENT CACHING SOLUTION FOR A MOBILE WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20100057883A1
• Filed: 03/05/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Sycamore Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Cao, Yang, Nicolazzo, Michael, Hack, Talbot, Turner, William M., Suberri, Moshe
• Granted Patent: US 8,271,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A method in an electronic device provides local content to a user device in a communication network. The communication network includes an access network and a core network. In the access network, a content request is intercepted from the user device, which may be formatted according to a network interface. The content request may include a request for data content. Protocol layers associated with an active data session may be terminated so that an edge gateway device may extract and inject packets into the data stream without involving the core network. A cache may be maintained in the access network.

Claims

1. A method in an electronic device for providing content to a user device in a communication network, the communication network comprising an access network and a core network, the method comprising:

intercepting a content request from the user device, the content request comprising a request for data content formatted according to a network interface;

querying a cache provided in an electronic caching device located in the access network to determine whether the data content is present in the cache; and

retrieving the data content from the cache and forwarding the data content to the user device, if it is determined that the data content is present in the cache.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

terminating the content request once the data content has been forwarded to the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting the data content from the core network, if it is determined that the data content is not present in the cache.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the intercepting of a content request from a user device is performed at a base station.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the intercepting a content request from a user device is performed at a location collocated with an edge gateway device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the edge gateway device is a Node B.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the edge gateway device interacts with a network controller managing a plurality of network channels.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the network controller switches from a first network channel to a second network channel in order to conserve network resources, and the controller remains on the first channel while the electronic caching device is sourcing data content.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the network controller has a first down-switch timer having a first timer value and a first up-switch threshold count having a first threshold size, and the edge gateway device causes the network controller to remain on the first network channel by activating a second down-switch timer having a second timer value less than the first timer value, and sending a ping of a second threshold size greater than the first threshold size to the core network.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the edge gateway device is an enhanced Node B.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is integrated into an enhanced Node B.

12. An electronic device readable storage medium storing executable instructions for providing content to a user device in a communication network, the communication network comprising an access network and a core network, the instructions causing a processor to:

intercept a content request from the user device, the content request comprising a request for data content formatted according to a network interface;

query a cache provided in an electronic device located in the access network to determine whether the data content is present in the cache; and

retrieve the data content from the cache and forward the data content to the user device, if it is determined that the data content is present in the cache.

13. The medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions causing the processor to:

terminate the content request once the data content has been forwarded to the user device.

14. The medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions causing the processor to:

request the data content from the core network, if it is determined that the data content is not present in the cache.

15. An electronic device for providing content to a user device in a communication network, the communication network comprising an access network and a core network, the electronic device comprising:

a storage for storing content; and

a processor located in the access network for executing instructions, the instructions causing the processor to;

intercept a content request from the user device, the content request comprising a request for data content formatted according to a network interface;

query a cache provided in an electronic cache device located in the access network to determine whether the data content is present in the cache; and

retrieve the data content from the cache and forward the data content to the user device, if it is determined that the data content is present in the cache.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, further comprising instructions causing the processor to:

terminate the content request once the data content has been forwarded to the user device.

17. The electronic device of claim 15, further comprising instructions causing the processor to:

request the data content from the core network, if it is determined that the data content is not present in the cache.

18. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the electronic cache device is located in the access network is the electronic device.