Techniques for Feed-Based Automatic Transmission of Content to a Mobile Terminal

• US 20110066715A1
• Filed: 03/14/2008
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Perkuhn, Heiko, Schieder, Andreas, Kampmann, Markus, Cartas, Rodolfo
• Granted Patent: US 8,635,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

For improving feed-based automatic distribution of content to a mobile terminal via a mobile network, a network component (150) comprises a network-side agent (160). The network-side agent (160) manages the feed-based automatic transmission of content to the mobile terminal and is configured to periodically generate a feed request to a feed server, to receive a requested feed from the feed server in response to the feed request, and to transmit the received feed to the mobile terminal. The network component (150) may also comprise a cache memory (164) for storing copies of feeds and contents and a proxy for processing feed requests and content requests received from the mobile terminal (110).

Claims

1-28. -28. (canceled)

29. A network component for use in a mobile network, the network component comprising:

a network-side agent for managing feed-based automatic transmission of content to a mobile terminal;

wherein the network-side agent is configured to;

periodically generate a feed request to a feed server;

receive a requested feed from the feed server in response to the feed request; and

transmit the received feed to the mobile terminal.

30. The network component according to claim 29, wherein the network-side agent is configured to transmit the received feed to the mobile terminal only if the received feed contains new information.

31. The network component according to claim 29, wherein the network-side agent is configured to generate a subscription information on the basis of a feed request received from the mobile terminal, the subscription information indicating that a client of the mobile terminal is subscribed to the requested feed, and wherein the network-side agent is configured to generate the feed request to the feed server on the basis of the subscription information.

32. The network component according to claim 29, further comprising a feed cache for storing a copy of the received feed.

33. The network component according to claim 32, further comprising:

a feed proxy for receiving a feed request from the mobile terminal and for transmitting a requested feed to the mobile terminal in response to the feed request;

wherein the feed proxy is configured to;

if a copy of the requested feed is not available in the feed cache, forward the feed request to the feed server, receive the requested feed from the feed server, store the received feed in the feed cache, and transmit the requested feed to the mobile terminal on the basis of the received feed; and

if a copy of the requested feed is available in the feed cache, transmit the requested feed to the mobile terminal on the basis of the copy in the feed cache.

34. The network component according to claim 29, wherein the network-side agent is configured to:

generate a content request to a content server on the basis of the received feed;

receive a requested content from the content server in response to the content request; and

transmit the received content to the mobile terminal.

35. The network component according to claim 34, further comprising a content cache for storing the received content.

36. The network component according to claim 35, further comprising:

a content proxy for receiving a content request from the mobile terminal and for transmitting a requested content to the mobile terminal in response to the content request,

wherein the content proxy is configured to;

if a copy of the requested content is not available in the content cache, forward the content request to a content server, receive the requested content from the content server, store a copy of the received content in the content cache, and transmit the requested content to the mobile terminal on the basis of the received content; and

if a copy of the requested content is available in the content cache, transmit the requested content to the mobile terminal on the basis of the copy in the content cache.

37. The network component according to claim 34, wherein the network-side agent is configured to select a communication link for transmitting the content to the mobile terminal from a group comprising at least a unicast communication link and a multicast communication link.

38. A mobile terminal for a mobile network, comprising:

a client for feed-based automatic reception of content from the mobile network;

a feed cache for storing copies of feeds received from the mobile network; and

a client-side agent for managing the feed-based reception of content in the mobile-terminal;

wherein the client-side agent is configured to;

transmit a feed request to the mobile network only if the client is subscribed to a feed of which a copy is not available in the feed cache, receive a requested feed from the mobile network in response to the feed request, and

store the received feed in the feed cache.

39. The mobile terminal according to claim 38, wherein the client-side agent comprises a feed proxy for receiving a feed request from the client and for transmitting a requested feed to the client in response to the feed request, and wherein the feed proxy is configured to:

if a copy of the requested feed is not available in the feed cache, forward the feed request to the mobile network, receive the requested feed from the mobile network, store the received feed in the feed cache, and transmit the requested feed to the client on the basis of the received feed; and

if a copy of the requested feed is available in the feed cache, transmit the requested feed to the client on the basis of the copy in the feed cache.

40. The mobile terminal according to claim 38, wherein the client-side agent comprises:

a content cache for storing copies of contents received from the mobile network; and

a content proxy for receiving a content request from the client and for transmitting a requested content to client in response to the content request, wherein the content proxy is configured to;

if a copy of the requested content is not available in the content cache, forward the content request to the mobile network, receive the requested content from the mobile network, store a copy of the received content in the content cache, and transmit the requested content to the client on the basis of the received content; and

if a copy of the requested content is available in the content cache, transmit the requested content to the client on the basis of the copy in the content cache.

