JP5717862B2 - Content caching with remote billing services in wireless access networks - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a content acquisition service provided in a radio access network, and more particularly to caching of acquired content in a radio access network.

  The radio access network (RAN) provides the basis for modern mobile phones. The RAN functions to connect separate end-user portable devices to the core network (CN), allowing individuals to wirelessly communicate with telephones within geographical areas covered by various base stations of the radio access network. Make it possible to enjoy data communication. Generally speaking, RAN is the infrastructure required to pass both voice and data traffic from the wireless medium to both terrestrial circuit-switched communication networks and packet-switched data communication networks including the crawl Internet. Provide structure.

  Currently, several standards for RAN are implemented. Examples include the global system for mobile communications (GSM), the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), and the GSM “Edge” RAN (GERAN). A RAN typically includes a number of separate radio network controllers (RNCs), each managing a set of base stations that provide radio connectivity capabilities to a geographic cell. The entire RAN's separate RNCs are linked to what is known as a cellular data core or CN through a gateway known as a serving generalized radio packet service node (SGSN). The CN provides various services to customers connected by the RAN. One of the primary functions is to route calls across the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Another feature routes data packets over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, such as the global Internet, allowing RAN end users to access services provided by a content delivery network (CDN). That is. To that end, the CN includes a gateway known as a gateway GPRS service node (GGSN).

  A typical CDN can provide advanced content delivery services such as content caching and content filtering. Content caching is under the assumption that subsequent requests that are close in time for previously acquired content can be satisfied from temporary storage, rather than repeating the request for more time-consuming content in the CDN. This means an intermediate temporary storage of previously acquired content. In contrast, content filtering limits the delivery of requested content if the content matches a specific profile, for example, published by a specific source or includes a specific subject matter. Means that. In either case, the packet processing necessary to implement advanced content services often requires that those services be provided within the CN, in which case the communications utilized within that CN The protocol is compatible with a global Internet communication protocol, that is, a transmission control protocol (TCP) over IP.

  Nonetheless, some proposals have been made to place support for content services such as content caching and content filtering within the RAN. In this regard, U.S. Patent No. 6,057,037 by Kovvali et al. Proposes placing a content caching service in the RAN and extracting the TCP / IP payload from the RAN protocol specific to that RAN. Nonetheless, placing content services such as caching and filtering closer to end users in various base stations can lead to computing devices that support content services due to the physical environment of the base station. It is not desirable because it needs to be solid. Therefore, when the content service is performed at the base station, only the minimum computer device that handles only the most basic content service is provided. However, it is often desirable to provide more than just the most basic content services. For example, in many cases, it is desirable to provide a billing service for content services distributed to end users. For convenience, the billing service is provided together with the corresponding content service in the RAN to the extent that the billing service requires a computing device that is not the most basic computing device.

US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0034089

  Therefore, there is a need in the art to address the above problems.

  Embodiments of the present invention address the shortcomings in the art related to content services in RAN, and new and non-obvious methods, systems, and computer program products for content caching with remote charging services in RAN I will provide a. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for content caching with remote billing service in RAN is claimed. The method receives a data request from an end user device in a base station of the RAN and passes the request from the base station to the packet-switched data communication network via a core network located between the RAN and the data communication network. Route assignment. The method also includes receiving a response to the request at the base station, caching the response in the base station's local cache, and forwarding the response to the end-user device. Finally, the method includes transmitting response specific data, eg, response size, request size, or both, to a remote billing service external to the base station but within the RAN. In one aspect of this embodiment, transmitting response-specific data to the remote billing service initially responds to other requests from other end-user devices communicating with the base station. Batching with other data specific to other responses and then transmitting the batched data to a remote billing service.

  In another embodiment of the present invention, a RAN-based data processing system can be configured for content caching with a remote billing service. The system can include a base station that includes an antenna, a receiver, a transmitter, a processor, a local cache, and a network interface to a data communication network. The system can also include an RNC coupled to the base station via a data communication network. The system may also include a billing service that runs in the memory of the host computer that records billing for data services provided within the RAN. Finally, the system can include a caching module with remote billing executed by the base station processor. The module receives a data request from an end user device, routes the request through a combined CN to a content server in a computer communication network, receives a response to the request, Can be included in the local cache, the response can be routed to the end user device, and the response specific data can be transmitted to an external billing service. .

