Content delivery network system and method

Abstract

CDN systems and methods that provide access and better user experience based on a novel CDN architecture in which each edge server can be intermittently connected to a multi-tier content delivery network outside of an Internet data center, which can be fixed or mobile, can be connected to the last mile via Wi-Fi, and can be connected to a multi-tier content delivery network via Wi-Fi. And can be physically located in an interested place.

Description

(19) State Intellectual Property Office (12) Invention Patent Application (10) Application Publication Number (43) Application Publication Date (21) Application Number 202511895214.4 (22) Application Date 2019.03.19 (30) Priority Data 201921000982 2019.01.09 IN (62) Divisional Application Data 201980093806.0 2019.03.19 (71) Applicant: Magor Networks Private Limited Address: Mumbai, India (72) Inventors: R. Palampey R. Bararia D. Gordia (74) Patent Agency: China Patent Agency (Hong Kong) Limited 72001 Patent Attorney: Xu Hongyan Lv Chuanqi (51) Int.Cl. H04L 67 / 568 (2022.01) H04L 67 / 63 (2022.01) H04L 67 / 289(2022.01) H04L 67 / 55(2022.01) H04L 45 / 122(2022.01) (54) Invention Title: Content Delivery Network System and Method (57) Abstract: A CDN system and method that provides access and a better user experience based on a novel CDN architecture, wherein each edge server can be located outside an Internet data center that may be fixed or mobile, can be intermittently connected to a multi-tiered content delivery network, can be connected to the last mile via Wi-Fi, and can be physically located at a place of interest.Claims 2 pages, Description 10 pages, Drawings 9 pages, CN 121711395 A 2026.03.20 CN 1 21 71 13 95 A 1. A data delivery system comprising: a multi-layer content delivery network having a source server at a first layer, one or more intermediate servers at a second layer connected to the source server, and a plurality of edge servers at a third layer connected to the one or more intermediate servers, and a plurality of computing devices making requests to the multi-layer content delivery network using cellular data connections and WiFi connections; wherein each edge server has a processor and memory, is intermittently connected to the multi-layer content delivery network, and operates with and without being connected to the multi-layer content delivery network, wherein a particular edge server is physically located at a location of interest, such that the particular edge server caches content based on user demographics and service access patterns associated with the location of interest; and the multi-layer content delivery network is capable of implementing a hybrid push and pull content model, wherein each edge server pulls content from the multi-layer content delivery network for a location of interest, and pushes content to the computing device having and not having internet access when requested by each computing device; The specific edge server is configured to generate a content list based on user demographics and service access patterns associated with the location of interest, cache the content in the generated content list, and pull multiple pieces of content from the generated content list from a multi-tiered content delivery network of the location of interest. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of edge servers further includes a static edge server having a Wi-Fi interface and a wired high-speed connection to the one or more intermediate servers. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of edge servers further includes a mobile edge server connected to the static edge server via a Wi-Fi SSID for high-speed communication and connected to the multi-tiered content delivery network using a wireless data network. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein each edge server has an attached Wi-Fi circuit covering the location of interest, the attached Wi-Fi circuit being configured to deliver content hosted by the edge server to users in the location of interest via a local area network (LAN). 5. The system of claim 1, wherein each edge server is configured to generate security keys, generate advertising tags, and generate API responses. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein each edge server is one hop away from the computing device, thereby providing faster data transfer and promoting a better user experience.7. The system of claim 6, wherein the multi-tier content delivery network uses a dedicated last mile not shared with other services running on the Internet, thereby providing faster data delivery and facilitating a better user experience. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein content delivered by the specific edge server to each computing device does not increase the load on the multi-tier content delivery network's Internet infrastructure or the Internet last mile. 9. A method for accessing digital data, comprising: providing a multi-tiered content delivery network having a source server at a first tier, one or more intermediate servers at a second tier connected to the source server, and a plurality of edge servers at a third tier connected to the one or more intermediate servers, and a plurality of computing devices making requests to the content delivery network using cellular data connections and WiFi connections, wherein each edge server is intermittently connected to the multi-tiered content delivery network, and a particular edge server is physically located at a location of interest, such that the particular edge server caches content based on user demographics and service access patterns associated with the location of interest; performing a hybrid push and pull content delivery model, wherein each edge server pulls content from the multi-tiered content delivery network for the location of interest, and, when requested by each computing device, pushes the content to the computing device having and not having access to the Internet, in cases where it has and does not have a connection to the multi-tiered content delivery network. At each edge server, a content list is generated based on user demographics and service access patterns associated with the location of interest; and at each edge server, content in the generated content list is cached by pulling multiple pieces of content from the multi-tiered content delivery network of the location of interest. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a static edge server having a Wi-Fi interface and a wired high-speed connection to the one or more intermediate servers. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing a mobile edge server connected to the static edge server via a Wi-Fi SSID for high-speed communication and also connected to the multi-tiered content delivery network infrastructure via a wireless data network. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising covering the location of interest by each edge server having an attached Wi-Fi circuit configured to deliver content hosted by the edge server to users in the location of interest via a local area network (LAN).13. The method of claim 9, further comprising using a dedicated last mile not shared with other services running on the Internet by the multi-layer content delivery network, thereby providing faster data delivery and promoting a better user experience. 14. The method of claim 9, wherein the content delivered by the specific edge server to each computing device does not increase the load on the Internet infrastructure of the multi-layer content delivery network or the Internet last mile. Claims 2 / 2 Page 3 CN 121711395 A Content Delivery Network System and Method Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for delivering data required for the operation of digital services (mobile applications / websites / games / software applications) and architectures for delivering data in the last mile. Background Art

