System and Method for Providing a Content Delivery Network via a Motor Vehicle

• US 20120320824A1
• Filed: 06/14/2011
• Published: 12/20/2012
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 8,937,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• 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 cache server disposed in a motor vehicle, the cache server comprising:

a memory configured to store a set of instructions; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor configured to execute the set of instructions, that cause the processor to;

receive content from a content distribution network when a load of a cellular link to the content distribution network is low;

cache the content in the cache server;

determine that the motor vehicle is turned off;

broadcast a wireless signal as part of a wireless network when the motor vehicle is turned off;

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

receive authentication information from the device;

authenticate the device at the cache server; and

provide access to the content cached in the cache server via the wireless network after the device is authenticated.

2. The cache server of claim 1, wherein authenticating the device further causes the processor to:

transmit the authentication information to an authentication server within the content distribution network via a cellular data connection of a cellular network; and

receive a notification signal indicating a verification of the authentication information via the cellular data connection of the cellular network.

3. The cache server of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

receive an authentication file including a list of authentication information for each of a plurality of devices when the load on the cellular link is low.

4. The cache server of claim 3, wherein authenticating the device further causes the processor to:

compare the authentication information of the device to the list of authentication information; and

determine that the authentication information of the device is valid when the authentication information of the device matches the list of authentication information.

5. The cache server of claim 1, wherein the content is received via the cellular link to the content distribution network.

6. The cache server of claim 1, wherein the content is selected from a group consisting of news websites, commonly accessed songs, and commonly accessed videos.

7. The cache server of claim 1, wherein the device is selected from a group consisting of a smart cellular telephone, a portable computer, a tablet computer, and a personal digital assistant.

8. A method of providing content from a first cache server disposed in a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, at the first cache server, content from a content distribution network when a load of a cellular link to the content distribution network is low;

caching the content in the first cache server;

determining that the motor vehicle is turned off;

broadcasting, from the first cache server, a wireless signal as part of a wireless network when the motor vehicle is turned off;

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

receiving authentication information from the device;

authenticating the device at the first cache server; and

providing access to the content cached in the first cache server via the wireless network after the device is authenticated.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein authenticating the device comprises:

transmitting the authentication information to an authentication server within the content distribution network via a cellular data connection of a cellular network; and

receiving a notification signal indicating a verification of the authentication information via the cellular data connection of the cellular network.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving an authentication file including a list of authentication information for each of a plurality of devices when the load on the cellular link is low.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein authenticating the device further comprises:

comparing the authentication information of the device to the list of authentication information; and

determining that the authentication information of the device is valid when the authentication information of the device matches the list of authentication information.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the content is received via the cellular link to the content distribution network.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting a second cache server within the wireless network;

authenticating the second cache server;

determining that the second cache server has new content; and

receiving, at the first cache server, the new content.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the new content is selected from a group consisting of an update to the content in the first cache server and different content than the content in the first cache server.

15. A tangible computer readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions to manipulate a processor, the plurality of instructions comprising:

instructions to receive, at a cache server, content from a content distribution network when a load of a cellular link to the content distribution network is low, wherein the cache server is disposed in a motor vehicle;

instructions to determine that the motor vehicle is turned off;

instructions to broadcast, from the cache server, a wireless signal as part of a wireless network when the motor vehicle is turned off;

instructions to receive, from a device, a request to join the wireless network;

instructions to receive authentication information from the device;

instructions to authenticate the device at the cache server; and

instructions to provide access to the content via the wireless network after the device is authenticated.

16. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein authenticating the device further comprises:

instructions to transmit the authentication information to an authentication server within the content distribution network via a cellular data connection of a cellular network; and

instructions to receive a notification signal indicating a verification of the authentication information via the cellular data connection of the cellular network.

17. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

instructions to receive an authentication file including a list of authentication information for each of a plurality of devices when the load on the cellular link is low.

18. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein authenticating the device further comprises:

instructions to compare the authentication information of the device to the list of authentication information; and

instructions to determine that the authentication information of the device is valid when the authentication information of the device matches the list of authentication information.

19. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

instructions to cache the content in the cache server.

20. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the content is selected from a group consisting of news websites, commonly accessed songs, and commonly accessed videos.