DATA CACHING AT THE EDGE OF A MOBILE DATA NETWORK

• US 20130122856A1
• Filed: 11/19/2012
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kalmbach, Michael T., Schroeder, Mark D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,775,158 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load

Abstract

Mobile network services are performed in a mobile data network in a way that is transparent to most of the existing equipment in the mobile data network. The mobile data network includes a radio access network and a core network. An edge caching mechanism is provided within a basestation to perform caching of data at the edge of the mobile data network. The edge caching mechanism analyzes historical usage data that indicates historical accesses to the basestation. Data patterns in the historical usage data may be used to define cache load criteria and to optionally define cache flush criteria. This architecture allows caching of data at the edge of a mobile data network within the infrastructure of an existing mobile data network.

Claims

1. A method for processing data packets in a mobile data network that includes a radio access network coupled to a core network, the method comprising the steps of:

a plurality of antennas sending and receiving network messages between user equipment and a plurality of basestations in the radio access network, each basestation communicating with a corresponding one of the plurality of antennas;

a data caching mechanism in one of the plurality of basestations that performs the steps of;

generating at least one cache load criterion that specifies at least one usage pattern regarding how the cache has been accessed in the past;

storing in the cache first internet protocol (IP) data retrieved from the internet through the core network in response to a first IP data request from first user equipment when the at least one cache load criterion is satisfied; and

returning the first IP data in response to a second IP data request without sending the second IP data request to the core network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one usage pattern specified in the at least one cache load criterion comprises date, time and device type of the user equipment.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of the data caching mechanism flushing data from the cache according to at least one cache flush criteria that specifies at least one usage pattern regarding how the cache has been accessed in the past.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one usage pattern specified in the at least one cache flush criterion comprises date, time and device type of user equipment.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of the data caching mechanism generating the at least one cache flush criterion by analyzing a usage log for the one basestation and detecting at least one usage pattern in the usage log.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of the data caching mechanism generating the at least one cache load criterion by analyzing a usage log for the one basestation and detecting at least one usage pattern in the usage log.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

the data caching mechanism determining user equipment that makes frequent IP requests; and

generating the at least one cache load criterion to accommodate the user equipment that makes frequent IP requests.

8. A method for processing data packets in a mobile data network that includes a radio access network coupled to a core network, the method comprising the steps of:

a plurality of antennas sending and receiving network messages between user equipment and a plurality of basestations in the radio access network, each basestation communicating with a corresponding one of the plurality of antennas;

a data caching mechanism in a first of the plurality of basestations that performs the steps of;

logging usage data for the first basestation regarding how the first basestation is accessed by user equipment, the usage data comprising date, time and device type of user equipment;

analyzing the usage data to determine a plurality of usage patterns;

generating at least one cache load criterion that specifies at least one of the plurality of usage patterns, wherein the at least one cache load criterion comprises at least one of date, time and device type of the user equipment;

generating at least one cache flush criterion that specifies at least one of the plurality of usage patterns, wherein the at least one cache flush criterion comprises at least one of date, time and device type of the user equipment;

determining user equipment that makes frequent IP requests;

generating the at least one cache load criterion to accommodate the user equipment that makes frequent IP requests storing in the cache first internet protocol (IP) data retrieved from the internet through the core network in response to a first IP data request from first user equipment when the at least one cache load criterion is satisfied;

returning the first IP data in response to a second IP data request without sending the second IP data request to the core network;

when second IP data needs to be stored to the cache when the at least one cache load criterion is satisfied, flushing a portion of the cache according to the at least one cache flush criterion to create space in the cache for the second IP data.

9. A method for providing services in an existing mobile data network that includes a radio access network coupled to a core network, the existing mobile data network comprising:

a plurality of basestations in the radio access network that include a plurality of corresponding NodeBs, each NodeB in each basestation communicating with a corresponding antenna that transmits and receives radio signals to and from user equipment, wherein each NodeB in the radio access network in the existing mobile data network is coupled to a radio network controller;

a serving node coupled to the radio network controller;

a gateway node coupled to the serving node;

wherein the serving node and gateway node are part of the core network in the existing mobile data network;

the method comprising the steps of;

installing a data caching mechanism in the radio access network that stores in a cache first internet protocol (IP) data retrieved from the internet through the core network in response to a first IP data request from first user equipment according to at least one cache load criterion that specifies at least one usage pattern regarding how the cache has been accessed in the past, the data caching mechanism returning the first IP data in response to a second IP data request without sending the second IP data request to the core network.