Cache and delivery based application data scheduling

• US 9,680,953 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2013
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kotecha, Lalit R., Kamel, Raafat Edward, Panchal, Jignesh S., Aguirre, Sergio
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Aftab N.
• Application Number:
  US13/862,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20140310371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A device receives configuration information that instructs the device about when to send content to a user device. The device also receives content from an application server at a first time, and stores the content. The device determines, based on the configuration information, that the content is to be sent to the user device, and sends the content to the user device based on the determination. The content is sent to the user device at a second time that is later than the first time.

Claims

1. A user device comprising:

a memory storing content; and

one or more processors at least partially implemented in hardware and operatively connected to the memory, the one or more processors to;

receive configuration information,

the configuration information instructing the user device about when to send the content to a storage device,

the configuration information indicating an upload speed threshold selected by a user of the user device for communicating the content via a service provider network;

send the configuration information to a policy and charging rules function device included in the service provider network;

receive a request from a user of the user device to send the content, from the memory, to an application server via the storage device,

the storage device being included in an evolved packet system of the service provider network,

the storage device facilitating communication, via the service provider network, of the content between the user device and the application server which is communicatively coupled to but not included in the service provider network;

determine, based on the configuration information, whether the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device based on whether an upload speed satisfies the upload speed threshold selected by the user,

when the determining whether the content is to be sent, the one or more processors are to;

wait until the upload speed is detected to satisfy the upload speed threshold selected by the user before sending the content to the application server via the storage device;

cache the content, by the user device and based on receiving the request from the user of the user device to send the content to the application server, while waiting until the upload speed is detected to satisfy the upload speed threshold;

send a message to the storage device that the content is cached to be uploaded to the application server at a later time; and

send the content to the application server via the storage device based on the upload speed satisfying the upload speed threshold selected by the user,

the content being sent to the application server via the storage device after the request is received.

2. The user device of claim 1, where, when the determining whether the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device, the one or more processors are to:

determine, based on the configuration information, that a network load is less than a network load threshold,

the network load threshold being stored in the memory of the user device; and

determine that the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device based on the network load being less than the network load threshold.

3. The user device of claim 1, where, when the determining whether the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device, the one or more processors are to:

determine that a particular time has occurred; and

determine that the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device based on an occurrence of the particular time.

4. The user device of claim 1, where, when the determining whether the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device, the one or more processors are to:

determine that the user device is in a particular location; and

determine that the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device based on the user device being in the particular location.

5. The user device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

determine to upload other content from the user device to the storage device based on a memory capacity used by the user device exceeding a threshold amount of memory capacity; and

send the other content to the storage device for storage.

6. The user device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

configure a cache application using the configuration information,

the cache application being configured to cache content for a plurality of applications stored on the user device, and

the user device using the cache application to cache the content and to send the content to the application server.

7. The user device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when the receiving the configuration information, are to:

receive the configuration information from the user of the user device.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by a user device, configuration information,

the configuration information instructing the user device about when to send content to a storage device,

the configuration information indicating an upload speed threshold selected by a user of the user device for communicating the content via a service provider network;

sending, by the user device, the configuration information to a policy and charging rules function device included in the service provider network;

receiving, by the user device, a request from a user of the user device to send the content, from a memory associated with the user device, to an application server via the storage device,

the storage device being included in an evolved packet system of the service provider network,

the storage device facilitating communication, via the service provider network, of the content between the user device and the application server which is communicatively coupled to but not included in the service provider network;

determining, by the user device and based on the configuration information, whether the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device based on whether an upload speed satisfies the upload speed threshold selected by the user,

the determining whether the content is to be sent including;

waiting until the upload speed is detected to satisfy the upload speed threshold selected by the user before sending the content to the application server via the storage device;

caching, by the user device and based on receiving the request from the user of the user device to send the content to the application server, the content while waiting until the upload speed is detected to satisfy the upload speed threshold;

sending, by the user device, a message to the storage device that the content is cached to be uploaded to the application server at a later time; and

sending, by the user device, the content to the storage device based on the upload speed satisfying the upload speed threshold selected by the user,

the content being sent to the application server via the storage device after the request is received.

9. The method of claim 8, where the determining whether the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device includes:

determining, based on the configuration information, that a network load is less than a network load threshold,

the network load threshold being stored in the memory of the user device; and

determining that the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device based on the network load being less than the network load threshold.

10. The method of claim 8, where the determining whether the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device includes:

determining that a particular time has occurred; and

determining that the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device based on an occurrence of the particular time.

11. The method of claim 8, where the determining whether the content is to be sent to application server via the storage device includes:

determining that the user device is in a particular location; and

determining that the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device based on the user device being in the particular location.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining to upload other content from the user device to the storage device based on a memory capacity used by the user device exceeding a threshold amount of memory capacity; and

sending the other content to the storage device for storage.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

configuring a cache application using the configuration information,

the cache application being configured to cache content for a plurality of applications stored on the user device, and

the user device using the cache application to cache the content and to send the content to the application server.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a user device, cause the one or more processors to;

receive configuration information,

the configuration information instructing the user device about when to send content to a storage device,

the configuration information indicating an upload speed threshold selected by a user of the user device for communicating the content via a service provider network;

send the configuration information to a policy and charging rules function device included in the service provider network;

receive a request from a user of the user device to send the content, from a memory associated with the user device, to an application server via the storage device,

the storage device being included in an evolved packet system of the service provider network,

the storage device facilitating communication, via the service provider network, of the content between the user device and the application server which is communicatively coupled to but not included in the service provider network;

determine, based on the configuration information, whether the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device based on whether an upload speed satisfies the upload speed threshold selected by the user,

when the determining whether the content is to be sent, the one or more processors are to;

wait until the upload speed is detected to satisfy the upload speed threshold selected by the user before sending the content to the application server via the storage device;

cache the content, based on receiving the request from the user of the user device to send the content to the application server, while waiting until the upload speed is detected to satisfy the upload speed threshold;

send a message to the storage device that the content is cached to be uploaded to the application server at a later time; and

send the content to the application server via the storage device based on the upload speed satisfying the upload speed threshold selected by the user,

the content being sent to the application server via the storage device after the request is received.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the user device, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine, based on the configuration information, that a network load is less than a network load threshold, the network load threshold being stored in the memory of the user device; and

determine that the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device based on the network load being less than the network load threshold.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the user device, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine that a particular time has occurred; and

determine that the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device based on an occurrence of the particular time.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the user device, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine that the user device is in a particular location; and

determine that the content is to be sent to the application server via the storage device based on the user device being in the particular location.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the user device, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine to upload other content from the user device to the storage device based on a memory capacity used by the user device exceeding a threshold amount of memory capacity; and

send the other content to the storage device for storage.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the user device, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive the configuration information from the user of the user device.