Traffic steering optimization

Abstract

This disclosure relates in general to traffic steering, and more particularly to traffic steering for aircraft networks. In some embodiments, a system may include a router configured to (i) tag traffic received over a mobile network, and (ii) transmit the tagged traffic to a satellite terminal (STE) modem. The system may further include such STE modem, which may include a first data access point name (APN) configured to (i) route the first traffic to the nearest internet gateway based on a first tag of the first traffic, and (ii) a second APN configured to route the second traffic to a data center based on a second tag of the second traffic.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Cross - Reference to Related Applications) This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 213,405, filed on June 23, 2023, entitled "Traffic Steering Optimization", which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] (Technical Field) This disclosure generally relates to traffic steering, and more particularly to traffic steering for aircraft networks.

Background Art

[0003] Providing network access to devices on a moving aircraft is difficult. For example, satellite communication solutions provide network access to devices on a moving aircraft but need to operate worldwide. In this regard, in many proposed solutions, there is an inherent trade - off between latency and cost.

[0004] For example, in an aircraft flying outside the United States, when data (e.g., traffic) is sent to a data center in the United States, latency increases. This can be a problem, especially when there are applications (e.g., video chat) that do not operate properly when latency is excessively high (e.g., over 300 ms). On the other hand, building data centers around the world reduces latency but requires a large amount of cost.

[0005] The systems and methods disclosed herein provide solutions to these problems and may provide solutions to the lack of effectiveness, safety issues, implementation or operational difficulties, efficiency degradation, constraints, and / or other drawbacks in the prior art.

Summary of the Invention

[0006] In one aspect, a system for routing traffic from mobile devices may be provided. The system may include (1) a router configured to (i) tag traffic received over a mobile network and (ii) transmit the tagged traffic to a satellite terminal (STE) modem, and (2) a STE modem configured to (i) receive the tagged traffic and (ii) include a first data access point name (APN) configured to (a) route the first traffic to the nearest internet gateway based on a first tag of the first traffic, and (b) route the second traffic to a data center based on a second tag of the second traffic.

[0007] In another aspect, a system for routing traffic from mobile devices may be provided. The system includes (1) a first radio access point configured to send first traffic to a router, and a second radio access point configured to send second traffic to the router, and (2) the router is configured to (a) tag the first traffic so that it is routed to the nearest internet gateway and to send the first tagged traffic to a satellite terminal (STE) modem, and (b) tag the second traffic so that it is routed to a data center and to send the second tagged traffic to the STE modem.

[0008] In another aspect, a computer-based method for routing traffic from mobile devices may be provided. This method may include (1) tagging traffic received via a mobile network through a router; (2) transmitting the tagged traffic from the router to a satellite terminal (STE) modem; (3) routing a first traffic contained in the tagged traffic to the nearest internet gateway based on a first tag of the first traffic via a first access point name (APN); and (4) routing a second traffic contained in the tagged traffic to a data center based on a second tag of the second traffic via a second APN.

[0009] The advantages will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of preferred embodiments shown and illustrated below. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, this embodiment can take various other forms, and its details can be modified in various ways. Accordingly, the drawings and description should be understood as illustrative and not as limiting.

[0010] The figures described below illustrate various aspects of the applications, methods, and systems disclosed herein. Each figure represents an embodiment of a particular aspect of the disclosed applications, systems, and methods, and it should be understood that each figure is presented to correspond to an example of such an embodiment. Furthermore, wherever possible, the following description uses consistent reference numerals for features shown in multiple figures, and reference numerals are used to refer to the reference numerals contained in these figures. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This illustrates an exemplary system for providing network services to aircraft. [Figure 2]An exemplary system for steering traffic is shown, according to an embodiment that includes a router having first and second access point names (APNs). [Figure 3] This illustrates an exemplary system for steering traffic, which includes two radio access points within a mobile vehicle, thereby following an embodiment that includes independent routing. [Figure 4] This illustrates a computer-based method for routing traffic from mobile devices. [Figure 5] This example demonstrates a method for tagging traffic. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] (Overview of an example system providing network services to aircraft) Satellite communication solutions provide network access to devices on moving aircraft and need to operate anywhere in the world. Therefore, broadly speaking, Figure 1 shows an exemplary environment 100 for providing network services to an aircraft. This exemplary environment 100 may include one or more mobile bodies 105. While shown as an aircraft, these mobile bodies 105 are envisioned to be any mobile body, such as a bus, train, subway, helicopter, ship, or balloon. The mobile body 105 may include mobile-mounted nodes (not shown), such as an Auxiliary Computer Power Unit (ACPU), which support communication with the outside world. These mobile-mounted nodes may be coupled to one or more modems communicably connected to an external communication link 117. The external communication link 117 may support specific communication protocols (e.g., TDMA, GSM, CDMA, LTE, WiMAX, Wi-Fi, etc.) and / or specific frequency bands (e.g., Ka-band, Ku-band, L-band, S-band, cellular band, AWS band, PCS band, unlicensed band, etc.).