[0002] As shown in FIG1, the Internet and associated networks used by consumers / consumer devices to access digital services are well known. The Internet allows the delivery of different pieces of content / data required for the operation of digital services to devices, such as the smartphone shown in FIG1, using last-mile networks. The Internet shown in FIG1 is a combination of all physical units distributed across the globe, which contain all the information in the world. An Internet Data Center (IDC) is a collection of distributed physical units housing all networked and computing devices, including redundant and backup components, power infrastructure, data communication connections, environmental controls, and various security devices. A CDN (Content Delivery Network) infrastructure is a geographically distributed network of servers housed within an IDC that provides most of today's Internet content, particularly web objects (text, graphics, scripts), downloadable objects (media files, software, documents), applications, live streaming, video-on-demand streaming, and social media, whose architecture and operation are well-known. The Internet, along with IDCs and CDNs, is collectively referred to as Internet infrastructure. Digital service providers (DSLs) include all individuals / companies / entities that use Internet infrastructure to provide services to consumers. A consumer platform is any interface through which a mobile application / website / user accesses the services of a digital service provider. Telecommunications infrastructure is the infrastructure established by telecommunications companies that use licensed wireless frequencies to access the Internet (2G / 3G / 4G / LTE – collectively referred to as cellular data connections), and Wi-Fi infrastructure is the infrastructure established by Internet service providers to provide broadband / leased line connectivity to the Internet, or one or more access points that can be attached to the infrastructure to use unlicensed frequencies for wireless access to the Internet.

[0003] Using the conventional system shown in Figure 1, the service (mobile application) shown in Figure 1 works in the following way: All information available to the digital service provider is stored / provided via one or more servers hosted by the digital service provider or via a CDN.Based on data access patterns (where and what data is consumed), CDN infrastructure caches specific data (a subset of all information) across multiple servers distributed across various geographical locations. CDN edge servers (edge ​​1, ..., edge n in Figure 1) are globally distributed and housed in globally distributed third-party internet data centers as well as data centers operated by internet service providers and telecommunications service providers. When a consumer needs to access a service, the service needs to access one or more servers hosted by the digital service provider and CDN via the “last mile,” which is the data connection between the consumer (e.g., a smartphone device in Figure 1) and the internet infrastructure (via an internet service provider, telecommunications service provider, or any other form of internet connectivity option). The consumer’s ability to access the service depends on the availability of the last mile for the consumer, and the consumer experience of the service depends on the reliability and throughput available on the last mile. More importantly, as the number of users and the data consumption per user increase, the load on the existing internet infrastructure increases exponentially, thus impacting the user experience in densely populated areas.

[0004] Using current conventional systems, service access occurs as follows. When a user opens a digital service on a device (e.g., a smartphone), the digital service attempts to access the internet infrastructure using the last-mile connectivity available to the device at that moment. The operating system (OS) of a consumer's smartphone (see Figure 1) detects connectivity availability via cellular data connections (such as 4G / LTE as shown in Figure 1) or Wi-Fi. If connectivity is available with only one connection available, the OS uses the available connectivity route. If both connectivity options are available, the OS detects which connection offers more stable and faster bandwidth availability and uses that connection to process packets, with priority assigned to Wi-Fi. If the above scenario changes at any point, the OS automatically switches between the two unless the user manually connects to or disconnects from either of the available options. As long as one of the two connections is available, the user is able to access the service. The user's experience using the service depends on the stability and available bandwidth on these connections. In the event that the user loses connectivity to both connections, the service stops operating, except for any functionality that may be cached on the user's device (downloading in the case of streaming services).

