Method and System for Hoarding Content on Mobile Clients

Abstract

A device and method for efficient hoarding content set on a mobile client prior to disconnection of the mobile client from a network. The content set to be hoarded on the mobile client and a respective schedule for hoarding the content set on the mobile client are dynamically computed by considering various real times factors such as file utilities, device capabilities and network connectivity that affect the performance of the mobile client and the hoarding process.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates to a method of hoarding content on a mobile client and an intelligent mobile information processing system.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]With the increasing prevalence and popularity of mobile computing, users are increasingly demanding for constant and continuous availability of content thereby making mobile computing a dominant force in personal computing. With advances in mobile technology, a plethora of portable electronic devices (mobile clients) such as laptops computers, handheld devices and the like, promise to deliver the vision of accessing user data anytime, anywhere. However, in the absence of a continuous wireless connectivity, it becomes imperative to provide support for disconnected operations in mobile environments. Wireless links are slow, sometimes unreliable, expensive to implement and use and are not available to all users.[0003]Hoarding (caching) is a technique that allows users, for example mobile users, to ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]A first aspect of the invention is a method for hoarding, on a requesting entity. The client is configured to compute a hoard set, and a respective schedule for hoarding the hoard set on the client. At the schedule time, the client is configured to initiate the hoarding process by communicating with a respective servicing entity. The hoarding process typically involves a client communicating with a server to fetch the desired content set and then cache the content set onto the client. The process of hoarding is preferably executed prior to disconnection of the client and / or the server from the network. An advantage is that the client is configured to compute available power, bandwidth and other dependent factors thereby enhancing the performance of the client for hoarding the content set. Factors such as available power and bandwidth resources are considered while computing the content set and the schedule thereby allowing the client to efficiently manage the power consumption and network bandwidth during the hoarding process.

Problems solved by technology

Wireless links are slow, sometimes unreliable, expensive to implement and use and are not available to all users.

This leads to loading the client with information and files that are unnecessary and hence leads to consumption of disk space and resources, which are limited on a mobile client.

Often constraints, such as the device memory and the like on the mobile client are not sufficiently large to accommodate the content set that has been requested and hence a decision needs to be made on the content set that is required to be hosted on the mobile client.

Neither of these approaches is ideal in terms of user friendliness and reliability.

In fact one of the problems with mobile clients is that they are primarily disconnected entities that connect to and disconnect from the servers at the clients' discretion.

Assuming the existence of an anytime, anywhere, on-demand wireless communication service, a cache miss while disconnected is an expensive proposition due to the cost and re-establishing communications with the servers.

A disadvantage with this is, in addition to being inconvenient; a program may require different files for different types of executions.

This approach is more cumbersome and unreliable.

An additional disadvantage of this approach is that creating an accurate hoard profile is not trivial.

For example, even a conscientious user might not be able to accurately specify all of the files needed by a specific program.

A further disadvantage is that when a mobile user is disconnected a cache miss could mean a significant loss in time, money and a complete halt to work if critical information has not been cached.

These disadvantages are magnified if critical cache misses occur during disconnected operations.

The penalty of such cache misses is very high and may prevent a disconnected client from continuing its operation altogether.

A further disadvantage is that the hoarding systems do not work well for personal information appliances that provide access to information that cannot be neatly organized and that do not have a recurring access pattern.

A further disadvantage is that mobile computing devices have constraints such as battery power, signal strength, network bandwidth etc., which are not taken into consideration in present hoarding systems.

Without a way to improve the method and system of hoarding, the promise of this technology may never be fully achieved.

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