MOBILE DEVICE HAVING CONTENT CACHING MECHANISMS INTEGRATED WITH A NETWORK OPERATOR FOR TRAFFIC ALLEVIATION IN A WIRELESS NETWORK AND METHODS THEREFOR

• US 20130151649A1
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seven Networks LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Seven Networks Inc
• Inventors: Luna, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,208,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/167 using a common memory, e.g. mailbox
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2876 Pairs of inter-processing entities at each side of the network, e.g. split proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• 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

Abstract

Mobile device having content caching mechanisms integrated with a network operator for traffic alleviation in a wireless network and methods therefor are disclosed. One embodiment includes a method of integration of content caching with a network operator for traffic alleviation a wireless network, which may be embodied on a mobile device, including determining whether a cache element stored in a local cache on the mobile device for an application poll on the mobile device is valid and forwarding the application poll to an external entity to service the application poll in response to determining that the cache element is no longer valid. The external entity is in part managed by the network operator of the wireless network and can be in part or in whole, a component of an infrastructure of the network operator or external to an infrastructure of the network operator.

Claims

1. A method of integration of content caching with a network operator for traffic alleviation a wireless network, the method, comprising:

detecting, by an operator proxy of the network operator, a poll from an application on a mobile device which would have been served using a cache element from a local cache on the mobile device, after the cache element stored in the local cache has been invalidated;

forwarding the poll from the application on the mobile device to a proxy server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the poll is sent to a service provider of the application by the proxy server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, the proxy server sends the poll to the service provider through the operator proxy.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, whether the poll is sent to a service provider of the application directly by the proxy server, or by the proxy server through the operator proxy is configurable or reconfigurable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, whether the poll is sent to a service provider of the application directly by the proxy server, or by the proxy server through the operator proxy is configurable or reconfigurable.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, receiving a response to the poll from the service provider and providing the response to the application on the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, the response is provided to the application by a local proxy on the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, the local proxy is native to an operating system of the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein, the local proxy and the proxy server comprise a distributed cache system;

wherein, the proxy server is remote from the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, the proxy server is remote from the operator proxy.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein, the proxy server is integrated within the operator proxy.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein, the cache element in the local cache is invalidated when a proxy server remote from the mobile device detects new or changed data at or from a service provider of the application.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein, the cache element is invalided or removed on the mobile device when notified by the proxy server.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein, the response is received by the proxy server or the operator proxy.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein, the response is provided to the application on the mobile device by a proxy server through the operator proxy.

16. The method of claim 6, further comprising, storing the response as cache elements in the local cache on the mobile device.

17. A mobile device having content caching mechanisms integrated with a network operator for traffic alleviation in a wireless network, the mobile device, comprising:

means for, determining whether a cache element stored in a local cache on the mobile device for an application poll on the mobile device is valid;

means for, forwarding the application poll to an external entity to service the application poll in response to determining that the cache element is no longer valid;

wherein, the external entity is in part managed by the network operator of the wireless network.

18. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein, the external entity is in part or in whole, a component of an infrastructure of the network operator.

19. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein, the external entity is in part or in whole, a component external to an infrastructure of the network operator.

20. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein, the external entity is in part or in whole, a server-side component of a distributed traffic manager remote from the mobile device;

wherein, a client-side component of the distributed traffic manager resides on the mobile device.

21. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein, the external entity sends the application poll to a service provider to which the application poll is directed;

further comprising, means for, storing a response received from the application poll in the local cache on the mobile device.

22. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein, the external entity includes means for instructing the mobile device that the cache element is no longer valid.

23. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein, the means for determining whether the cache element is valid is native to a mobile operating system of the mobile device.

24. The mobile device of claim 17, further comprising:

means for, responding to the application poll using the cache element in response to determining that the cache element is valid to mitigate utilization of network resources for wireless traffic alleviation.