[0013] As shown in the figure, the mobile unit 105 may be communicatively coupled to a base station 118 via a communication link 117. For example, the mobile unit 105 may be communicatively coupled to a satellite base station 118 via the external communication link 117. Furthermore, the external communication link 117 may include a satellite 119 that relays communication between the satellite base station 118 and the mobile unit 105. Thus, the external communication link 117 may include a first communication link 117a between the satellite base station 118 and the satellite 119, and a second communication link 117b between the satellite 119 and the mobile unit 105.

[0014] In several respects, the satellite base station 118 enables communication between the mobile device 105 and the internet 120. For example, in one respect, a node mounted on the mobile device may establish a network with the satellite base station 118 in order to route traffic via the communication link 117.

[0015] (Example of a system for routing traffic) However, many proposed satellite communication solutions involve an inherent trade-off between latency and cost. For example, sending traffic (e.g., data moving across the network) from an aircraft flying outside the United States to a data center within the U.S. increases latency. This can be problematic because some applications (e.g., video chat) may not function properly if latency is excessively high (e.g., over 300ms). On the other hand, building data centers around the world reduces latency, but this comes at a significant cost.

[0016] Furthermore, providing network access on a moving aircraft presents another challenge: meeting the geolocation requirements of applications. For example, it may be required to transmit content through a specific country or other geographical area. Specifically, a video streaming service (e.g., Netflix) may require that content originate from a particular country, such as the United States.

[0017] The systems and methods described herein solve these problems, as well as other problems. For example, in some embodiments, traffic is steered to a specific country when it is required or advantageous to steer traffic to such a country. Furthermore, or alternatively, in some embodiments, latency-sensitive traffic (e.g., Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) traffic, video chat traffic, etc.) is steered to the nearest internet gateway to reduce latency.

[0018] Therefore, Figure 2 shows an exemplary system 200 for steering traffic according to the embodiment. In this regard, the exemplary mobile 105 may include a cabin network 210, which may include mobile devices 212 (e.g., smartphones, laptops, tablets, phablets, etc.). It should be understood that the cabin network 210 may further include other additional connected devices (e.g., additional laptops and / or mobile devices, tablets, phablets, etc.) not shown in the example of Figure 2. Any of the devices 212 may include one or more processors.

[0019] Any of the devices 212 may be connected to the router 220 via a wireless access point 216 (for example, if the device is connected wirelessly) or via a switch 218 (for example, if it is connected by a physical connection such as an Ethernet connection). In some embodiments, the router 220 may include an Aircraft Router Unit (ARU) and / or include one or more processors (e.g., one or more router processors, one or more ARU processors, etc.).

[0020] The router 220 may include a wide area network (WAN) manager 222 for managing data received from the guest room network 210.

[0021] The router 220 may further include a switch 224, an application / traffic intelligence 226, static application identification rules 227, and a network address translation (NAT) / virtual local area network (VLAN) 228. In some embodiments, the application / traffic intelligence 226 and / or the NAT / VLAN tag 228 may be configured to tag traffic (e.g., data, etc.) received from the guest room network 210. The tag may indicate a destination to which the traffic is to be sent (e.g., a specific data center, a specific gateway, a specific geographical area, etc.).

[0022] The rules for applying the tags may be held in the static application identification rules 227. For example, there may be rules for routing latency-sensitive traffic to the nearest Internet gateway, rules for routing traffic from a specific application to a specific data center or a data center within a specific geographical area, etc.

[0023] The router 220 may send traffic to a satellite terminal (STE) modem 230. The STE modem 230 may include an administrative access point name (APN) 232, a first APN 234, and a second APN 236. Any or all of the administrative APN 232, the first APN 234, and / or the second APN 236 may function as a gateway for sending traffic from the router to any other network such as the Internet 120. In some embodiments, the STE modem may include one or more processors (e.g., one or more STE modem processors, etc.).

[0024] During operation, the management APN 232 can enable flexible IP management (e.g., fixed IP). The management APN 232 can further be configured to provide a custom firewall and / or a virtual private network (VPN).

[0025] In some embodiments, the first APN 234 can be configured to route traffic to the Internet gateway 245. As described elsewhere in this specification, in some embodiments, the Internet gateway configured to route traffic by the first APN 232 can be the nearest Internet gateway.

[0026] In some embodiments, the second APN 236 can be configured to route traffic to other fixed locations such as a data center or the data center 250. As described elsewhere in this specification, in some embodiments, the data center 250 to which the second APN 236 routes traffic can be determined in whole or in part based on the user's selection.

[0027] When traffic passes through the satellite 119 and the terrestrial station 118, the traffic can reach the packet gateway 240. The packet gateway 240 can function as an entry point to the edge point of presence (POP) 242 (e.g., a connection point between a data center and / or an Internet gateway).

