Method for collaborative transformation and caching of web objects in a proxy network

• US 6,360,273 B1
• Filed: 06/23/2000
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Beurket, John Benjamin, Rubin, William Gregg, Ziedins, Gunars, Yu, Philip Shi-Lung, Malkin, Peter Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Application Number:
  US09/603,477
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/226, 709/229, 709/235, 709/238, 709/239, 709/244
• US Class Current: 709/244
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and system provides collaborative caching of transformed Web objects in a proxy network. The proxies collaboratively provide a set of object transformations by partitioning the different types of object transformations, and caching the transformed Web objects among proxies in order to reduce duplicate object transformation and caching effort. The transformations may include language translations, currency conversions, units of measure conversions, shipping cost calculations and sales taxes calculations. Other transformations are also possible.

Claims

1. A method of satisfying client requests using a plurality of proxy servers, comprising the steps of:

partitioning said plurality of proxy servers into transformation groups, each of said transformation groups for performing a respective translation of data,

storing in at least one of said proxy servers information regarding which of said transformation groups performs which translation of data; and

directing one of said client requests to one of said transformation groups based on said information stored in said one of said proxy servers.

2. A method of satisfying client requests according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of proxy servers are partitioned into transformation groups wherein at least one of said groups includes ones of said plurality of proxy servers.

3. A method of satisfying client requests according to claim 1, further comprising the step of performing said respective translation for said one of said transformation groups, said respective translations being a language translation.

4. A method of satisfying client requests according to claim 1, further comprising the step of performing said respective translation for said one of said transformation groups, said respective translations being a currency conversion.

5. A method of satisfying client requests according to claim 1, further comprising the step of performing said respective translation for said one of said transformation groups, said respective translations being a units of measure conversion.

6. A method of satisfying client requests according to claim 1, further comprising the step of performing said respective translation for said one of said transformation groups, said respective translations being an encryption.

7. A network comprising:

a plurality of source servers, each associated with information;

a plurality of clients each making requests for said information; and

a plurality of proxies partitioned into transformation groups, each of said transformation groups for performing a respective translation of said information for said clients, wherein one of said proxies includes indications regarding which of said proxies performs which translation, wherein one of said proxies includes directing means for directing one of said requests to another of said proxies based upon said indications included therein.

8. A network according to claim 7, wherein one of said proxies includes indications regarding which of said proxies performs which translation.

9. A network according to claim 7, wherein said directing means directs said one of said requests to another of said proxies to obtain a translation expected by one of said clients.

10. A network according to claim 7, wherein said plurality of proxies are partitioned into groups based upon URLs.

11. A network according to claim 7, wherein at least one of said proxies performs caching differently for different data.

12. A network according to claim 7, wherein at least one of said proxies includes a cache using different management strategies for different data.

13. A network according to claim 12, wherein said management strategies are based on at least one of object size, processing cost and access frequency of said data.