Patent Application
20110055394
The present invention relates to a method and system for executing a peer-to-peer transfer of a data file. The present invention further relates to selecting a peer-to-peer partner for a mobile system based on a network provided ranking.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) technologies may apply distributed network architecture to content distribution, allowing pieces of a file to be retrieved by the participants from different network nodes. Moreover, while retrieving data of a file from other network nodes, each participant of the P2P content distribution network may contribute a portion of its resources to being a network node, such as disk storage, network bandwidth, and computing power. The participant may transmit to other participants those pieces of the file the participant already possesses. Hence, participants of the P2P content distribution play an equal role in exchanging data among themselves, as peers trading data with each other.
P2P content distribution network may typically be formed dynamically by ad-hoc addition of users, who are joining to retrieve a file. When a user wants to download a file, the user may contact a tracker, who keeps track of the users participating in the distribution of the specific file. The tracker may provide the user with a list of peers, from whom the user may download pieces of the file. The user may then send those peers a greeting message, or handshake, telling those peers that the user wants to retrieve data of the specific file. The peers may respond with a message detailing the pieces of the file they possess. The user may then send requests to some selected peers, specifying the pieces of the file to be received from them. Those peers may then send the user those requested pieces. The user may maintain regular communications with the tracker to have the up-to-date list of peers, and with the peers to have the update of their possession of the file data. As more users arrive and participate in the content distribution, pieces of the file may be well distributed among those participants, with the possibility that any piece of the file may be possessed by multiple participants. Hence, a user may have choice of selecting which peer to request a specific file piece.
A method, a mobile system, and a mobile network operator are disclosed. A transceiver may send an identity of at least one peer of a peer-to-peer content distribution network to a mobile network operator. The transceiver may receive a network provided ranking of the at least one peer of the peer-to-peer content distribution network from the mobile network operator. A processor may select a peer-to-peer partner based on the network provided ranking.
Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
a-b illustrate, in block diagrams, an embodiment of peer-to-peer support request and response.
a-b illustrate, in block diagrams, an embodiment of a file source request and response.
a-b illustrate, in block diagram, an embodiment of a network ranking request and response.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The features and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth herein.
Various embodiments of the invention are discussed in detail below. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the invention.
The present invention comprises a variety of embodiments, such as a method, a mobile system, and a mobile network operator, and other embodiments that relate to the basic concepts of the invention. The mobile system may be any manner of computer, mobile device, or wireless communication device.
A method, a mobile system, and a mobile network operator are disclosed. A transceiver may send an identity of at least one peer of a peer-to-peer content distribution network to a mobile network operator. The transceiver may receive a network provided ranking of the at least one peer of the peer-to-peer content distribution network from the mobile network operator. A processor may select a peer-to-peer partner based on the network provided ranking.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) technologies may be used for file sharing and streaming services over the internet. Seventy percent of current internet traffic may be contributed by P2P applications. As mobile terminals get more computing power, expanded storage, QWERTY keyboards, better and larger screens, and increased radio bit rate, more mobile services may follow the trend of the fixed-line internet, causing P2P applications to proliferate and contribute a dominant share of traffic on the network.
The controller/processor 210 may be any programmed processor known to one of skill in the art. However, the disclosed method may also be implemented on a general-purpose or a special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller, peripheral integrated circuit elements, an application-specific integrated circuit or other integrated circuits, hardware/electronic logic circuits, such as a discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device, such as a programmable logic array, field programmable gate-array, or the like. In general, any device or devices capable of implementing the disclosed method as described herein may be used to implement the disclosed system functions of this invention.
The memory 220 may include volatile and nonvolatile data storage, including one or more electrical, magnetic or optical memories such as a random access memory (RAM), cache, hard drive, or other memory device. The memory may have a cache to speed access to specific data. The memory 220 may also be connected to a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), digital video disc-read only memory (DVD-ROM), DVD read write input, tape drive, or other removable memory device that allows media content to be directly uploaded into the system.
Data may be stored in the memory or in a separate database. The database interface 230 may be used by the controller/processor 210 to access the database. The database may contain subscriber information for each mobile system 104 that may access the mobile network 102. Further, the database may maintain network performance data, such as network topology, network geographic location and peer proximity, network load distribution, and other network data.
The transceiver 240 may create a connection with the mobile device 104. The transceiver 240 may be incorporated into a base station 200 or may be a separate device.
