ENABLING EFFICIENT PRE-LOADING OF DATA FOR A NETWORK CLIENT

• US 20160323410A1
• Filed: 03/19/2014
• Published: 11/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Westberg, Lars, Mihly, Attila
• Granted Patent: US 10,313,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics

Abstract

Disclosed is a method having at least one of the steps of: sending requests for data to at least one web site hosted by at least one server; receiving responses corresponding to the requests for data from the at least one web site; compiling, for each of the at least one web site, data location statistics including a set of data locations identified in the responses from the web site; and selecting, for each of the at least one web site, a smaller subset of at least one data location from the identified set of data locations to act as candidate data location(s) for pre-loading data for the network client; and transferring, for each of the at least one web site, the smaller subset of at least one data location acting as candidate data location(s) to a pre-loading unit, for enabling pre-loading of data based on the candidate data location(s).

Claims

1. A method performed by a network node for enabling pre-loading of data for a network client in a communication network, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

sending requests for data to at least one web site hosted by at least one server;

receiving responses corresponding to the requests for data from the at least one web site;

compiling, for each of the at least one web site, data location statistics including a set of data locations identified in the responses from the web site;

selecting, for each of the at least one web site, a smaller subset of at least one data location from the identified set of data locations to act as candidate data location(s) for pre-loading data for the network client; and

transferring, for each of the at least one web site, the smaller subset of at least one data location acting as candidate data location(s) to a pre-loading unit, for enabling pre-loading of data based on the candidate data location(s).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending requests for data comprises the step of different clients, executed by the network node, sending requests for data to each of the at least one web site, and

wherein the step of selecting, for each of the at least one web site, a smaller subset of at least one data location from the identified set of data locations comprises the steps of identifying data locations that are recurring in responses corresponding to requests for data sent by at least two different clients, and selecting at least part of the recurring data locations as candidate data locations.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the recurring data locations are deterministic data locations in common for responses corresponding to requests for data sent by at least two different clients.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of selecting at least part of the recurring data locations as candidate data locations is performed by selecting recurring data locations with a recurrence frequency above a threshold.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the different clients executed by the network node are clients of different types and/or different configurations.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, if a data location is selected as a candidate data location, at least part of the dependent data locations related to the selected candidate data location are also selected as candidate data locations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two candidate data locations are selected, and at least one of ordering and timing for pre-loading data from the candidate data locations is determined for each of the at least one web site, and information indicative of at least one of ordering and timing is transferred, for each one of the at least one web site, together with the candidate data locations to the pre-loading unit.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least some of the requests are triggered by received responses, and at least one of ordering and timing of the requests is determined by analyzing request patterns in the responses, and the determined ordering and/or timing of the requests is used as the ordering and/or timing for pre-loading data from the candidate data locations.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of compiling, for each of the at least one web site, data location statistics is performed by analyzing web page code related to the responses to identify data locations, wherein at least a main markup language file corresponding to a requested web page is analyzed to identify data locations.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the smaller subset of at least one data location acting as candidate data location(s) is transferred to a pre-loading unit in the same network node, or transferred to a pre-loading unit in a separate network node.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, for each one of the at least one web site, the smaller subset of at least one data location acting as candidate data location(s) is provided in a list of data locations for transfer to the separate network node, wherein the list of data locations capable of acting as candidate data locations is organized per web site.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the candidate data locations are Uniform Resource Locators, URLs, and the corresponding data includes web content.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the candidate data location(s) are updated based on feedback related to missing data locations discovered during pre-loading.

14. A method performed by a network node for providing data to a network client in a communication network, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

receiving, from the network client, information specifying a web site;

providing, for the specified web site, at least one candidate data location selected based on compiled data location statistics;

pre-loading, from a server corresponding to the specified web site, data specified by the at least one candidate data location; and

sending, in response to a subsequent request from the network client for data specified by a data location matching the at least one candidate data location, the pre-loaded data to the network client.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the network node determines the at least one candidate data location, or receives the at least one candidate data location from another network node, in advance of providing data to the network terminal, wherein the at least one candidate data location is pre-selected based on the compiled data location statistics.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein at least two candidate data locations are provided, and data specified by the at least two candidate data locations are pre-loaded from the remote server according to an estimated ordering and/or timing of subsequent data requests by the network client.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the candidate data locations are Uniform Resource Locators, URLs, and the corresponding data includes web content, and the network client is a web browser running on the network terminal.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one candidate data location for pre-loading data for the network client is/are selected.