[0005] Figure 2 illustrates how a conventional CDN operates. As shown in Figure 2, a conventional CDN typically constitutes a multi-tiered network of storage and compute servers. It is typically a pull-based CDN, where the response to a requester’s unique request is cached at the point closest to the requester—the CDN edge server, which is the last layer of the CDN network.When a requester makes its first request for a file, the CDN edge server caches the file from the CDN origin server while simultaneously delivering the file to the requester (as shown at the top of Figure 2). When the next requester makes the same request, it is served from the cache (CDN edge server) instead of the CDN origin server from which the response originated, thus reducing the time spent serving the next requester's request. This action also reduces the overall load on the origin server and the internet bandwidth requirements for the origin server. As shown in Figure 2, CDNs typically use multiple geographically distributed edge servers to serve a large number of requesters. The location of CDN edge servers is usually in the data center of an ISP or telecommunications infrastructure. When serving cached content, this is equivalent to saving internet bandwidth for the ISP or telecommunications company. In a typical infrastructure: 1. The CDN origin is connected to the internet. 2. Edge servers are connected to the CDN origin via the internet. 3. CDN edge servers are collectively located in the ISP / telecommunications operator's data center and therefore have connectivity to the ISP / telecommunications infrastructure. 4. When requester 1 requests a piece of content, the CDN edge server caches the response on itself while serving requester 1's request. 5. When requester 2 requests the same content, it is served directly from the CDN edge server.

[0006] Therefore, existing systems have the technical problem that data / service access is entirely dependent on the last mile; without the last mile, the server or CDN hosted by the digital service provider cannot deliver any data to the service / requester. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a technical solution that is a novel CDN whose edge devices are closer to each requester and are self-sufficient, and uses different connection paths to deliver data to users, resulting in faster data delivery to users independent of the user's access to the last mile connection.

[0007] Figure 1 illustrates how the Internet infrastructure operates. Figure 2 illustrates how a conventional CDN operates. Figure 3 illustrates how digital services operate using the Internet infrastructure, where a conventional CDN is an integral part of the Internet infrastructure. Figure 4 illustrates a novel CDN system in which CDN servers are also deployed outside the Internet infrastructure, enabling last-mile connections to the CDN servers. Figure 5 illustrates the architecture and functionality of the novel CDN system. Figure 6 illustrates how digital services operate using the novel CDN system in a scenario similar to Figure 5 (both the CDN server and the user device have Internet connectivity). Specification 2 / 10 pages 5 CN 121711395 A Figure 7 illustrates how the novel CDN system operates when the conventional CDN system would not work.This illustration is for a scenario where the user device does not have internet connectivity but the novel CDN system server does. Figure 8 illustrates how the novel CDN system works when the conventional CDN system would not work. This illustration is for a scenario where the CDN server does not have internet connectivity but the user device does. Figure 9 illustrates how the novel CDN system works when the conventional CDN system would not work. This illustration is for a scenario where neither the CDN server nor the user device has internet connectivity.

[0008] Detailed Description of One or More Embodiments This disclosure is particularly applicable to digital services (mobile applications / websites / games / software applications) installed in computing devices (smartphones / tablet PCs / laptops / desktops / smartwatches, etc.) used with content delivery systems and methods as shown in the figures, and it is in this context that this disclosure will be described. However, it will be appreciated that the disclosed systems and methods have greater utility, such as being implemented on a variety of different computing devices that can be used to access content from digital service providers. Furthermore, the exemplary CDN system can also be used to optimize the delivery of content or data from other systems, and can be used in any system where optimizing consumer access to services and experience is desirable. For the purposes of this disclosure, the “service” provided to the consumer can be a piece of content (audio, video, and / or text) or any piece of digital data delivered to the consumer through any interface including browsers, mobile applications, software applications, etc.

