Caching of Metadata Objects

• US 20160373543A1
• Filed: 06/16/2015
• Published: 12/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Alla, Sridhar
• Granted Patent: US 10,313,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• 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

Abstract

Aspects described herein relate to processing metadata requests using a cache. For example, a metadata object, such as a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) object, may be processed into two or more portions. The two or more portions or data generated based on the two or more portions may be stored into a cache. After receiving a request for the metadata object from a computing device, the metadata object may be generated based on the data stored in the cache and the generated metadata object may be transmitted as a response to the request for the metadata object. Further aspects relate to personalizing the metadata object at the cache prior to transmitting the response to the request for the metadata object. Further aspects relate to updating a portion of the metadata object, such as a portion that includes dynamic data, prior to transmitting the response to the request.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

processing, by a first computing device, a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) object into a portion of static data and a portion of dynamic data;

storing the portion of static data and the portion of dynamic data into one or more caches; and

responsive to receiving a request for the JSON object from a second computing device, generating the JSON object based on at least the portion of static data and transmitting the JSON object as a response to the request for the JSON object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting, by the first computing device, an update to the portion of dynamic data before transmitting the JSON object as the response to the request for the JSON object; and

wherein generating the JSON object is further based on the update to the portion of dynamic data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the portion of static data comprises an identifier of a program, an episode, or a showing, and wherein the portion of dynamic data comprises:

an availability for the program, the episode or the showing;

expiration data for the program, the episode or the showing;

or

a score for ordering the program, the episode or the showing among other program, episodes or showings in a menu.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein storing the portion of static data and the portion of dynamic data into one or more caches comprises storing the portion of static data in a static data cache and storing the portion of dynamic data in a dynamic data cache.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting, by the first computing device, personalization metadata from a personalization database; and

generating a personalized JSON object based on the personalization metadata;

wherein transmitting the JSON object as the response to the request for the JSON object comprises transmitting the personalized JSON object.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the personalized JSON object based on the personalization metadata comprises re-ordering or re-ranking two or more programs, two or more episodes or two or more showings of the JSON object.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the personalized JSON object based on the personalization metadata adding or removing a program, an episode or a showing of the JSON object.

8. A method comprising:

processing, by a first computing device, a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) object into a portion of static data and a portion of dynamic data;

generating, based on the portion of static data and the portion of dynamic data, one or more storage objects;

storing the one or more storage objects into one or more caches; and

responsive to receiving a request for the JSON object from a second computing device, generating the JSON object based on the one or more storage objects and transmitting the JSON object as a response to the request for the JSON object.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the two or more storage objects comprise a menu object, a program object, an episode object and a showing object.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the program object comprises a first value from the portion of static data and a first value from the portion of dynamic data, the episode object comprises a second value from the portion of static data and a second value from the portion of dynamic data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first value from the portion of static data comprises an identifier of a program;

wherein the first value from the portion of dynamic data comprises an availability date or an expiration date of the program, or a score for ordering the program among other programs in a menu;

wherein the second value from the portion of static data comprises an identifier of an episode;

wherein the second value from the portion of dynamic data comprises an availability date or an expiration date of the episode, or a score for ordering the episode among other episodes in a menu;

wherein the third value from the portion of static data comprises an identifier of a showing; and

wherein the third value from the portion of dynamic data comprises an availability date or an expiration date of the episode, or a score for ordering the episode among other episodes in a menu.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein storing the two or more storage objects into one or more caches comprises storing the menu object in a menu cache, storing the program object in a program cache, storing the episode object in an episode cache, and storing the showing object in a showing cache.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, by the first computing device and from a central database, an update to a portion of dynamic data; and

storing the update to the portion of dynamic data into one or more values of the menu object, the program object, the episode object, or the showing object.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein storing the two or more storage objects into one or more caches comprises storing the two or more storage objects into at least one B+ tree.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

requesting, by the first computing device, personalization metadata from a personalization database; and

generating a personalized JSON object based on the personalization metadata;

wherein transmitting the JSON object as the response to the request for the JSON object comprises transmitting the personalized JSON object.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein generating a personalized JSON object based on the personalization metadata comprises re-ordering or re-ranking two or more programs, two or more episodes or two or more showings of the JSON object, or adding or removing a program, an episode or a showing of the JSON object.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first computing device, a first request for a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) object for populating a menu at a first user device;

based on the first request, determining that the JSON object is not stored in one or more caches;

responsive to determining that the JSON object is not stored in the one or more caches, transmitting a request for the JSON object from a central database;

responsive to receiving the JSON object from the central database, processing the JSON object into a portion of static data and a portion of dynamic data;

generating one or more storage objects based on the portion of static data or the portion of dynamic data;

storing the one or more storage objects into the one or more caches;

transmitting the JSON object to the first user device responsive to the first request;

receiving, by the first computing device, a second request for the JSON object for populating a menu at a second user device;

based on the second request, determining that the JSON object is stored in the one or more caches;

responsive to determining that the JSON object is stored in the one or more caches, generating the JSON object based on the one or more storage objects; and

transmitting the JSON object to the second user device as a response to the second request.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

responsive to generating the JSON object based on the one or more storage objects and responsive to a determination to request personalization metadata, requesting personalization metadata from a personalization database; and

generating a personalized JSON object based on the personalization metadata;

wherein transmitting the JSON object to the second user device as the response to the second request comprises transmitting the personalized JSON object to the second user device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

transmitting, by the central database, a request to the personalization database after receiving the request for the JSON object;

processing, by the central database, the JSON object based on data received from the personalization database responsive to data received from the personalization database, resulting in a processed JSON object;

transmitting the processed JSON object to the first computing device;

transmitting an indication that an index has changed responsive to receiving an index status check from the first computing device; and

based on transmitting the indication that the index has changed, transmitting an update to one or more name/value pairs of the JSON object to the first computing device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more storage objects comprise a menu object, a program object, an episode object and a showing object.