Detecting and preserving state for satisfying application requests in a distributed proxy and cache system

• US 8,621,075 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2012
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seven Networks LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Seven Networks LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Luna, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Ashraf, Waseem
• Application Number:
  US13/458,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20120290717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/203, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/224
• 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 67/2876 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

Abstract

Systems and methods for cache state management to preserve user experience with a mobile application on a mobile device while conserving resources in a wireless network are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method can include, for example, storing content from a content server as cached elements in a local cache on the mobile device and in response to receiving polling requests to contact the content server, retrieving the cached elements from the local cache to respond to the polling requests made at the mobile device, and/or using state information associated with the cached elements to provide the cached elements as responses to the polling requests such that user experience is preserved.

Claims

1. A method of cache state management to preserve user experience with a mobile application on a mobile device while conserving resources in a wireless network, the method, comprising:

detecting a content source, with which the mobile device interacts, as having content suitable for caching;

storing content received from the content source as cache elements in a local cache on the mobile device;

wherein, the cache elements are associated with state information for use when responding to requests with the cache elements to preserve user experience;

wherein, the state information includes, a time interval between polling requests initiated by the mobile application on the mobile device;

wherein, the state information including the timing interval is created on a device-basis;

identifying the content source to a proxy server remote from and in wireless communication with the mobile device such that the proxy server monitors the content source for new or changed data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the state information is created by the proxy server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, the state information is tracked on a per-application basis such that different applications on the mobile device have a different set of state information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, the proxy server tracks state information for multiple mobile devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, the state information includes, an ordering of the polling requests.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, the cache elements are provided as responses in the ordering that corresponds to the polling requests.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, the state information is provided to the mobile device by the proxy server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, the state information is provided to the mobile device by the proxy server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, the state information includes a mapping of the polling requests to the cache elements.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving the cache elements from the local cache to respond to the polling requests made at the mobile device;

using state information associated with the cache elements to provide the cache elements as responses to the polling requests such that user experience is preserved.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, invaliding the cache elements in the local cache when the proxy server detects new or changed data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein, the proxy server monitors the content source for new or changed data;

wherein, the proxy server transmits a message to the mobile device notifying it to invalidate the cache elements in the local cache when new or changed data is detected;

wherein the message further includes the state information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, the proxy server tracks and updates the state information when some or all of the cache elements are to be invalidated.

14. A system for managing resources in a wireless network by caching content on a mobile device, the system, comprising:

means for, detecting a first data request made by a first mobile application on a mobile device;

means for, retrieving cached elements stored in a local cache on the mobile device to respond to the first data request in accordance with a first state table associated with the first mobile application;

wherein, the first state table includes, a time interval between polling requests initiated by the first mobile application on the mobile device;

means for, detecting a second data request made by a second mobile application on the mobile device,

means for, retrieving cached elements stored in a local cache on the mobile device to respond to the second data request in accordance with a second state table associated with the second mobile application;

wherein, the second state table includes, a time interval between polling requests initiated by the second mobile application on the mobile device;

wherein, the first and second state tables including the time intervals are created on a device-by-device basis.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein, the first state table is used by the mobile device to determine order or timing with which the response are provided to the first mobile application on the mobile device to preserver user experience with the first mobile application.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein, the second state table is used by the mobile device to determine order or timing with which the response are provided to the second mobile application on the mobile device to preserve user experience with the second mobile application.