Rule-based caching for packet-based data transfer

• US 20080010381A1
• Filed: 05/16/2006
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Henderson, James, Albanese, Michael, Barraclough, Keith, Philander, Rodrigo, Irvine, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,990,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data

Abstract

Data transfer to a remote packet-communicating device over a network is effected using a network-based cache to selectively store data. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a network-based server facilitates selective, rule-based storage of a registered user'"'"'s data in a network-based cache. The registered user'"'"'s data is available via the user'"'"'s data source coupled to a packet-based network (e.g., via a user'"'"'s home or business computer coupled to the Internet). The server controls remote access to data stored in the cache as well as data accessible via the registered user'"'"'s data source. For instance, when a request for data transfer is received from a remote packet-communicating device, the network-based server authenticates the request and, for authenticated requests, facilitates a transfer of the requested data from one or both of a registered user'"'"'s data source and the cache.

Claims

1. In an environment involving registered users that provide data for transfer over a packet-based network to a remote packet-communicating device, a server-hosted method for facilitating remote-user access to registered-user data over a packet-based network, the method comprising:

sending data from a registered user data source to a network cache in accordance with caching rules specified via the registered user;

at the registered user data source, initiating a communications link between the data source and the server; and

in response to a content request from a remote user, at the server,

authenticating the request as a function of authentication information provided by the registered user and information in the request,

in response to the request being authenticated, ascertaining availability of the requested data at the cache in accordance with the caching rules,

in response to the requested data being available at the cache and in accordance with the caching rules, selectively directing the transfer of the requested data from the cache to the remote user at a remote packet-communicating device, and

responsive to the availability of the requested data at the cache and to the caching rules, selectively directing, via the established communications link, the transfer of the requested data from the data source to the remote user at a remote packet-communicating device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively transferring the data from the cache to the remote user includes transferring data from the cache to the remote user in response to the data source being unavailable to effect the data transfer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively transferring the requested data from the data source to the remote user includes transferring the requested data from the data source to the remote user in response to the data being unavailable at the cache.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein sending data from a registered user data source to a network cache in accordance with the caching rules includes storing, at the cache, data in a selected data file at the registered user'"'"'s data source.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising updating the data stored at the cache in response to a change at the selected data file at the registered user'"'"'s data source.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising updating the data stored at the cache in response to an event.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising updating the data stored at the cache at a predefined interval.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein sending data from a registered user data source to a network cache includes sending data indicating an expiration date for the data, further comprising automatically removing data in the cache at the expiration date.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting data in the cache after the data has been selectively transferred to the remote user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein sending data from a registered user data source to a network cache in accordance with the caching rules includes detecting a status of data in the cache and, in response to the status, selectively replacing data in the cache that is indicated to be out of date via the detected status.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a record of data sent from a registered user data source to the network cache, the record indicating a date of the data, wherein sending data from a registered user data source to a network cache in accordance with the caching rules includes checking the stored record and selectively sending data to replace data in the cache that is out-of-date.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein sending data from a registered user data source to a network cache in accordance with the caching rules includes sending data to the network cache in accordance with a user cache data storage capacity for the registered user.

13. A server-hosted method for caching data for transfer on a packet-communicating network, the method comprising;

at the server, registering a user for sharing data from the registered user'"'"'s packet-communicating device;

programming the packet-communicating device with cache engine functions for storing shared data at a network-based cache;

receiving, from the registered user, caching policies by which to store shared data at the network-based cache;

implementing the cache engine to send data to the network-based cache, over the packet-communicating network, as a function of the caching policies and of a current status of shared data that is stored at the network-based cache for the user; and

at the server, responding to a remote request for shared data by directing the transfer of shared data in the network-based cache over the packet-communicating network.

14. The method of claim 13, further including

receiving, from the registered user, share information specifying a remote user with whom to share data, and specifying data to be shared,

wherein responding to a remote request for shared data includes responding to a remote request from the remote user specified in the share information, and

wherein directing the transfer of shared data includes directing the transfer of data specified in the share information.

15. The method of claim 14, further including, in response to the share information,

generating a notification for the remote user that specifies the data to be shared, and

sending the notification to the specified remote user, wherein the remote request includes information in the notification.

16. In an environment involving registered users that provide data for transfer over a packet-based network to a remote packet-communicating device, a server-hosted system for facilitating remote-user access to registered-user data over a packet-based network, the system comprising:

a network server;

a network cache adapted to receive and store data for caching from registered user data sources;

a registered user data source adapted to send data to the network cache in accordance with the caching rules specified via the registered user, and to initiate a communications link between the data source and the network server; and

wherein the network server responds to a content request from a remote user by

authenticating the request as a function of authentication information provided by the registered user and information in the request,

in response to the request being authenticated, ascertaining availability of the requested data at the cache in accordance with the caching rules,

in response to the requested data being available at the cache and in accordance with the caching rules, selectively directing the transfer of the requested data from the cache to the remote user at a remote packet-communicating device, and

responsive to the availability of the requested data at the cache and to the caching rules, selectively directing, via the established communications link, the transfer of the requested data from the data source to the remote user at a remote packet-communicating device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the network cache maintains stored data in accordance with the caching rules.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the registered user data source mirrors, at the network cache, a data file at the data source by sending updated data to the cache in response to a change in the data file at the registered user data source.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the registered user data source maintains information characterizing data sent to the cache, and sends data to the network cache by

comparing information about the data to be sent with the information characterizing data previously sent to the cache, and

determining, via the comparison, whether the data to be sent is already in the cache and, therefrom, sending a portion of the data that is not already in the cache.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the network server, the network cache and the registered user data source are operated independent from the packet-based network.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the network server uses the caching rules to selectively direct the routing of data from the registered user data source to the network cache, wherein the registered user data source sends data to the network cache in response to the network server.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the network server responds to the content request by

directing the transfer of the requested data from the registered user data source when the registered user data source is available via the packet-based network, and

directing the transfer of the requested data from the network cache when the registered user data source is not available via the packet-based network.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the network cache removes data from the cache in accordance with the caching rules.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the network cache removes data from the cache in accordance with an expiration of the data established via the registered user data source.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the server node specifies storage capacity for each registered user storing data in the network cache, and wherein the network cache stores data for each registered user in accordance with the specified storage capacity.

26. In an environment involving a registered-user that provides data for authenticated remote access via a packet-based network, a method for facilitating remote cache-based access to data over the packet-based network, the method comprising:

sending data from the registered-user data source to a network cache, over the packet-based network and in accordance with caching rules specified by the registered user of the registered-user data source;

at the network cache, maintaining data received from the registered-user data source in accordance with the caching rules; and

in response to a content request from a remote user,

authenticating the request, and

in response to the request being authenticated, directing the transfer of the requested data from the cache to a remote user at a remote packet-communicating device, over the packet-based network.