[0028] When traffic reaches edge POP242, it can take one of two paths to reach the Internet 120. Firstly (for example, traffic destined for a specific geolocation), the traffic may reach the Internet 120 via peering location A247 and data center 250. Alternatively (for example, latency-sensitive traffic or traffic that does not need to be destined for a specific geolocation), the traffic may reach the Internet 120 via internet gateway 245 (which in some embodiments may be the internet gateway closest to mobile device 150), peering location X248, and virtual DC255.

[0029] Figure 3 shows an alternative embodiment. More specifically, Figure 3 shows an exemplary system 300 that includes two wireless access points, wireless access point 310 and wireless access point 320. Wireless access point 310 may be associated with service set identifier (SSID) 1, and wireless access point 320 may be associated with SSID 2.

[0030] In some implementations, a user (e.g., an airplane passenger) may choose to connect their device (e.g., 212, etc.) to either wireless access point 310 or 320. For example, if a user wants to use a video streaming service (e.g., Netflix) that has high latency tolerance but imposes requirements for a specific geolocation (e.g., the United States), the user may choose to connect to wireless access point 320 via a second APN 236 so that the traffic is sent to data center 250 (e.g., within the United States or other required geolocation) (rather than the nearest internet gateway such as internet gateway 245, for example).

[0031] In another example, if a user wants to use an application that benefits from low latency and is not subject to geolocation-based constraints (e.g., VoIP, video chat), that user may select a wireless access point 310 so that traffic is routed to the nearest internet gateway (e.g., internet gateway 245) in order to reduce latency.

[0032] Furthermore, although only one of each component is shown in the exemplary systems 200 and 300, it is assumed that the exemplary components can consist of any number of them (e.g., any number of mobile units, cabin networks, laptops, mobile devices, routers, STE modems, APNs, satellites, ground stations, packet gateways, peering locations, internet gateways, data centers, the internet, etc.).

[0033] (Example of a method) Figure 4 shows an exemplary method 400 for routing traffic from mobile device 105, which is performed by a computer.

[0034] An exemplary method 400 may begin with an optional block 405 in which deep packet inspection (DPI) is performed. For example, a mobile device 212 sends data to a router 220, which may perform DPI to identify the application associated with the data (e.g., an application running on the mobile device 212). Identifying the application is advantageous because it allows, for example, determining whether the application has geolocation requirements. If the application has geolocation requirements, the traffic corresponding to the application may be routed to a data center according to those geolocation requirements; on the other hand, if the application does not have geolocation requirements, the traffic corresponding to the application may be routed to the nearest internet gateway, for example, to reduce latency. In some embodiments, the DPI may further include session marking to indicate where the traffic corresponding to the application should be routed.

[0035] Whether or not an application has geolocation requirements can be determined by any appropriate technique. For example, the presence or absence of geolocation requirements can be determined by checking whether or not the application is included in a list of applications that have geolocation requirements.

[0036] Furthermore, or alternatively, the STE modem 230 may perform deep packet inspection and / or identify the application.

[0037] In the optional block 410, the user may select a country or other geographical area (for example, one that may correspond to an application). For example, in response to the determination in block 405, the user may be asked whether they want to route traffic related to the application through a particular country (for example, on the screen of the mobile device 212). For example, the user may be asked whether they want traffic related to a identified video entertainment application to be routed through the United States during flight.

[0038] Furthermore, or alternatively, even if optional block 405 is not performed, the user may select a country in optional block 410. For example, the user may choose that all traffic from mobile device 212 be routed through a particular country. As another example, the user may first select (or otherwise identify) an application and then specify which countries the traffic corresponding to that application will be routed through.

[0039] In some cases, the user selects a country from a dropdown list. Alternatively, the user may type the country name into the screen of the mobile device 212.

[0040] In some embodiments, depending on the selection of a country or geographical area, the router 220 and / or STE modem 230 configure the data center (e.g., a data center within the selected country or geographical area) to which the traffic is routed.

[0041] In an optional block 415, the user may select a wireless access point (for example, for a specific mobile device 212). For example, the user may select wireless access point 310 or wireless access point 320. In some examples, the user may be presented with a screen (e.g., on mobile device 212) asking whether they wish their traffic (e.g., in general or for a specific application) to be routed to a particular access point. The screen may further explain that traffic sent to the first access point will be routed to the nearest internet gateway, thereby advantageously reducing latency. The screen may also explain that traffic routed to the second wireless access point may be routed to a data center to meet geolocation requirements (e.g., location requirements imposed by a video entertainment application).

[0042] In block 420, router 220 may receive traffic (for example, from any of wireless access points 216, 310, 320 and / or switch 218, etc.). In some embodiments, the traffic is received by WAN manager 222.

