CACHING AT THE WIRELESS TOWER WITH REMOTE CHARGING SERVICES

• US 20120102141A1
• Filed: 10/22/2010
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Burckart, Erik J., Cuomo, Gennaro A., Moore, Victor S., Rodrigues, Savio
• Granted Patent: US 9,294,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/10 Routing in connection-oriented networks, e.g. X.25 or ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• 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

Abstract

A RAN based data processing system is configured for content caching with remote charging services. The system can include a base station that includes an antenna, a receiver, a transmitter, a processor, a local cache, and a network interface to a data communications network. The system also can include an RNC coupled to the base station over the data communications network. The system yet further can include a charging service executing in memory of a host computer recording charges for data services provided in the RAN. Finally, the system can include a caching with remote charging module executing by the processor of the base station. The module can include program code enabled to receive a data request from an end user device, to route the request to a content server in a computer communications network through a coupled CN, to receive a response to the request, to cache the response in the local cache, to forward the response to the end user device, and to transmit data characteristic of the response to the charging service external.

Claims

1. A method for content caching with remote charging services in a radio access network (RAN), the method comprising:

receiving a data request from an end user device in a base station of a RAN;

routing the request to a packet switched data communications network from the base station by way of a core network disposed between the RAN and the data communications network;

receiving a response to the request in the base station;

caching the response in a local cache of the base station and forwarding the response to the end user device; and

,

transmitting data characteristic of the response to a remote charging service external to the base station but within the RAN.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if a response to the request already resides in the local cache; and

,

performing the routing, receiving, caching and transmitting only if a response to the request is already stored in the local cache, but servicing the request with a response in the local cache in lieu of the routing, receiving, caching and transmitting if the response to the request is already stored in the local cache.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting data characteristic of the response to a remote charging service external to the base station but within the RAN, comprises transmitting a size of the response to a remote charging service external to the base station but within the RAN.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting data characteristic of the response to a remote charging service external to the base station but within the RAN, further comprises transmitting a size of the request to a remote charging service external to the base station but within the RAN.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting data characteristic of the response to a remote charging service external to the base station but within the RAN comprises:

batching the data characteristic of the response with other data characteristic of other responses to other requests from other end user devices communicating with the base station; and

,

transmitting the batched data to the remote charging service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting data characteristic of the response to a remote charging service external to the base station but within the RAN, comprises transmitting data characteristic of the response to a remote charging service executing in a computer of a radio network controller (RNC) coupled to the base station in the RAN.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the RAN is disposed in a packet switched cellular communications system.

8. A radio access network (RAN) based data processing system configured for content caching with remote charging services, the system comprising:

a base station comprising an antenna, a receiver, a transmitter, a processor, a local cache, and a network interface to a data communications network;

a radio network controller (RNC) coupled to the base station over the data communications network;

a charging service executing in memory of a host computer recording charges for data services provided in the RAN; and

,

a caching with remote charging module executing by the processor of the base station, the module comprising program code enabled to receive a data request from an end user device, to route the request to a content server in a computer communications network through a coupled core network (CN), to receive a response to the request, to cache the response in the local cache, to forward the response to the end user device, and to transmit data characteristic of the response to the charging service external.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the host computer is coupled to the RNC.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the data communications network coupling the RNC to the base station is an Internet protocol (IP) network.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the data communications network coupling the RNC to the base station is an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network.

12. A computer program product for content caching with remote charging services in a radio access network (RAN), the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

receiving a data request from an end user device in a base station of a RAN;

computer readable program code for routing the request to a packet switched data communications network from the base station by way of a core network disposed between the RAN and the data communications network;

computer readable program code for receiving a response to the request in the base station;

computer readable program code for caching the response in a local cache of the base station and forwarding the response to the end user device; and

,

computer readable program code for transmitting data characteristic of the response to a remote charging service external to the base station but within the RAN.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

computer readable program code for determining if a response to the request already resides in the local cache; and

,

computer readable program code for performing the routing, receiving, caching and transmitting only if a response to the request is already stored in the local cache, but servicing the request with a response in the local cache in lieu of the routing, receiving, caching and transmitting if the response to the request is already stored in the local cache.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program code for transmitting data characteristic of the response to a remote charging service external to the base station but within the RAN, comprises computer readable program code for transmitting a size of the response to a remote charging service external to the base station but within the RAN.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer readable program code for transmitting data characteristic of the response to a remote charging service external to the base station but within the RAN, further comprises computer readable program code for transmitting a size of the request to a remote charging service external to the base station but within the RAN.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program code for transmitting data characteristic of the response to a remote charging service external to the base station but within the RAN comprises:

computer readable program code for batching the data characteristic of the response with other data characteristic of other responses to other requests from other end user devices communicating with the base station; and

,

computer readable program code for transmitting the batched data to the remote charging service.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program code for transmitting data characteristic of the response to a remote charging service external to the base station but within the RAN, comprises computer readable program code for transmitting data characteristic of the response to a remote charging service executing in a computer of a radio network controller (RNC) coupled to the base station in the RAN.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the RAN is disposed in a packet switched cellular communications system.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the packet switched cellular communications system is a 3G cellular communications system.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the packet switched cellular communications system is a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) cellular communications system.