Filtering cached content based on embedded URLs

• US 20060015472A1
• Filed: 07/13/2004
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Blue Coat Systems Incorporated (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Valimaki, Mikko, Ahlander, John Lyman
• Granted Patent: US 8,788,528 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, computer program products, and data structures for filtering cached content based on embedded URLs. A computer system accesses a URL that corresponds to cached content. The computer system identifies an embedded URL included in the accessed URL. The embedded URL corresponds to a site that was accessed to retrieve the cached content. The computer system extracts the embedded URL from the accessed URL. The computer system determines if access to the cached content is to be allowed based on the embedded URL.

Claims

1. In a system that includes a content filter, a method for filtering electronic content based on an embedded URL, the method comprising the acts of:

accessing a URL that corresponds to cached content;

identifying an embedded URL included in the accessed URL, the embedded URL corresponding to a site that was accessed to retrieve the cached content;

extracting the embedded URL from the accessed URL; and

determining if access to the cached content is to be allowed based on the embedded URL.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a URL that corresponds to cached content comprises an act of accessing an HTTP URL that references cached content on the Internet.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a URL that corresponds to cached content comprises an act of accessing a URL with a host portion corresponding to a Web site that is not blocked by the content filter.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a URL that corresponds to cached content comprises an act of accessing a URL for a search engine, archive site, or language translation site.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a URL that corresponds to cached content comprises an act of accessing a URL that has text comprising another URL embedded in a portion of the URL, the portion being selected from among a path portion and searchpart portion.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a URL that corresponds to cached content comprises an act of accessing the URL from an HTTP message body.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a URL that corresponds to cached content comprises an act of accessing a URL that corresponds to search engine cached content.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a URL that corresponds to cached content comprises an act of accessing a URL that corresponds to archive site cached content.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a URL that corresponds to cached content comprises an act of accessing a URL that corresponds to language translated cached content.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying an embedded URL included in the accessed URL comprises an act of parsing a path portion of the accessed URL to identify text resembling a URL.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying an embedded URL included in the accessed URL comprises an act of parsing a searchpart portion of the accessed URL to identify text resembling a URL.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying an embedded URL included in the accessed URL comprises identifying an embedded URL with a host portion corresponding to a Web site that is blocked by the content filter.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining if access to the cached content is to be allowed based on the embedded URL comprises an act of determining access rights to the cached content based on filtering inputs.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of determining if access to the cached content is to be allowed based on the embedded URL comprises an act of determining that access to the cached content is to be blocked.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of determining that access to the cached content is to be blocked comprises an act of determining that access to the cached content is to be blocked, even though access to a Web site corresponding to the host portion of the accessed URL is allowed.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining if access to the cached content is to be allowed based on the embedded URL comprises an act of determining that access to the cached content is to be allowed.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an act of sending a search request to a search engine; and

an act of receiving search results that include the accessed URL.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising an act of requesting the cached content.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the act of requesting the cached content comprises an act of sending an HTTP GET to the accessed URL.

20. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the act requesting the cached content comprises an act of requesting content from a URL having a host portion that is the same as the host portion of a URL for a search engine that previously returned search results.

21. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the act requesting the cached content comprises an act of requesting content from a URL having a host portion that differs from the host portion of URL for a search engine that previously returned search results.

22. A computer program product for use in a system that includes a content filter, the computer program product for implementing a method for filtering electronic content based on an embedded URL, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, that when executed by a processor, cause the content filter to perform the following:

access a URL that corresponds to cached content;

identify an embedded URL included in the accessed URL, the embedded URL corresponding to a site that was accessed to retrieve the cached content;

extract the embedded URL from the accessed URL; and

determine if access to the cached content is to be allowed based on the embedded URL.

23. The computer program product as recited in claim 22, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the content filter to access a URL that corresponds to cached content comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the content filter to access a URL that corresponds to cached content on the Internet.

24. The computer program product as recited in claim 22, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the content filter to identify an embedded URL included in the accessed URL comprises computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the content filter to identify an embedded URL having a host portion corresponding to a Web site that is blocked by the content filter.

25. The computer program product as recited in claim 22, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the content filter to determine if access to the cached content is to be allowed based on the embedded URL comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the content filter to determining that access to the cached content is to be blocked, even though access to a Web site corresponding to the host portion of the accessed URL is allowed.

26. A computer system configured to filter electronic content based on an embedded URL, comprising:

one or more processing units; and

one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a content filter, the content filter begin configured to;

access a URL that corresponds to cached content;

identifying an embedded URL included in the accessed URL, the embedded URL corresponding to a site that was accessed to retrieve the cached content;

extract the embedded URL from the accessed URL; and

determining if access to the cached content is to be allowed based on the embedded URL.

27. The computer system as recited in claim 26, wherein the content filter being configured to access a URL that corresponds to cached content comprises the content filter being configured to access a URL for a search engine, archive site, or language translation site.

28. The computer system as recited in claim 26, wherein the content filter being configured to identifying an embedded URL included in the accessed URL comprises the content filer being configured to identify an embedded URL having a host portion corresponding to a Web site that is blocked by the content filter.

29. The computer system as recited in claim 26, wherein the content filter being configured to determining if access to the cached content is to be allowed based on the embedded URL comprises the content filter being configured to determining that access to the cached content is to be blocked, even though access to a Web site corresponding to the host portion of the accessed URL is allowed.