[0043] In block 425, router 220 tags the traffic so that it is routed to either the nearest internet gateway 245 (e.g., to reduce latency) or data center 250 (e.g., if the traffic has geolocation requirements). This tagging may be performed by any or all of the following: NAT / VLAN tags 228, application / traffic intelligence 226, and / or static application identification rules 227.

[0044] Figure 5 shows an exemplary implementation 500 of tagging that may be performed in block 425. In block 510, router 220 may determine the location of mobile object 105. For example, router 220 may determine the location of mobile object 105 using a geolocation map and / or a technical standard such as the Aeronautical Radio INC. (ARINC) 429 technical standard. Alternatively, other arbitrary data may also be used (e.g., estimates based on Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) data, information on the mobile object's speed and direction of travel, and known past location data).

[0045] In block 515, router 220 determines whether the mobile object 105 is located within a geographical area. The geographical area can be any geographical area. For example, the geographical area may be a country specified by the geolocation requirements of an application. For example, if a video entertainment application has a geolocation requirement that traffic be routed to the United States (e.g., terminated in the United States), in this example, the geographical area may be set to the United States or the continental United States (CONUS). In this regard, the geographical area may be determined in block 405 (e.g., DPI identifies applications with geolocation requirements and identifies the geographical area associated with those geolocation requirements). Alternatively, the geographical area may be determined in block 410 (e.g., a country specified by the user is the geographical area). Alternatively, router 220 may determine the geographical area by inspecting the traffic in flight, identifying applications with geolocation requirements, and identifying the geographical area associated with those geolocation requirements.

[0046] If the mobile device 105 is located within the geographical area, in block 520, the router 220 may tag the data so that all traffic is routed to the data center 250 within the geographical area (for example, by tagging the traffic so that it is routed by APN2). Alternatively, although not shown in Figure 5, the data may be tagged so that all traffic is routed to the nearest internet gateway. Furthermore or alternatively, in some embodiments, while the mobile device 105 is within the geographical area, the router 220 may tag all traffic so that all traffic is routed to the data center 250 within the geographical area, regardless of the user's selection of a wireless access point in block 415 (for example, by overriding the user's selection of a wireless access point until the mobile device 105 leaves the geographical area). Furthermore, or alternatively, in some embodiments, while the mobile device 105 is within the geographical area, the router 220 may tag all traffic so that it is routed to the nearest Internet gateway 245 within the geographical area, regardless of the user's selection of a wireless access point in block 415 (for example, it may override the user's selection of a wireless access point until the mobile device 105 leaves the geographical area).

[0047] If, in block 515, it is determined that the mobile entity 105 is not located within the geographical area, then in block 525, first traffic (e.g., traffic not associated with geolocation requirements and / or latency-sensitive traffic) is tagged to be routed to the nearest internet gateway 245, and / or second traffic (e.g., traffic associated with geolocation requirements) is tagged to be routed to a data center 250 within the geographical area.

[0048] The nearest Internet gateway 245 (for example, the Internet gateway closest to the mobile's current location) can be determined by any suitable technique. For example, the mobile's location determined in block 510 can be compared to the location of a known Internet gateway. Advantageously, latency is reduced by using the nearest Internet gateway rather than a more distant one, as mentioned elsewhere in this specification.

[0049] Furthermore, it should be understood that Figure 5 is merely one example, and other tagging implementations are possible. For example, router 220 may tag all traffic received from the first wireless access point 310 (e.g., traffic received at SSID1) so that it is routed to the nearest internet gateway 245, and / or tag all traffic received from the second wireless access point 320 (e.g., traffic received at SSID2) so that it is routed to data center 250 (e.g., a data center within a geographical area).

[0050] Returning to the example in Figure 4, in block 430, router 220 sends the tagged traffic to STE modem 230.

[0051] In block 435, the first APN234 routes the first traffic based on the tag assigned to the first traffic (the first tag). Examples of the first traffic include latency-sensitive traffic (e.g., VoIP traffic, video chat traffic, etc.). The first traffic may be routed to the nearest internet gateway, which favorably reduces latency.

[0052] In block 440, the second APN236 routes the second traffic based on the tag (second tag) assigned to the second traffic. Examples of the second traffic include traffic associated with geolocation requirements, such as video entertainment traffic. The second traffic may be routed to data centers within the geographical area, thereby favorably satisfying the geolocation requirements of the traffic. In some examples, if there are multiple data centers within the geographical area, the second traffic is sent to the data center with the lowest latency.

[0053] In block 445, the first traffic reaches the Internet 120 via the nearest Internet gateway 245, and the second traffic reaches the Internet 120 via the data center 250.

[0054] It should be understood that not all blocks and / or events shown in the exemplary signal diagrams and / or flowcharts need to be executed. Furthermore, the exemplary signal diagrams and / or flowcharts are not mutually exclusive (for example, blocks and / or events in each exemplary signal diagram and / or flowchart may be executed in other signal diagrams and / or flowcharts), and the exemplary signal diagrams and / or flowcharts may include additional, reduced, or alternative functions, including those described elsewhere in this specification.