  Viewed from a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for content caching with remote charging service in a RAN, a radio access network, which includes data from an end user device in a base station of the RAN. Receiving the request, routing the request from the base station to the packet-switched data communication network via a core network located between the RAN and the data communication network, and responding to the request to the base station Receiving the response, caching the response in the base station's local cache, forwarding the response to the end-user device, and transmitting response-specific data to the remote RAN outside the base station but in the RAN Including billing service, transmitting.

  Viewed from yet another aspect, the present invention provides a data processing system based on RAN, a radio access network, configured for content caching with remote billing service, the system comprising an antenna, a receiving In the RAN, a base station including a network interface to a data communication network, a transmitter, a transmitter, a processor, a local cache, and a data communication network, and a radio network controller RNC coupled to the base station via the data communication network A billing service executed in the memory of the host computer that records the billing for the data service provided and a caching module with remote billing executed by the processor of the base station, the module comprising an end user device Data required from Means for receiving the request, means for routing the request through a coupled core network (CN) to a content server in the computer communication network, means for receiving a response to the request, and a response Means for caching the response in a local cache, means for forwarding the response to the end-user device, and means for transmitting response specific data to an external billing service.

  Viewed from yet another aspect, the present invention provides a computer program product for content caching with remote billing service in RAN, a radio access network, which is readable by processing circuitry. Any computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions executed by processing circuitry to implement the method of performing the steps of the present invention.

  Viewed from yet another aspect, the present invention provides a computer program stored on a computer readable medium and loadable into an internal memory of a digital computer, the computer program executing on the computer. When done, includes software code portions for performing the steps of the present invention.

  Additional aspects of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The aspects of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed.

  The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the preferred embodiments shown in the following drawings.

FIG. 7 is a pictorial diagram of a process for content caching with remote billing service in a RAN, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram of a RAN based data processing system configured for content caching with a remote billing service according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for content caching with remote billing service in a RAN, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention provide content caching with remote billing services in the RAN. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the content request is performed in a caching processor, which is executed in the memory of a computer device in a base station of a cell in a RAN of a mobile communication network such as a 3G or UMTS mobile communication system. Can be received. The content request can be examined to determine if a response to the content request is found in a cache local to the base station. If found, a cached response to the request can be returned to the requesting end user device. If not found, a response can be obtained via the CN coupled to the RAN and returned to the end user device. In addition, to the extent that the response is determined to be cacheable, the response can be placed in the base station's local cache, and the response is cached to manage billing outside the base station. This can be notified to the remote billing service outside the base station.

  In further explanation, FIG. 1 pictorially represents a content caching process with remote billing service in RAN. As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile communication network is provided to include a separate base station 120 configured to provide wireless telephone access for the PSTN 140 to a separate end user device 110. Can do. A cluster of base stations 120 can be communicatively linked to a common RNC 130, which can be coupled to a CN 150, thus forming a RAN. CN 150 acts as a gateway between CN 150, PSTN 140, and SGSN 160A, which acts as a gateway for traffic between each RNC 130, and CN 150, as well as data communications network 100, typically the global Internet. Both of GGSN 160B can be included. The CN 150 itself can support a number of content services 170 as is well known in the art.

  It should be noted that a data processing system 190A for caching with remote billing can be located in one or more base stations 120, and billing service 190 executed in the RNC 130 outside the base station 120. It can be configured to be communicably coupled to. The data processing system 190A can include program code that, when executed on the data processing system, processes content requests from the end user device 110 that communicate with the base station 120; A locally cached response is provided to the end user device 110. Further, the program code being executed can acquire the response 190C that has not been cached from the content server 180 on the data communication network 100 via the CN 150, and the acquired response 190C can be acquired from the end user device. 110 can be returned. Still further, the running program code can provide data regarding the nature of the obtained response 190C once cached locally at the base station 120 to the charging service 190B, so that the charging service 190B Payment requests resulting from caching of the acquired response 190C can be processed.

  In further description, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a RAN-based data processing system configured for content caching with remote billing services in packet data networks such as 2.5G or 3G networks. The system can include a base station 200A coupled to RNC 200B via communication network 250, which is typically an IP network or an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network. Base station 200A receives a radio communication from a separate end-user device within the transmission range of base station 200A via antenna 265 and routes it to RNC 200B via network interface 210. Receiver / transmitter 230 Can be included. A processor 240 can be provided to perform computation on the data when the received data is placed in the memory 220.