19. A network node configured to enable pre-loading of data for a network client in a communication network,

wherein the network node is configured to send requests for data to at least one web site hosted by at least one server;

wherein the network node is configured to receive responses corresponding to the requests for data from the at least one web site;

wherein the network node is configured to compile, for each of the at least one web site, data location statistics including a set of data locations identified in the responses from the web site;

wherein the network node is configured to select, for each of the at least one web site, a smaller subset of at least one data location from the identified set of data locations to act as candidate data location(s) for pre-loading data for the network client; and

wherein the network node is configured to transfer, for each of the at least one web site, the smaller subset of at least one data location acting as candidate data location(s) to a pre-loading unit, for enabling pre-loading of data based on the candidate data location(s).

20. The network node of claim 19, wherein the network node is configured to execute different clients for sending, to each of the at least one web site, the requests for data, and

wherein the network node is configured to identify data locations that are recurring in responses corresponding to requests for data sent by at least two different clients, and select at least part of the recurring data locations as candidate data locations.

21. The network node of claim 19, wherein the network node is configured to select at least two candidate data locations,

wherein the network node is configured to determine, for each of the at least one web site, at least one of ordering and timing for pre-loading data from the candidate data locations, and

wherein the network node is configured to transfer information indicative of at least one of ordering and timing, for each one of the at least one web site, together with the candidate data locations to the pre-loading unit.

22. The network node of claim 19, wherein the network node is configured to analyze request patterns in the responses to predict the ordering and/or timing for pre-loading data from the candidate data locations.

23. The network node of claim 19, wherein the network node is configured to transfer the smaller subset of at least one data location acting as candidate data location(s) to a pre-loading unit in the same network node, or wherein the network node is configured to transfer the smaller subset of at least one data location acting as candidate data location(s) to a pre-loading unit in a separate network node.

24. The network node of claim 19, wherein the network node comprises a processor and a memory, the memory comprising instructions executable by the processor, whereby the network node is operative to compile the data location statistics including a set of data locations identified in the responses and to select the smaller subset of at least one data location, and to prepare the smaller subset of at least one data location for transfer to the pre-loading unit.

25. The network node of claim 19, wherein the network node comprises communication circuitry configured to send the requests and receive the responses.

26. A network node configured to provide data to a network client in a communication network,

wherein the network node is configured to receive, from the network client, information specifying a web site;

wherein the network node is configured to provide, for the specified web site, at least one candidate data location selected based on compiled data location statistics;

wherein the network node is configured to pre-load, from a server corresponding to the specified web site, data specified by the at least one candidate data location; and

wherein the network node is configured to send, in response to a subsequent request from the network client for data specified by a data location matching the at least one candidate data location, the pre-loaded data to the network client.

27. The network node of claim 26, wherein the network node is configured to determine the at least one candidate data location or receive the at least one candidate data location from another network node, in advance of providing data to the network terminal, wherein the at least one candidate data location is pre-selected based on the compiled data location statistics.

28. The network node of claim 26, wherein the network node is configured to provide at least two candidate data locations, and

wherein the network node is configured to pre-load data specified by the at least two candidate data locations from the remote server according to an estimated ordering and/or timing of subsequent data requests by the network client.

29. The network node of claim 26, wherein the network node comprises a processor and a memory, the memory comprising instructions executable by the processor, whereby the network node is operative to provide the at least one candidate data location.

30. The network node of claim 26, wherein the network node comprises communication circuitry configured to receive information specifying a web site, to pre-load data from the remote server and to send the pre-loaded data to the network client.

31-34. -34. (canceled)

35. A network node for supporting pre-loading of data for a network client in a communication network, wherein the network node comprises:

a data request preparation module for preparing data requests for sending to at least one web site hosted by at least one server;

a reading module for reading responses, corresponding to the data requests, received from the at least one web site;

a compiling module for compiling, for each of the at least one web side, data location statistics including a set of data locations identified in the responses from the web site; and

a selection module for selecting, for each of the at least one web site, a smaller subset of at least one data location from the identified set of data locations to act as candidate data location(s) for pre-loading data for the network client.

36. A network node for supporting transfer of data to a network client in a communication network, wherein the network node comprises:

a reading module for reading information specifying a web site;

a providing module for providing, for the specified web site, at least one candidate data location selected based on compiled data location statistics;

a pre-load control module for controlling pre-loading, from a remote server corresponding to the specified web site, of data specified by the at least one candidate data location; and

a data preparation module for preparing, in response to a subsequent request from the network client for data specified by a data location matching the at least one candidate data location, the pre-loaded data for transfer to the network client.