CONTENT AWARENESS CACHING WITH NETWORK-AWARE GEO-LOCATION PROTOCOL

• US 20110078287A1
• Filed: 12/07/2010
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: CARNEY, Mark D., SCHILLER, Harold J., PACELLA, Dante J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,725,837 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64738 Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64761 directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38

Abstract

A device receives subscriber information associated with user devices provided in a network, receives network information associated with the network, and receives user device information associated with the user devices. The device also determines content to cache based on the received information, and requests the determined content from a content provider device. The device further receives the determined content from the content provider device, and stores the determined content in a cache device.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computing device associated with a network, the method comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, subscriber information associated with user devices provided in the network;

receiving, by the computing device, network information associated with the network;

receiving, by the computing device, user device information associated with the user devices;

determining, by the computing device, content to cache based on one or more of the subscriber information, the network information, and the user device information;

requesting, by the computing device, the determined content from a content provider device;

receiving, by the computing device, the determined content from the content provider device; and

storing, by the computing device, the determined content in a cache device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing one or more of the subscriber information, the network information, and the user device information.

3. The method of claim 1, where receiving subscriber information comprises one or more of:

receiving names of subscribers associated with the user devices,

receiving addresses of the subscribers associated with the user devices,

receiving demographics of the subscribers associated with the user devices, or

receiving content interests of the subscribers associated with the user devices.

4. The method of claim 1, where receiving network information comprises one or more of:

receiving attachment point information associated with the user devices,

receiving bandwidth information associated with the network,

receiving information about network devices of the network, or

receiving congestion information associated with the network.

5. The method of claim 1, where receiving user device information comprises one or more of:

receiving link performance information associated with the user devices,

receiving capabilities associated with the user devices,

receiving player type information associated with the user devices,

receiving encoding information associated with the user devices,

receiving video format information associated with the user devices, or

receiving player file format information associated with the user devices.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for content from a particular user device;

determining whether the requested content is provided in the cache device or the content provider device; and

streaming, when the requested content is provided in the cache device, the requested content directly from the cache device to the particular user device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

retrieving, when the requested content is provided in the content provider device, the requested content from the content provider device; and

streaming the requested content, retrieved from the content provider device, to the particular user device.

8. The method of claim 6, where the computing device includes an index of content provided in the cache device, and where determining whether the requested content is provided in the cache device or the content provider device comprises:

performing a search of the index to determine whether the requested content is provided in the cache device;

determining that the requested content is provided in the cache device when the search provides a search result; and

determining that the requested content is provided in the content provider device when the search does not provide a search result.

9. The method of claim 1, where the computing device comprises a streamer device that transmits content in an active stream that does not require a complete file download in order to play the content.

10. A device, comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and

a processor to execute instructions in the memory to;

receive subscriber information associated with user devices provided in a network,

receive network information associated with the network,

receive user device information associated with the user devices,

store one or more of the subscriber information, the network information, and the user device information,

determine content to cache based on one or more of the subscriber information, the network information, and the user device information,

request the determined content from a content provider device,

receive the determined content from the content provider device, and

store the determined content in a cache device.

11. The device of claim 10, where the subscriber information comprises one or more of:

names of subscribers associated with the user devices,

addresses of the subscribers associated with the user devices,

demographics of the subscribers associated with the user devices, or

content interests of the subscribers associated with the user devices.

12. The device of claim 10, where the network information comprises one or more of:

attachment point information associated with the user devices,

bandwidth information associated with the network,

information about network devices of the network, or

congestion information associated with the network.

13. The device of claim 10, where the user device information comprises one or more of:

link performance information associated with the user devices,

capabilities associated with the user devices,

player type information associated with the user devices,

encoding information associated with the user devices,

video format information associated with the user devices, or

player file format information associated with the user devices.

14. The device of claim 10, where the processor is further to execute instructions in the memory to:

receive a request for content from a particular user device,

determine whether the requested content is provided in the cache device or the content provider device, and

stream, when the requested content is provided in the cache device, the requested content directly from the cache device to the particular user device.

15. The device of claim 14, where the processor is further to execute instructions in the memory to:

retrieve, when the requested content is provided in the content provider device, the requested content from the content provider device, and

stream the requested content, retrieved from the content provider device, to the particular user device.

16. The device of claim 14, where the device includes an index of content provided in the cache device, and where, when determining whether the requested content is provided in the cache device or the content provider device, the processor is further to execute instructions in the memory to:

perform a search of the index to determine whether the requested content is provided in the cache device,

determine that the requested content is provided in the cache device when the search provides a search result, and

determine that the requested content is provided in the content provider device when the search does not provide a search result.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions executable by one or more processors provided in a device, the media storing one or more instructions for:

receiving subscriber information associated with user devices provided in a network;

receiving network information associated with the network;

receiving user device information associated with the user devices;

determining content to cache based on one or more of the subscriber information, the network information, and the user device information;

requesting the determined content from a content provider device;

receiving the determined content from the content provider device;

storing the determined content in a cache device;

receiving a request for content from a particular user device;

determining whether the requested content is provided in the cache device or the content provider device; and

streaming, when the requested content is provided in the cache device, the requested content directly from the cache device to the particular user device.

18. The media of claim 17, further storing one or more instructions for:

retrieving, when the requested content is provided in the content provider device, the requested content from the content provider device; and

streaming the requested content, retrieved from the content provider device, to the particular user device.

19. The media of claim 18, where the device includes an index of content provided in the cache device, and where the one or more instructions for determining whether the requested content is provided in the cache device or the content provider device further comprise one or more instructions for:

performing a search of the index to determine whether the requested content is provided in the cache device;

determining that the requested content is provided in the cache device when the search provides a search result; and

determining that the requested content is provided in the content provider device when the search does not provide a search result.

20. The media of claim 17, where the subscriber information comprises one or more of:

names of subscribers associated with the user devices,

addresses of the subscribers associated with the user devices,

demographics of the subscribers associated with the user devices, or

content interests of the subscribers associated with the user devices.

21. The media of claim 17, where the network information comprises one or more of:

attachment point information associated with the user devices,

bandwidth information associated with the network,

information about network devices of the network, or

congestion information associated with the network.

22. The media of claim 17, where the user device information comprises one or more of:

link performance information associated with the user devices,

capabilities associated with the user devices,

player type information associated with the user devices,

encoding information associated with the user devices,

video format information associated with the user devices, or

player file format information associated with the user devices.