[0055] (Additional aspects) Side 1: A system for routing traffic from mobile devices, (i) Tag traffic received via the mobile network, (ii) A router configured to transmit the tagged traffic to a satellite terminal (STE) modem, (i) configured to receive the tagged traffic, (ii) The STE modem comprising a first data access point name (APN) configured to route the first traffic to the nearest internet gateway based on a first tag of the first traffic, and a second APN configured to route the second traffic to a data center based on a second tag of the second traffic. A system equipped with these features.

[0056] Side 1A: The system described in Side 1, wherein the tagged traffic includes the first traffic and the second traffic.

[0057] Side 1B: The system described on Side 1, wherein the STE modem further includes a management APN.

[0058] Side 2: The system described in Side 1, wherein the first traffic includes traffic associated with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and / or video chat.

[0059] Side 3: A system as described in any of Sides 1 to 2, wherein the second traffic includes traffic associated with video entertainment.

[0060] Side 4: A system as described in any of Sides 1 to 3, wherein the router includes an aircraft router unit (ARU).

[0061] Side 5: A system described in any of Sides 1 to 4, The system receives the country selection from the user's mobile device. A system further comprising one or more processors configured to set a data center geographically located in the selected country as the data center.

[0062] Side 6: The system described in Side 5, wherein the one or more processors are one or more processors of the STE modem.

[0063] Side 7: A system described in any of Sides 1 to 6, The system receives the country selection from the user's mobile device. Identify the data center with the lowest latency that is geographically located in the selected country. A system further comprising one or more processors configured to set the identified data center as the data center.

[0064] Side 8: The system described in any of Sides 1 to 7, wherein the router further comprises The current location of a moving object is determined based on both geolocation maps and technical standards. A system configured to determine the nearest internet gateway based on the identified current location.

[0065] Side 9: A system described in any of Sides 1 to 8, wherein the router is If the mobile entity is located within the geographical area, the traffic is tagged so that all traffic is routed to the data center. A system configured to tag traffic such that, if a moving object is not located within the geographical area, (i) traffic associated with geolocation requirements is routed to the data center, and (ii) traffic not associated with geolocation requirements is routed to the nearest internet gateway.

[0066] Side 10: A system described in any of Sides 1 to 9, Mobile entities include aircraft, The aforementioned router further, Using a deep packet inspection (DPI) system, we identify the application on the user's mobile device. Determine whether the aforementioned application has geolocation requirements, During the flight of the aforementioned aircraft, If the application has the geolocation requirements, the traffic associated with the application is tagged so that the traffic associated with the application is routed to the data center. A system configured to tag traffic associated with an application so that, if the application does not have the geolocation requirements, the traffic associated with the application is routed to the nearest internet gateway.

[0067] Side 11: A system described in any of Sides 1 to 10, wherein the router further comprises In order to route the traffic received from the first wireless access point to the nearest internet gateway, the traffic received from the first wireless access point is tagged. The traffic received from the second wireless access point is tagged so that the traffic received from the second wireless access point is routed to the data center. A system configured to tag the aforementioned traffic by doing so.

[0068] Side 12: A system for routing traffic from mobile objects, A first wireless access point configured to send first traffic to a router, A second wireless access point configured to send second traffic to the router, The first traffic is tagged so that it is routed to the nearest internet gateway, and the first tagged traffic is sent to a satellite terminal (STE) modem. The router is configured to tag the second traffic so that the second traffic is routed to a data center, and to send the second tagged traffic to the STE modem, A system equipped with these features.

[0069] Side 13: The system described on Side 12, The STE modem is further configured to receive the first tagged traffic and the second tagged traffic from the router, The aforementioned STE modem is A first data access point name (APN) configured to route the first traffic to the nearest internet gateway based on a first tag of the first traffic, A second APN configured to route the second traffic to the data center based on the second tag of the second traffic. A system equipped with these features.

[0070] Side 14: The system described on Side 13, wherein the first wireless access point, the second wireless access point, the router, and the STE modem are all contained within a mobile device.

[0071] Side 15: A system described in any of Sides 11 to 14, The system receives a selection of either the first or second wireless access point from the user's mobile device. A system further comprising one or more processors configured to connect the user's mobile device to the first wireless access point or the second wireless access point, according to the selection described above.

[0072] Aspect 16: A method performed by a computer for routing traffic from a mobile object, Tagging traffic received via a router through a mobile network, The router transmits the tagged traffic to the satellite terminal (STE) modem, Route the first traffic included in the tagged traffic via the first access point name (APN) to the nearest internet gateway based on the first tag of the first traffic. Route the second traffic included in the tagged traffic to the data center via the second APN, based on the second tag of the second traffic. A method performed by a computer, including [this].

[0073] Side 16A: A method performed by a computer as described on Side 16, wherein the STE modem includes the first APN and the second APN.

