Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Thomas Christian Zahn

Antony Rowstron

Gregory O'Shea

Content transfer between nodes in a communications network is required in many situations. For example, between fixed nodes in a data center, between a fixed node such as a base station and a mobile node such as a mobile telephone and between mobile nodes themselves such as personal digital assistants. In an embodiment a content transfer process for use between nodes where one node knows the size of content to be transferred is described. For example, a file is divided into blocks to be sent between the nodes. A node receiving a block keeps a record of the received blocks and sends that record to the sending node at certain times. By controlling the times at which the records are sent the number of messages that need to be sent to transfer the records is low and the blocks are transferred in an efficient manner.

Content transfer

Content discovery and content transfer between mobile communications nodes is often required, for example, to synchronize maps, traffic hot spot information and the like for vehicle mounted satellite navigation devices, pedestrian hand-held personal digital assistants and other mobile communications nodes. In an embodiment, content discovery processes using a tree-based data structure for transferring data between two mobile communication nodes is described.

Content discovery and transfer between mobile communications nodes

Content discovery and content transfer between mobile communications nodes is often required, for example, to synchronize maps, traffic hot spot information and the like for vehicle mounted satellite navigation devices, pedestrian hand-held personal digital assistants and other mobile communications nodes. In an embodiment, content discovery processes using data structures designed in particular ways and sent using a single packet enable nodes to identify files to be transferred whilst keeping overheads down. In an embodiment a first and a second data structure are used, each being formed from slightly different information about a subset of the files to be synchronized. In another embodiment a single tree-based data structure is used. A process for transferring data between two mobile communications nodes is also described.

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Cambridge, United Kingdom

Thomas Christian Zahn