Application service delivery through an application service avatar

• US 10,205,797 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2014
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bohannon, Philip Lewis, Poosala, Viswanath
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Gil H.
• Application Number:
  US14/584,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20160191673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• 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 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable

Abstract

Some embodiments include a method of operating an avatar server. The method can include implementing an application service avatar in an avatar server that has at least an intermittent network access to an application service server for providing an application service to client applications. The avatar server can establish a service group by maintaining profiles of one or more end-user devices connected to the avatar server to access the application service. The avatar server can provide a localized application service by emulating at least a subset of functionalities provided by the application service to the end-user devices, for example, by locally processing, at least partially, a service request from at least one of the end-user devices at the avatar server. The avatar server can asynchronously communicate with the application service server to complete the service request.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

implementing an application service avatar at an avatar server that has at least an intermittent network access via a backhaul network channel to an application service server for providing an application service to client applications;

establishing a service group by maintaining a list of one or more end-user devices connected to the avatar server to access the application service;

providing, to the one or more end-user devices, a localized application service via the avatar server by emulating at least a subset of functionalities provided by the application service, wherein said providing the localized application service includes;

receiving, from at least a first end-user device in the service group, a service request at the avatar server, wherein the service request involves a second end-user device in the service group;

receiving, from at least a third end-user device in the service group, a content publishing request including publishable content, wherein the publishable content includes content to be published to a sharable public domain;

determining that the backhaul network channel is unavailable or that the application service server is unreachable; and

in response to determining that the backhaul network channel is unavailable or that the application service server is unreachable, locally, at the avatar server;

processing, at least partially, the service request by communicating a message to the second end-user device on behalf of the first end-user device; and

pre-publishing the publishable content within the service group by making the publishable content available to the one or more end-user devices in the service group prior to sending the publishable content to the application service server; and

when the backhaul network channel is available, asynchronously communicating with the application service server to complete the service request and send the publishable content to the application service server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the service request includes identifying the message indicated by, referenced in, or derived from the service request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein asynchronously communicating with the application service server is in response to determining that the backhaul network channel is available.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the localized application service further comprises:

receiving a data conversion request for a media content from one of the end-user devices; and

converting the media content using the application service avatar by utilizing a local version of a processing module stored in the avatar server.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving an update to the local version of the processing module from the application service server when the backhaul network channel is available.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the localized application service further comprises:

receiving a content provisioning request including a content identifier from a requesting device among the end-user devices; and

locating content via the content identifier in a local data bank in the avatar server; and

serving the content to the requesting device in response to locating the content in the local data bank.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the localized application service further comprises:

receiving a content provisioning request including a content identifier from a requesting device among the end-user devices; and

attempting to locate content via the content identifier in a local data bank in the avatar server; and

fetching the content from the application service server to deliver to the requesting device, in response to being unable to locate the content in the local data bank when the backhaul network channel is available.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the localized application service further comprises:

receiving a content provisioning request for content from a requesting device among the end-user devices; and

when the backhaul network channel is unavailable, determining that the content is not available in a data bank accessible by the avatar server.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein providing the localized application service further comprises in response to the determining that the content is not available, queuing the application service server for subsequent delivery of the content to the requesting device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the content to be published to the sharable public domain comprises a status.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the content to be published to the sharable public domain comprises a blog.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the content to be published to the sharable public domain comprises a local advertisement.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the content to be published to the sharable public domain comprises an announcement of an event.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the content to be published to the sharable public domain comprises an announcement of an item for sale.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the content to be published to the sharable public domain comprises an announcement of a service for sale.

16. A computer-readable storage memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations for operating an avatar server, the operations comprising:

implementing an application service avatar in the avatar server, wherein the avatar server has at least an intermittent network access via a backhaul network channel to an application service server, wherein the application service server provides an application service to client applications;

establishing a service group by maintaining a list of one or more end-user devices connected to the avatar server to access the application service;

providing a localized application service comprising;

receiving a service request at the avatar server from at least a first end-user device in the service group, wherein the service request involves a second end-user device in the service group;

receiving, from at least a third end-user device in the service group, a content publishing request including publishable content, wherein the publishable content includes content to be published to a sharable public domain;

determining that the backhaul network channel is unavailable or that the application service server is unreachable; and

in response to determining that the backhaul network channel is unavailable or that the application service server is unreachable;

processing the service request, at least partially, by communicating a message to the second end-user device on behalf of the first end-user device; and

pre-publishing the publishable content within the service group by making the publishable content available to the one or more end-user devices in the service group prior to sending the publishable content to the application service server; and

when the backhaul network channel is available, asynchronously communicating with the application service server to complete the service request and send the publishable content to the application service server.

17. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing the localized application service via the avatar server by emulating at least a subset of functionalities provided by the application service to the end-user devices.

18. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

asynchronously communicating the service request to the application service server when the backhaul network channel is available.

19. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

invoking a client application stub that converts parameters during a remote procedure call on behalf of one of the end-user devices to the application service server.

20. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

maintaining device profiles for the end-user devices and user profiles associated with the end-user devices.