  The RNC 200B can then include a host computer 260 with at least one processor and memory that supports execution of the operating system 270. The operating system 270 can host the execution of the billing service 280. The billing service 280 writes a record to the customer billing data store 290 to facilitate billing for service-oriented customers for data services supplied to separate customers of the RAN-based data processing system. it can. As a supplement to charging service 280, caching module 300 with remote charging can be located in base station 200A, along with a local cache 275 coupled to caching module 300 with remote charging.

  Caching module 300 with remote billing can include program code, which when executed by processor 240 of base station 200A, is a wirelessly coupled end-user device (not shown). The data request received from) is processed by returning a response cached in the local cache 275 or by acquiring a response from the data communication network 250 and caching the acquired response in the local cache 275. can do. In addition, if the response is placed in the local cache 275, the program code of the caching module 300 with remote billing will optionally include the cached response and optionally request specific data, eg, the size of the cached response. Can be provided to the billing service 280. In this regard, the caching module 300 with remote billing can also provide property data to the billing service 280 in real time or in batch with other property data for other cached responses. You can also

  In further explanation, FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for content caching with remote billing service in RAN. Beginning at block 310, a data request may be received at an RAN base station from an end user device in wireless communication with the base station. At block 320, a local cache in the base station can be examined for a response to the request. If, at decision block 300, a response corresponding to the request is found in the local cache, at block 340, the response can be returned to the end-user device. Otherwise, at block 350, a response to the request can be obtained from the content provider via the Internet via the CN and corresponding RNC and finally returned to the base station.

  At decision block 360, it can be determined whether the response is cacheable (eg, whether the content filter prevents caching of the response). If not cacheable, at block 340, a response can be returned to the end user device. Otherwise, at block 370, the response can be placed in the base station's local cache, and at block 380, the size of the response (optionally the size of the request that resulted in the response) can be calculated. it can. Thereafter, in block 390, the remote billing service in the RNC is invoked through the interface to the remote billing service using the requested end-user device identification, the response size, and optionally the response and request size identification. it can. Finally, at block 340, a response can be returned to the end user device.

  As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the invention may be implemented entirely in hardware, entirely in software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or a combination of software and hardware aspects. These may take the form of forms, and in this document they are all generally referred to as “circuits”, “modules” or “systems”. Further, aspects of the invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable media having computer usable program code embodied in the medium.

  Any combination of one or more computer readable media may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium can be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus or device, or any suitable combination thereof. It is not something. More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of computer readable storage media include: electrical connections with one or more wires, portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access Memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk type read only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage device , Magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof. In the context of this specification, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device. it can.

  A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such propagated signals can take any of a variety of different forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic, light, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium is not a computer readable storage medium and can be any computer readable medium that can communicate, propagate, or carry a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device. It can be a medium.

  Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be any suitable medium including, but not limited to, wireless, wired, fiber optic cable, radio frequency, etc., or any suitable combination thereof. And can be transmitted. Computer program code for performing operations for aspects of the present invention is written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages and conventional procedural programming languages. be able to. The program code may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly executed on the user's computer, partly May be executed on a remote computer or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the last scenario, the remote computer is connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or (eg, an Internet service • Connection to an external computer may be made (via the Internet using a provider).

  Aspects of the present invention are described above with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. In this regard, the flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. For example, each block in the flowchart or block diagram represents a module, segment, or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for implementing a particular logic function or functions. Can do. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions described in the blocks may not be performed in the order shown in the figure. For example, two blocks shown sequentially may actually be executed substantially simultaneously, depending on the function involved, and the blocks may be executed in reverse order. Each block in the block diagram and / or flow diagram, and combinations of blocks in the block diagram and / or flow diagram, may be determined by a system based on dedicated hardware that performs a specified function or operation, or a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions Note also that it can be implemented by

  It will also be appreciated that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions are provided to a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device processor to generate a machine, whereby instructions executed by the computer or other programmable data processing device processor are executed. The means for implementing the specified function / operation in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams may be generated.

