Hierarchical communication system providing intelligent data, program and processing migration

• US 7,969,911 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2008
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morris, Michael D., Meier, Robert C., Mahany, Ronald L., Danielson, Arvin D., Bunte, Alan G., West, Guy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan; Phuoc
• Application Number:
  US12/236,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20090080398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0032 Without explicit signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0038 Blind format detection for detection of modulation format H04L27/0012
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1671 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1685 the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/46 in multi hop networks, e.g. wireless relay networks

Abstract

A hierarchical communication system, arranged in a spanning tree configuration, is described in which wired and wireless communication networks exhibiting substantially different characteristics are employed in an overall scheme to link portable or mobile computing devices. Copies of data, program code and processing resources are migrated from their source toward requesting destinations based on request frequency, communication link costs and available local storage and/or processing resources. Each appropriately configured network device acts as an active participant in network migration. In addition, portable two-dimensional (2-D) code reading terminals are configured to wirelessly communicate compressed 2-D images toward stationary access servers that identify the code image through decoding and through comparison with a database of images that have previously been decoded and stored.

Claims

1. A method for communication, comprising:

supporting wireless communication via a plurality of access devices, the plurality of access devices comprising a first access device and a second access device downstream of the first access device;

initially accessing program code or data from the second access device by the first access device;

forwarding the accessed program code or the accessed data to a mobile communication device;

accessing the second access device via the first access device;

retaining program code or data in the second access device;

determining whether to migrate a copy of the program code or the data from the second access device to the first access device based on one or more migration factors; and

wherein the one or more migration factors comprise one or more of a count of the number of times that the program code or the data is requested, a duration of time over which the count is taken, a cost of retrieving the program code or the data from a downstream source, a size of the program code or the data, and remaining local storage capacity.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

migrating a copy of the program code or the data from the second access device to the first access device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein migrating the copy comprises storing the copy in the first access device.

4. The method according to claim 2, comprising:

accessing the migrated copy of the program code or the data stored in the first access device instead of accessing the program code or the data stored in the second access device.

5. The method according to claim 2, comprising:

migrating a copy of the program code or the data from the first access device to a mobile communication device.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of access devices supports communication between or among a plurality of mobile terminal devices.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of access devices supports communication between or among a mobile terminal device and one or more computing devices.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of access devices supports communication with a roaming terminal device.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first access device is a base station.

10. One or more circuits for use in a communication device, the one or more circuits comprising:

at least one processor for a first access device that enables communication of the first access device with a second access device, the at least one processor operating to, at least;

initially access program code or data from the second access device;

forward the accessed program code or the accessed data to a mobile communication device;

receive one or more requests for a program code or a data retained in the second access device;

access the second access device in response to the request;

determine whether to migrate a copy of the program code or the data from the second access device to the first access device based on one or more migration factors; and

wherein the one or more migration factors comprise one or more of a count of the number of times that the program code or the data is requested, a duration of time over which the count is taken, a cost of retrieving the program code or the data from a downstream source, a size of the program code or the data, and remaining local storage capacity.

11. The one or more circuits according to claim 10, comprising:

migrating a copy of the program code or the data from the second access device to the first access device.

12. The one or more circuits according to claim 11, wherein migrating the copy comprises storing the copy in the first access device.

13. The one or more circuits according to claim 11, comprising:

accessing the migrated copy of the program code or the data stored in the first access device instead of accessing the program code or the data stored in the second access device.

14. The one or more circuits according to claim 11, comprising:

migrating a copy of the program code or the data from the first access device to a mobile communication device.

15. The one or more circuits according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of access devices supports communication between or among a plurality of mobile terminal devices.

16. The one or more circuits according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of access devices supports communication between or among a mobile terminal device and one or more computing devices.

17. The one or more circuits according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of access devices supports communication with a roaming terminal device.

18. The one or more circuits according to claim 10, wherein the first access device is a base station.