META-DATA BASED METHOD FOR LOCAL CACHE UTILIZATION

• US 20150264151A1
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Published: 09/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: SlipStream Data Incorporated (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Singh, Ajit, Ahmed, Salmaan
• Granted Patent: US 9,967,359 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2876 Pairs of inter-processing entities at each side of the network, e.g. split proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Meta-data is generated by a client proxy based on previous response data received from a server proxy in response to a previous request for a resource. A client in communication with the client proxy makes a new request for the resource. The client proxy creates a modified request by modifying the new request to include one or more elements of the meta-data, and sends the modified request instead of the new request to the server proxy. The server proxy compares the one or more elements to corresponding one or more elements of meta-data stored in a server proxy cache. If all compared elements match, the server proxy instructs the client proxy to deliver response data stored in a client proxy cache to the client. If any of the compared elements does not match, the server proxy sends new response data to the client proxy for delivery to the client.

Claims

1. A method to be performed by a client proxy in communication with a client, the method comprising:

receiving previous response data from a server proxy in communication with a server, the previous response data sent to the client proxy by the server proxy in response to a previous request for a resource;

generating previous client proxy meta-data based on the previous response data, and storing the previous client proxy meta-data and the previous response data in a client proxy cache; and

responsive to receiving a new request for the resource from the client;

creating a modified request by modifying the new request to include one or more elements of the previous client proxy meta-data; and

sending the modified request instead of the new request to the server proxy.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to sending the modified request, receiving from the server proxy an instruction to deliver the previous response data stored in the client proxy cache to the client; and

responsive to receiving the instruction, delivering the previous response data stored in the client proxy cache to the client.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to sending the modified request, receiving new response data from the server proxy; and

responsive to receiving the new response data;

generating new client proxy meta-data based on the new response data, and storing the new client proxy meta-data and the new response data in the client proxy cache in replacement of the previous client proxy meta-data and the previous response data; and

delivering the new response data to the client.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein generating the previous client proxy meta-data comprises computing a length of the previous response data.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein generating the previous client proxy meta-data comprises computing a hash value of the previous response data.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the previous client proxy meta-data comprises an identifier of the resource.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the previous client proxy meta-data comprises an indication of a type of data in the previous response data.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the previous response data is indicated as uncacheable.

9. A method to be performed by a server proxy in communication with a server, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a resource from a client proxy, the request including one or more elements of client proxy meta-data; and

responsive to receiving the request;

comparing the one or more elements of client proxy meta-data to corresponding one or more elements of server proxy meta-data stored in a server proxy cache;

if all compared elements match, sending the client proxy an instruction to deliver response data stored in a client proxy cache to a client; and

if any of the compared elements does not match, sending new response data to the client proxy for delivery to the client.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

requesting the resource from the server;

receiving the new response data from the server in response to requesting the resource; and

generating the server proxy meta-data based on the new response data, and storing the server proxy meta-data and the new response data in the server proxy cache.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein requesting the resource from the server occurs responsive to determining that the server proxy cache does not store valid response data for the request received from the client proxy.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein requesting the resource from the server, receiving the new response data from the server, generating the server proxy meta-data, and storing the server proxy meta-data and the new response data in the server proxy cache occur prior to receiving the request for the resource from the client proxy.

13. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the server proxy meta-data comprises a length of the new response data.

14. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the server proxy meta-data comprises a hash value of the new response data.

15. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the server proxy meta-data comprises an identifier of the resource.

16. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the server proxy meta-data comprises an indication of a type of data in the new response data.

17. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the new response data is indicated as uncacheable.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor to implement a client proxy, result in:

receiving previous response data from a server proxy in communication with a server, the previous response data sent to the client proxy by the server proxy in response to a previous request for a resource;

generating previous client proxy meta-data based on the previous response data, and storing the previous client proxy meta-data and the previous response data in a client proxy cache; and

responsive to receiving a new request for the resource from a client in communication with the client proxy;

creating a modified request by modifying the new request to include one or more elements of the previous client proxy meta-data; and

sending the modified request instead of the new request to the server proxy.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed by the client proxy, further result in:

responsive to sending the modified request, receiving from the server proxy an instruction to deliver the previous response data stored in the client proxy cache to the client; and

responsive to receiving the instruction, delivering the previous response data stored in the client proxy cache to the client.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor to implement a server proxy, result in:

receiving a request for a resource from a client proxy, the request including one or more elements of client proxy meta-data; and

responsive to receiving the request;

comparing the one or more elements of client proxy meta-data to corresponding one or more elements of server proxy meta-data stored in a server proxy cache;

if all compared elements match, sending the client proxy an instruction to deliver response data stored in a client proxy cache to a client; and

if any of the compared elements do not match, sending new response data to the client proxy for delivery to the client.