[0009] Figure 3 illustrates further details of the novel CDN system 300. System 300 may further include one or more SugarBox chip hardware 402, 404, 406, which can be connected to the Internet infrastructure in an Internet data center, and can also be coupled to each of the computing devices 302 via a wide local area network (WLAN) that provides an additional communication path for each application request. Each SugarBox chip hardware (referred to as a SugarBox CDN server) can be implemented as one or more server computers, which are also equipped with a dedicated last mile at each CDN edge via Wi-Fi, providing the following key functions: • SugarBox CDN connects to the existing Internet infrastructure and acts as a supplementary infrastructure to the Internet.However, in the case of a dedicated last mile with Wi-Fi attachment, data from SugarBox CDN is delivered using the last mile, which is outside the existing Internet infrastructure (LAN), thereby: o Freeing up bandwidth on the existing Internet infrastructure, especially on the last mile provided by Internet service providers / telecom operators o Not loading the existing Internet infrastructure last mile with the increase in the number of user accesses or the consumption per user • SugarBox CDN enables users who do not have access to the Internet using any existing connectivity options (Internet service providers or telecom operators) to experience any service in whole or in part • SugarBox CDN can continue to operate even when the connectivity from the CDN edge server to the CDN infrastructure is unavailable, because the last mile exposes the data cached at the CDN edge to the service, thereby allowing access to the service in areas without reliable and continuous connectivity (traffic, remote locations, etc.) • Compared to traditional CDN edges, the SugarBox CDN edge is always one hop away from the user (because it is available to the user through the LAN), thereby providing faster data delivery and promoting a better user experience • SugarBox CDNs use dedicated last mile services, whereas the last mile in existing internet infrastructure is a shared last mile between CDNs and all other services running on the internet, thus providing faster data delivery and facilitating a better user experience. SugarBox CDN operates on the last mile on unlicensed bandwidth, making the scalability of the last mile virtually unlimited, thereby enabling services to provide consumers with guarantees regarding availability, reliability, and bandwidth availability while using the service. SugarBox CDN Edges can be placed in places of interest (buses, trains, airplanes, shopping malls, business centers, airports, cafes, restaurants, bars, hotels, educational institutions, hospitals, clinics, residential areas, corporate parks, public parks, theme parks, public places, etc.), providing a service that makes the experience relevant to the user based on their proximity to the place of interest, without using the location of the device.

[0010] SugarBox CDN optimizes and revolutionizes the way the internet works. This ecosystem ensures that services do not add load to existing internet infrastructure, regardless of the number of users or the consumption of each user, thus making the internet more efficient.

[0011] More specifically, the novel CDN system 300 may have the following elements: • SugarBox origin and intermediate servers 402, which reside within an Internet data center and are part of the existing Internet infrastructure. These servers operate similarly to origin servers in a typical CDN. • SugarBox Static Edge 404, which uses physical high-speed connectivity (P2P / MPLS) to connect to the SugarBox source and exposes the attached Wi-Fi configuration to the user. • SugarBox Mobile Edge 406, which is identical to the SugarBox Static Edge from a hardware and software stack perspective, but instead of having physical connectivity to the SugarBox CDN infrastructure, it uses one of two routes for wireless connectivity: o Using MPLS / cellular data connectivity over a telecommunications network (which may be intermittent and may not be high-speed) o Using Wi-Fi and the corresponding physical connectivity from the SugarBox Edge (always intermittent and high-speed when the mobile edge enters the network of the static edge) The service requires access to the following 6 key elements to function: • API requests / HTTP requests • Security requests – DRM / AES / SSL • Analytics requests • Content requests – content / downloadable objects / web objects • Advertising requests • Payment requests.

[0012] Typically, analytics, payment, and security requests are served directly by the service provider through its own / third-party servers. All other requests are handled by the CDN, as shown in Figure 4.

[0013] SugarBox CDN works in the following manner: • In the absence of SugarBox CDN, the service uses last-mile connectivity (Internet service provider facilities, via Ethernet or Wi-Fi, or cellular data service) to access all requests. • When a user enters the Wi-Fi network range of a SugarBox CDN edge server, the service uses the user's cellular data connectivity to handle all requests directly served by the service provider. • SugarBox CDN replaces the traditional CDN to handle all requests faced by the CDN. SugarBox edge servers can support certain functions served locally by the edge server, such as DRM, local payment, etc. (See page 4 / 10 of the manual, CN 121711395 A).

[0014] In one example, the novel CDN system can be implemented in hardware and software as follows: Hardware Overview: • SugarBox Origin & Middleware • Compute Server • Storage Server • Networking Devices • SugarBox Static & Mobile Edge • Compute + Storage Server • Networking Devices • Wi-Fi Devices Software Stack Overview: • SugarBox Origin & Middleware • Content Service Software • DNS • DHCP • Recording & Monitoring • Database • SugarBox Static & Mobile • Content Service Software • DNS • DHCP • Recording & Monitoring • Database.

[0015] How Services Operate Using Existing Internet Infrastructure: To better understand the operation of the novel CDN and its elements, Figure 4 illustrates how services operate today using existing internet infrastructure and traditional CDNs. Services require responses to various types of requests to operate. These requests are made through any connection the device has to the internet. By their very nature, requests are either cacheable by the CDN or not cacheable at all. Cacheable requests are cached via the CDN to ensure reduced load on servers in the IDC and service of requests from the point closest to the subscriber, which optimizes delivery speed and cost.

