Patent ID: 8676920
Filing Date: 2014-03-18
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for managing digital content data in a vehicle's cache, said method comprising: providing a local cache and a collective cache in a host vehicle, where the local cache is used to store digital content data files that are of interest to occupants of the host vehicle, and the collective cache is used to store digital content data files for sharing with other vehicles; establishing communication with another vehicle by the host vehicle, and receiving a digital content summary list from the other vehicle; identifying a new piece of digital content from the summary list; determining if the new piece of digital content is of interest to occupants of the host vehicle and, if the new piece of digital content is of interest to occupants of the host vehicle, requesting replication of the new piece of digital content, receiving the new piece of digital content from the other vehicle, and storing the new piece of digital content in the local cache; calculating a content utility value for the new piece of digital content if it was not stored in the local cache, and comparing the content utility value to a storage threshold value, where calculating a content utility value includes using an equation containing a popularity value, a freshness value, and a size value, and where the popularity value, the freshness value, and the size value are received from the other vehicle; determining if the content utility value for the new piece of digital content exceeds the storage threshold value; and requesting replication of the new piece of digital content, receiving the new piece of digital content from the other vehicle, and storing the new piece of digital content in the collective cache, if the content utility value for the new piece of digital content exceeds the storage threshold value.