Network controlled client caching system and method

• US 9,438,526 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2011
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Mihly, Attila, Westberg, Lars, Cai, Xuejun
• Primary Examiner(s): Chery, Dady
• Application Number:
  US14/358,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20150372933A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,726 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/328, 370/341, 370/343, 370/351, 370/229, 370/230, 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/550.1, 455/422.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/56 implementing delay-aware scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2876 Pairs of inter-processing entities at each side of the network, e.g. split proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6371 directed to network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64738 Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64746 Control signals issued by the network directed to the server or the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria

Abstract

A communication system, cache, computer readable medium and method for exchanging delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content (19) between a user terminal (12) and a communication network (14) with which the user terminal (12) communicates. The method includes storing the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content (19) into a network cache (18) of the communication network (14); gathering at the network cache (18) network information related to a status of the communication network (14); receiving user terminal information at the network cache (18) from a user cache (22) located at the user terminal (12); and transferring the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content (19) from the network cache (18) to the user cache (22) based on the network information and the user terminal information.

Claims

1. A method for exchanging delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content between a user terminal and a communication network with which the user terminal communicates, the method comprising:

storing the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content into a network cache of the communication network;

gathering at the network cache network information related to a status of the communication network;

receiving user terminal information at the network cache from a user cache located outside the communication network at the user terminal, wherein the user cache is controlled only by the user terminal and the user terminal information contains information about conditions determined by the user terminal that affect when transfer of the delay-tolerant data content or the in-advance data content should occur; and

transferring the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content from the network cache to the user cache based on a determination by the network cache using both the network information and the user terminal information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network information includes at least one of available radio capacity, number of active users in the individual cells, and channel quality indicator of individual user terminals.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving at the network cache the network information directly from a radio access network of the communication network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user terminal information includes at least one of a delivery start time, a deadline, a frequency of regular downloads, an access type of the user terminal to Internet, a battery lifetime, a charging status, a current user profile, and a processor load.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transferring the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content from the network cache to the user cache when an available cell throughput is above a predetermined threshold or when a lower than best-effort service is implemented.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downloading the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content from a server to the network cache based on a request from the user terminal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the in-advance data content is transferred to the user cache before the user requests it.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downloading the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content from a server to the network cache based on a push service of the server.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the network cache information from a core network regarding the user terminal.

10. A communication network to which a user terminal is connected for exchanging delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content, the communication network comprising:

a network cache configured to store the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content; and

a pre-caching logic module disposed within the network cache and in communication with a user cache located outside the communication network at the user terminal, wherein the user cache is controlled only by the user terminal, and wherein the pre-caching logic module is configured to,

gather network information related to a status of the communication network,

receive user terminal information from the user cache, wherein the user terminal information contains information about conditions determined by the user terminal that affect when transfer of the delay-tolerant data content or the in-advance data content should occur, and

decide when to transfer the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content from the network cache to the user cache based on the network information and the user terminal information.

11. The communication network of claim 10, wherein the network information includes at least one of available radio capacity, number of active users in the individual cells, and channel quality indicator of individual user terminals.

12. The communication network of claim 11, further comprising:

a radio access network and the network cache receives the network information directly from the radio access network.

13. The communication network of claim 10, wherein the user terminal information includes at least one of a delivery start time, a deadline, frequency of regular downloads, an access type of the user terminal to Internet, a battery lifetime, a charging status, a current user profile, and a processor load.

14. The communication network of claim 10, wherein the pre-caching is configured to transfer the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content from the network cache to the user cache when an available bandwidth is above a predetermined threshold or when a lower than best-effort service is implemented.

15. The communication network of claim 10, wherein the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content is downloaded from a server to the network cache based on a request from the user terminal.

16. The communication network of claim 15, wherein the in-advance data content is transferred to the user cache before the user requests it.

17. The communication network of claim 10, wherein the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content is downloaded from a server to the network cache based on a push service of the server.

18. The communication network of claim 10, further comprising:

a core network configured to provide to the network cache information regarding the user terminal.

19. A network cache in a communication network to which a user terminal is connected for exchanging delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content, the network cache comprising:

a storage device configured to store the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content; and

a pre-caching logic module in communication with the storage device and configured to,

gather network information related to a status of the communication network,

receive user terminal information from a user cache in communication with the pre-caching logic module and located outside the communication network at the user terminal, wherein the user cache is controlled only by the user terminal and the user terminal information contains information about conditions determined by the user terminal that affect when transfer of the delay-tolerant data content or the in-advance data content should occur, and

decide when to transfer the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content from the network cache to the user cache based on the network information and the user terminal information.

20. A method for exchanging delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content between a user terminal and a communication network with which the user terminal communicates, the method comprising:

storing the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content into a user cache located outside the communication network in the user terminal, wherein the user cache is controlled only by the user terminal;

gathering at the network cache network information related to a status of the communication network;

receiving user terminal information at the network cache from the user cache, wherein the user terminal information contains information about conditions determined by the user terminal that affect when transfer of the delay-tolerant data content or the in-advance data content should occur; and

deciding when to transfer the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content from the user cache to the network cache based on a determination by the network cache using both the network information and the user terminal information.

21. A user cache in a user terminal connected to a communication network for exchanging delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content, wherein the user cache is located outside of the communication network and is controlled only by the user terminal, the user cache comprising:

a user interface configured to receive input from a user of the user terminal regarding the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content;

a storage device configured to store the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content;

an application interface configured to interact with an application stored on the user terminal;

a cache controller connected to the application interface and the storage device for controlling the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content; and

a communication function module connected to the cache controller and to a network cache and configured to send information related to the user terminal and to receive the delay-tolerant data content or in-advance data content, wherein the information related to the user terminal contains the input from the user of the user terminal regarding the delay-tolerant data content or the in-advance data content and information about conditions determined by the user terminal that affect when transfer of the delay-tolerant data content or the in-advance data content should occur.