Custodian-Based Routing for Energy-Efficient Content Caching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current Internet architecture, based on location-based addressing, is inadequate for meeting the demands of ubiquitous and ever-changing network requirements, particularly in content-centric networks, where energy-efficient content caching is needed to prevent battery drainage in mobile devices from frequent content requests.

Innovation Solution

Implementing custodian-based routing in content-centric networks, where content stored on mobile devices is mapped to a backup custodian, allowing the backup custodian to handle requests and cache content, reducing the need for mobile devices to constantly provide content and thus conserving energy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If mobile devices directly handle frequent content requests, then content availability is improved, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent availabilityVSAvoidbattery drainage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a backup custodian as an intermediary device that receives content requests on behalf of mobile devices. The backup custodian maintains a mapping between content names and mobile device locations, allowing requests to be routed through the stationary backup custodian rather than directly to mobile devices, thereby reducing their energy consumption while maintaining content availability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a virtual copy of the mobile device's content catalog at the backup custodian. The backup custodian stores a mapping of content names to mobile device locations without necessarily storing the actual content, enabling it to intercept and route requests without draining mobile device battery while maintaining the illusion of direct access

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Use of energy by moving object

If content is cached on backup custodian, then energy consumption of mobile device is reduced, but network complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenergy efficiencyVSAvoidrouting complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The backup custodian autonomously manages the content request routing process by maintaining local mappings of content names to mobile device locations. It independently determines whether to forward requests to mobile devices or serve from its own cache, eliminating the need for complex centralized routing protocols and reducing network overhead

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The backup custodian pre-establishes mappings between content names and mobile device locations before requests arrive. This preliminary organization of routing information allows for simple, direct request forwarding without requiring complex real-time routing decisions, thereby reducing network complexity while maintaining energy efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2466845B1Energy-efficient content caching with custodian-based routing in content-centric networks
Publication Date: 2016.05.18 PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INC
  • EP2466845B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2466845B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2466845B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for facilitating custodian-based routing. During operation, the system receives (308), at a computing device serving as a backup custodian to one or more mobile devices, a request for a piece of content from a requesting device, which has mapped the content to the computing device based on the content's name without using the computing device's physical address. The system determines (314) whether the content is available on the computing device. In response to the content not being available on the computing device, the system identifies (318) a mobile device that stores the content, and obtains the content from the identified mobile device. The system then caches (324) the content on the computing device, thereby enabling the computing device to provide the content in response to subsequent requests without connecting to the identified mobile device, and provides the content to the requesting device.