Method and apparatus for content caching in a wireless communication network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9307450-B2
Application number	US-201313973335-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2013
Priority date	Jul 11, 2013
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

The teachings herein describe methods and apparatuses for caching content at the “edge” of a wireless communication network, based on operating one or more RAN caches within the RAN portion of the network under the control of a gateway cache that operates at the packet data network interface level within the CN portion of the network. Each RAN cache operates as subordinate of the gateway cache, based on intercepting content requests from wireless devices operating within the RAN, providing corresponding proxied content requests to the gateway cache, and serving or not serving requested content from the RAN cache in dependence on control signaling from the gateway cache. Such operation permits all decision making to reside in the gateway cache, thereby retaining full visibility for critical billing and lawful intercept functions, while obviating in many instances the need to back haul such content.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of content caching in a wireless communication network comprising a Radio Access Network (RAN) and a Core Network (CN), said method comprising:
operating a gateway cache in the CN at a packet data network interface of the CN;
operating a RAN cache in the RAN as a subordinate of the gateway cache;
wherein operating the RAN cache includes:
intercepting content requests for requested content, said intercepted content requests originating from wireless devices served by a portion of the RAN with which the RAN cache is associated;
sending proxied content requests corresponding to the intercepted content requests, to the gateway cache; and
for each given proxied content request sent from the RAN cache to the gateway cache, serving or not serving the requested content from the RAN cache in dependence on receiving control signaling from the gateway cache; and
when the received control signaling instructs the RAN cache to serve the requested content from the RAN cache, serving the requested content from the RAN cache, tracking content consumption information at the RAN cache for the requested content as served from the RAN cache, and subsequently sending the content consumption information to the gateway cache; and

wherein operating the gateway cache includes:
receiving the proxied content requests from the RAN cache; and
for each given proxied content request, determining whether or not to serve the requested content from the RAN cache based on determining whether or not the requested content is in the RAN cache, and further based on determining whether delivery of the requested content is restricted from delivery via the RAN cache, either on the basis of the requested content or on the basis of the wireless device that requested the requested content.

2. A method of content delivery from a wireless communication network that includes a Radio Access Network (RAN) and a Core Network (CN), said method comprising operating a RAN cache in the RAN, and including:
intercepting content requests for requested content, said intercepted content requests originating from wireless devices served by a portion of the RAN with which the RAN cache is associated and flowing towards a packet gateway in the CN;
sending proxied content requests corresponding to the intercepted content requests towards a gateway cache operating at a packet data network interface of the packet gateway in the CN;
for each given proxied content request sent from the RAN cache to the gateway cache, serving or not serving the requested content from the RAN cache in dependence on receiving control signaling from the gateway cache; and
when the received control signaling instructs the RAN cache to serve the requested content from the RAN cache, serving the requested content from the RAN cache, tracking content consumption information at the RAN cache for the requested content as served from the RAN cache, and subsequently sending the content consumption information to the gateway cache.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein intercepting the content requests for requested content comprises intercepting Generalized Packet Radio Services Tunneling Protocol (GTP) packets in the RAN that carry HTTP Get requests originating from wireless devices being served by the RAN.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein sending the proxied content requests comprises encapsulating proxied HTTP Get requests towards the gateway cache in GTP packets outgoing from the RAN cache.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein intercepting the GTP packets in the RAN that carry HTTP Get requests comprises inspecting user-plane traffic encapsulated in GTP packets flowing from the RAN towards the packet gateway in the CN and intercepting those GTP packets identified as containing HTTP Get requests.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein operating the RAN cache in the RAN of the wireless communication network includes operating the RAN cache as a first protocol endpoint with respect to the wireless devices originating the content requests, and as a second protocol endpoint with respect to gateway cache, to which the proxied content requests are sent.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein sending the proxied content requests includes including an indicator in each proxied content request, so that the gateway cache recognizes said proxy requests as coming from the RAN cache rather than coming directly from the wireless devices originating the intercepted content requests.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein, for a given intercepted content request from a given wireless device, tracking the content consumption information at the RAN cache for the requested content as served from the RAN cache comprises tracking an amount of the requested content served from the RAN cache to the given wireless device, and wherein subsequently sending the content consumption information to the gateway cache comprises sending information identifying the amount of the requested content that was served from the RAN cache to the given wireless device.

9. A Radio Access Network (RAN) cache configured for operation in the RAN of a wireless communication network that further includes a Core Network (CN), said RAN cache comprising:
a first communication interface towards one or more radio nodes in the RAN;
a second communication interface towards the CN;
a cache control circuit operatively associated with the first and second communication interfaces and configured to:
intercept content requests for requested content, said intercepted content requests received via the first communication interface and originating from wireless devices served by a portion of the RAN with which the RAN cache is associated;
send proxied content requests corresponding to the intercepted content requests towards the gateway cache operating at a packet data network interface of the packet gateway in the CN, said proxied content requests sent via the second communication interface;

for each given proxied content request sent from the RAN cache to the gateway cache, serve or not serve the requested content from the RAN cache in dependence on receiving control signaling from the gateway cache; and
when the received control signaling instructs the RAN cache to serve the requested content from the RAN cache, serve the requested content from the RAN cache, track content consumption information at the RAN cache for the requested content as served from the RAN cache, and subsequently send the content consumption information to the gateway cache.

10. A method of content delivery from a wireless communication network that includes a Radio Access Network (RAN) and a Core Network (CN), said method comprising operating a gateway cache at a packet data network interface of the CN, and including:
receiving proxied content requests from a RAN cache operating in the RAN, said RAN cache operating as a subordinate of the gateway cache and sending the proxied content requests based on intercepting content requests originating from wireless devices operating in a portion of the RAN served by the RAN cache;
for each given proxied content request received at the gateway cache:
determining whether or not to serve the requested content from the RAN cache based on determining whether or not the requested content is in the RAN cache, and further based on determining whether delivery of the requested content is restricted from delivery via the RAN cache, either on the basis of the requested content or on the basis of the wireless device that requested the requested content;
when the decision is made to serve the requested content from the RAN cache, sending control signaling instructing the RAN cache to serve the requested content, subsequently receiving

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M
• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Skog Robert
• Kastanis Diomedes
• Mcevilly Chris

Classifications

• H04L67/568 Primary

  Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching · CPC title

• H04W4/18

  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 · CPC title

• H04W88/16

  Gateway arrangements · CPC title

• H04W28/0268

  using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] (negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24) · CPC title

• H04W28/14 Primary

  using intermediate storage · CPC title