Local retrieving and caching of content to small cells

• US 9,936,042 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2015
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Das, Soumya, Park, Edwin Chongwoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOWDHURY, FAHMIDA S
• Application Number:
  US14/839,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

An example method includes determining an operating context of a small cell, wherein a base station of the small cell is co-located with an edge computing device. The method may further retrieving content from a network to the edge computing device based at least in part on the operating context and storing the content at the edge computing device for subsequent access by a mobile device in the small cell.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

determining at an edge computing device an operating context of a small cell, wherein a base station of the small cell is co-located with the edge computing device;

retrieving content from a network to the edge computing device based at least in part on the operating context and on a likelihood of reusability of the content; and

storing the content at the edge computing device for subsequent access by a mobile device in the small cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating context comprises a user profile associated with the mobile device, the method further comprising:

generating the user profile based at least in part on data packets received previously by the small cell or a nearby small cell from a plurality of mobile devices wirelessly in communication with the small cell or the nearby small cell.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the operating context of the small cell comprises:

gathering sensor data from a sensor associated with the small cell.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the sensor is one or more of a microphone, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, or a camera.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transferring the content from the small cell to a second small cell based at least in part on an expected change in a physical location of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining the expected change in the physical location of the mobile device based at least in part on data relating to a change in a physical location of a second mobile device previously in the small cell.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating context comprises a physical location of the small cell.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating context comprises data relating to prior requests for the content by a second mobile device previously in the small cell.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating context is based at least in part on related content previously requested by the mobile device from the network via the small cell.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the content includes HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) content and web page data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein

wireless communication resources of the base station are housed in a first module;

and

the edge computing device is housed in a second module in communication with the first module.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the small cell is one of a picocell, a femtocell, a microcell, or a Wi-Fi access point.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the small cell comprises a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver and a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver.

14. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for determining at an edge computing device an operating context of a small cell, wherein a base station of the small cell is co-located with the edge computing device;

means for retrieving content from a network to the edge computing device based at least in part on the operating context and on a likelihood of reusability of the content; and

means for storing the content at the edge computing device for subsequent access by a mobile device in the small cell.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the operating context comprises a user profile associated with the mobile device, the apparatus further comprising:

means for generating the user profile based at least in part on data packets received previously by the small cell or a nearby small cell from a plurality of mobile devices wirelessly in communication with the small cell or the nearby small cell.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein means for determining the operating context comprises:

means for gathering sensor data from a sensor associated with the small cell, wherein the sensor is one or more of a microphone, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, or a camera.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

means for transferring the content from the small cell to a second small cell based at least in part on an expected change in a physical location of the mobile device.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

means for determining the expected change in the physical location of the mobile device based at least in part on data relating to a change in a physical location of a second mobile device previously in the small cell.

19. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a processor;

memory in electronic communication with the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory and operable, when executed by the processor, to cause the apparatus to;

determine at an edge computing device an operating context of a small cell, wherein a base station of the small cell is co-located with the edge computing device;

retrieve content from a network to the edge computing device based at least in part on the operating context and on a likelihood of reusability of the content; and

store the content at the edge computing device for subsequent access by a mobile device in the small cell.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the operating context comprises a user profile associated with the mobile device, and wherein instructions stored in the memory and operable, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:

generate the user profile based at least in part on data packets received previously by the small cell or a nearby small cell from a plurality of mobile devices wirelessly in communication with the small cell or the nearby small cell.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein instructions stored in the memory and operable, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:

gather sensor data from a sensor associated with the small cell, wherein the sensor is one or more of a microphone, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, or a camera.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein instructions stored in the memory and operable, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:

transfer the content from the small cell to a second small cell based at least in part on an expected change in a physical location of the mobile device.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable to:

determine at an edge computing device an operating context of a small cell, wherein a base station of the small cell is co-located with the edge computing device;

retrieve content from a network to the edge computing device based at least in part on the operating context and on a likelihood of reusability of the content; and

store the content at the edge computing device for subsequent access by a mobile device in the small cell.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the operating context comprises a user profile associated with the mobile device, the code further comprising instructions executable to:

generate the user profile based at least in part on data packets received previously by the small cell or a nearby small cell from a plurality of mobile devices wirelessly in communication with the small cell or the nearby small cell.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, the code further comprising instructions executable to:

gather sensor data from a sensor associated with the small cell, wherein the sensor is one or more of a microphone, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, or a camera.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, the code further comprising instructions executable to:

transfer the content from the small cell to a second small cell based at least in part on an expected change in a physical location of the mobile device.