[0016] This service operates using existing internet infrastructure in the following ways: 1. There is a cellular data connection from the user device to the internet (telecom last mile). 2. There is a WiFi connection from the user device to the internet (ISP last mile). 3. CDN edge servers also have internet connectivity. 4. Servers accepting analysis requests also need internet connectivity. 5. Servers accepting payment requests also need internet connectivity. 6. Servers providing keys (DRM keys) for decrypting content also need internet connectivity. 7. Content, text, graphics, etc., are provided by servers in Internet Data Centers (IDCs). These requested services are typically handled by a CDN with an appropriate Time-to-Live (TTL) for the specific content. This is to ensure that the content is available closer to where it will be consumed. 8. Advertising services from servers in the IDC are also handled by a CDN to ensure that advertising content is available closer to where it will be consumed. 9. "Ad tag" services are handled by a CDN with TTL to ensure fast tag delivery. 10. Responses to non-user-specific API requests are cached in a CDN with TTL to ensure reduced load on the API server. User-specific API requests are either cached on the user's device or delivered directly through the API server.

[0017] With traditional CDNs, users rely on the availability of last-mile connectivity to access the internet, through which services gain access to all requests to provide user functionality and access to services. Additionally, users and services rely on the throughput available on the user's last-mile connectivity, and its reliability, which determines the user's experience with the service.

[0018] How SugarBox CDN Works: Figure 5 illustrates how services operate using the SugarBox CDN system and how SugarBox CDN works. SugarBox CDN is a multi-tiered CDN architecture where SugarBox CDN source 402 forms the first tier, SugarBox CDN intermediate server 402 forms the second tier, and SugarBox edge server 404 forms the third tier.

[0019] SugarBox edge servers can be of two types—static or mobile. Static edge servers have wired high-speed connectivity to the SugarBox CDN infrastructure. Mobile edge servers do not have wired high-speed connectivity to the SugarBox CDN infrastructure. Alternatively, it obtains intermittent high-speed connectivity to the SugarBox CDN infrastructure via a dedicated WiFi SSID at each static edge server, and also obtains intermittent (not necessarily high-speed) connectivity to the SugarBox infrastructure using cellular data services provided by a telecom provider.

[0020] Unlike conventional CDNs that operate on a pull-based caching model, the SugarBox CDN operates on a hybrid pull and push model. SugarBox edge servers (static and mobile) can co-locate at a Point of Interest (POI), which is characterized by specific user demographics and service access patterns.

[0021] Based on the above, edge servers within the SugarBox CDN can be commanded to obtain a list of content they need to cache. Whenever an edge server has high-speed connectivity to the SugarBox CDN infrastructure, the edge server begins downloading content from the previous layer and updates internal data structures to indicate that content has been downloaded, and also updates various other telemetry information. As each edge server begins serving data to users, the consumed data is fed into a machine learning algorithm to generate a list of content based on user demographics and service access patterns at the edge server.

[0022] Each of the SugarBox edge servers also has a last mile via Wi-Fi, configured to cover the entire POI, which is used to serve subscribers with content cached in the edge server. The SugarBox CDN edge server creates a local network with independent DNS and DHCP services so that subscriber mobile devices can connect to SugarBox.1. SugarBox origins are hosted within ISP / telecom data centers, as shown in Figure 5, and connected to the existing internet infrastructure. 2. SugarBox intermediates are also hosted within ISP / telecom data centers and connected to the existing internet infrastructure and SugarBox origins. 3. Each static edge server has a wired high-speed connection to the SugarBox intermediate. 4. Each static edge server also provides last-mile connectivity via Wi-Fi, which users connect to when using the service. 5. Each static edge server also has a dedicated SSID, which other mobile edge servers use to connect to the static edge server and utilize the high-speed connectivity available at the static edge server to communicate with the SugarBox CDN infrastructure. 6. Each mobile edge server also has connectivity to the SugarBox CDN infrastructure using a telecom operator's cellular data connection. However, this connectivity is intermittent and may not be high-speed. 7. Each mobile edge server also provides last-mile connectivity via Wi-Fi, which users connect to when using the service.

[0023] How the service works with SugarBox CDN: When a subscriber initiates a SugarBox CDN-supported service at a POI with a static or intermediate edge server installed, the following four scenarios are possible: Scenario 1 – The user has cellular data, and the SugarBox edge server also has high-speed connectivity to the SugarBox CDN infrastructure (shown in Figure 6). Both of the following conditions must be met: the edge server has connectivity to the SugarBox infrastructure, and the user has cellular data connectivity used for processing analytics and payment requests. The edge server is also running a local DRM solution. For security requests, the request is either served locally on the edge server or served using the user's cellular data connectivity. All other requests are served by the edge server. If the subscriber requests content that does not exist on the edge server, the request is served as with a traditional CDN, where the content is cached on the edge server and then served to the subscriber. This ensures that the subscriber experiences the full service intended to be experienced.

