Cache server at hotspots for downloading services

• US 7,814,483 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2003
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Li, Jun, Zhang, Junbiao, Verma, Snigdha
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam; Tuan Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): TECKLU, ISAAC TUKU
• Application Number:
  US10/578,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20070089110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,534 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 717/174
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

Remote site downloading of content to a hotspot occurs by way of a cache server, which, when networked the hotspot, processes download, order proxies received from remote content provider servers or content user mobile devices. The cache server stores content files downloaded over the Internet from the content provider servers according to the proxies, and delivers content files to the appropriate mobile devices when they sign in at the hotspot. For example, a set top box at a hotspot can receive an instant message which includes a data set, including cookies, from a personal data assistant. There after, the set top box can download a movie from a movie vendor web site which has been previously ordered and paid for by a user using the personal data assistant over a cellular network, and then wirelessly transmit the movie to the personal data assistant using Wi-Fi protocol when it arrives at the hotspot and is authenticated.

Claims

1. A system for obtaining at least one content file requested by a content user from at least one content provider for remote site downloading at an access point and delivering the at least one content file after arrival of the content user at the access point, the system comprising:

a cache server having;

means for connecting to a data network,

means for downloading the at least one content file from the at least one content providers over the data network upon receipt of a proxy,

means for storing the at least one downloaded content file,

for locally delivering at the access point the at least one stored content file to the content user which requested the content file,

a processor for dynamically creating a directory for a content user when a content file requested by the content user is downloaded from the content provider, and

a memory for storing the downloaded content file in the directory corresponding to the content user.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the means to locally deliver the content file comprises a wireless router at the access point.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the cache server further comprises:

means to synchronize the downloaded content file to the content user when the content user is at the access point.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising means to share stored content files for multiple content users including at least one dynamic user directory.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the cache server is a networked set-top box.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the proxy is a data set.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the proxy is a data set comprising cookies.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the proxy is a data set or executable object contained in an e-mail or an instant message received by the cache server.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the proxy comprises data identifying the content file, content provider, content user, and/or expected time of arrival at the access point.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the means to locally deliver comprises a wireless router or access point bridge at the access point, programming to enable the content user to log in at the access point with a mobile device and, upon authentication of a logged in content user, routing the content file to the content user'"'"'s mobile device.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the cache server is a networked, Internet-enabled digital storage device.

12. A system for facilitating the transferring of a content file from a content provider to a content user mobile device comprising:

means for generating a proxy that identifies the content file, content provider, and content user; and

means for transmitting the proxy to a cache server at an access point;

a cache server at the access point includes;

means for downloading the content file from the content provider according to the transmitted proxy;

means for locally transmitting the content file to a content user mobile device, said means for locally transmitting the content file comprising means in the cache server for receiving and decoding a proxy containing parameters comprising an identification of the content file to be downloaded and the Internet address of the content provider;

means for executing the proxy to download the identified content file from the content provider; and

means for transferring the downloaded content file to the content user mobile device at the access point;

a processor for dynamically creating a directory for a content user when a content file requested by the content user is downloaded from the content provider; and

memory for storing the downloaded content file in the directory corresponding to the content user.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising means for obtaining parameters including at least the identity of the content file, the identity of the content provider, and the identity of the access point having the cache server, wherein the means for providing the proxy comprises means for providing a proxy using the obtained parameters.

14. The system of claim 12 further comprising means for the content user to pay the content provider and/or a remote downloading service provider for permission to remotely download the content file to the cache server at the access point and/or for locally transferring the content file from the cache server to a mobile device.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the means for obtaining parameters comprises means for capturing a request to the cache server to download the content file;

and means for extracting at least some of the parameters from the captured request.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the means for providing a proxy comprises means for providing a proxy including computer code which, when executed at the access point, causes the content file to be downloaded from the content provider.

17. A system for facilitating the transferring of a content file from a remote content provider to a cache server over the Internet and for locally transferring the content file to a content user mobile device comprising:

means in the cache server for receiving and decoding a proxy containing parameters comprising an identification of the content file to be downloaded and the Internet address of the content provider;

means for using the proxy to download the identified content file to the cache server; and

means for locally transferring the downloaded content file to the content user mobile device;

wherein the cache server comprises;

a processor for dynamically creating a directory for a content user when a content file requested by the content user is downloaded from the content provider; and

a memory for storing the downloaded content file in the directory corresponding to the content user.

18. The system of claim 17 further comprising means for storing the received proxy;

wherein the proxy comprises data identifying a time at which the content file is to be downloaded from the content provider; and

wherein the means for using the proxy comprises means for using the stored proxy to download the content file from the content provider at the time indicated in the data of the proxy.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the means for receiving a proxy comprises means for receiving a proxy containing parameters including content user authentication data required for the content user to synchronize with the cache server and obtain access to the downloaded content file;

and wherein the means for using the proxy comprises means for using the user information contained in the proxy to download the identified data from the identified at least one server.

