Dynamic polling control for content distribution

• US 8,849,896 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2006
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Hmeen-Anttila, Tapio
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, BRYAN Y
• Application Number:
  US11/580,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20080091773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,906 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

The invention allows controlling content distribution polling dynamically. A predetermined event is detected. In response, client-specific polling instants are determined in order to arrange the client-specific polling instants into polling time slots, wherein each polling time slot has no more than a predetermined maximum amount of polling instants. The determined client-specific polling instants are then sent to their respective clients.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least;

receive from multiple client terminal devices, polling request messages querying about a status of downloadable content in a content distribution system, and respond with polling response messages, wherein said polling request messages are received at client-specific polling instants for each of the multiple client terminal devices;

in response to a predetermined event, re-calculate said client-specific polling instants for each of the multiple client terminal devices in order to arrange the client-specific polling instants used by the multiple client terminal devices into polling time slots each having no more than a predetermined maximum amount of polling instants, wherein the apparatus is further caused to determine intermediate time slots of a given length between the polling time slots, while re-calculating the client-specific polling instants; and

send the re-calculated client-specific polling instants to their respective client terminal devices to prompt the respective client terminal devices to replace their present polling instants with the re-calculated client-specific polling instants in order to distribute the client-specific polling instants over the polling time slots so that each of the polling time slots has no more than the predetermined maximum amount of polling instants.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further caused to perform said sending the re-calculated client-specific polling instants by including the re-calculated client-specific polling instants in the polling response messages.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined event comprises at least one of an increase in an amount of the client terminal devices, a decrease in the amount of the client terminal devices, and latency in the client-specific polling instants.

4. An apparatus comprising:

a polling processing means for receiving, from multiple client terminal devices, polling request messages querying about a status of downloadable content in a content distribution system, and for responding with polling response messages, wherein said polling request messages are received at client-specific polling instants; and

a polling controlling means, in response to a detected predetermined event, for re-calculating, for each of the multiple client terminal devices said client-specific polling instants in order to arrange the client-specific polling instants used by the multiple client terminal devices into polling time slots each having no more than a predetermined maximum amount of polling instants, wherein the polling controlling means is further configured to determine intermediate time slots of a given length between the polling time slots, while re-calculating the client-specific polling instants; and

means for sending the re-calculated client-specific polling instants to their respective client terminal devices to prompt the respective client terminal devices to replace their present polling instants with the re-calculated client-specific polling instants in order to distribute the client-specific polling instants over the polling time slots so that each of the polling time slots has no more than the predetermined maximum amount of polling instants.

5. A method comprising:

detecting a predetermined event at a polling processor;

in response to the detecting the predetermined event, determining, at a polling controller, for each of multiple content distribution clients client-specific polling instants in order to arrange the client-specific polling instants into polling time slots each having no more than a predetermined maximum amount of polling instants, the client-specific polling instants defining, for each of the multiple content distribution clients, instants for sending polling request messages querying about status of downloadable content in a content distribution system, wherein the determining the client-specific polling instants comprises determining intermediate time slots of a given length between the polling time slots; and

sending the determined client-specific polling instants from the polling controller to their respective content distribution clients to prompt the respective content distribution clients to replace their present polling instants with the determined client-specific polling instants in order to distribute the client specific polling instants over the polling time slots so that each of the polling time slots has no more than the predetermined maximum amount of polling instants.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program, the computer program executable by at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

detecting a predetermined event at a polling processor;

in response to the detecting the predetermined event, determining, at a polling controller, for each of multiple content distribution clients, client-specific polling instants in order to arrange the client-specific polling instants used by the multiple content distribution clients into polling time slots each having no more than a predetermined maximum amount of polling instants, the client-specific polling instants defining, for content distribution clients, instants for sending polling request messages querying about status of downloadable content in a content distribution system, wherein the determining the client-specific polling instants comprises determining intermediate time slots of a given length between the polling time slots; and

sending the determined client-specific polling instants from the polling controller to their respective content distribution clients to prompt the respective content distribution clients to replace their present polling instants with the determined client-specific polling instants in order to distribute the client-specific polling instants over the polling time slots so that each of the polling time slots has no more than the predetermined maximum amount of polling instants.

7. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least;

send, at given polling instants, polling request messages querying about status of downloadable content in a content distribution system;

receive, from a content distribution system, polling response messages, each received in response to one of said sent polling request messages, wherein at least one of the received polling response messages comprise re-calculated polling instants specific to the apparatus, wherein the re-calculated polling instants arrange the polling instants specific to the apparatus into polling time slots each having no more than a predetermined maximum amount of polling instants, and wherein the recalculated polling instants are based at least on intermediate time slots of a given length between the polling time slots; and

in response to receiving the re-calculated polling instants, replace said given polling instants with said re-calculated polling instants, wherein the received re-calculated polling instants are used by the apparatus in order to distribute the polling instants over the polling time slots so that each of the polling time slots has no more than the predetermined maximum amount of polling instants.

8. A method comprising:

sending, from a polling request sender, at given polling instants, polling request messages querying about a status of downloadable content in a content distribution system;

receiving polling response messages at a polling response receiver, each received in response to one of said polling request messages, wherein at least one polling response message comprises re-calculated polling instants specific to the polling request sender, wherein the re-calculated polling instants arrange the polling instants into polling time slots each having no more than a predetermined maximum amount of polling instants, and wherein the recalculated polling instants are based at least on intermediate time slots of a given length between the polling time slots; and

in response to the received recalculated polling instants, replacing at a polling instant processor of the polling request sender said given polling instants with said re-calculated polling instants, wherein the received re-calculated polling instants are used by the polling request sender in order to distribute the polling instants over the polling time slots so that each of the polling time slots has no more than the predetermined maximum amount of polling instants.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program, the computer program executable by at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

sending, from a polling request sender, at given polling instants, polling request messages querying about status of downloadable content in a content distribution system;

receiving polling response messages from a polling response receiver, each received in response to one of said sent polling request messages, wherein at least one polling response message comprises re-calculated polling instants specific to the polling request sender, wherein the re-calculated polling instants arrange the polling instants specific to the polling request sender into polling time slots each having no more than a predetermined maximum amount of polling instants, and wherein the recalculated polling instants are based at least on intermediate time slots of a given length between the polling time slots; and

in response to the received recalculated polling instants, replacing at a polling instant processor of the polling request sender said given polling instants with said re-calculated polling instants, wherein the received re-calculated polling instants are used by the polling request sender in order to distribute the polling instants over the polling time slots so that each of the polling time slots has no more than the predetermined maximum amount of polling instants.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a polling request sending means for sending, at given polling instants, polling request messages querying about status of downloadable content in a content distribution system;

a polling response receiving means for receiving polling response messages, each received in response to one of said sent polling request messages, wherein at least one polling response message comprises re-calculated polling instants specific to the polling request sender, wherein the re-calculated polling instants arrange the polling instants into polling time slots each having no more than a predetermined maximum amount of polling instants, and wherein the recalculated polling instants are based at least on intermediate time slots of a given length between the polling time slots; and

a polling instant processing means, in response to the received recalculated polling instants, for replacing at the polling request sender said given polling instants with said re-calculated polling instants, wherein the received re-calculated polling instants are used by the apparatus in order to distribute the polling instants over the polling time slots so that each of the polling time slots has no more than the predetermined maximum amount of polling instants.