FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to wireless networks. In particular, this invention relates to a method and a module for enabling continuous access to internet information and interactivity when primary network is temporarily disrupted.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A server stores objects in serialised form in cache. When a cache client requests an object from the cache, the server sends it to the client over the network. The cache client then de-serialises the object for use by the client application.

When local cache is enabled, the cache client stores a reference to the object locally. This keeps the object active in the memory of the client application. When the application requests the object, the cache client first checks whether the object resides in the local cache. If so, the reference to the object is returned immediately without contacting server. If it does not exist, the object is retrieved from the server. The cache client then de-serialises the object and stores the reference to this newly retrieved object in the local cache. The client application uses this same object. Caching allows client devices to locally store information for authenticating, session tracking and for remembering specific information about users such as service preferences, browsing history, previous activities and the like.

Patent publication no. US 2013/0060885 A1 discloses a data caching module that determines a request from a device for specifying content data directed to a web server or a storage destination. However, with such approach, the invention may have trouble with lagging due to heavy synchronization process that occurs in the ungrouped caching servers. Patent publication no. US 2012/0284356 A1 discloses a wireless traffic management system cache optimization, but the synchronization in the invention may not be effective due to heavy synchronization that takes place simultaneously in ungrouped caching servers of the same network.

A disclosure in patent publication no. US 2006/0015570 A1 states that the invention can only synchronize and store limited size objects in the local cache.

Another concern raised is most of the prior art documents do not concentrate on local data synchronization in high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), for example International publication no. WO 2006/11 1016 A1.

Accordingly, it can be seen in the prior art that there exists a need to provide a method for synchronising data in local cache for HSDPA user during offline use without limiting the size of cache elements.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention provides a method for enabling continuous access to internet information and interactivity when primary network such as 3G wireless networks, high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) network, or the like, is temporarily disrupted.

In general, the method works by allowing synchronization of data, such as cached objects, between a plurality of caching servers that are clustered together to form a group by utilizing a dedicated radio in addition to the existing network radio (e.g. 3G radio, HSDPA radio, or the like) and WiFi radio.

Specifically, the method is characterized by the steps of providing a plurality of caching servers; clustering the plurality of caching servers into a group; selecting and converting one of the caching servers within the group to become an access point; selecting and converting the rest of the caching serves within the group to become client caching servers; the access point gathers data from each client caching server; the access point consolidates all the gathered data to form a complete data; synchronizing the data between the client caching servers within the group via the access point having the complete data by using a dedicated radio in addition to the existing network radio and WiFi radio; and each client caching server consolidates the received complete data with its own existing data to produce a duplicate copy of the complete data.

The present invention also provides a synchronization module for enabling continuous access to internet information and interactivity when primary network, such as 3G wireless networks, HSDPA network, or the like, is temporarily disrupted.

In particular, the synchronization module is characterized by a plurality of client caching servers, an access point for gathering data from each client caching server and consolidating the said data to become a complete data, and a dedicated radio for synchronizing data between the client caching servers via the access point having the complete data in addition to the existing network radio and WiFi radio.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention will become more apparent and better understood by reference to the following detailed description. It should be understood that the detailed description made known below is not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the precise disclosed form as the invention may assume various alternative forms. On the contrary, the detailed description covers all the relevant modifications and alterations made to the present invention, unless the claims expressly state otherwise. The core aspect of the present invention relates to a method for enabling continuous access to internet information and interactivity when primary network is temporarily disrupted. Generally, the present invention works by allowing a plurality of caching servers, which are clustered together, to synchronize data with each other through an access point by employing a dedicated radio in addition to the existing network radio and WiFi radio.

The wireless network in the present invention refers to 3G network, HSDPA network, or the like.

The network radio in the present invention refers to 3G radio, HSDPA radio, or the like.

Particularly, the aforementioned method is characterized by the steps of providing a plurality of caching servers; clustering the plurality of caching servers into a group; selecting and converting one of the caching servers within the group to become an access point; selecting and converting the rest of the caching serves within the group to become client caching servers; the access point gathers data from each client caching server; the access point consolidates all the gathered data to form a complete data; synchronizing the data between the client caching servers within the group via the access point having the complete data by using a dedicated radio in addition to the existing network radio and WiFi radio; and each client caching server consolidates the received complete data with its own existing data to produce a duplicate copy of the complete data.

To be more specific, the method starts by selecting a first caching server, and by default, making the first caching server as the access point. Thereafter, the first caching server starts to scan its neighborhood for a second caching server. Upon successfully scanning the second caching server, a couple of tests is performed on the second caching server before it is allowed to join the first caching server to form a group. The first test is a test to determine the speed of the second caching server. The first caching server will perform a received signal strength indication (RSSI) checking on the second caching server to determine the speed of the second caching server. When it is determined that the speed of the second caching server is at least less than -70 dBm, the second caching server is allowed to join the first caching server to form the group. This test ensures that the method of the present invention is performed with maximum speed, thus avoiding data lagging.

The second test is a test to determine whether the second caching server already belongs to another existing group of caching servers. If it is not, the second caching server is allowed to join the first caching server to form the group.

Consequently, a check on the MAC addresses of the first caching server and the second caching server is performed. The caching server with a higher MAC address will become the access point, whereas the caching server with a lower MAC address will become the client caching server. In this case, there are two scenarios. The first one being the first caching server has a higher MAC address than the second caching server, and therefore the first caching server remains as the access point and the second caching server becomes the client caching server. The second scenario being the second caching server has a higher MAC address than the first caching server, and therefore the second caching server replaces the first caching server to act as the new access point, forcing the first caching server to become the client caching server. The aforementioned steps starting from the scanning part to the MAC addresses checking are carried on until the maximum number of caching servers that are allowed in a group has been reached. In the present invention, it is recommended that the group consists of no more than 20 caching servers. It also means that the group of 20 caching servers would have one caching server acting as the access point, and nineteen caching servers acting as the client caching servers.

Subsequently, the access point will gather all the data from each client caching server, and consolidates the gathered data to form a complete data. The data synchronization between the client caching servers is performed when the data within the client caching servers are different from the complete data within the access point. It is carried out by having the access point to furnish the client caching servers with the complete data through the dedicated radio. Note that this dedicated radio is an addition to the existing network radio and WiFi radio. With this dedicated radio, the speed of the existing network radio and WiFi radio will not be affected. Upon receiving the complete data, each client caching server will consolidate the complete data with its own existing data, therefore producing a duplicate copy of the complete data.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a synchronization module for enabling continuous access to internet information and interactivity when primary network is temporarily disrupted, characterized by a plurality of client caching servers, an access point for gathering data from each client caching server and consolidating the data to become a complete data, and a dedicated radio for synchronizing data between the client caching servers via the access point having the complete data in addition to the existing network radio and WiFi radio.