20. A computer program product comprising a computer readable physical storage medium having computer readable code embodied therein, the computer readable code, when executed, causing a computer to implement a method for facilitating the transferring of a content file from a remote content provider to a cache server at an access point and later to a local content user client device comprising:

providing a proxy that facilitates the downloading of a content file to a cache server from a remote content provider over the Internet using Internet protocol, the proxy containing an identification of the content file;

transmitting the proxy to a cache server capable of using the proxy to download the content file from the remote content provider over the Internet and later locally transfer the downloaded content file to the client device;

dynamically creating a directory for a content user when a content file requested by the content user is downloaded from the content provider; and

storing the downloaded content file in the directory corresponding to the content user.

21. The computer program product of claim 20 wherein the implemented method further comprises obtaining parameters including at least the identity of the content file, the identity of the content provider, the identity of the cache server, and identity of the content user;

and wherein, in the implemented method, providing a proxy comprises providing a proxy using the obtained parameters.

22. The computer program product of claim 20 wherein, in the implemented method, obtaining parameters comprises capturing a content user request to the content provider for permission for the cache server to download the identified content file;

and extracting at least some of the parameters from the captured request.

23. The computer program product of claim 20 wherein, in the implemented method, providing a proxy comprises providing a proxy including computer code which, when executed, causes the content file to be downloaded from the content provider.

24. A method of caching at least one content file at an access point for at least one content user who has requested, prior to being present at the access point, the at least one content file to be downloaded from a content server and stored for delivery when the at least one content user is present at the access point comprising

upon receipt at a cache server of a message containing an identification for the at least one content file ordered by the at least one content user prior to the at least one content user being present at the access point, downloading the at least one content file from the content server;

storing the downloaded content file at the access point;

upon an at least one content user mobile device logging in at the access point, locally transmitting the at least one content file to the at least one content user mobile device;

dynamically creating a directory for a content user when a content file requested by the content user is downloaded from the content provider; and

storing the downloaded content file in the directory corresponding to the content user.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the content file is delivered to the content user mobile device when the mobile device has logged in at the access point and the content user mobile device requests the delivery.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the mobile device is a wireless enabled personal data assistant or a web-enabled cellular telephone.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the message comprises a proxy for an order for the content file.

28. A method for facilitating the transfer of a content file from at least one remote content provider server to a content user mobile device comprising:

receiving at an access point wireless network an authenticated download order for a content file request from the content user mobile device,

downloading the content file at the access point wireless local area network,

caching the content file;

dynamically creating a directory for a content user when a content file requested by the content user is downloaded from the content provider,

storing the downloaded content file in the directory corresponding to the content user, and

upon the content user mobile client device signing in to the access point wireless network, delivering the content file to the content user mobile device.

29. A method for ordering a content file over a first network from a remote content provider at a first time and receiving the content file at a second time over an access point network comprising:

selecting an access point;

ordering over the first network the content file from the remote content provider server at the first time for downloading at the selected access point;

sending order identification data comprising a URL of the content file and a session specific cookie to the access point;

responsive to reception of the order identification data at the selected access point,

downloading the content file from the content provider server;

dynamically creating a directory for a content user when a content file requested by the content user is downloaded from the content provider;

storing the downloaded content file in the directory corresponding to the content user;

synchronizing a content user mobile device at the second time to the access point; and

locally transferring the cached content file to the content user mobile device.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the session specific cookie comprises the identity of user information and payment status, the previously identified computer using the cookie to cause the data to be transferred from the at least one server to the computer.

31. A method for facilitating the transferring of a content file from a remote content provider server to a content user mobile device comprising:

providing a proxy that facilitates the downloading of the content file from the content provider server the proxy including at least an identification of the content file;

transmitting the proxy to a cache server at an access point enabled to execute the proxy to download the content file from the remote content provider server,

dynamically creating a directory for a content user when a content file requested by the content user is downloaded from the content provider,

storing the downloaded content file in the directory corresponding to the content user, and

upon the content user mobile device being associated with the access point cache server,

locally transferring the downloaded content file to the content user mobile device.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising obtaining parameters including at least the identity of the content file, the identity of the at remote content provider server, the identity of the cache server at the access point, and identity of the content user;

and wherein providing a proxy comprises creating a proxy using the obtained parameters.

33. A method for facilitating the transfer of content file from a remote content provider server to a content user mobile device comprising:

programming in the mobile device which causes the mobile device, in response to content user input, to provide parameters to a cache server, the parameters including at least the identity of the content file to be downloaded and the identity of the content provider server and the cache server,

in response to receiving the parameters provided by the mobile device, using the parameters to cause the identified content file to be downloaded from the remote content provider server, and

dynamically creating a directory for a content user when a content file requested by the content user is downloaded from the content provider,

storing the downloaded content file in the directory corresponding to the content user, and

in response to a communication received from the mobile device, locally transferring the downloaded content file to the mobile device.

34. The method of claim 33 further wherein the mobile device contains the programming.