Edge Computing UE Cache Flushing for Service Continuity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless communication systems face inefficiencies in updating user equipment (UE) DNS caches during application context relocation, leading to potential service interruptions and resource wastage due to slow cache expiration times and inefficient handling of address changes.

Innovation Solution

The UE performs a proactive DNS cache flush or update based on detected events or received indications, triggering a query for a new address of the relocated application context, thereby ensuring rapid and efficient cache updates.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the UE waits for DNS cache TTL expiration before updating the address, then the cache remains stable and avoids frequent updates, but service interruption time increases and resource utilization decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveDNS cache stabilityVSAvoidservice interruption time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The UE proactively flushes or updates the DNS cache upon detecting application context relocation events (such as handover or PDU session modification) before the TTL expires. This preliminary action prevents service interruption caused by stale cache entries while avoiding the need to wait for natural cache expiration, thus resolving the contradiction between cache stability and service continuity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the UE frequently updates the DNS cache to maintain current address information, then service continuity is improved, but system complexity and resource consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice continuityVSAvoidcache update mechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The UE implements a feedback mechanism that monitors specific events (handover, PDU session modification, application context transfer) to trigger DNS cache updates only when necessary. This event-driven approach ensures service continuity by updating the cache at appropriate moments without requiring continuous or frequent updates, thereby reducing system complexity and resource consumption while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of manufacture

If the UE uses standard DNS cache expiration mechanism, then the system operates simply and predictably, but resource wastage occurs due to delayed address updates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem operation simplicityVSAvoidresource wastage
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The UE performs preliminary DNS cache flushing upon detecting relocation events, proactively eliminating stale address information before it causes service disruption. This approach maintains the simplicity of the standard cache mechanism while preventing resource wastage associated with attempting to communicate using outdated address information, thus resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and resource efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4241406B1User equipment cache modification for edge computing
Publication Date: 2025.10.29 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP4241406B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4241406B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4241406B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a user equipment (UE) may store, in a domain name system (DNS) cache, DNS information associated with an edge application server at which an application context, associated with an application client resident on the UE, is located. The UE may receive a first message associated with a handover of the UE or a second message associated with a transfer of the application context. The UE may modify the DNS cache, by updating the DNS information or flushing the DNS information, based at least in part on receiving the first message or the second message. Numerous other aspects are provided.