Data breakout at the edge of a mobile data network

• US 9,042,302 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2012
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Anthony, Bruce O. Jr., Billau, Ronald L., Cillis, Canio, Di Luoffo, Vincenzo V., Grady, Philip E., Sabhikhi, Ravinder K., Singh, Raj K., Van Leeuwen, George W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): AMBAYE, MEWALE A
• Application Number:
  US13/677,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20130121250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0831 Core entity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0942 based on measured or predicted load of entities- or links
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

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 at the edge of the mobile data network based on the broken out data. These services may include caching of data, data or video compression techniques, push-based services, charging, application serving, analytics, security, data filtering, and new revenue-producing services, as well as others. This architecture allows performing new mobile network services at the edge of a mobile data network within the infrastructure of an existing mobile data network.

Claims

1. A method for processing data packets in a mobile data network that includes a radio access network coupled to a core network, the method comprising the steps of:

a plurality of antennas sending and receiving network messages between user equipment and a plurality of basestations in the radio access network, each basestation comprising a NodeB that communicates with the user equipment by communicating with a corresponding one of the plurality of antennas;

a breakout component in the one of the plurality of basestations that intercepts and monitors network traffic from the NodeB to a Radio Network Controller (RNC) and from the RNC to the NodeB, and performs the steps of;

defining an existing first data path in the radio access network for non-broken out data;

defining a second data path for broken out data from the user equipment;

identifying first data received from the NodeB as data to be broken out from the user equipment;

sending the first data on the second data path;

forwarding other data from the NodeB that is not broken out on the first data path; and

for broken out data, performing a first service with respect to internet protocol (IP) data sent to the user equipment by the NodeB in response to an IP data request in the first data from the user equipment to the NodeB, wherein the first service comprises caching of the IP data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first service comprises push-based services with respect to the IP data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first service comprises application serving in response to the IP data request.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first service comprises analytics that analyze the IP data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first service comprises filtering of the IP data.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first service comprises at least one revenue-producing service for a provider of the mobile data network with respect to the IP data.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the breakout component provides a second service that comprises application serving in response to the IP data.

8. A method for processing data packets in a mobile data network that includes a radio access network coupled to a core network, the method comprising the steps of:

a plurality of antennas sending and receiving network messages between user equipment and a plurality of basestations in the radio access network, each basestation communicating with a corresponding one of the plurality of antennas;

providing a breakout component in one of the plurality of basestations, the breakout component comprising;

a system controller that controls function of the breakout component;

a service processor that monitors the breakout component and provides control functions for the breakout component;

a security subsystem that provides secure access to keys stored in a non-volatile memory; and

a telco breakout system that performs the steps of;

defining an existing first data path in the radio access network for non-broken out data;

defining a second data path for broken out data;

identifying first data received from a corresponding basestation as data to be broken out;

sending the first data on the second data path;

forwarding other data that is not broken out on the first data path; and

performing a plurality of services with respect to internet protocol (IP) data sent to the first user equipment in response to an IP data request in the first data from the first user equipment, wherein the plurality of services comprises;

caching of the IP data;

application serving in response to the IP data request; and

analytics that analyze the IP data.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the plurality of services further comprise:

push-based services with respect to the IP data;

filtering of the IP data; and

at least one revenue-producing service for a provider of the mobile data network with respect to the IP data.

10. A method for providing services in an existing mobile data network that includes a radio access network coupled to a core network, the existing mobile data network comprising:

a plurality of basestations in the radio access network that include a plurality of corresponding NodeBs, each NodeB in each basestation communicating with a corresponding antenna that transmits and receives radio signals to and from user equipment, wherein each NodeB in the radio access network in the existing mobile data network is coupled to a radio network controller;

a serving node coupled to the radio network controller;

a gateway node coupled to the serving node;

wherein the serving node and gateway node are part of the core network in the existing mobile data network;

the method comprising the steps of;

installing a component in the radio access network that includes a first service mechanism 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 from the user equipment, identifies first data received from a corresponding NodeB from the first user equipment as data to be broken out, sends the first data on the second data path, and forwards other data from the NodeB that is not broken out on the first data path, wherein the first service mechanism provides a first service for broken out data with respect to internet protocol (IP) data sent to the first user equipment in response to an IP data request in the first data from the first user equipment, wherein the first service comprises caching of the IP data.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first service mechanism provides a plurality of services including:

application serving in response to the IP data request;

analytics that analyze the IP data;

push-based services with respect to the IP data;

filtering of the IP data; and

at least one revenue-producing service for a provider of the mobile data network with respect to the IP data.