[0024] The service can operate as follows: 1. The user connects to the Internet via cellular data. 2. The user simultaneously uses a last-mile connection provided by Wi-Fi and SSID to the edge server, which exposes the user to services supported by SugarBox CDN. 3. The edge server has high-speed connectivity to the SugarBox private cloud. 4. The SugarBox CDN source / intermediate has high-speed access to the edge server via the SugarBox private cloud. 5. The service provider's analytics server is connected to the Internet. 6. The service provider's payment server is connected to the Internet. 7. The service provider's security server is connected to the Internet. 8. The SugarBox CDN source caches all content from the service provider's content server. 9. The SugarBox CDN source caches all advertisements from the service provider's ad server. 10. The SugarBox CDN source caches all ad tags from the service provider's ad server. 11. The SugarBox CDN source caches all non-user-specific API requests from the service provider's API server. For all user-specific API requests, the SugarBox CDN infrastructure simply acts as a conduit for transmitting data from the service provider's API server to the user.

[0025] Scenario 2 – The user does not have cellular data, but the SugarBox edge server has high-speed connectivity to the SugarBox CDN infrastructure (shown in Figure 7). In this case, everything works the same as in Scenario 1 described above, except for the following: • The SugarBox CDN infrastructure acts as a conduit for transmitting data from the service provider's analytics server to the user and vice versa. • The SugarBox CDN infrastructure acts as a conduit for transmitting data from the service provider's payment server to the user and vice versa. • For all security requests that the edge server cannot satisfy locally, the SugarBox CDN infrastructure acts as a conduit for transmitting data from the service provider's security server to the user and vice versa.

[0026] Scenario 3 – The user has cellular data, but the SugarBox edge server does not have high-speed connectivity to the SugarBox CDN infrastructure (Figure 8). In this case, the service works exactly as it would in the absence of SugarBox, except for the following: • All content requests cached on the SugarBox edge server are served via SugarBox. • All ad and ad tag requests cached on the SugarBox edge server are served via SugarBox. • All non-user-specific API requests cached on SugarBox are served via SugarBox.

[0027] All DRM / security requests that can be generated locally on the SugarBox edge server are served via SugarBox. Scenario 4 – The user does not have cellular data, and the SugarBox edge server does not have high-speed connectivity to the SugarBox CDN infrastructure (Figure 9). This is the only case in which the subscriber does not gain full access to the service's functionality. However, even in this scenario, SugarBox CDN ensures that the user can continue to use the service. In this case, the following limitations will be faced by the user: • Only APIs cached on the user's device or cached on SugarBox will be available to the user. • Only content cached on the user's device or cached on SugarBox will be available to the user. • Only advertisements cached on SugarBox will be available to the user. • All analytics requests will be buffered by the service on the user's device. This does not affect user functionality in any way. • Only offline payment options (prepaid vouchers purchased at POIs by paying cash or offline credit card transactions, if supported) will be available to the user.

[0028] For purposes of explanation, the foregoing description has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussion above is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. In view of the above teachings, many modifications and variations are possible. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present disclosure and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to best utilize the present disclosure and various embodiments with various modifications as suited to the particular purpose contemplated.

[0029] The systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented via one or more components, systems, servers, appliances, other sub-components, or distributed among such elements. When implemented as a system, such a system may, among other things, include and / or involve components such as software modules, one or more OS libraries, firmware, etc., found in general-purpose computers.In implementations where the innovation resides on a server, such a server may include or involve components such as software modules, one or more OS libraries, firmware (such as those found in general-purpose computers).

[0030] Additionally, the systems and methods of this invention may be implemented via implementations utilizing entirely different or completely different software, hardware, and / or firmware components beyond those set forth above. Such other components (e.g., software, processing components, etc.) and / or computer-readable media associated with or embodying the invention, such as aspects of the innovations herein, may be implemented in accordance with many general-purpose or special-purpose computing systems or configurations. Various exemplary computing systems, environments, and / or configurations suitable for use with the innovations herein may include, but are not limited to: software or other components embodied in or on a personal computer, server, or server computing device, such as routing / connectivity components, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set-top boxes, consumer electronics devices, network PCs, other existing computer platforms, distributed computing environments including one or more of the above systems or devices, etc.

[0031] In some instances, aspects of the system and method may be implemented or executed via logical instructions and / or logic including program modules, for example, in association with such components or circuits. Generally, program modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., which perform a particular task or implement specific instructions herein. The invention may also be practiced in the context of a distributed software, computer, or circuit setup in which circuits are connected via a communication bus, circuit, or link. In a distributed setup, control / instructions may originate from both local and remote computer storage media, including memory storage devices.

