System and method for providing a content delivery network via a motor vehicle

• US 8,937,903 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2011
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bari, Farooq, Hu, Qingmin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, STEPHANIE L
• Application Number:
  US13/159,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20120320824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/331, 370/338, 709/202, 709/228, 709/242
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A cache server disposed in a motor vehicle receives and caches content from a content distribution network when a load of a cellular link to the content distribution network is low. The cache server determines that the motor vehicle is turned off, broadcasts a wireless signal as part of a wireless network when the motor vehicle is turned off, and provides a device access to the content cached in the cache server via the wireless network.

Claims

1. A cache server disposed in a motor vehicle, the cache server comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

a processor that executes the instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving content from a content distribution network when a load of a cellular link to the content distribution network is low;

caching the content in the cache server;

determining that the motor vehicle is turned off;

activating an access point when the motor vehicle is determined to be turned off;

broadcasting, by utilizing the access point, a wireless signal forming a localized coverage area wireless network when the motor vehicle is turned off, such that the localized coverage area wireless network is not provided while the motor vehicle is moving through the content distribution network;

receiving, from a device, a request to join the localized coverage area wireless network;

receiving authentication information from the device;

authenticating the device at the cache server;

authenticating the cache server with a different cache server if the cache server and the different cache server are determined to both be associated with a same service provider;

detecting, if the cache server and the different cache server are both associated with the same service provider, whether the different cache server has an updated version of the content; and

providing, if the different cache server has the updated version of the content, access to the updated version of the content via the localized coverage area wireless network after the device is authenticated.

2. The cache server of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting the authentication information to an authentication server within the content distribution network via a cellular data connection of a cellular network; and

receiving a notification signal indicating a verification of the authentication information via the cellular data connection of the cellular network.

3. The cache server of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an authentication file including a list of authentication information for each of a plurality of devices when the load on the cellular link is low.

4. The cache server of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

comparing the authentication information of the device to the list of authentication information; and

determining that the authentication information of the device is valid when the authentication information of the device matches the list of authentication information.

5. The cache server of claim 1, wherein the content is received via the cellular link to the content distribution network.

6. The cache server of claim 1, wherein the content is selected from a group consisting of news websites, commonly accessed songs, and commonly accessed videos.

7. The cache server of claim 1, wherein the device is selected from a group consisting of a smart cellular telephone, a portable computer, a tablet computer, and a personal digital assistant.

8. A method of providing content from a first cache server disposed in a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, at the first cache server by utilizing instructions from memory that are executed by a processor, content from a content distribution network when a load of a cellular link to the content distribution network is low;

caching the content in the first cache server;

determining that the motor vehicle is turned off;

activating an access point when the motor vehicle is determined to be turned off;

broadcasting, from the first cache server and by utilizing the access point, a wireless signal forming a localized coverage area wireless network when the motor vehicle is turned off, such that the localized coverage area wireless network is not provided while the motor vehicle is moving through the content distribution network;

receiving, from a device, a request to join the localized coverage area wireless network;

receiving authentication information from the device;

authenticating the device at the first cache server;

authenticating the first cache server with a second cache server if the first cache server and the second cache server are determined to both be associated with a same service provider;

detecting, if the first cache server and the second cache server are both associated with the same service provider, whether the second cache server has an updated version of the content; and

providing, if the second cache sever has the updated version of the content, access to the updated version of the content via the localized coverage area wireless network after the device is authenticated.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein authenticating the device at the first cache server comprises:

transmitting the authentication information to an authentication server within the content distribution network via a cellular data connection of a cellular network; and

receiving a notification signal indicating a verification of the authentication information via the cellular data connection of the cellular network.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving an authentication file including a list of authentication information for each of a plurality of devices when the load on the cellular link is low.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein authenticating the device at the first cache server further comprises:

comparing the authentication information of the device to the list of authentication information; and

determining that the authentication information of the device is valid when the authentication information of the device matches the list of authentication information.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the content is received via the cellular link to the content distribution network.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining that the second cache server has new content; and

receiving, at the first cache server, the new content.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the new content is different content than the content in the first cache server.

15. A computer readable device comprising a plurality of instructions, which when loaded and executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising :

receiving, at a cache server, content from a content distribution network when a load of a cellular link to the content distribution network is low, wherein the cache server is disposed in a motor vehicle;

determining that the motor vehicle is turned off;

activating an access point when the motor vehicle is determined to be turned off;

broadcasting, from the cache server and by utilizing the access point, a wireless signal forming a localized coverage area wireless network when the motor vehicle is turned off, such that the localized coverage area wireless network is not provided while the motor vehicle is moving through the content distribution network;

receiving, from a device, a request to join the localized coverage area wireless network;

receiving authentication information from the device;

authenticating the device at the cache server;

authenticating the cache server with a different cache server if the cache server and the different cache server are determined to both be associated with a same service provider;

detecting, if the cache server and the different cache server are both associated with the same service provider, whether the different cache server has an updated version of the content; and

providing, if the different cache server has the updated version of the content, access to the updated version of the content via the localized coverage area wireless network after the device is authenticated.

16. The computer readable device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting the authentication information to an authentication server within the content distribution network via a cellular data connection of a cellular network; and

receiving a notification signal indicating a verification of the authentication information via the cellular data connection of the cellular network.

17. The computer readable device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an authentication file including a list of authentication information for each of a plurality of devices when the load on the cellular link is low.

18. The computer readable device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

comparing the authentication information of the device to the list of authentication information; and

determining that the authentication information of the device is valid when the authentication information of the device matches the list of authentication information.

19. The computer readable device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

caching the content in the cache server.

20. The computer readable device of claim 15, wherein the content is selected from a group consisting of news websites, commonly accessed songs, and commonly accessed videos.