[0074] Side 17: A method performed by a computer as described in Side 16, wherein the first traffic includes traffic associated with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and / or video chat.

[0075] Side 18: A method performed by a computer as described in any of Sides 16 to 17, wherein the second traffic includes traffic associated with video entertainment.

[0076] Side 19: A method performed by a computer as described in any of Sides 16 to 18, wherein the router includes an aircraft router unit (ARU).

[0077] Side 20: A method performed by a computer as described in any of Sides 16 to 19, via one or more processors, Receiving the country selection from the user's mobile device, The data center to be geographically located in the selected country is to be designated as the data center. Methods performed by computers, including, furthermore.

[0078] Side 21: A method performed by the computer described in Side 20, wherein the one or more processors are one or more processors of the STE modem.

[0079] Side 22: A method performed by a computer as described in any of Sides 16 to 21, via one or more processors, Receiving the country selection from the user's mobile device, Identifying the data center with the lowest latency geographically located in the selected country, Setting the identified data center as the data center and Methods performed by computers, including, furthermore.

[0080] Side 23: A method performed by a computer as described in Side 22, wherein the one or more processors include one or more processors of the router and / or one or more processors of the STE modem.

[0081] Side 24: A method performed by a computer described in any of Sides 16 to 23, wherein the router, Identifying the current location of a moving object based on both geolocation maps and technical standards, To determine the nearest Internet gateway based on the identified current location. Methods performed by computers, including, furthermore.

[0082] Side 25: A method performed by a computer as described in any of Sides 16-24, which is performed by a router, If a mobile entity is located within a geographical area, the traffic is tagged so that all traffic is routed to the data center. If the mobile entity is not located within the geographical area, the traffic is tagged such that (i) traffic associated with geolocation requirements is routed to the data center, and (ii) traffic not associated with geolocation requirements is routed to the nearest internet gateway. Methods performed by computers, including, furthermore.

[0083] Side 26: A method performed by a computer as described in any of Sides 16 to 25, wherein the mobile entity includes an aircraft, and the method performed by the computer is performed by a router, Using a deep packet inspection (DPI) system, we can identify the application on the user's mobile device, Determining whether the aforementioned application has geolocation requirements, During the flight of the aforementioned aircraft, If the application has the geolocation requirements, the traffic associated with the application is tagged so that the traffic associated with the application is routed to the data center. If the application does not have the geolocation requirement, the traffic associated with the application is tagged so that the traffic associated with the application is routed to the nearest internet gateway. Methods performed by computers, including, furthermore.

[0084] Side 27: A method performed by a computer as described in any of Sides 16-26, which is performed by a router, In order to route the traffic received from the first wireless access point to the nearest internet gateway, the traffic received from the first wireless access point is tagged. The traffic received from the second wireless access point is tagged so that the traffic received from the second wireless access point is routed to the data center. A method performed by a computer, further comprising tagging the traffic by such means.

[0085] (others) While this specification provides detailed descriptions of numerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legal scope of the invention is defined by the language of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The aforementioned detailed descriptions should be interpreted as illustrative only and do not describe all conceivable embodiments, for it would be impractical or impossible to describe all conceivable embodiments. Numerous alternative embodiments can be implemented using the technology available as of the filing date of this patent, or technology developed thereafter, and any of these may fall within the scope of the claims.

[0086] Furthermore, it should be understood that, unless explicitly defined in this Patent using phrases such as "In this Specification, the term '___' is defined as meaning..." or similar phrases, there is no intention to explicitly or implicitly limit the meaning of such term beyond its ordinary or general meaning. Therefore, the term should not be interpreted as having a limited scope based on any description in this Patent (excluding the language of the claims). Even if a term referred to in a claim at the end of this Disclosure is referred to in accordance with a single meaning in this Disclosure, this is for the purpose of clarification to avoid confusing the reader, and is not intended to limit the term in that claim to that single meaning, whether implicit or not.

[0087] Throughout this specification, any component, operation, or structure described as a single instance may be implemented by multiple instances. While individual operations in one or more ways are illustrated and described as separate operations, one or more of these operations may be performed simultaneously, nor do they necessarily have to be performed in the illustrated order. Structures and functions presented as individual components in exemplary configurations may be implemented as combined structures or components. Similarly, structures and functions presented as single components may be implemented as individual components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matter described herein.

[0088] Furthermore, some embodiments described herein include logic or a set of routines, subroutines, applications, or instructions. These may constitute either software (code embodied in a non-transient, tangible, machine-readable medium) or hardware. In hardware, such routines, etc., are tangible units capable of performing specific operations and may be configured or arranged in specific ways. In exemplary embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., standalone, client, or server computer systems), or one or more hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., processors or groups of processors), may be configured by software (e.g., applications or parts of applications) as hardware modules that perform specific operations described herein.

