PERSISTING USER PREFERENCES IN AN INTERMEDIATE NETWORK DEVICE

• US 20140108521A1
• Filed: 12/27/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Openwave Mobility Inc. (Enea AB)
• Original Assignee: Openwave Mobility Inc. (Enea AB)
• Inventors: MARQUESS, Paul, WRIGHT, Stephen, WOODS, Colin
• Granted Patent: US 10,757,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

A network device transparently intercepts HTTP transmissions between a user device and a web server. The network device stores user preference information, which allows the intermediate network device to apply the user preference information to retrieved content that is directed to the user'"'"'s mobile device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a network device to transparently intercept HTTP transmissions between a user device and a web server, wherein the network device is configured to;

store user preference information at the network device, wherein the user preference information corresponds to preferences of a user of the user device;

retrieve content from a web service in response to a request from the user device;

modify the content from the web service according to the user preference information; and

sending the modified content to the user device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network device is further configured to store the user preference information at the network device for an anonymous user.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network device is further configured to redirect the user device from the web service requested by the user device to a separate web service that is uniquely associated with a domain of the network device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the separate web service is configured to establish a new cookie at the user device, and wherein the new cookie is uniquely associated with the domain of the network device.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the new cookie indicates the user preference information for the user device, and wherein the network device is further configured to store the user preference information as session data at the network device.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the separate web service is configured to:

present a user interface at the user device to allow the user to input at least one user preference parameter of the user preference information; and

store the user preference information as session data at the network device.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the separate web service is configured to automatically present a default user preference parameter to the user device for incorporation within a new cookie uniquely associated with the domain of the network device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network device is further configured to store the user preference information in a memory device at the network device for a time period, wherein the time period comprises:

a duration of a network session of the user device; and

a protection period following termination of the network session of the user device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network device is further configured to facilitate setting the protection period to be shorter than a session identifier recycling period representative of a timeframe after which a session identifier for the user device is released and available for use for another user device.

10. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage device to store instructions which, when executed by a processor of a computer device, configure the processor to perform operations for implementing user preferences, corresponding to a user device, at a network device which serves content from a web service to the user device, wherein the operations comprise;

storing user preference information at the network device;

retrieving the content from the web service in response to a request from the user device;

modifying the content from the web service according to the user preference information; and

sending the modified content to the user device.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the storing operation further comprises storing the user preference information at the network device for an anonymous user.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise redirecting the user device from the web service requested by the user device to a separate web service that is uniquely associated with a domain of the network device.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the separate web service is configured to establish a new cookie at the user device, and wherein the new cookie is uniquely associated with the domain of the network device.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the new cookie indicates the user preference information for the user device, and wherein the operations further comprise storing the user preference information as session data at the network device.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the separate web service is configured to present a user interface at the user device to allow a user to input at least one user preference parameter of the user preference information.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the separate web service is configured to automatically present a default user preference parameter to the user device for incorporation within a new cookie uniquely associated with the domain of the network device.

17. A method of transparently intercepting HTTP transmissions between a user device and a web service, the method comprising:

receiving a request at a network device from the user device to access content from the web service, wherein the network device is configured to serve the content from the web service to the user device during a network session of the user device;

retrieving the content from the web service in response to the request from the user device;

reviewing the content from the web service according to user preference information stored at the network device as session data for the network session of the user device; and

sending the content to the user device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

modifying the content from the web service according to the user preference information stored at the network device; and

sending the modified content to the user device.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

redirecting the user device from the web service requested by the user device to a separate web service that is uniquely associated with a domain of the network device;

establish a new cookie at the user device, wherein the new cookie is uniquely associated with the domain of the network device and indicates the user preference information for the user device; and

storing a copy of the user preference information as the session data at the network device.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising presenting a user interface at the user device to allow a user to input at least one user preference parameter of the user preference information.