CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK WITH DEEP CACHING INFRASTRUCTURE

• US 20130018978A1
• Filed: 07/12/2012
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Crowe, James Q., Dugan, Andrew, Newton, Christopher, Lipstone, Laurence, Lawrence, Joseph, Swart, Andrew, Fullagar, David, Waters, John F., Brookman, Kenneth, Paul, Kevin, Taylor, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 9,161,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/214
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2885 Hierarchically arranged intermediate devices, e.g. for hierarchical caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23109 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23116 involving data replication, e.g. over plural servers synchronization of replicated data G06F11/1658; error detection or correction by means of data replication G06F11/2053; replication in distributed file systems G06F16/10; replication in distributed file systems G06F16/27; replication or mirroring of data in data networks H04L67/1095
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

Embodiments herein include methods and systems for use in delivering resources to a client device over a local network. An exemplary system comprises a plurality of caching devices operable to cache resources on behalf of a plurality of content providers, and a local caching device communicatively situated between an access network and the client device, wherein the access network is communicably situated between the plurality of caching devices and the local caching device. The local caching device is operable to retrieve a requested resource from at least one of the plurality of caching devices, deliver the requested resource to the client device over the local network, and store the requested resource for future requests by other client devices.

Claims

1. A system for use in delivering resources to client devices in a local network, the system comprising:

a plurality of caching devices operable to cache resources on behalf of a plurality of content providers; and

a local caching device communicatively situated between an access network and the client devices, wherein the access network is communicably situated between the plurality of caching devices and the local caching device, and wherein the local caching device is operable to;

in response to a request for a resource by a client device, retrieve the requested resource from at least one of the plurality of caching devices, wherein the requested resource is transmitted between the at least one plurality of caching devices and the local caching device over a wireless connection thereby bypassing the access network;

deliver the requested resource to the client device over the local network; and

store the requested resource for future requests by other client devices.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of caching devices is part of a cluster of caching devices.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein, in response to the local caching device requesting the requested resource from the at least one of the plurality of caching devices, the at least one of the plurality of caching devices is operable to retrieve the requested resource from at least one of:

an origin server of the content provider associated with the requested resource; and

a peer caching device.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the local caching device is dedicated to the client device.

5. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the local caching device is a master cache accessible by a community of local caching devices.

6. A system as recited in claim 5, wherein the community of local caching devices is communicatively coupled via a shared wireless frequency in the local network.

7. A system as recited in claim 6, wherein the local network is configured in at least one of a mesh network topology and a shared bandwidth topology.

8. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a proxy device operable to intercept a request for the requested resource.

9. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the request is a Domain Name System (DNS) request, the proxy device further operable to redirect the client device to the local caching device for delivery of the requested resource over the local network.

10. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the request is an application protocol request, the proxy device further operable to redirect the client device to the local caching device for delivery of the requested resource over the local network.

11. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the application protocol request is a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request.

12. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the proxy device is the local caching device.

13. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein, in response to intercepting the request for the requested resource, the local caching device is operable to redirect the client device to a second local caching device communicatively situated between the access network and the client device, wherein the local caching device and the second local caching device are communicatively coupled via a shared wireless frequency in the local network.

14. A system as recited in claim 13, wherein the second local caching device is operable to:

in response to the redirected request by the client device, retrieve the requested resource from at least one of the plurality of caching devices, wherein the requested resource is transmitted between the at least one plurality of caching devices and the second local caching device over the local network via the shared wireless frequency;

deliver the requested resource to the client device over the local network; and

store the requested resource for future requests by other client devices.

15. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the proxy device is further operable to determine, based on certain criteria, to which of a plurality of local caching devices to redirect the client device for delivery of the requested resource over a local wireless connection.

16. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein the certain criteria for each of the plurality of local caching devices comprises at least one of availability, relative load, relative connectivity, availability, and whether a given local caching device has a copy of the requested resource.

17. A system for use in delivering resources to client devices in a local network, the system comprising:

a plurality of caching devices operable to cache resources on behalf of a plurality of content providers; and

a local caching device communicatively situated between an access network and the client devices, wherein the access network is communicably situated between the plurality of caching devices and the local caching device, and wherein the local caching device is operable to;

in response to a determination that a certain resource is to be pre-populated on the local caching device, retrieve the certain resource from at least one of the plurality of caching devices, wherein the certain resource is transmitted between the at least one plurality of caching devices and the local caching device over a wireless connection thereby bypassing the access network;

store the certain resource for future requests by the client devices.

18. A method for delivering resources to client devices in a local network, wherein a local caching device is communicatively situated between an access network and the client devices, and wherein the access network is communicably situated between a plurality of caching devices and the local caching device, the method comprising:

caching resources at the plurality of caching devices on behalf of a plurality of content providers;

in response to a request for a resource by a client device, transmitting the requested resource from at least one of the plurality of caching devices to the local caching device over a wireless connection thereby bypassing the access network;

receiving the requested resource at the local caching device from the at least one of the plurality of caching devices delivering the requested resource to the client device over the local network; and

storing the requested resource for future requests by other client devices.