[0032] The software, circuits, and components herein may also include and / or utilize one or more types of computer-readable media. Computer-readable media may be any available medium residing on, associated with, or accessible by such circuits and / or computing components. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media may include computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented using any method or technology for storing information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other storage technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical storage devices, magnetic tape, disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired information and can be accessed by computing components.Communication media may include computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and / or other components. Furthermore, communication media may include wired media, such as wired networks or direct wired connections; however, no such media herein includes transient media. Any combination of the above is also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0033] In this description, the terms component, module, device, etc., may refer to any type of logical or functional software element, circuit, block, and / or process that can be implemented in various ways. For example, the functionality of various circuits and / or blocks may be combined with each other to form any other number of modules. Each module may even be implemented as a software program stored on tangible memory (e.g., random access memory, read-only memory, CD-ROM memory, hard disk drive, etc.) that will be read by a central processing unit to implement the functionality of the innovations herein. Alternatively, a module may include programming instructions transmitted via a transmission carrier to a general-purpose computer or processing / graphics hardware. Furthermore, a module may be implemented as hardware logic circuitry that implements the functionality contained in the innovations herein. Finally, modules may be implemented using dedicated instructions (SIMD instructions), field-programmable logic arrays, or any combination thereof, which provides the desired level of performance and cost. In addition to the above-described implementation of settings / rules, codes, and configurations in the application within the NCO, settings / rules, codes, and configurations can be implemented at the network level as network-level elements performing the same processes as described above.

[0034] As disclosed herein, features consistent with this disclosure can be implemented via computer hardware, software, and / or firmware. For example, the systems and methods disclosed herein can be embodied in various forms, including, for example, data processors, and computers such as databases, digital electronic circuits, firmware, software, or combinations thereof. Furthermore, while some of the disclosed implementations describe specific hardware components, systems and methods consistent with the innovations herein can be implemented using any combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. Moreover, the features and other aspects and principles of the innovations herein pointed out can be implemented in various environments. Such environments and related applications can be specifically constructed to perform various routines, processes, and / or operations according to the invention, or they can include general-purpose computers or computing platforms selectively activated or reconfigured by code to provide necessary functionality. The processes disclosed herein are not inherently associated with any particular computer, network, architecture, environment, or other device, and can be implemented by suitable combinations of hardware, software, and / or firmware. For example, the general-purpose machine described on pages 9 / 10 of the specification, CN 121711395 A, can be used with a program written according to the teachings of the present invention, or it may be more convenient to construct a special device or system to perform the required methods and techniques.

[0035] Aspects of the methods and systems described herein, such as logic, can also be implemented as functions programmed into any circuit of various types, including programmable logic devices (“PLDs”), such as field-programmable gate arrays (“FPGAs”), programmable array logic (“PAL”) devices, electrically programmable logic and memory devices, and standard cell-based devices, as well as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Some other possibilities for implementing the aspects include: memory devices, microcontrollers with memory (such as EEPROM), embedded microprocessors, firmware, software, etc. Furthermore, the aspects can be embodied in microprocessors with software-based circuit emulation, discrete logic (sequential and combinational), custom devices, fuzzy (neural) logic, quantum devices, and a mixture of any of the above device types. Underlying device technologies can be provided in various component types, such as metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (“MOSFET”) technology like complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (“CMOS”), bipolar technology like emitter-coupled logic (“ECL”), polymer technologies (e.g., silicon-conjugated polymers and metal-conjugated polymer-metal structures), hybrid analog and digital, etc.

[0036] It should also be noted that the various logics and / or functions disclosed herein can be implemented using any number of combinations of hardware, firmware, and / or as data and / or instructions embodied in various machine-readable or computer-readable media, depending on their behavior, register transfers, logical components, and / or other characteristics. Computer-readable media in which such formatted data and / or instructions can be embodied include, but are not limited to, various forms of non-volatile storage media (e.g., optical, magnetic, or semiconductor storage media), although again, transient media are not included. Unless the context explicitly requires it, throughout this description, the words “comprising,” “including,” etc., will be interpreted in an inclusive sense (as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense); that is, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” Use of singular or plural terms also includes both singular and plural, respectively. Additionally, the words “this article,” “below,” “above,” “below,” and similar terms refer to the application as a whole, and not to any particular part of the application. When the word “or” is used in reference to a list of two or more items, the word encompasses all of the following interpretations: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

[0037] Although certain currently preferred implementations of the invention have been specifically described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains that various changes and modifications may be made to the various implementations shown and described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is intended to be limited to the scope required by applicable legal rules.

