Wireless distribution system proxy caches

• US 8,850,491 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Minwalla, Nosherwan
• Primary Examiner(s): SHANG, ANNAN Q
• Application Number:
  US12/973,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20120159555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 725 86-120, 709217-232, 455/566, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 725/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64784 Data processing by the network data processing in packet switching systems H04L12/56; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90; provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

In embodiments of wireless distribution system proxy caches, a mobile network operator receives requests for television content from client devices, and communicates one of the requests to a content service that provides the television content for distribution to the client devices. Proxy caches are implemented to cache content data of the television content prior to the cached content data of the television content being wirelessly communicated to the client devices. The proxy caches are located at wireless distribution points of the mobile network operator, and the wireless distribution points communicate the cached content data of the television content from the proxy caches to the client devices.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a mobile network operator configured to receive requests for television content from one or more client devices, the mobile network operator further configured to communicate one of the requests to a content service that provides the television content requested by the one or more client devices to the mobile network operator for distribution to the one or more client devices;

proxy caches, located at a wireless distribution point, configured to cache content data of the television content prior to the cached content data of the television content being wirelessly communicated to the one or more client devices; and

wireless distribution points of the mobile network operator configured to communicate the cached content data of the television content effective to emulate a television multicast from the proxy caches to the one or more client devices.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the content data comprises video fragments of the television content.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the mobile network operator receives the content data of the television content from the content service via the Internet.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the proxy caches are located at the wireless distribution points and are configured as HTTP proxy caches configured to cache the content data received via the Internet.

5. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the mobile network operator receives additional content data for additional television content before a request for the additional television content is received from a client device, and wherein the proxy caches are further configured to cache the additional content data prior to the additional television content being requested and wirelessly communicated to the one or more client devices.

6. A method, comprising:

receiving requests for television content from one or more client devices at a mobile network operator;

communicating one of the requests to a content service that provides the television content requested by the one or more client devices to the mobile network operator for distribution to the one or more client devices;

caching content data of the television content at one or more wireless distribution points of the mobile network operator;

communicating the cached content data of the television content to the one or more client devices via wireless communication from the wireless distribution points;

receiving an additional request for the television content from an additional client device after said caching the content data of the television content at the one or more wireless distribution points; and

communicating the cached content data of the television content from a wireless distribution point to the additional client device responsive to the additional request.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the wireless distribution point emulates television multicast when the cached content data of the television content is communicated from a proxy cache at the wireless distribution point to multiple client devices.

8. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising receiving the television content from the content service as video fragments of the television content.

9. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising receiving the television content from the content service via the Internet.

10. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the content data of the television content is cached with HTTP proxy caches when the content data is received via the Internet.

11. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the content data of the television content is cached at a proxy cache that is located at a wireless distribution point that has a wireless communication link with a client device that requests the television content.

12. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

receiving additional content data for additional television content before a request for the additional television content is received from a client device; and

caching the additional content data at the one or more wireless distribution points of the mobile network operator.

13. A server device, comprising:

a processor and memory to implement a proxy service configured to;

receive requests for television content from one or more client devices;

communicate one of the requests to a content service that provides the television content requested by the one or more client devices for distribution to the one or more client devices; and

a proxy cache configured to cache content data of the television content at a wireless distribution point prior to the cached content data of the television content being wirelessly communicated to the one or more client devices.

14. A server device as recited in claim 13, wherein the server device is located at the wireless distribution point that emulates television multicast when the cached content data of the television content is communicated from the proxy cache to multiple client devices.

15. A server device as recited in claim 13, wherein the content data comprises video fragments of the television content.

16. A server device as recited in claim 13, wherein the content data of the television content is received from the content service via the Internet.

17. A server device as recited in claim 13, wherein the proxy cache is configured as an HTTP proxy cache configured to cache the content data received via the Internet.

18. A server device as recited in claim 13, wherein the proxy cache at the wireless distribution point is further configured to cache additional content data for additional television content before a request for the additional television content is received from a client device.