WIRELESS TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CACHE OPTIMIZATION USING HTTP HEADERS

• US 20120284356A1
• Filed: 06/14/2012
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seven Networks LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Seven Networks Inc
• Inventors: Luna, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,330,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

Wireless traffic management system cache optimization using HTTP headers is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method can include, for example: storing the web content from a web server as cached elements in a local cache on the mobile device and retrieving the cached elements from the local cache to respond to a request made at the mobile device, regardless of expiration indicated in headers of the web content that is cached. The cached elements can be retrieved from the local cache and used to respond to the request at the mobile device even if the expiration in the headers has exceeded, using a tag is used by a proxy server remote from the mobile device to determine if the cached elements for the web content on the local proxy are still valid.

Claims

1. A method for wireless traffic reduction by web content cache optimization, method, the method, comprising:

storing the web content from a web server as cached elements in a local cache on the mobile device;

retrieving the cached elements from the local cache to respond to a request made at the mobile device, regardless of expiration indicated in headers of the web content that is cached.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the request is at least partially responded to using some of the cached elements retrieved from the local cache.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, the cached elements are retrieved from the local cache and used to respond to the request at the mobile device even if the expiration in the headers has exceeded.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, a tag in the headers of the web content is used to determine if the cached elements for the web content is current for use in responding to the request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, a tag in the headers of the web content is used to determine which of the cached elements for the web content is current for use in responding to the request.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein, the tag is an entity tag of an HTTP header used for web cache validation.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising, generating a validator from the tag;

wherein, the validator indicates which of the cached elements have changed.

8. The method of claim 10, wherein, the mobile device identifies the web server for which content is cached to a proxy server remote from the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein, the tag is used by a proxy server remote from the mobile device to determine if the cached elements for the web content on the local proxy are still valid.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein, a validator to indicate which of the cached elements for the web content has changed is generated by a proxy server remote from the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising, recomputing an updated validator for a response from the web content and comparing the updated validator with the validator to determine which of the cached elements are valid for responding to the request at the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, the proxy server is able to establish wireless connectivity to the mobile device and communicate with the web server;

wherein, the updated validator is computed by the proxy server.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein, a radio of the mobile device is not activated to respond to the request;

further comprising, enabling use of the radio on the mobile device to satisfy the request when some of the cache elements have been invalidated.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

recomputing an updated validator or an updated tag for a response from the web content;

invalidating the cache elements in the local cache when the updated validator or the updated tag is different from the validator or the tag, respectively.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, the updated validator or the updated tag indicates which of the cache elements in the local cache are valid for responding to the request at the mobile device.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein, the proxy server monitors the web server for new or changed data by generating an updated validator or an updated tag, and notifies the local proxy to invalidate some or all of the cached elements, if the updated validator or the updated tag is different from the validator or the tag.

17. A method for wireless traffic reduction by web content cache optimization, method, the method, comprising:

storing the web content from a web server as cached elements in a local cache on the mobile device;

retrieving the cached elements from the local cache to respond to a request made at the mobile device;

responding to the request using at least some of the cached elements retrieved from the local cache,

wherein, the at least some of the cached elements are still valid for the request and identified to be valid using a tag associated the web content received from the web server.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, the tag is an entity tag used in HTTP for web cache validation.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein, the using the tag includes:

computing an updated tag for a subsequent request;

comparing the updated tag with the tag to identify which of those of the cached elements valid to respond to the subsequent request.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, a header is returned to the mobile device to indicate that web content has not been modified and that the cached elements can be used.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein, the tag is used by a proxy server remote from the mobile device.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein, the updated tag is computed using a hash function.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein, the updated tag is computed using a collision-resistant hash function.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein, the cached elements are retrieved for response regardless of expiration indicated in headers of the web content that is cached.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein, the mobile device is a tablet.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein, the mobile device is a e-book reader or e-reader or a head-mountable display.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein, the mobile device is a smart phone.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein, the mobile device is a head-mountable display.

29. A system for wireless traffic reduction by web content cache optimization, the system, comprising:

a local proxy on a mobile device, which stores content from a Web server as cached elements in a local cache;

wherein, the local proxy intercepts a request, made by a mobile application on the mobile device, to contact the host server for which received content is stored as cached elements,

wherein, the local proxy retrieves the cached elements from the local cache to provide a response to the mobile application which made the polling request regardless of expiration indicated in headers of the web content that is cached.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein, a tag in the headers of the web content is used to determine if the cached elements for the web content is current for use in responding to the request.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein, a tag in the headers of the web content is used to determine which of the cached elements for the web content is current for use in responding to the request.

32. The system of claim 29, further comprising,

a proxy server coupled to the mobile device and the Web server with which the mobile application interacts;

wherein, the proxy server is able to communicate with the local proxy;

wherein, wherein, at least some of the cached elements are still valid for the request and identified to be valid using a tag associated the web content received from the web server, wherein, the tag is used by a proxy server coupled to the mobile device.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein, the proxy server uses the tag by:

computing an updated tag for a subsequent request;

comparing the updated tag with the tag to identify which of those of the cached elements valid to respond to the subsequent request.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein, the proxy server returns a header to the mobile device to indicate that web content has not been modified and that the cached elements can be used.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein:

the local proxy invalidates the cache elements in the local cache when new or changed data is detected at the web server by the proxy server.

36. A system for wireless traffic reduction of a mobile application by web content cache optimization, the system, comprising:

means for, storing the web content for the mobile application as cached elements in a local cache;

means for, retrieving the cached elements from the local cache to respond to a request;

means for, responding to the request using at least some of the cached elements retrieved from the local cache,

wherein, the at least some of the cached elements are still valid for the request and identified to be valid using a tag associated the web content received for the mobile application.

37. The system of claim 36, further comprising:

means for, computing an updated tag for the request initiated by the mobile application;

means for, comparing the updated tag with the tag to identify which of those of the cached elements are valid to respond to the request.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein, the mobile application includes a mobile client for a social networking application.

39. The system of claim 36, wherein, the mobile application includes a gaming application.

40. The system of claim 36, wherein, the mobile application includes a map application.

41. The system of claim 36, wherein, the mobile application includes a navigation application.