Method and system for optimizing large file transfers while moving through nodes on a wireless network

• US 8,606,296 B1
• Filed: 10/04/2012
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, Western Digital Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Woods, Eric, Shumaker, Spenser Edward, Craig, Erik Bradley, Varga, Daniel Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Beamer, Temica M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ajayi, Joel
• Application Number:
  US13/644,981
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A method and system identifies a data file for transfer to a user. The invention also detects the movement of the user device from which the data file transfer was made and calculates a projected path for movement of the user device. Based on the projected path of movement, the sections of the requested data file are transferred in parallel to node areas where the user device is projected to move according to the projected path. As the user enters a node area, the section of the data file downloaded to that node area is locally transferred to the user device and thereby substantially reducing download time of a large data file.

Claims

1. A system for optimizing large file transfers while moving through nodes on a wireless network comprising:

an electronic mobile cellular device capable of receiving and transmitting voice and data communications;

one or more network devices, each network device having an antenna and communication logic and being capable of establishing a communication link with said electronic mobile cellular devices;

a network core device capable of gathering, storing and transmitting requested data to an electronic mobile cellular device, said network core device also having the capability to detect movement of an electronic mobile cellular device and to calculate a projected movement path for the electronic mobile cellular device and having the capability to determine a specific number of sections in which to divide requested data, based on the projected movement path of the mobile cellular device which initiated a data request; and

a cache memory device for temporarily storing requested data transmitted from said network core device and for transmitting the stored transmitted data to an electronic mobile cellular device requesting the transmitted data.

2. The system as described in claim 1 further comprising a radio network controller (RNC) which establishes communications between said network devices.

8. The system as described in claim 1 wherein a said cache memory device further comprises a plurality of cache memory devices, one of each said cache memory devices being positioned in a said network device.

9. The system as described in claim 8 wherein said plurality of cache memory devices is in communication with said network core device.

10. The system as described in claim 1 wherein said network core device further comprises a software module capable of calculating an amount of data from the requested data for transmission to each of one or more network devices based on a projected movement path of the electronic mobile cellular device which initiated a data request.

3. A method for optimizing large file transfers while moving through nodes on a wireless network comprising:

receiving a data request at a network core device from a mobile cellular device;

identifying and locating data of the received data request;

determining whether the mobile cellular device making the requesting is moving;

when the determination is that the mobile cellular device is moving, projecting a path for which the mobile cellular device will move;

identifying node areas through which the mobile cellular device will travel based on the projected path;

determining a number of sections in which to divide the requested data for transmission, a determined section of the data to be transmitted to an identified and designated node in the projected path of the mobile cellular device, each identified and designated node area being based on the projected movement path of the mobile cellular device; and

simultaneously transmitting the determined sections of the data to each identified and designated node area in the projected movement path of the mobile cellular device.

4. The method as described in claim 3 wherein said determining a number of sections in which to divide the requested data further comprises:

calculating a size of the requested data;

determining a download speed for the requested;

determining an amount of time the mobile cellular device will be in each node area;

determining an amount of the requested data that can be downloaded to the mobile cellular device when the mobile cellular device is in each node area; and

dividing the requested data into sections based on the amount of data that can be downloaded to the mobile cellular device when the mobile cellular device is in each node area.

5. The method as described in claim 3 wherein the requested data is a data file.

6. The method as described in claim 3 wherein said simultaneous transmitting of the determined sections of the data further comprises:

transmitting each section of the requested data to a cache memory associated with each identified node area and storing that transmitted section of the requested data in that cache memory; and

downloading the section of the requested stored in that cache memory to the requesting mobile cellular device when the requesting mobile cellular device is in that identified node area.

7. The method as described in claim 3 further comprising after said simultaneously transmitting the determined sections of the data to each identified and designated node area in the projected movement path of the requesting mobile cellular device:

monitoring movement of the requesting mobile cellular device;

detecting a deviation in the projected path of the requesting mobile cellular device;

projecting a new path through which the mobile cellular device will move;

identifying node areas through which the mobile cellular device will travel based on the new projected path; and

adjusting the transmission of the determined sections of the data based on the new projected path.

11. A system for optimizing large file transfers while moving through nodes on a wireless network comprising:

an electronic mobile cellular device capable of receiving and transmitting voice and data communications;

one or more network devices, each network device having an antenna and communication logic and being capable of establishing a communication link with said electronic mobile cellular devices;

a network core device capable of gathering, storing and transmitting requested data to an electronic mobile cellular device, said network core device also having the capability to detect movement of an electronic mobile cellular device and to calculate a projected movement path for the electronic mobile cellular device;

a software module in the network core device capable of calculating an amount of data from the requested data for transmission to each of one or more network devices based on a projected movement path of the electronic mobile cellular device which initiated a data request; and

a cache memory device for temporarily storing requested data transmitted from said network core device and for transmitting the stored transmitted data to an electronic mobile cellular device requesting the transmitted data.