Accessing content via installable data sources
First Claim
1. In a computer system configured to access network content via network access software over a network connection, a method of accessing content, comprising, providing content that corresponds to the network content at a data source that is installable independent of a cache of the network access software, at least some of the content not having been downloaded via the network connection, receiving a request to access the content, the request including a network reference of the content, converting the network reference to a local reference, and accessing the content from the data source based on information corresponding to the local reference.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for increasing perceived Internet browser performance by using a relatively high-bandwidth data source such as a CD-ROM and/or a hard drive directory as a local cache of Internet content. The content is provided by content providers via some high-bandwidth data source such as a CD-ROM media for a CD-ROM drive. An install program provided with the content registers with the system one or more URL patterns such as prefixes corresponding to the content, in association with one or more file system patterns (e.g., prefixes) corresponding to a cache container (file system directory). When subsequently browsing to a URL having a matching pattern, the URL pattern is resolved to the cache container, which is then used with the rest of the URL to construct a local file reference. The local file is accessed from the high-bandwidth data source. If the local file is not found, the original http URL is instead used, whereby the content is downloaded in the normal manner. The installable cache may reside on a CD-ROM or other removable media, whereby an autorun program or script that executes each time the media is inserted into a drive updates the registered drive letter.
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Citations
40 Claims
- 1. In a computer system configured to access network content via network access software over a network connection, a method of accessing content, comprising, providing content that corresponds to the network content at a data source that is installable independent of a cache of the network access software, at least some of the content not having been downloaded via the network connection, receiving a request to access the content, the request including a network reference of the content, converting the network reference to a local reference, and accessing the content from the data source based on information corresponding to the local reference.
- 14. In a computer system configured to access network content via network access software over a network connection, a system for accessing content, comprising, a data source installable independent of a cache of the network access software, the data source including content corresponding to the network content, at least some of the content not having been downloaded via the network connection, the network access software receiving a request to access the content, the request including a network reference, a conversion mechanism for obtaining a local reference based on the network reference, and an interface for accessing the content from the data source based on the local reference.
- 24. In a computer system configured to access network content identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) via a first connection, a method of accessing content, comprising, providing content corresponding to the network content at a media-reading device of the system that provides data at a rate which is relatively faster than the first connection, at least some of the content not having been downloaded via the first connection, registering a URL pattern in association with a file system pattern, the URL pattern based on the URL of the network content, receiving a request to access the content, the request including the URL, looking up the file system pattern using the URL pattern, and accessing the content from the media-reading device using a file system path and filename based on the file system pattern information and the URL.
- 32. In a computer system configured to access network content from a network data source via network access software over a network connection, a method of selectively accessing content, comprising, providing content corresponding to the network content at at least one other data source that is installable independent of a cache of the network access software, at least some of the content not having been downloaded via the network connection, registering mapping information, the mapping information comprising a pattern corresponding to a uniform resource locator (URL) of the content in association with a pattern corresponding to a file system reference of the content, receiving a request to access the content, the request including the URL, looking up the mapping information using a pattern derived from the URL to seek the pattern corresponding to the file system reference associated therewith, and, if a mapping is found that indicates the content is available from the at least one other data source, constructing a file system path and filename from the file system pattern and the URL, and accessing the content from that other data source via the path and filename, and if the mapping indicates the content is not available from at least one other data source, downloading the content from the network data source.
Specification