Method of transcoding documents in a network environment using a proxy server

• US 5,918,013 A
• Filed: 06/03/1996
• Issued: 06/29/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WebTV Networks Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mighdoll, Lee S., Goldman, Phillip Y., Perlman, Stephen G., Leak, Bruce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US08/656,924
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.3-200.33, 395/200.36, 395/200.47-200.5, 395/200.56-200.59, 395/500, 395/200.76-200.79, 395/185.01 , 395/185.05, 395/187.01, 395/584-685
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2356 by altering the spatial resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 : e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 : involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/602 : for digital sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 : Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method of providing a document to a client coupled to a server is provided. The server provides a number of Internet services to the client, including functioning as a caching proxy on behalf of the client for purposes of accessing the World Wide Web. The proxying server includes a persistent document database, which stores various attributes of all documents previously retrieved in response to a request from a client. When a Web document is retrieved from a remote server in response to a request from the client, the database is consulted and the stored information relating to the requested document is used by the server in transcoding the document. The document is transcoded for various purposes, including to circumvent bugs or quirks found in the document, to size the document for display on a television set, to improve transmission efficiency of the document, and to reduce latency. The transcoder makes use of the document database to perform these functions. The document database is also used for prefetching previously requested documents and images and for reducing latency when downloading images to the client.

Claims

1. In a computer network that includes a proxyinig server coupled to a client and to a remote server, the proxying server operating as a proxy on behalf of the client for accessing the remote server, a method of retrieving and transcoding a document requested by the client, the method comprising the steps of:

submitting a request from the client to the proxying server for a document;

retrieving the document from the remote server, the document including data for causing the client to generate a display of the requested document;

transcoding at the proxying server the data in the document in order to perform at least the function of correcting bugs in the document by performing at least the steps of;

determining whether a predetermined condition is present in the data, wherein the predetennined condition causes the data, when used by the client, to generate an error condition at the client; and

if the predetermined condition is present in the data, revising the data to eliminate the predetermined condition; and

transmitting the trascoded document to the client.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the transcoded document to the client is performed prior to performing the step of transcoding at the proxying server the data in the document.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the document includes a link to another document, the link including a retrieval address, and wherein the step of transcoding at the proxying server the data in the document comprises the step of updating the link.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the other document is an image, and wherein the step of updating the link comprises the step of adding information to the document indicating the size of the image.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein the other document is inaccessible to the proxying server, and wherein the step of updating the link comprises the step of removing the link.

6. A method according to claim 3, wherein the other document has been relocated from the retrieval address to a redirect address, and wherein the step of updating the link comprises the step of updating the link to correspond to the redirect address.

7. In a computer network that includes a proxying server coupled to a client and to a remote server, a method of providing proxy services to the client for accessing a document stored in the remote server, the document including data to be used by the client to provide a display, the method comprising the steps of:

submitting a request from the client to the proxying server for a document;

providing a persistent database at the proxying server, the persistent database including information relating to the document and corresponding to a plurality of error conditions;

using the information included in the persistent database to transcode at the proxying server the data in the document in order to perform at least the function of correcting bugs in the document by performing at least the steps of;

analyzing the data in the document using the information corresponding to the plurality of error conditions to determine whether the data is likely to cause one of the plurality of error conditions to occur when used by the client; and

automatically revising the data if the data is determined in the analyzing step to be likely to cause one of the plurality of error conditions to occur when used by the client; and

transmitting the transcoded document to the client.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the step of transmitting the transcoded document to the client is performed prior to performing the step of using the information included in the persistent database to transcode at the proxying server the data in the document.

9. A method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of storing in the persistent database validity information corresponding to the document.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the validity information is based on an observed rate of change of the document.

11. A method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of storing in the persistent database performance information relating to performance of the remote server when accessing the document.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the performance information is a latency value.

13. A method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of storing in the persistent database information for optimizing memory usage by the client.