Broadband content delivery via personal content tunnel

• US 6,928,463 B1
• Filed: 10/18/2001
• Issued: 08/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Bryden, Simon, Filho, Reinaldo Penno, Pillalamarri, Shyam, Gleeson, Bryan, Tene, Gil
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): WANG, LIANG CHE A
• Application Number:
  US09/982,677
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/220, 709/222, 709/227, 370/356, 370/392, 713/201, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2859 Point-to-point connection between the data network and the subscribers encapsulation H04L12/4633; virtual LANs H04L12/4641; routing of packets H04L45/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

In one embodiment of the invention, browser plug-in includes a personal content tunnel (PCT) object processor, a PCT resolution module, and a server interface. The PCT object processor processes a PCT object returned by a content server in response to a request from a client. The PCT object contains PCT information. The PCT resolution module resolves a service uniform resource identifier (URI) using the PCT information according to a PCT resolution protocol. The service URI identifies a PCT resolution server. The server interface receives a content URI and a PCT termination point resolved by the PCT resolution server.

Claims

1. A browser plug-in comprising:

a Personal-Content Tunnel (PCT) object processor to process a PCT object (PCTO) returned by a content server in response to a request from a client, the PCTO containing PCT information;

PCT resolution module coupled to the PCT object processor to resolve a service uniform resource identifier (URI) using the PCT information according to a PCT resolution protocol, the service URI identifying a PCT resolution server;

a server interface to receive a content URI and a PCT termination point resolved by the PCT resolution server; and

a session initiator to initiate a content delivery session between the client and a local node using a carrier tunnel identified by a carrier type identifier, the local node providing access to a content delivered from the content server;

wherein the local node is one of a first local content host and a broadband service node, the first local content host caching the content, the broadband service node connecting to one of a second local content host caching the content and the content server via a content server tunnel.

2. The browser plug-in of claim 1 wherein the PCT information includes at least one of a carrier type identifier, a PCT routing control parameter, a PCT session time-out parameter, a bandwidth parameter, an authentication parameter, and the service URI.

3. The browser plug-in of claim 2 further comprises:

an authenticator to authenticate the client using the authentication parameter, the authentication parameter being one of a realm, a domain, a username, and a password.

4. The browser plug-in of claim 1 wherein the PCT object processor comprises:

a PCT object receiver to receive the PCT object via a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) link; and

a PCT object interpreter to interpret the received PCT object.

5. The browser plug-in of claim 4 wherein the PCT object interpreter comprises:

a PCT object identifier to identify the PCT object based on a unique encoding type.

6. The browser plug-in of claim 5 wherein the unique encoding type is the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME).

7. The browser plug-in of claim 1 wherein the carrier tunnel uses a tunneling protocol, the tunneling protocol being one of a point-to-point protocol (PPP)/layer two tunneling protocol (L2TP) and a PPP/point-to-point tunneling protocol (PPTP).

8. The browser plug-in of claim 1 further comprises:

a routing controller to establish a route for the content delivery session between the client and the subnet containing the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the content server, the subnet being identified by a network mask in the PCT routing control parameter.

9. A method comprising:

processing a PCT object (PCTO) returned by a content server in response to a request from a client, the PCTO containing PCT information;

resolving a service uniform resource identifier (URI) using the PCT information according to a PCT resolution protocol, the service URI identifying a PCT resolution server;

receiving a content URI and a PCT termination point resolved by the PCT resolution server; and

initiating a content delivery session between the client and a local node using a carrier tunnel identified by a carrier type identifier, the local node providing access to a content delivered from the content server;

wherein the local node is one of a first local content host and a broadband service node, the first local content host caching the content, the broadband service node connecting to one of a second local content host caching the content and the content server via a content server tunnel.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the PCT information includes at least one of a carrier type identifier, a PCT routing control parameter, a PCT session time-out parameter, a bandwidth parameter, an authentication parameter, and the service URI.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprises:

authenticating the client using the authentication parameter, the authentication parameter being one of a realm, a domain, a username, and a password.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein processing the PCT object comprises:

receiving the PCT object via a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) link; and

interpreting the received PCT object.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein interpreting the received PCT object comprises:

identifying the PCT object based on a unique encoding type.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the unique encoding type is the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME).

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the carrier tunnel uses a tunneling protocol, the tunneling protocol being one of a point-to-point protocol (PPP)/layer two tunneling protocol (L2TP) and a PPP/point-to-point tunneling protocol (PPTP).

16. The method of claim 9 further comprises:

establishing a route for the content delivery session between the client and the subnet containing the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the content server, the subnet being identified by a network mask in the PCT routing control parameter.

17. A computer program product comprising:

a machine useable medium having computer program code embedded therein, the computer program product having;

computer readable program code to process a PCT object (PCTO) returned by a content server in response to a request from a client, the PCTO containing PCT information;

computer readable program code to resolve a service uniform resource identifier (URI) using the PCT information according to a PCT resolution Protocol, the service URI identifying a PCT resolution server;

computer readable program code to receive a content URI and a PCT termination point resolved by the PCT resolution server; and

computer readable program code to initiate a content delivery session between the client and a local node using a carrier tunnel identified by a carrier type identifier, the local node providing access to a content delivered from the content server;

wherein the local node is one of a first local content host and a broadband service node, the first local content host caching the content, the broadband service node connecting to one of a second local content host caching the content and the content server via a content server tunnel.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the PCT information includes at least one of a carrier type identifier, a PCT routing control parameter, a PCT session time-out parameter, a bandwidth parameter, an authentication parameter, and the service URI.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the carrier tunnel uses a tunneling protocol, the tunneling protocol being one of a point-to-point protocol (PPP)/layer two tunneling protocol (L2TP) and a PPP/point-to-point tunneling protocol (PPTP).

20. A system comprising:

a content server coupled to a network to provide a content;

a PCT resolution server coupled to the network to that resolves a service uniform resource identifier (URI) using PCT information to a content uniform resource identifier (URI) and a PCT termination point; and

a client coupled to a first broadband service node via a broadband medium, the first broadband service node coupling to the network, the client having a browser interfacing to a browser plug-in, the browser plug-in comprising;

a Personal Content Tunnel (PCT) object processor to process a PCT object (PCTO) returned by the content server in response to a client request from the client, the PCTO containing PCT information,

a PCT resolution module coupled to the PCT object processor to resolve a service uniform resource identifier (URI) using the PCT information according to a PCT resolution protocol, the service URI identifying the PCT resolution server,

a server interface to receive the content URI and the PCT termination point resolved by the PCT resolution server, and

a session initiator to initiate a content delivery session between the client and a local node using a carrier tunnel identified by a carrier type identifier, the local node providing access to the content delivered from the content server.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the PCT information includes at least one of a carrier type identifier, a PCT routing control parameter, a PCT session time-out parameter, a bandwidth parameter, an authentication parameter, and the service URI.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the local node is one of a first local content host and a second broadband service node, the first local content host caching the content, the second broadband service node connecting to one of a second local content host caching the content and the content server via a content server tunnel.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the carrier tunnel uses a tunneling protocol, the tunneling protocol being one of a point-to-point protocol (PPP)/layer two tunneling protocol (L2TP) and a PPP/point-to-point tunneling protocol (PPTP).