Object transfer control in a communications network

• US 20050240940A1
• Filed: 04/05/2002
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Schaffrath, Daniel, Quinet, Raphael
• Granted Patent: US 7,721,294 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and an intermediate component for controlling in a communications network an object transfer from a first network component via the intermediate component to a second network component which is remote from the first network component are described. The object transfer is based on a plurality of object requests relating to objects referred to in one or more codes to be processed by the second network component or another network component. The intermediate component forms the steps of sending an object request to the first network component, receiving the requested object from the first network component, updating and/or assessing a priority of the requested object, and, in dependence of the priority of the requested object, delaying the requested object or forwarding the requested object to the second network component. An initial priority is assigned to the requested objects on the basis of an analysis of at least one of the object request and the code that refers to the requested object.

Claims

1. A method, in a communications network, of controlling an object transfer from a first component via an intermediate component to a second component which is remote from the first component, wherein the object transfer is based on a plurality of object requests relating to objects referred to in one or more codes to be processed by the second or another component of the communications network, the intermediate component performing the steps of:

sending an object request to the first component;

receiving the requested object from the first component;

assessing or updating a priority of the requested object, wherein an initial priority has been assigned to the requested object on the basis of an analysis of at least one of the object request and the code that refers to the requested object; and

in dependence of the priority of the requested object, delaying the requested object or forwarding the requested object to the second component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the delaying is performed such that the order in which the objects are received from the first component differs from the order in which the objects are forwarded to the second component.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the object request is received from the second component or generated by the intermediate component.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein delaying of the requested object includes at least one of instructing the second component to repeat the object request, suspending a connection to the second component via which the requested object is to be forwarded, and informing the second component that the requested object will automatically be forwarded at a later point in time.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein instructing the second component to repeat the object request includes:

assigning a specific attribute to the object to be delayed;

informing the second component of the attribute;

receiving a reference to the attribute from the second component; and

upon receipt of the reference to the attribute, sending the delayed object to the second component or further delaying the delayed object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein requested objects are forwarded via a plurality of connections to the second component.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein selected ones of the connections to the second component are suspended dependent upon the priorities of the requested objects that were received from the first component and that are to be forwarded via the selected ones of the connections.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein to each connection a specific share of processing capabilities is dynamically allocated.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a code request to the first or a third component;

receiving the requested code from the first or the third component;

analyzing the received code with respect to references to objects;

assessing the references to objects with the purpose of assigning initial priorities to the objects referred to in the received code.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein upon receipt of a response containing the object requested from the first component, the response is evaluated with respect to the received object'"'"'s priority in order to determine whether or not the initial priority of the received object has to be updated.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a priority list that contains priority information for individual objects or classes of objects.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising repeatedly assessing the priority list with respect to at least one of updating priority information, deleting objects or classes of objects and corresponding information, from the priority list.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps are performed by a proxy component situated on the first component, on the second component or configured as a separate hardware component of the communications network.

14. A method of delaying in a communications network an object transfer from a first component via an intermediate component to a second component, which is remote from the first component, wherein the object transfer is based on a plurality of object requests relating to objects referred to in one or more codes to be processed by the second or another component of the communications network, the intermediate component performing the steps of:

assigning a specific attribute to an object which is to be delayed;

informing the second component about the attribute;

receiving a reference to the attribute from the second component; and

upon receipt of the reference to the attribute, sending the delayed object to which the attribute has been assigned to the second component or further delaying the delayed object.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the object is sent to the second component in accordance with a pushing scheme or in response to an object request received from the second component.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the second component is informed about the attribute in context with an instruction to repeat the object request and wherein the reference to the attribute is received from the second component in context with a repeated object request.

17. A computer program product in a computer usable medium for controlling an object transfer from a first component to a second component via an intermediate component, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for sending an object request to the first component;

instructions for receiving the requested object from the first component;

instructions for assessing and updating a priority of the requested object, wherein an initial priority has been assigned to the requested object on the basis of an analysis of at least one of the object request and the code that refers to the requested object; and

in dependence of the priority of the requested object, instructions for delaying the requested object or forwarding the requested object to the second component.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, stored on a computer readable medium, further comprising;

assigning a specific attribute to an object which is to be delayed;

informing the second component about the attribute;

receiving a reference to the attribute from the second component; and

upon receipt of the reference to the attribute, sending the delayed object to which the attribute has been assigned to the second component or further delaying the delayed object.

19. An intermediate component for controlling in a communications network an object transfer from a first component via the intermediate component to a second component which is remote from the first component, wherein the object transfer is based on a plurality of object requests relating to objects referred to in one or more codes to be processed by the second component of the communications network, the intermediate component comprising:

a communications interface for sending an object request to the first component and for receiving the requested object from the first component;

a processing unit for assessing or updating a priority of the requested object, wherein an initial priority has been assigned to the requested object on the basis of an analysis of at least one of the object request and the code that refers to the requested object, and

wherein the processing unit in dependence of the priority of the requested object delays the requested object or controls the communications interface to forward the requested object to the second component.

20. An intermediate component for delaying in a communications network an object transfer from a first component via the intermediate component to a second component which is remote from the first component, wherein the object transfer is based on a plurality of object requests relating to objects referred to in one or more codes to be processed by the second component of the communication network, the intermediate component comprising:

a processing unit for assigning a specific attribute to an object which is to be delayed, and

a communications interface for informing the second component about the attribute, for receiving a reference to the attribute from the second component and, upon receipt of the reference to the attribute, for sending the delayed object to which the attribute has been assigned to the second component B or further delaying the delayed object.

21. The intermediate component of claim 20, configured as a proxy server.

22. A network system comprising

an intermediate component for controlling an object transfer from

a first component via the intermediate component to a second component which is remote from the first component, wherein the object transfer is based on a plurality of object requests relating to objects referred to in one or more codes to be processed by the second component of the communication network, the intermediate component comprising:

a processing unit for assigning a specific attribute to an object which is to be delayed and

a communications interface for informing the second component about the attribute, for receiving a reference to the attribute from the second component and, upon receipt of the reference to the attribute, for sending the delayed object to which the attribute has been assigned to the second component or further delaying the delayed object.

23. The network system of claim 22, further comprising a first link between the intermediate component and the first component and a second link between the intermediate component and the second component, wherein the first link and the second link have different transfer rates.

24. The network system of claim 22, comprising a second component in the form of a mobile terminal.