Methods and apparatus for centralized provisioning of multi-domain web content

• US 20040064501A1
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alcatel Canada Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel Canada Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Jan, Salman Jaffer, McNeely, Jason
• Application Number:
  US10/259,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20040064501A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for serving web content pertaining to multiple domains from a single web application server are presented. Web content is consolidated in, and region specific web content is served from, a central information store. The solution provides a determination as to which region a particular web content request pertains to. Based on the determination, region specific web content is selected from the consolidated web content and served. Users benefit from a region specific look, feel, and served content. Service providers benefit from centralized service provisioning at reduced provisioning overheads and reduced provisioning costs.

Claims

1. A web content server comprising:

a. a translator responsive to a received Universal Resource Locator (URL) request, the translator determining a web site relevant to the processing of the URL request; and

b. a web content processor dynamically customizing web content in accordance with the determined web site relevant to the URL request;

the determination of the web site relevant to the URL request made by the translator enabling multi-domain web content provisioning from a single web content server.

2. A web content server as claimed in claim 1, the web content server further comprises an application server.

3. A web content server as claimed in claim 1, the web content server further comprising a servlet engine.

4. A web content server as claimed in claim 3, wherein the translator comprises a Universal Resource Identifier (URI) switch.

5. A web content server as claimed in claim 4, wherein the determined web site further comprises a re-written URL request specification.

6. A web content server as claimed in claim 3, wherein the translator comprises a domain view determinator.

7. A web content server as claimed in claim 6, wherein the determined web site further comprises a domain view specification.

8. A web content server as claimed in claim 1, the translator further accessing a group of rules in determining the web site relevant to the processing of the URL request.

9. A web content server as claimed in claim 8, where the group of rules comprises customizable rules.

10. A web content server as claimed in claim 8, where the group of rules comprises a lookup table codifying the group of rules.

11. A web content server as claimed in claim 1, the web content server further having access to at least one web page template used in customizing the presentation of web content in accordance with the determined web site.

12. A web content server as claimed in claim 1, the web content server further having access to a web content repository from which web content is retrieved based on the determined web site.

13. A web content server as claimed in claim 1, the web content server further having access to a web content repository from which web content is retrieved based on one of the URL request and a modified URL request.

14. A method of serving web content in response to a received Universal Resource Locator (URL) request comprising steps of:

a. determining a web site relevant to the processing of the URL request; and

b. serving dynamically customized web content in accordance with the determined web site

the run-time determination of the web site relevant to the URL request enables multi-domain web content provisioning from a single web content server.

15. A method of serving web content as claimed in claim 14, wherein determining the web site relevant to the URL request further comprises a step of:

applying at least one rule of a group of rules to determine the relevant web site.

16. A method of serving web content as claimed in claim 14, wherein determining the relevant web site, the method further comprises a step of:

specifying a domain view.

17. A method of serving web content as claimed in claim 14, wherein determining the relevant web site, the method further comprises a step of:

re-writing the specification of the URL request.

18. A method of serving web content as claimed in claim 17, wherein determining the relevant web site, the method further comprises a step of:

re-writing a URI portion of the specification of the URL request.

19. A method of serving web content as claimed in claim 14, wherein prior to serving dynamically customized web content, the method further comprises steps of:

a. retrieving a web page template;

b. retrieving web content in accordance with the determined web site; and

c. generating a web page by populating the retrieved web page template with the retrieved web content.

20. A method of serving web content as claimed in claim 19, wherein retrieving the web page template, the method further comprises a step of:

retrieving the web page template from a plurality of web page templates in accordance with the web site determination.