Technique for prefetching a web page of potential future interest in lieu of continuing a current information download
First Claim
1. In a client computer system that, in response to user interaction with the system, requests items of information, as desired by a user, from a server, a method of obtaining the items of information comprising the steps of:
- (a) downloading, in response to a request from the user, a first item of information from the server so as to define a current download and rendering portions of the first item of information as it is being downloaded; and
(b) while the current download progresses;
determining, in response to a predefined aspect of the first item and a predefined user model, at least one second item of information which the user is likely to request next from the server;
ascertaining incremental benefit to the user of continuing the current download and expected incremental benefit to the user of the second item of information; and
in the event the expected incremental benefit of the second item exceeds the incremental benefit of continuing the current download, deallocating computational or network resources from continuing the current download and allocating the resources towards collectively prefetching and storing the second item of information so as to then obtain the second item for future access in the event the user subsequently requests the second item.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A technique that, through continual computation, harnesses available computer resources during periods of low processing activity and low network activity, such as idle time, for prefetching, e.g., web pages, or pre-selected portions thereof, into local cache of a client computer. This technique utilizes, e.g., a probabilistic user model, which specifies, at any one time, those pages or portions of pages that are likely to be prefetched given, e.g., a web page currently being rendered to a user; these pages being those which promise to provide the largest benefit (expected utility) to the user. Advantageously, this technique prematurely terminates or retards a current information download for a user in favor of prefetching a web page of future interest to that user whenever the latter page exhibits greater current incremental benefit to that user, in terms of a discounted expected rate of refinement in value with time for the future page, than a current incremental benefit being obtained for that user by continuing the current download.
-
Citations
57 Claims
-
1. In a client computer system that, in response to user interaction with the system, requests items of information, as desired by a user, from a server, a method of obtaining the items of information comprising the steps of:
-
(a) downloading, in response to a request from the user, a first item of information from the server so as to define a current download and rendering portions of the first item of information as it is being downloaded; and (b) while the current download progresses; determining, in response to a predefined aspect of the first item and a predefined user model, at least one second item of information which the user is likely to request next from the server; ascertaining incremental benefit to the user of continuing the current download and expected incremental benefit to the user of the second item of information; and in the event the expected incremental benefit of the second item exceeds the incremental benefit of continuing the current download, deallocating computational or network resources from continuing the current download and allocating the resources towards collectively prefetching and storing the second item of information so as to then obtain the second item for future access in the event the user subsequently requests the second item. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
-
-
30. Apparatus for a client computer system that, in response to user interaction with the system, requests items of information, as desired by a user, from a server, the apparatus comprising:
-
a processor; a memory having computer executable instructions stored therein; wherein, in response to the stored instructions, the processor; (a) downloads, in response to a request from the user, a first item of information from the server so as to define a current download and rendering portions of the first item of information as it is being downloaded; and (b) while the current download progresses; determines, in response to a predefined aspect of the first item and a predefined user model, at least one second item of information which the user is likely to request next from the server; ascertains incremental benefit to the user of continuing the current download and expected incremental benefit to the user of the second item of information; and in the event the expected incremental benefit of the second item exceeds the incremental benefit of continuing the current download, deallocates computational or network resources from continuing the current download and allocates the resources towards collectively prefetching and storing the second item of information so as to then obtain the second item for future access in the event the user subsequently requests the second item. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
-
Specification