Edge Cache Controller Session Management for Mobile Video Continuity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing Content Delivery Network (CDN) architectures struggle to ensure continuous audio and/or video delivery services to mobile terminals during handovers, while also optimizing resource management and session context updates.

Innovation Solution

A method utilizing a content delivery system deployed on top of a mobile network infrastructure, comprising plural edge cache servers arranged in a star or hierarchical topology, with an edge cache controller managing session identifiers and context updates, ensuring routing through configurable breakout functions for anycast addressing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If a CDN architecture is deployed on top of a mobile network infrastructure with edge cache servers, then the delivery speed and proximity to mobile terminals is improved, but service continuity during handovers deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent delivery speedVSAvoidservice continuity during handovers

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the CDN architecture into multiple edge cache servers deployed at different aggregation nodes within the mobile network. Each edge cache server serves a specific geographic area or cell group, allowing mobile terminals to be served by the nearest edge cache server while maintaining service continuity through coordinated handover management between segmented server instances.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a session management function that acts as an intermediary between mobile terminals and edge cache servers. This intermediary maintains session context information and coordinates handovers between different edge cache servers, ensuring service continuity while enabling fast content delivery from the nearest server during each handover event.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Length of moving object

If multiple edge cache servers are deployed across radio cells, then the proximity to mobile terminals is improved, but the complexity of managing session context information increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedistance to mobile terminalVSAvoidsession context management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Length of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The session management function is designed as a universal component that handles multiple functions: maintaining session context information, authorizing content access, tracking mobile terminal mobility, and coordinating handovers between edge cache servers. This multi-functional approach reduces overall system complexity by consolidating session management tasks into a single standardized interface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where edge cache servers report session status and mobile terminal location information to the session management function. This feedback loop enables automatic session context updates and handover decisions, reducing the manual configuration and management complexity that would otherwise be required for multiple distributed edge cache servers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Use of energy by moving object

If edge cache servers are deployed deeply in the mobile network, then resource consumption is reduced, but the difficulty of ensuring service continuity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork resource consumptionVSAvoidservice continuity assurance

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The session management function performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing session context information and authorization data before mobile terminals actually request content. This allows edge cache servers to be deployed deeply in the network with minimal real-time coordination overhead, as the necessary session information is prepared in advance and can be quickly retrieved during handovers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12238629B2Method for delivering an audio and/or video content in a mobile network infrastructure

Publication Date: 2025.02.25 BROADPEAK

AI summary

A content delivery system for delivering an audio and/or video content to a mobile terminal is deployed on top of a mobile network and includes plural edge cache servers arranged using a star or hierarchical topology. The edge cache servers are connected to respective aggregation nodes of the mobile network such that a configurable breakout function of the nodes enables routing thereto packets addressed to an anycast addressing associated with the servers. When receiving a request, from the mobile terminal, for obtaining a manifest file of the audio and/or video content, an edge cache controller of the content delivery system creates a session identifier including a unicast addressing part pointing to the controller, and redirects the mobile terminal to the anycast addressing of the servers. The servers then obtain the session identifier from the mobile terminal and use the unicast addressing contained therein to receive context information from the controller.