[0038] Although the foregoing has referenced specific embodiments of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that changes may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims. Instruction manual, page 10 / 10, 13 CN 121711395 A, Figure 1; Instruction manual, Figure 1 / 9, page 14 CN 121711395 A, Figure 2; Instruction manual, Figure 2 / 9, page 15 CN 121711395 A, Figure 3; Instruction manual, Figure 3 / 9, page 16 CN 121711395 A, Figure 4; Instruction manual, Figure 4 / 9, page 17 CN 121711395 A, Figure 5; Instruction manual, Figure 5 / 9, page 18 CN 121711395 A, Figure 6; Instruction manual, Figure 6 / 9, page 19 CN 121711395 A, Figure 7; Instruction manual, Figure 7 / 9, page 20 CN 121711395 A, Figure 8; Instruction manual, Figure 8 / 9, page 21 CN 121711395 A, Figure 9; Instruction manual, Figure 9 / 9, page 22 CN 121711395 AA CDN system and method to provide access and a better user experience based on a novel CDN architecture wherein each edge server may be outside of an Internet data center, may be stationary or mobile, may be intermittently connected to the multi-tiered content delivery network, may be connected to a last mile over Wi-Fi and may be physically located in a place of interest. Abstract.

Claims

1. A data transmission system, comprising: A multi-layer content delivery network having a source server at the first layer, one or more intermediate servers at the second layer connected to the source server, and multiple edge servers at the third layer connected to the one or more intermediate servers, as well as multiple computing devices that make requests to the multi-layer content delivery network using cellular data connections and WiFi connections. Each edge server has a processor and memory, is intermittently connected to the multi-tier content delivery network, and operates with and without being connected to the multi-tier content delivery network, wherein a particular edge server is physically located at a point of interest, such that the particular edge server caches content based on user demographics and service access patterns associated with the point of interest; and A multi-layer content delivery network enables a hybrid push and pull content model, in which each edge server pulls content from the multi-layer content delivery network for its areas of interest and pushes the content to each computing device, whether or not it has internet access, when requested by that computing device. The specific edge server is configured to generate a content list based on user demographics and service access patterns associated with the location of interest, cache the content in the generated content list, and pull multiple pieces of content from the generated content list from the multi-layer content delivery network of the location of interest.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of edge servers further includes a static edge server having a Wi-Fi interface and a wired high-speed connection to the one or more intermediate servers.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of edge servers further includes a mobile edge server, the mobile edge server being connected to the static edge server via a Wi-Fi SSID for high-speed communication and connected to the multi-layer content delivery network using a wireless data network.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein each edge server has an attached WiFi circuit covering the area of ​​interest, the attached WiFi circuit being configured to transmit content hosted by the edge server to users in the area of ​​interest via a local area network (LAN).

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each edge server is configured to generate a security key, generate an advertising tag, and generate an API response.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each edge server is one hop away from the computing device, thereby providing faster data transfer and promoting a better user experience.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the multi-layer content delivery network uses a dedicated last mile that is not shared with other services running on the Internet, thereby providing faster data delivery and promoting a better user experience.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the content delivered by the specific edge server to each computing device does not increase the load on the internet infrastructure or the last mile of the internet in the multi-layer content delivery network.

9. A method for accessing digital data, comprising: A multi-tiered content delivery network is provided, the multi-tiered content delivery network having a source server at the first tier, one or more intermediate servers at the second tier connected to the source server, and multiple edge servers at the third tier connected to the one or more intermediate servers, and multiple computing devices that make requests to the content delivery network using cellular data connections and WiFi connections, wherein each edge server is intermittently connected to the multi-tiered content delivery network, and a particular edge server is physically located at a location of interest, such that the particular edge server caches content based on user demographics and service access patterns associated with the location of interest; A hybrid push and pull content delivery model is implemented, in which each edge server pulls content from a multi-tiered content delivery network for the target area, and pushes the content to each computing device that has and does not have internet access, depending on whether the device has a connection to the multi-tiered content delivery network or not, when requested by each computing device. At each edge server, a list of content is generated based on user demographics and service access patterns associated with the locations of interest; and At each edge server, the content in the generated content list is cached by pulling multiple pieces of content from the multi-layered content delivery network of the generated content list from the location of interest.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a static edge server having a Wi-Fi interface and a wired high-speed connection to the one or more intermediate servers.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing a mobile edge server, the mobile edge server being connected to a static edge server via a Wi-Fi SSID for high-speed communication, and also being connected to a multi-layer content delivery network infrastructure via a wireless data network.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising covering the area of ​​interest by each edge server having an attached WiFi circuit configured to transmit content hosted by the edge server to a user at the area of ​​interest via a local area network (LAN).

13. The method of claim 9 further comprises a dedicated last mile used by a multi-layer content delivery network that is not shared with other services operating on the Internet, thereby providing faster data delivery and promoting a better user experience.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The content delivered from the specific edge server to each computing device does not increase the load on the internet infrastructure or the last mile of the internet in the multi-layer content delivery network.

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