Hierarchical communication system providing intelligent data, program and processing migration
View Patent ↗A hierarchical communication system, arranged in a spanning tree configuration, is described in which wired and wireless communication networks exhibiting substantially different characteristics are employed in an overall scheme to link portable or mobile computing devices. Copies of data, program code and processing resources are migrated from their source toward requesting destinations based on request frequency, communication link costs and available local storage and/or processing resources. Each appropriately configured network device acts as an active participant in network migration. In addition, portable two-dimensional (2-D) code reading terminals are configured to wirelessly communicate compressed 2-D images toward stationary access servers that identify the code image through decoding and through comparison with a database of images that have previously been decoded and stored.
1. A communication network having a plurality of computing devices, at least one of the plurality of computing devices comprises a roaming terminal device, and each of the plurality of computing devices confirmed with a wireless transceiver, the communication network comprising:
a plurality of access devices supporting wireless communications among the plurality of computing devices;
at least one of said plurality of access devices delivers data to the roaming terminal device; and
the at least one of the plurality of access devices selectively stores the delivered data for subsequent delivery of the delivered data to the roaming terminal device,
wherein at least one of said plurality of access devices selectively migrates processing resources to support future processing requests.
2. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the processing resources perform the function of decoding signals representative of two-dimensional images captured by a two-dimensional code reading device.
3. The communication network according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one of said plurality of access devices considers a frequency that data is requested before selecting which data to store.
4. The communication network according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one of said plurality of access devices considers its available storage capacity before selecting which data to store.
5. The communication network according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one of said plurality of access devices considers a size of the data before selecting which data to store.
6. A communication network having a plurality of computing devices, at least one of the plurality of computing devices comprises a roaming terminal device, and each of the plurality of computing devices configured with a wireless transceiver, the communication network comprising:
a plurality of access devices supporting wireless communications among the plurality of computing devices;
at least one of said plurality of access devices delivers data to the roaming terminal device; and
the at least one of the plurality of access devices selectively stores the delivered data for subsequent delivery of the delivered data to the roaming terminal device,
wherein at least one of said plurality of access devices selectively migrates program code.
7. The communication network according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one of said plurality of access devices considers a frequency that data is requested before selecting which data to store.
8. The communication network according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one of said plurality of access devices considers its available storage capacity before selecting which data to store.
9. The communication network according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one of said plurality of access devices considers a size of the delivered data before selecting which data to store.
10. A communication network having a plurality of computing devices, at least one of the plurality of computing devices comprises a roaming terminal device, and each of the plurality of computing devices configured with a wireless transceiver, the communication network comprising:
a plurality of access devices supporting wireless communications among the plurality of computing devices;
at least one of said plurality of access devices delivers data to the roaming terminal device; and
the at least one of the plurality of access devices selectively stores the delivered data for subsequent delivery of the delivered data to the roaming terminal device,
wherein the at least one of said plurality of access devices considers a cost of re-obtaining data before selecting which data to store.
11. A communication network having a plurality of computing devices, at least one of the plurality of computing devices comprises a roaming terminal device, and each of the plurality of computing devices configured with a wireless transceiver, the communication network comprising:
a plurality of access devices supporting wireless communications among the plurality of computing devices;
at least one of said plurality of access devices delivers data to the roaming terminal device; and
the at least one of the plurality of access devices selectively stores the delivered data for subsequent delivery of the delivered data to the roaming terminal device,
wherein the at least one of said plurality of access devices considers a cost to re-obtain the stored data before selecting what stored data to delete.
12. A communication network having a plurality of computing devices, at least one of the plurality of computing devices comprises a roaming terminal device, and each of the plurality of computing devices configured with a wireless transceiver, the communication network comprising:
a plurality of access devices supporting wireless communications among the plurality of computing devices;
at least one of said plurality of access devices delivers data to the roaming terminal device; and
the at least one of the plurality of access devices selectively stores the delivered data for subsequent delivery of the delivered data to the roaming terminal device,
wherein the at least one of said plurality of access devices considers a frequency that the stored data is requested before selecting what stored data to delete.
13. A method for communications, comprising:
supporting wireless communications among a plurality of computing devices via a plurality of access devices, at least one of the plurality of computing devices comprising a roaming terminal device, each of the plurality of computing devices comprising a wireless transceiver;
delivering data to the roaming terminal device via at least one of the plurality of access devices;
selectively retaining the delivered data for subsequent delivery of the delivered data to the roaming terminal device via the at least one of the plurality of access devices; and
selectively migrating processing resources via at least one of the plurality of access devices to support future processing requests.
14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the processing resources perform the function of decoding signals representative of two-dimensional images captured by a two-dimensional code reading device.
15. The method according to claim 13 , comprising:
considering a frequency that data is requested via the at least one of the plurality of access devices before selecting which data to retain.
16. The method according to claim 13 , comprising:
considering available storage capacity of the at least one of the plurality of access devices before selecting which data to retain.
17. The method according to claim 13 , comprising:
considering data size via the at least one of the plurality of access devices before selecting which data to retain.
18. A method for communications, comprising:
supporting wireless communications among a plurality of computing devices via a plurality of access devices, at least one of the plurality of computing devices comprising a roaming terminal device, each of the plurality of computing devices comprising a wireless transceiver;
delivering data to the roaming terminal device via at least one of the plurality of access devices;
selectively retaining the delivered data for subsequent delivery of the delivered data to the roaming terminal device via the at least one of the plurality of access devices; and
selectively migrating program code via at least one of the plurality of access devices.
19. The method according to claim 18 , comprising;
considering a frequency that data is requested via the at least one of the plurality of access devices before selecting which data to retain.
20. The method according to claim 18 , comprising:
considering available storage capacity of the at least one of the plurality of access devices before selecting which data to retain.
21. The method according to claim 18 , comprising:
considering data size via the at least one of the plurality of access devices before selecting which data to retain.
22. A method for communications, comprising:
supporting wireless communications among a plurality of computing devices via a plurality of access devices, at least one of the plurality of computing devices comprising a roaming terminal device, each of the plurality of computing devices comprising a wireless transceiver;
delivering data to the roaming terminal device via at least one of the plurality of access devices;
selectively retaining the delivered data for subsequent delivery of the delivered data to the roaming terminal device via the at least one of the plurality of access devices; and
considering a cost of re-obtaining data via the at least one of the plurality of access devices before selecting which data to retain.
23. A method for communications, comprising:
supporting wireless communications among a plurality of computing devices via a plurality of access devices, at least one of the plurality of computing devices comprising a roaming terminal device, each of the plurality of computing devices comprising a wireless transceiver;
delivering data to the roaming terminal device via at least one of the plurality of access devices;
selectively retaining the delivered data for subsequent delivery of the delivered data to the roaming terminal device via the at least one of the plurality of access devices; and
considering a cost to re-obtain the retained data via the at least one of the plurality of access devices before selecting which data to delete.
24. A method for communications, comprising:
supporting wireless communications among a plurality of computing devices via a plurality of access devices, at least one of the plurality of computing devices comprising a roaming terminal device, each of the plurality of computing devices comprising a wireless transceiver;
delivering data to the roaming terminal device via at least one of the plurality of access devices;
selectively retaining the delivered data for subsequent delivery of the delivered data to the roaming terminal device via the at least one of the plurality of access devices; and
considering a frequency that the retained data is requested via the at least one of the plurality of access devices before selecting which retained data to delete.