The I/O device interface 250 may be connected to one or more input devices that may include a keyboard, mouse, pen-operated touch screen or monitor, voice-recognition device, or any other device that accepts input. The I/O device interface 250 may also be connected to one or more output devices, such as a monitor, printer, disk drive, speakers, or any other device provided to output data. The I/O device interface 250 may receive a data task or connection criteria from a network administrator.
The network connection interface 260 may be connected to a communication device, modem, network interface card, a transceiver, or any other device capable of transmitting and receiving signals from the network. The network connection interface 260 may be used to connect a client device to a network. The components of the network server 200 may be connected via an electrical bus 270, for example, or linked wirelessly.
Client software and databases may be accessed by the controller/processor 210 from memory 220, and may include, for example, database applications, word processing applications, as well as components that embody the disclosed functionality of the present invention. The network server 200 may implement any operating system. Client and server software may be written in any programming language. Although not required, the invention is described, at least in part, in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by the electronic device, such as a general purpose computer. Generally, program modules include routine programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other embodiments of the invention may be practiced in network computing environments with many types of computer system configurations, including personal computers, hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like.
The mobile device 300 may include a transceiver 302, which is capable of sending and receiving data over the mobile network 102. The mobile device 300 may include a processor 304 that executes stored programs. The mobile device 300 may also include a volatile memory 306 and a non-volatile memory 308 to act as data storage for the processor 304. The mobile device 300 may include a user input interface 310 that may comprise elements such as a keypad, display, touch screen, and the like. The mobile device 300 may also include a user output device that may comprise a display screen and an audio interface 312 that may comprise elements such as a microphone, earphone, and speaker. The mobile device 300 also may include a component interface 314 to which additional elements may be attached, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) interface or a geographical positioning system (GPS). Finally, the mobile device 300 may include a power supply 316.
A mobile network 102 may be used to support a P2P content distribution network.
A P2P application tracker 430 may monitor the P2P file transfers and track which segment sources 420 are storing file segments 414 of the data file 412. The file target 410 may contact the P2P application tracker 430 to determine which segment sources 420 have the file segments 414 of the desired data file 412.
A mobile system 104 may act as either a segment source 420 or a file target 410. Other networks nodes, such as other users, servers, or terminals, may act as either a segment source 420 or a file target 410. Both the file target 410 and the segment source 420 may be referred to as a peer-to-peer partner. The P2P application tracker 430 may be executed on a server or terminal in the mobile network 102, or may be in an external network accessible by the user.
Instead of passively letting P2P applications use the mobile network 102 as a “dumb pipe”, a mobile network operator 106 may play a more active role in optimizing the traffic flow in the mobile network 102 for the enormous data generated by the P2P applications. This optimization may provide subscribers with a better user experience for file sharing and streaming services. Also, this optimization may reduce the traffic load through the mobile network 102 and increase the speed of file downloading or media streaming.
The peer selection strategy may be improved for P2P applications by taking into account the location of the peers and the network topology. By not blindly or inefficiently pairing peers, such as peers at opposite ends of a network, the mobile network operator 106 may achieve savings by reducing the passing-through traffic. Further, the user may have a better experience by reducing the latency of file downloading or content distribution.
In a network assisted mobile centric approach, a mobile system 104 may make a peer selection decision after requesting information from the P2P application tracker 430, such as peers who are streaming the same media content, and requesting the network to rank potential peers based on one or more network ranking factors, such as peers' location, network topology, and load distribution over the network.
The mobile system 104 may contact the P2P application tracker 430 and receive a list of peer identities, often in the form of internet protocol (IP) addresses, to retrieve segments 414 of a file 412. The mobile system 104 may contact those peers to get information on what pieces of the file 412 they have acquired. A specific file segment 414 may be possessed by multiple peers, or segment sources 420. The mobile system 104 may send the mobile network operator 106 a list of peer identities, such as a list of IP addresses, and request the mobile network operator 106 to rank them accordingly. The mobile system 104 may provide just the peer identities, hiding other application related information from the mobile network operator 106. The mobile network operator 106 may rank these peer identities based on a variety of network ranking factors, such as geographic locations, network topology, network load distribution, and other network operational data. The mobile network operator 106 may send the ranking information back to the mobile system 104. The mobile network operator 106 may provide just numerical rankings, keeping proprietary the information on the actual network topology and load distribution. For a file segment 414, the mobile system weighs the network provided ranking to select the peer, such as selecting a P2P partner based on the rules of “shortest distance” or “lightest load”. The mobile system 106 may send requests to the selected peers, or segment sources 420, to retrieve the specific file segments 414.