  These computer instructions are also stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing device, or other device to function in a particular fashion, thereby providing the computer readable medium. The instructions stored in may not create a product that includes instructions that do not flow and / or implement the specified function / operation in one or more blocks of the block diagram. Also, computer program instructions can be loaded into a computer, other programmable data processing device, or other device to perform a series of operational steps on the computer, other programmable data processing device, or other device. To generate a computer-implemented process whereby instructions executed on a computer or other programmable device perform the functions / operations specified within one or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams A process for doing so may be provided.

  Finally, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and definite articles (“the”) may also include the plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Intended. The terms “including” and / or “included”, as used herein, specify the presence of a referenced feature, integer, step, action, element, and / or component, but include one or more It will be further understood that this does not exclude the presence or addition of other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

  The corresponding structure, material, operation and equivalents of all “means or step and function combinations (means or step plus function)” elements in the following claims are explicitly claimed It is intended to include any structure, material, or operation for performing its function in combination with the claimed elements. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiments are described in order to best explain the principles and practical applications of the invention and to enable those skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications to suit the particular use contemplated. Selected and explained to make it possible.

  Thus, while the invention of this application has been described in detail with respect to embodiments thereof, modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It will be clear.

100, 250: Data communication network 110: End user device 120, 200A: Base station 130, 200B: Radio network controller (RNC)
150: Core network 180: Content server 190A: Data processing system 190B: Billing service 190C: Response 260: Host computer 265: Antenna 275: Local cache 290: Customer billing data store 300: Caching module with remote billing

Claims (13)

A method performed by a processor in a base station for content caching with remote billing service in a radio access network, comprising:
Receiving a data request from an end user device in a base station of a radio access network;
Routing the data request from the base station to a data communication network;
Receiving at the base station a response to the data request from the routed data communication network ;
Caching the response in the base station's local cache and forwarding the response to the end-user device;
The specific data including the size of the response, in response to the response to the local cache of the base station is cached, the base is in the outside of the base station is in the radio access network Transmitting to the station remote billing service;
Including methods. Determining whether a response to the request already exists in the local cache;
When a response to the request is already stored in the local cache, the route assignment step, the reception step, the caching step, and the transmission step are executed, and the response to the request is stored in the local cache. And in response to the request by means of a response in the local cache instead of the route assignment step, the reception step, the caching step, and the transmission step. Item 2. The method according to Item 1.   Transmitting the unique data to a remote billing service external to the base station but within the radio access network, wherein the size of the response is external to the base station but within the radio access network. 3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, comprising the step of transmitting to a remote billing service at:   Transmitting the unique data to a remote billing service external to the base station but within the radio access network, wherein the size of the request is external to the base station but within the radio access network. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting to a remote billing service at: Transmitting the unique data to a remote billing service outside the base station but within the radio access network;
Batching the specific data with other specific other data for other requests from other end-user devices communicating with the base station;
Transmitting the batched data to the remote billing service.   The step of transmitting the specific data to a remote billing service outside the base station but within the radio access network is a computer of a radio network controller coupled to the base station within the radio access network 6. A method according to any of claims 1 to 5, comprising the step of transmitting the specific data to a remote billing service executed in the network.   The method according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the radio access network is located in a packet-switched mobile communication system. A data processing system based on a radio access network configured for content caching with a remote billing service comprising:
A base station including an antenna, a receiver, a transmitter, a processor, a local cache, and a network interface to a data communication network;
A radio network controller coupled to the base station via the data communication network;
A billing service executed in a memory of a host computer that records billing for a data service provided in the radio access network;
A caching module with remote charging executed by the processor of the base station;
The module includes:
Means for receiving a data request from an end-user device;
Means for routing the data request to a content server in a computer communication network;
It means for receiving a response to the data request, from the content server that is the route assigned,
Means for caching the response in the local cache;
Means for routing the response to the end-user device;
Means for transmitting unique data including the size of the response to an external billing service in response to the response being cached in a local cache of the base station .   The system of claim 8, wherein the host computer is coupled to the radio network controller.   10. A system according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the data communication network coupling the radio network controller to the base station is an Internet Protocol (IP) network.   The system of claim 8, wherein the data communication network coupling the radio network controller to the base station is an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network.   A computer program that causes a computer to execute each step included in any of the methods according to claim 1.   A system comprising means for executing each step included in any of the methods according to claim 1.

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