Content download method, related device, and system

• US 9,924,016 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2015
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Li, Yan, Wu, Wenfu, Wei, Kai
• Primary Examiner(s): Rampuria, Sharad
• Application Number:
  US14/657,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20150189065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 455 306, 4554143
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0231 based on communication conditions dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition based on channel quality criteria H04W72/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0284 detecting congestion or overload during communication monitoring arrangements H04L43/00

Abstract

A content download method, a related device, and a system are provided. The content download method includes: receiving a download request message for content sent by a user equipment; querying a state value corresponding to a user equipment, where the state value corresponding to the user equipment includes a load value of a cell in which the user equipment is located currently and/or a current traffic charging value of the user equipment; and if the state value corresponding to the user equipment is less than a preset threshold, notifying the user equipment to directly download the content from a content providing server.

Claims

1. A content download method, the method comprising:

receiving a download request message for content sent by a user equipment;

repeatedly query a state value corresponding to the user equipment,

wherein the state value corresponding to the user equipment comprises a load value of a cell in which the user equipment is located currently or a current traffic charging value of the user equipment, and

wherein the load value of the cell is a number of users currently accessing the cell or is a busy/idle degree of the cell;

determining when the state value corresponding to the user equipment becomes less than a preset threshold, and

when the state value corresponding to the user equipment is less than the preset threshold, notifying an offline download server to push the buffered content to the user equipment, or notifying the user equipment to download the content from the offline download server; and

when the state value corresponding to the user equipment is greater than or equal to the preset threshold,

notifying the offline download server to download the content from the content providing server and buffer the content, and

notifying a packet data network gateway to perform discounted charging on traffic of the content that is downloaded by the offline download server from the content providing server.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

notifying the offline download server to push the buffered content to an associated device bound to the user equipment, or notifying an associated device bound to the user equipment to download the content from the offline download server.

3. A non-transitory computer storage medium, wherein:

the computer storage medium stores a program, and when the program is executed, a download control network element is caused to;

receive a download request message for content sent by a user equipment;

repeatedly query a state value corresponding to the user equipment,

wherein the state value corresponding to the user equipment comprises a load value of a cell in which the user equipment is located currently or a current traffic charging value of the user equipment, and

wherein the load value of the cell is a number of users currently accessing the cell or is a busy/idle degree of the cell;

in response to determining that the state value corresponding to the user equipment becomes less than a preset threshold,

notify an offline download server to push the buffered content to the user equipment, or notifying the user equipment to download the content from the offline download server; and

in response to determining that the state value corresponding to the user equipment is greater than or equal to the preset threshold,

notify the offline download server to download the content from the content providing server and buffer the content, and

notify a packet data network gateway to perform discounted charging on traffic of the content that is downloaded by the offline download server from the content providing server.

4. A download control network element, comprising:

an input apparatus, an output apparatus, and a processor;

wherein

the processor is configured to;

receive a download request message for content sent by a user equipment;

repeatedly query a state value corresponding to the user equipment,

wherein the state value corresponding to the user equipment comprises a load value of a cell in which the user equipment is located currently or a current traffic charging value of the user equipment, and

wherein the load value of the cell is a number of users currently accessing the cell or is a busy/idle degree of the cell;

when the state value corresponding to the user equipment becomes less than a preset threshold,

notify an offline download server to push the buffered content to the user equipment, or notifying the user equipment to download the content from the offline download server; and

when the state value corresponding to the user equipment is greater than or equal to the preset threshold,

notify the offline download server to download the content from the content providing server and buffer the content, and

notify a packet data network gateway to perform discounted charging on traffic of the content that is downloaded by the offline download server from the content providing server.

5. The download control network element according to claim 4, wherein

the processor is further configured to:

notify the offline download server to push the buffered content to an associated device bound to the user equipment, or notify an associated device bound to the user equipment to download the content from the offline download server.

6. A user equipment, comprising:

an input apparatus, an output apparatus, and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to;

send a download request message for content to a download control network element, so that the download control network element is triggered to repeatedly query a state value corresponding to the user equipment,

wherein when the state value corresponding to the user equipment becomes less than a preset threshold, either;

the user equipment responds to the notification of the download control network element, and directly downloads the content from the offline download server, or

the download network control element notifies the offline download server to push the buffered content to the user equipment;

wherein the state value corresponding to the user equipment comprises a load value of a cell in which the user equipment is located currently or a current traffic charging value of the user equipment, and

wherein the load value of the cell is a number of users currently accessing the cell or is a busy/idle degree of the cell; and

wherein when the state value corresponding to the user equipment is greater than or equal to the preset threshold, the download control network element notifies the offline download server to download the content from the content providing server and buffer the content,

and notifies a packet data network gateway to perform discounted charging on traffic of the content that is downloaded by the offline download server from the content providing server.

7. An offline download server, comprising:

an input apparatus, an output apparatus, and a processor;

wherein

the processor is configured to;

respond to a first notification of a download control network element, and

downloading content from a content providing server and buffering the content,

wherein a packet data network gateway is notified to perform discounted charging on traffic of the content that is downloaded from the content providing server; and

respond to a second notification of the download control network element, and pushing the buffered content to a user equipment, wherein

the first notification is sent by the download control network element when the download control network element queries,

after receiving a download request message for the content sent by the user equipment, a state value corresponding to the user equipment, and

the state value corresponding to the user equipment is greater than or equal to a preset threshold; and

the state value corresponding to the user equipment comprises a load value of a cell in which the user equipment is located currently or a current traffic charging value of the user equipment, and

wherein the load value of the cell is a number of users currently accessing the cell or is a busy/idle degree of the cell; and

respond to a third notification of the download control network element, and pushing the buffered content to an associated device bound to the user equipment;

or

respond to the third notification of the download control network element, and

notifying an associated device bound to the user equipment to download the content from the offline download server,

wherein the third notification is received when the state value corresponding to the user equipment becomes less than the preset threshold.

8. A content download system, comprising at least a user equipment and a download control network element, wherein:

the user equipment is configured to send a download request message for content to the download control network element,

respond to a notification of the download control network element, and directly download the content from a content providing server; and

the download control network element is configured to;

receive the content download request message sent by the user equipment, and

repeatedly query a state value corresponding to the user equipment,

wherein the state value corresponding to the user equipment comprises a load value of a cell in which the user equipment is located currently or a current traffic charging value of the user equipment;

when the state value corresponding to the user equipment becomes less than a preset threshold,

send a second notification to an offline download server, wherein the second notification is used to notify the offline download server to push the buffered content to the user equipment and

wherein the load value of the cell is a number of users currently accessing the cell or is a busy/idle degree of the cell; and

when the state value corresponding to the user equipment is greater than or equal to the preset threshold,

notify the offline download server, by a first notification, to download the content from the content providing server and buffer the content, and

notify a packet data network gateway to perform discounted charging on traffic of the content that is downloaded by the offline download server from the content providing server.

9. The content download system according to claim 8, further comprising the offline download server, wherein:

the offline download server is configured to respond to the first notification of the download control network element, and download the content from the content providing server and buffer the content.