SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CACHING AND SERVING DYNAMIC CONTENT

• US 20140344341A1
• Filed: 05/23/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Panzer, John, Ramamurthy, Vishwanathan, Rao, Mohan
• Granted Patent: US 10,063,615 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/167 using a common memory, e.g. mailbox
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A web server and a shared caching server are described for serving dynamic content to users of at least two different types, where the different types of users receive different versions of the dynamic content. A version of the dynamic content includes a validation header, such as an ETag, that stores information indicative of the currency of the dynamic content and information indicative of a user type for which the version of the dynamic content is intended. In response to a user request for the dynamic content, the shared caching server sends a validation request to the web server with the validation header information. The web server determines, based on the user type of the requestor and/or on the currency of the cached dynamic content whether to instruct the shared caching server to send the cached content or to send updated content for serving to the user.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A method of serving web content, the method comprising the following operations performed by one or more processors:

receiving, from a client, a request for content;

sending a validation request to an origin server, the validation request including at least information indicating whether the client is associated with at least one of a plurality of different categories of clients and header information identifying a cached version of the requested content; and

receiving a validation response from the origin server if the client is associated with at least one of the plurality of different categories of clients, the validation response including;

an instruction to provide the cached version of the requested content to the client if the requested content has not been modified since a particular time or date of the cached version of the requested content; and

an instruction to provide a current version of the requested content to the client if the requested content has been modified since the particular time or date of the cached version of the requested content.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

providing at least one of the cached version of the requested content or the current version of the requested content to the client according to the validation response.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the client is associated with at least one of a first category of clients or a second category of clients.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein:

the first category of clients comprises clients with ownership rights to the requested content; and

the second category of clients comprises clients without ownership rights to the requested content.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the requested content comprises content associated with a web page.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

storing the current version as the cached version in the memory device responsive to receiving the instruction to provide the current version of the requested content to the client.

28. A method of serving web content, the method comprising the following operations performed by one or more processors:

receiving, from a cache server, a validation request including at least information indicating whether a client requesting content is associated with at least one of a plurality of different categories of clients and header information identifying a cached version of the requested content;

determining, with at least one processor, if the client is associated with at least one of the plurality of different categories of clients;

generating a validation response if the client is associated with at least one of the plurality of different categories of clients, the validation response including;

an instruction to provide the cached version of the requested content to the client if the requested content has not been modified since a particular time or date of the cached version of the requested content; and

an instruction to provide a current version of the requested content to the client if the requested content has been modified since the particular time or date of the cached version of the requested content.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

transmitting the validation response to the cache server.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the requested content comprises content associated with a web page.

31. A cache server system, comprising:

a processing system comprising one or more processors; and

a memory system that stores instructions, the instructions being executable by the processing system to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a client, a request for content;

sending a validation request to an origin server, the validation request including at least information indicating whether the client is associated with at least one of a plurality of different categories of clients and header information identifying a cached version of the requested content; and

receiving a validation response from the origin server if the client is associated with at least one of the plurality of different categories of clients, the validation response including;

an instruction to provide the cached version of the requested content to the client if the requested content has not been modified since a particular time or date of the cached version of the requested content; and

an instruction to provide a current version of the requested content to the client if the requested content has been modified since the particular time or date of the cached version of the requested content.

32. The cache server system of claim 31, wherein the memory system further includes instructions to cause the processing system to perform additional operations, including:

providing the cached version of at least one of the requested content or the current version of the requested content to the client according to the validation response.

33. The cache server system of claim 31, wherein the client is associated with at least one of a first category of clients or a second category of clients.

34. The cache server system of claim 33, wherein:

the first category of clients comprises clients with ownership rights to the requested content; and

the second category of clients comprises clients without ownership rights to the requested content.

35. The cache server system of claim 31, wherein the requested content comprises content associated with a web page.

36. The cache server system of claim 31, wherein the memory system further includes instructions for causing the cache server to perform additional operations, including:

storing the current version as the cached version in the memory responsive to receiving the instruction to provide the current version of the requested content to the client.

37. An origin server system, comprising:

a processing system comprising one or more processors; and

a memory system that stores instructions, the instructions being executable by the processing system to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a cache server, a validation request including at least information indicating whether a client requesting content is associated with at least one of a plurality of different categories of clients and header information identifying a cached version of the requested content;

determining if the client is associated with at least one of a plurality of different categories of clients;

generating a validation response if the client is associated with at least one of the plurality of different categories of clients, the validation response including;

an instruction to provide the cached version of the requested content to the client if the requested content has not been modified since a particular date or time of the cached version of the requested content; and

an instruction to provide a current version of the requested content to the client if the requested content has been modified since the particular date or time of the cached version of the requested content.

38. The origin server system of claim 37, wherein the memory system further includes instructions that cause the processing system to perform additional operations, including:

transmitting the validation response to the cache server.

39. The origin server system of claim 37, wherein the requested content comprises content associated with a web page.