41. A system for feed based automatic distribution of content via a mobile network, comprising:

a network component for use in the mobile network and comprising;

a network-side agent for managing feed-based automatic transmission of content to a mobile terminal;

wherein the network-side agent is configured to periodically generate a feed request to a feed server, receive a requested feed from the feed server in response to the feed request, and transmit the received feed to the mobile terminal; and

at least one base station for establishing a communication link between the network component and at least one mobile terminal;

wherein the communication link is selected from the group comprising at least a unicast communication link and a multicast communication link.

42. A method of feed-based automatic transmission of content from a mobile network to a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

periodically generating a feed request in a network-side component;

transmitting the feed request to a feed server;

in response to the feed request, receiving a requested feed from the feed server in the network-side component; and

transmitting the received feed from the network-side component to the mobile terminal.

43. The method according to claim 42, further comprising transmitting the received feed from the network-side component to the mobile terminal only if the received feed contains new information.

44. The method according to claim 42, further comprising:

generating a subscription information in the network-side component on the basis of a feed request received from the mobile terminal, the subscription information indicating that a client of the mobile terminal is subscribed to the requested feed; and

generating the feed request on the basis of the subscription information.

45. The method according to claim 42, further comprising storing a copy of the received feed in the network-side component.

46. The method according to claim 45, further comprising:

receiving a feed request from the mobile terminal in the network-side component;

if a copy of the requested feed is not available in the network-side component, forwarding the feed request to the feed server, receiving the requested feed from the feed server, storing the received feed in the network-side component, and transmitting the received feed to the mobile terminal; and

if a copy of the requested feed is available in the network-side component, transmitting the stored copy to the mobile terminal.

47. The method according to claim 42, further comprising:

generating a content request on the basis of the received feed;

transmitting the content request to a content server;

receiving a requested content from the content server in response to the content request; and

transmitting the received content to the mobile terminal.

48. The method according to claim 47, further comprising storing a copy of the received content in the network-side component.

49. The method according to claim 48, further comprising:

receiving a content request from the mobile terminal in the network-side component;

if a copy of the requested content is not available in the network-side component, forwarding the content request to a content server, receiving the requested content from the content server, storing a copy of the received content in the network-side component, and transmitting the received content to the mobile terminal; and

if a copy of the requested content is available in the network-side component, transmitting the stored copy to the mobile terminal.

50. The method according to claim 47, further comprising selecting a communication link for transmitting the content to the mobile terminal from the group comprising at least a unicast communication link and a multicast communication link.

51. A method of feed-based automatic reception of content in a mobile terminal, comprising:

receiving feeds from a mobile network in the mobile terminal;

storing copies of the received feeds in the mobile terminal; and

only if a client of the mobile terminal is subscribed to a feed of which a copy is not available in the mobile terminal, transmitting a feed request to the mobile network, receiving a requested feed from the mobile network in response to the feed request, and storing the received feed in the mobile terminal.

52. The method according to claim 51, further comprising:

evaluating a feed request from the client in the mobile terminal;

if a copy of the requested feed is not available in the mobile terminal, forwarding the feed request to the mobile network, receiving the requested feed from the mobile network, storing the received feed in the mobile terminal, and transmitting the received feed to the client; and

if a copy of the requested feed is available in the mobile terminal, transmitting the stored copy to the client.

53. The method according to claim 51, further comprising:

receiving contents from the mobile network in the mobile terminal;

storing copies of the received contents in the mobile terminal;

evaluating a content request from the client in the mobile terminal;

if a copy of the requested content is not available in the mobile terminal, forwarding the content request to the mobile network, receiving the requested content from the mobile network, storing a copy of the received content in the mobile terminal, and transmitting the received content to the client; and

if a copy of the requested content is available in the mobile terminal, transmitting the stored copy to the client.

54. A computer program product comprising program code stored in computer readable medium, wherein the program code is configured for execution on a computer system and wherein the program code includes program instructions for instructing the computer system to implement a method of feed-based automatic transmission of content from a mobile network to a mobile terminal, said program instructions comprising program instructions to:

periodically generate a feed request in a network-side component;

transmit the feed request to a feed server;

in response to the feed request, receive a requested feed from the feed server in the network-side component; and

transmit the received feed from the network-side component to the mobile terminal.

55. An apparatus comprising a computer processor and a memory coupled to the computer processor, wherein the memory includes a program code for configuring the apparatus to implement a method of feed-based automatic transmission of content from a mobile network to a mobile terminal, said program code comprising program instructions to:

periodically generate a feed request in a network-side component;

transmit the feed request to a feed server;

in response to the feed request, receive a requested feed from the feed server in the network-side component; and

transmit the received feed from the network-side component to the mobile terminal.