METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ACCELERATING CONTENT AUTHORED FOR MULTIPLE DEVICES

• US 20130219024A1
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Flack, Martin T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,817,916 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and apparatus for improving the delivery of web content that has been authored for multiple devices. In certain embodiments, an intermediary device such as a proxy server determines the characteristics of a client device requesting multi-device content, obtains and examines the multi-device content, and in view of the particular requesting client device removes portions that are irrelevant for that device. Doing so can accelerate delivery of the content by reducing payload and relieving the client device of the processing burden associated with parsing the content to make that determination itself, among other things.

Claims

1. A method operative in a device connected to a computer network, comprising:

receiving a request for particular content from a client device;

determining one or more characteristics of the client device using information received with the client device'"'"'s request for the particular content;

obtaining the particular content, the particular content including at least one logical expression that conditions the client device'"'"'s application of code on one or more client device characteristics;

evaluating the at least one logical expression and determining that the code is not applicable, based on the determined characteristics of the client device;

modifying the particular content by removing the code;

sending the modified particular content to the client device in response to the client device'"'"'s request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular content is any of:

(a) an HTML document and (b) a CSS file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the code includes at least one rule that defines the appearance of at least a portion of the particular content.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing an HTML element logically identified by the code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one logical expression is a cascading style sheet (CSS) media query and the code is a CSS rule.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising removing the at least one CSS media query.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second request for an HTML document from a second client device;

determining one or more characteristics of the second client device using information received with the second client device'"'"'s request for the HTML document;

modifying the HTML document by removing HTML logically identified by the code;

sending the HTML document content to the second client device in response to the second client device'"'"'s request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the client device include any of:

browser window width or height, screen width or height, display characteristics, user interface characteristics.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising caching the modified particular content.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises an intermediary device, and obtaining the content comprises requesting and receiving the particular content from a web server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a reverse proxy server.

12. Apparatus connected to a computer network, comprising:

circuitry forming one or more processors and memory storing instructions to executed by the one or more processors, where execution of the instructions will cause the apparatus to;

receive a request for particular content from a client device;

determine one or more characteristics of the client device using information received with the client device'"'"'s request for the particular content;

obtain the particular content, the particular content including at least one logical expression that conditions the client device'"'"'s application of code on one or more client device characteristics;

evaluate the at least one logical expression and determining that the code is not applicable, based on the determined characteristics of the client device;

modify the particular content by removing the code;

send the modified particular content to the client device in response to the client device'"'"'s request.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the particular content is any of:

(a) an HTML document and (b) a CSS file.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the code includes at least one rule that defines the appearance of at least a portion of the particular content.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising removing an HTML element logically identified by the code.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one logical expression is a cascading style sheet (CSS) media query and the code is a CSS rule.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising removing the at least one CSS media query.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, where execution of the instructions will further cause the apparatus to:

receive a second request for an HTML document from a second client device;

determine one or more characteristics of the second client device using information received with the second client device'"'"'s request for the HTML document;

modify the HTML document by removing HTML logically identified by the code;

send the HTML document content to the second client device in response to the second client device'"'"'s request.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more characteristics of the client device include any of:

browser window width or height, screen width or height, display characteristics, user interface characteristics.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus caches the modified particular content.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus comprises an intermediary device, and obtaining the content comprises requesting and receiving the particular content from a web server.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus comprises a reverse proxy server.

23-34. -34. (canceled)