Network assisted mobile centric peer selection may be developed as an add-on feature on top of the normal P2P applications. Before applying, the mobile system 104 may send a signaling to the mobile network operator 106, asking if the mobile network 102 may support this feature by providing ranking information on a list of peer identities. The mobile network operator 106 may respond with another signaling indicating if this feature is supported or not. If so, the mobile network operator 106 may possibly indicate factors the network provided ranking is based on. For example, the network provided ranking may be based on the distance between the mobile system 104 and the peer, the network domains the mobile system 104 and the peer belong to, or the network load distributions along the paths between the mobile system 104 and the peer.
With a mobile centric approach, the mobile system 104 decouples the dependence between the application provider and the mobile network operator 106. The mobile network operator 106 and the application provider may operate their systems independently. The mobile system 104 may make a peer selection taking into account the input from the P2P application provider and the mobile network operator 106.
A mobile system 104 may determine if a mobile centric peer selection is viable when first accessing the mobile network.
b illustrates one embodiment of a P2P support response 550. The P2P support response 550 may be appended onto other messages between the mobile system 104 and the mobile network operator 106. The P2P support response 550 may have a header 552 to indicate a route and a destination for the message. The P2P support response 550 may have a mobile ID 554 for the mobile system 104 and an operator ID 556 for the mobile network operator 106. The P2P support response 550 may have a body 558 that indicates whether the mobile network operator 106 supports network provided ranking for P2P file transfers. The P2P support response 550 may have at least one network ranking factor used by the mobile network operator 106 to generate a network provided ranking for a peer of a P2P content distribution network 400. The network ranking factor 560 may be the proximity 562 of the peer to the mobile system 104, the network topology 564, the network load distribution 566 between the peer and the mobile system 104, and other network performance data.
The mobile system 104 may use the file source request to request from a P2P application tracker 430 at least one segment source associated with a desired data file.
The P2P application tracker 430 may use a file source response to send an identity of at least one peer of the P2P content distribution network to the mobile system 104.
Once the mobile system 104 has obtained a list of the content distribution network peers that the mobile system 104 may want to execute a P2P transfer with, it may ask the mobile network operator 106 to provide a ranking of some or all of them.
b illustrates one embodiment of a network ranking response 850. The network ranking response 850 may be appended onto other messages between the mobile system 104 and the mobile network operator 106. The network ranking response 850 may have a header 852 to indicate a route and a destination for the message. The network ranking response 850 may have a mobile ID 854 for the mobile system 104 and an operator ID 856 for the mobile network operator 106. The network ranking response 850 may have a P2P ranking list 858, indicating for each peer ID 860 a network provided ranking 862. The network provided ranking 862 may be a ranking indicating a sorting of the peers submitted in the peer list 808. Alternately, the network provided ranking 862 may be a value indicating the ranking of the peer on an absolute scale, so that peers being ranked in multiple network ranking responses may be sorted together. The network ranking response 850 may identify at least one network ranking factor 864 used in generating this network provided ranking 862. The network ranking response 850 may provide multiple network provided rankings 862 based on different network ranking factors 864.
The mobile system 104 may use the network provided ranking 862 to decide between a first segment source 420 of a data file segment 414 and a second segment source 420 of the data file segment 414.
Embodiments within the scope of the present invention may also include computer-readable media for carrying or having computer-executable instructions or data structures stored thereon. Such computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures. When information is transferred or provided over a network or another communications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or combination thereof) to a computer, the computer properly views the connection as a computer-readable medium. Thus, any such connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of the computer-readable media.
Embodiments may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by local and remote processing devices that are linked (either by hardwired links, wireless links, or by a combination thereof) through a communications network.
Computer-executable instructions include, for example, instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. Computer-executable instructions also include program modules that are executed by computers in stand-alone or network environments. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, and data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Computer-executable instructions, associated data structures, and program modules represent examples of the program code means for executing steps of the methods disclosed herein. The particular sequence of such executable instructions or associated data structures represents examples of corresponding acts for implementing the functions described in such steps.
Although the above description may contain specific details, they should not be construed as limiting the claims in any way. Other configurations of the described embodiments of the invention are part of the scope of this invention. For example, the principles of the invention may be applied to each individual user where each user may individually deploy such a system. This enables each user to utilize the benefits of the invention even if any one of the large number of possible applications do not need the functionality described herein. In other words, there may be multiple instances of the electronic devices each processing the content in various possible ways. It does not necessarily need to be one system used by all end users. Accordingly, the appended claims and their legal equivalents should only define the invention, rather than any specific examples given.