[0089] In various embodiments, hardware modules may be implemented mechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware module may include dedicated circuits or logic permanently configured to perform a specific operation (e.g., dedicated processors such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)). Alternatively, a hardware module may include programmable logic or circuits temporarily configured by software to perform a specific operation (e.g., those included in general-purpose processors or other programmable processors). The decision of whether to implement a hardware module mechanically as a dedicated and permanently configured circuit or as a temporarily configured circuit (e.g., a circuit configured by software) may depend on cost and time considerations.

[0090] Therefore, the term “hardware module” should be understood to encompass tangible entities, whether physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a particular manner or to perform specific operations as described herein. Considering embodiments in which hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each hardware module does not need to be configured or embodied at any given time. For example, if a hardware module consists of a general-purpose processor configured with software, that general-purpose processor may be configured as different hardware modules at different times. Thus, software may, for example, configure a processor as a particular hardware module at one time and as a different hardware module at another time.

[0091] Hardware modules can provide information to and receive information from other hardware modules. Therefore, the aforementioned hardware modules can be considered to be communicatively coupled. When multiple such hardware modules exist simultaneously, communication between them can be achieved through signal transmission via appropriate circuits and buses connecting the hardware modules. In embodiments where multiple hardware modules are configured or realized at different points in time, communication between them can be achieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of information in a memory structure accessible to the multiple hardware modules. For example, one hardware module may perform an operation and store the output of that operation in a memory device to which it is communicatively coupled. Another hardware module may then access the memory device at a later point in time, retrieve the stored output, and process it. Hardware modules can also initiate communication with input or output devices, and can operate on resources (e.g., collections of information).

[0092] Various operations of the exemplary methods described herein may be performed, at least in part, by one or more processors that are temporarily (e.g., configured by software) or permanently configured to perform such operations. Such processors, whether temporarily or permanently configured, may constitute a processor-implemented module that operates to perform one or more operations or functions. The modules referred to herein may, in some exemplary embodiments, include processor-implemented modules.

[0093] Similarly, at least part of the methods or routines described herein may be implemented by processors. For example, at least some operations of a method may be performed by one or more processors, or hardware modules implemented by processors. The execution of a particular operation is not limited to one or more processors located within a single device, but may be distributed among one or more processors located across multiple devices. In some exemplary embodiments, the processors or groups of processors may be located in a single location (e.g., a home environment, an office environment, or a server farm), while in other embodiments, the processors may be distributed across multiple geographical locations.

[0094] Unless otherwise explicitly stated, discussions using terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “presenting,” and “displaying” in this specification should be understood to refer to the operation or processing of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transforms data expressed as physical quantities (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical quantities) within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or other mechanical components that receive, store, transmit, or display information.

[0095] In this specification, any reference to “one embodiment” or “a certain embodiment” means that certain elements, features, structures, or characteristics described in relation to that embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. Even if the phrase “in one embodiment” appears in various places in this specification, they do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0096] Some embodiments may be described using the terms “coupled” and “connected,” as well as their derivatives. For example, in some embodiments, the term “coupled” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, the term “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements are cooperating or interacting with each other even if they are not in direct contact with each other. These embodiments are not limited in this respect.

[0097] In this specification, “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having,” or any variation thereof, are intended to mean non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements is not limited to those elements alone, but may further include other elements not expressly enumerated, or elements specific to the process, method, article, or apparatus. Furthermore, unless expressly stated otherwise, “or” means inclusive OR, not exclusive OR. For example, condition A or B is satisfied in any of the following cases: A is true (or exists) and B is false (or does not exist); A is false (or does not exist) and B is true (or exists); or both A and B are true (or exist).

[0098] Furthermore, the terms "a" or "an" used in this specification to describe elements and components of embodiments are used solely for convenience and to provide a general understanding of the description. This description and subsequent claims should be interpreted as including "one" or "at least one," and unless the context clearly intends otherwise, the singular form shall also include the plural form.

[0099] By reading this disclosure, those skilled in the art will be able to understand additional alternative structural and functional designs for the approaches described herein. Therefore, while specific embodiments and applications are illustrated and described, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are not limited to the exact configurations and components described herein. Various modifications, changes, and variations relating to the arrangement, operation, and details of the methods and apparatus, which are obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made without departing from the spirit and scope defined by the appended claims.

[0100] Any feature, structure, or property in a particular embodiment may be combined with one or more other embodiments in any suitable manner and any suitable combination, including the use of only selected features without using other corresponding features. Furthermore, it should be understood that many modifications may be made to adapt a particular application, situation, or material to the essential scope and spirit of the invention. Other variations and modifications of the embodiments of the invention described and illustrated herein are possible in light of the teachings herein and should all be considered as part of the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0101] While preferred embodiments of the present invention are described, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto and can be modified without departing from the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims, and all devices that are included in the meaning of the claims literally or by the principle of equivalents are intended to be included within that scope.

