Methods and Devices for Content Distribution

• US 20170272899A1
• Filed: 06/01/2017
• Published: 09/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: El Khayat, Ibtissam, Perkuhn, Heiko
• Granted Patent: US 11,197,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1072 Discovery involving ranked list compilation of candidate peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

To control content distribution to plural mobile entities, a device for managing the distribution of the content may determine mobile entities which participate in sharing the same content and which are located in the same region. The mobile entities respectively have a first interface for communication with a mobile communication network and a second interface for forming an ad-hoc network with another mobile entity. A message indicating at least one peer address of a peer mobile entity may be selectively transmitted to a mobile entity. The peer address allows the mobile entity to retrieve at least a piece of the content over the second interface from another mobile entity.

Claims

1. A method of managing distribution of content to a mobile entity, the mobile entity having a first interface for communicating with a mobile communication network and a second interface for forming an ad-hoc network with another mobile entity, the method comprising:

receiving, over the mobile communication network, a request from the mobile entity, the request including a content identifier identifying the content;

determining, based on the received request, a region in which the mobile entity is located;

retrieving, based on the content identifier, information on other mobile entities which participate in sharing the content;

identifying a subset of the other mobile entities based on the determined region;

transmitting, via the mobile communication network, a message to the mobile entity, the message including at least one of a peer address of a peer mobile entity included in the identified subset or a source address, the peer address allowing the mobile entity to retrieve at least a piece of the content over the second interface from the peer mobile entity.

2. A method of retrieving content by a mobile entity which has a first interface for communicating with a mobile communication network and a second interface for forming an ad-hoc network with another mobile entity, the method comprising:

transmitting, over the first interface, a request including a content identifier identifying the content;

processing a message received over the first interface in response to the request, the message including at least one of a source address or a peer address;

selectively, in response to the message including the peer address, retrieving at least a piece of the content over the second interface from another mobile entity using the peer address.