Mobile network services in a mobile data network

• US 9,014,023 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2011
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Anthony, Bruce O. Jr., Billau, Ronald L., Cillis, Canio, Nicholson, Robert B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jensen, Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): BELETE, BERHANU D
• Application Number:
  US13/233,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20130070618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• Field of Search: 370/232, 370252-254, 370/329, 455/405, 455/445, 455/435.1
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/14 Network analysis or design
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update

Abstract

Mobile network services are performed in a mobile data network in a way that is transparent to most of the existing equipment in the mobile data network. The mobile data network includes a radio access network and a core network. A first service mechanism in the radio access network breaks out data coming from a basestation, and performs one or more mobile network services based on the broken out data. A second service mechanism in the core network performs one or more mobile network services based on the network traffic remaining after the first service mechanism performs its breakout. An optional third service mechanism coupled to the core network provides one or more mobile network services in the mobile data network. An overlay network allows the first, second and third service mechanisms to communicate with each other. The overlay network is preferably a private virtual network.

Claims

1. A mobile data network comprising:

a plurality of antennas that transmit and receive radio signals to and from user equipment;

a plurality of basestations, each basestation communicating with a corresponding one of the plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of basestations are part of a radio access network that communicates with a core network in the mobile data network;

a first service mechanism in the radio access network that defines an existing first data path in the radio access network for non-broken out data, defines a second data path for broken out data, identifies first data received from a corresponding basestation as data to be broken out, sends the first data on the second data path, and forwards other data that is not broken out on the first data path, wherein the first service mechanism provides first caching in the radio access network of Internet Protocol (IP) data retrieved from the Internet based on the first data;

a second service mechanism in the core network that monitors network messages in the core network and provides second caching in the core network of IP data retrieved from the Internet, wherein the second service mechanism sends a message to the first service mechanism to authorize the first service mechanism to break out the first data when at least one breakout criteria is satisfied and the first data is on a high-speed channel in the mobile data network, wherein the second service mechanism breaks out second data in the core network to provide the second service when the at least one breakout criteria is satisfied and the second data is on a low-speed channel in the mobile data network;

a third service mechanism coupled to the core network that provides third caching in the core network of IP data retrieved from the Internet;

an overlay network that allows the first, second and third service mechanisms to communicate with each other, wherein the overlay network comprises a virtual private network;

wherein the first service mechanism receives a plurality of keys from a second service mechanism over the overlay network that allows the first service mechanism to encrypt data sent to the user equipment and decrypt data received from the user equipment; and

wherein the first service mechanism performs the first service and the second service mechanism performs the second service and the third service mechanism performs the third service without requiring any change to hardware in other components in the mobile data network.