Flexible teleport architecture

• US 20060041635A1
• Filed: 05/28/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cain, David, Alexander, Zubin
• Granted Patent: US 7,454,479 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• 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 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A system and corresponding methods for mapping a teleport URL to a destination URL are provided. In one embodiment, a system for redirecting a teleport URL includes a storage unit configured to store a plurality of teleport entries, where each of the teleport entries is capable of being identified by a plurality of attributes, and where each of the plurality of teleport entries has zero, one or more parameter directives. The system also includes a module coupled to the storage unit and operable to process a plurality of teleport URLs. The module is also operable to identify one of the plurality of teleport entries that is appropriate for processing a teleport URL, and utilizes the identified one of the plurality of teleport entries to generate a destination URL that corresponds to the teleport URL.

Claims

1. A system for redirecting a teleport URL comprising:

a storage unit configured to store a plurality of teleport entries, each of the teleport entries capable of being identified by an attribute, each of the teleport entries having a parameter directive; and

a module for processing teleport URL strings, receiving a first teleport URL string for processing, and, responsive to receiving the first teleport URL string, for;

identifying one of the teleport entries of the storage unit that corresponds to the first teleport URL string by matching at least a first attribute of the first teleport URL string to an attribute in the identified teleport entry; and

generating a destination URL string that corresponds to the first teleport URL string by processing the first teleport URL string against a parameter directive in the identified teleport entry.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first attribute is an indication of a language of an operating system presently executing on a computer on which the first teleport URL string originated.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first attribute is an indication of a culture that is being employed by an operating system presently executing on a computer on which the first teleport URL string originated.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the attribute specifies a designation of a language and/or a culture.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the teleport entry is identified using a combination of a language attribute, a year attribute, and a teleport name attribute.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a parameter directive in the identified teleport entry renames a parameter in the first teleport URL string to a different name in the destination URL string.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a parameter directive in the identified teleport entry filters out a parameter in the first teleport URL string.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein a parameter directive in the identified teleport entry appends a parameter string to the destination URL string.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein a parameter in the first teleport URL string is maintained in the destination URL string.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein a parameter directive in the identified teleport entry maintains a name of a parameter in the first teleport URL string and changes a value of the parameter in the first teleport URL string to a second value specified by the parameter directive in the destination URL string.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein a parameter directive in the identified teleport entry changes a name of a parameter to a second name specified by the parameter directive in the destination URL string and maintains a value of the parameter in the first teleport URL string.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein a parameter directive in the identified teleport entry changes a name and a value of a parameter in the first teleport URL string to a second name and a second value specified by the parameter directive in the destination URL string.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein a name and a value of a parameter in the first teleport URL string is dropped.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising domain alias mappings having a mapping of an alias to a domain name, and wherein the module is further for:

determining if an alias is being used in the identified teleport entry; and

responsive to determining that an alias is being used in the identified teleport entry, replacing the alias with its corresponding domain name in the destination URL string.

15. A method for redirecting a teleport URL comprising:

providing teleport entries, each of the teleport entries having a teleport mapping data and optionally a parameter directive; and

upon receiving a first teleport URL string;

identifying a one of the provided teleport entries to use in processing the first teleport URL string; and

generating a destination URL string that corresponds to the first teleport URL string by applying the teleport mapping data and an optional parameter directive in the identified teleport entry against the first teleport URL string.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the identified teleport entry is identified using a combination of a language attribute, a year attribute, and a teleport name attribute.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the identified teleport entry renames a parameter in the first teleport URL string to a different name in the destination URL string.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the identified teleport entry omits a parameter in the first teleport URL string in the destination URL string.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the identified teleport entry maintains a parameter in the first teleport URL string in the destination URL string.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the identified teleport entry overrides a parameter value in the first teleport URL string to a different value in the destination URL string.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the identified teleport entry appends a character string to the destination URL string.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the identified teleport entry maintains a name of a parameter in the first teleport URL string and changes a value of the parameter in the first teleport URL string to a second value specified by the teleport entry in the destination URL string.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the identified teleport entry changes a name of a parameter to a second name specified by the parameter directive in the destination URL string and maintains a value of the parameter in the first teleport URL string.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the identified teleport entry changes a name and a value of a parameter in the first teleport URL string to a second name and a second value specified by the teleport entry in the destination URL string.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein a name and a value of a parameter in the first teleport URL string is dropped.

26. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

providing a mapping of a domain name and a corresponding alias;

determining whether an alias is present in the identified teleport entry; and

responsive to determining that an alias is present in the identified teleport entry, replacing the alias with its corresponding domain name in the destination URL string.

27. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

determine whether an input URL contains a language and/or culture designation; and

responsive to determining that there is a language and/or culture designation, provide content that is addressed by the input URL and that is dependent on the specified language and/or culture designation.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the URL is a teleport URL.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 28 further comprising computer instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

identify a teleport entry to use in generating a destination URL that corresponds to the teleport URL using the language and/or culture designation specified in the teleport URL; and

generate the destination URL by applying the teleport entry against the teleport URL.

30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 27 further comprising computer instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to provide unsolicited content dependent on the specified language and/or culture designation.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the language and/or culture designation is a language attribute that indicates the language of an operating system that is executing on a computer that generated the URL.

32. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the language and/or culture designation is a culture attribute that specifies a culture that is being employed by an operating system that is executing on a computer that generated the URL.

33. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 27 further comprising computer instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

determine whether content that is addressed by the input URL and dependent on the specified language and/or culture designation is available; and

responsive to determining that the content that is addressed by the input URL and dependent on the specified language and/or culture designation is unavailable, provide content that is not dependent on the specified language and/or culture designation.

34. A method in a computer system for generating a culture dependent URL comprising:

determining the language of an operating system presently executing on the computing system; and

adding a designation that indicates the language of the operating system to a URL.

35. The method of claim 34 further comprising:

determining a culture that is being currently employed on the computing system; and

adding a second designation that indicates the culture being currently employed on the computing system to the URL.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the culture is determined from an attribute of the operating system presently executing on the computing system.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the language is determined from an attribute of the operating system presently executing on the computing system.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the URL is a teleport URL.

39. A method in a computing system for processing a URL comprising:

receiving an input URL;

determining whether the input URL includes a designation of a language and/or culture;

responsive to determining that the input URL does not include a designation of a language and/or culture, providing content that is addressed by the input URL; and

responsive to determining that the input URL includes a designation of a language and/or culture;

determining whether there is content that is addressed by the input URL and that is dependent on the language and/or culture designation in the input URL; and

responsive to determining that there is content that is addressed by the input URL and that is dependent on the language and/or culture designation in the input URL, providing this content.

40. The method of claim 39 further comprising, responsive to determining that there does not exist content that is addressed by the input URL and that is dependent on the language and/or culture designation in the input URL, providing content that is not dependent on the language and/or culture designation in the input URL.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the URL is a teleport URL.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein the designation indicates a culture that is being employed by an operating system presently executing on a computer on which the input URL originated.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein the designation indicates a language of an operating system presently executing on a computer on which the input URL originated.

44. A URL comprising a designation of an attribute of an operating system presently executing on a computer.

45. The URL of claim 44, wherein the designation indicates a language of the operating system.

46. The URL of claim 44, wherein the designation indicates a culture being employed by the operating system.

47. The URL of claim 44, wherein the URL is a teleport URL.

48. A teleport mapping structure comprising:

a first component that functions as a container for one or more teleport entry components, the first component being specified by a language designation and a year designation; and

a first teleport entry component contained in the first component, the first teleport entry component having a first attribute that specifies a name for the first teleport entry component, the first teleport entry component having a second attribute that specifies a destination domain, the first teleport entry component having a third attribute that specifies a path in the destination domain;

wherein the first teleport entry component is identifiable by the language designation, the year designation and the first attribute.

49. The teleport mapping structure of claim 48, wherein the first teleport entry component further comprises a first parameter directive, wherein the first parameter directive is a rule for translating a parameter in a teleport URL.

50. The teleport mapping structure of claim 49, wherein the rule is a directive to filter the parameter in the teleport URL.

51. The teleport mapping structure of claim 49, wherein the rule is a directive to change a name of the parameter in the teleport URL.

52. The teleport mapping structure of claim 49, wherein the rule is a directive to change a value of the parameter in the teleport URL.

53. The teleport mapping structure of claim 49, wherein the rule is a directive to maintain the parameter in the teleport URL.

54. The teleport mapping structure of claim 48 further comprising a second component that functions as a container for one or more teleport entry components, the second component being specified by an operating system language designation and an operating system culture designation, the second component being contained within the first component.