[0102] Therefore, the above detailed description should be understood as illustrative rather than restrictive, and the spirit and scope of the invention are defined by the following claims, including equivalents.

[0103] Furthermore, the claims set forth at the end of this patent application are not intended to be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless explicitly stated in the claims, such as “means for” or “step for.” The systems and methods described herein are intended to improve the functionality of computers and to enhance the operation of conventional computers.

Claims

1. A system for routing traffic from mobile devices, (i) Tag traffic received via the mobile network, (ii) A router configured to send the tagged traffic to a satellite terminal (STE) modem, (i) configured to receive the tagged traffic, (ii) The STE modem comprising a first data access point name (APN) configured to route the first traffic to the nearest internet gateway based on a first tag of the first traffic, and a second APN configured to route the second traffic to a data center based on a second tag of the second traffic, A system that includes these features.

2. The system according to claim 1, The first traffic includes a system that includes traffic associated with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and / or video chat.

3. A system according to either claim 1 or claim 2, The second traffic includes a system that includes traffic associated with video entertainment.

4. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The router is a system including an aircraft router unit (ARU).

5. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The system receives the country selection from the user's mobile device. A system further comprising one or more processors configured to set a data center geographically located in the selected country as the data center.

6. The system according to claim 5, The system wherein the one or more processors are one or more processors of the STE modem.

7. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The system receives the country selection from the user's mobile device. Identify the data center with the lowest latency that is geographically located in the selected country. A system further comprising one or more processors configured to set the identified data center as the data center.

8. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The aforementioned router further, The current location of a moving object is determined based on both geolocation maps and technical standards. A system configured to determine the nearest internet gateway based on the identified current location.

9. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The aforementioned router, If a mobile entity is located within a geographical area, the traffic is tagged so that all traffic is routed to the data center. If the moving body is not located within the geographical area, (i) Traffic associated with geolocation requirements is routed to the data center, (ii) Traffic not associated with the geolocation requirements is routed to the nearest Internet gateway. A system configured to tag the aforementioned traffic.

10. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, Mobile entities include aircraft, The aforementioned router further, Using a deep packet inspection (DPI) system, the application on the user's mobile device is identified. Determine whether the aforementioned application has geolocation requirements, During the flight of the aforementioned aircraft, If the application has the geolocation requirements, the traffic associated with the application is tagged so that the traffic associated with the application is routed to the data center. A system configured to tag traffic associated with an application so that, if the application does not have the geolocation requirements, the traffic associated with the application is routed to the nearest internet gateway.

11. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, The aforementioned router further, The traffic received from the first wireless access point is tagged so that it is routed to the nearest internet gateway. The traffic received from the second wireless access point is tagged so that it is routed to the data center. A system configured to tag the aforementioned traffic by doing so.

12. A system for routing traffic from mobile devices, A first wireless access point configured to send first traffic to a router, A second wireless access point configured to transmit second traffic to the router, (i) Tag the first traffic so that it is routed to the nearest internet gateway, and send the first tagged traffic to a satellite terminal (STE) modem. (ii) The router is configured to tag the second traffic so that the second traffic is routed to a data center, and to send the second tagged traffic to the STE modem, A system that includes these features.

13. The system according to claim 12, The satellite terminal (STE) modem is further configured to receive the first tagged traffic and the second tagged traffic from the router, The aforementioned STE modem is A first data access point name (APN) configured to route the first traffic to the nearest internet gateway based on the first tag of the first traffic, A second APN configured to route the second traffic to the data center based on the second tag of the second traffic. A system that includes these features.

14. The system according to claim 13, A system comprising the first wireless access point, the second wireless access point, the router, and the satellite terminal (STE) modem, all contained within a mobile device.

15. A system according to any one of claims 12 to 14, The system receives a selection of either the first wireless access point or the second wireless access point from the user's mobile device. A system further comprising one or more processors configured to connect the user's mobile device to the first wireless access point or the second wireless access point, according to the selection described above.

16. A method performed by a computer for routing traffic from a mobile object, Tagging traffic received via a router through a mobile network, The router transmits the tagged traffic to the satellite terminal (STE) modem, Route the first traffic included in the tagged traffic via a first access point name (APN) to the nearest internet gateway based on the first tag of the first traffic. Route the second traffic included in the tagged traffic to the data center via the second APN based on the second tag of the second traffic. A method performed by a computer, including [this].

17. A method performed by a computer according to claim 16, The first traffic is a method performed by a computer, including traffic associated with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and / or video chat.

18. A method performed by a computer according to either claim 16 or claim 17, The second traffic is a method performed by a computer, which includes traffic associated with video entertainment.

19. A computer-based method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, The router is a computer-based method, including an aircraft router unit (ARU).

20. A computer-based method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, Through one or more processors, Receiving the country selection from the user's mobile device, The data center to be geographically located in the selected country is to be designated as the data center. Methods performed by computers, including, furthermore.

Images