Method and system for redirecting web page requests on a TCP/IP network

• US 6,438,125 B1
• Filed: 01/22/1999
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Brothers, John D. W.
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, ALPUS
• Application Number:
  US09/236,159
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/349, 370/352, 370/389, 370/401, 707/3, 707/10, 707/100, 707/500, 707/501, 707/513, 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/225, 709/226, 709/229, 709/238, 709/249
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks

Abstract

A method and system for redirecting web page requests on a TCP/IP network is described. The method may be performed by a web traffic monitor that intercepts at least a portion of web-based traffic from a client/subscriber on a network. Based on a predetermined criterion, the web traffic monitor either responds to the client/subscriber with an action other than that which was intended by the user or relays the traffic to the destination originally intended by the user. The predetermined criterion may be chosen from, among others, a time period that has elapsed since the last web page request issued from the client/subscriber, a particular IP destination address requested by the client/subscriber, or the client/subscriber'"'"'s IP address. Once the predetermined criterion is met, the traffic monitor acts appropriately by, for example, substituting a replacement web page for the web page requested by the client/subscriber. Appropriate methods of returning the replacement web page to the client/subscriber include, but are not limited to, returning the replacement web page: (1) without ever returning the intended web page; (2) for only a predetermined period of time; or (3) in a secondary browser window that pops on top of the intended web page, which is returned in a primary browser window.

Claims

1. A web traffic monitor interposed into a communication path between one of a client or a subscriber and a web page content server which is operable to:

A. intercept at least some web traffic originating from the one of the client or the subscriber; and

B. determine whether the intercepted web traffic includes a request originating from the one of the client or the subscriber for an intended web page which may be retrieved from the web page content server and;

i. if the traffic does include the request for the intended web page, then determine, based on a predetermined criterion, whether it is appropriate to respond to the request for the intended web page by returning a replacement page other than that originally intended by the one of the client or the subscriber; and

a. if the predetermined criterion is satisfied, then retrieve the replacement web page from a web content shove server linked to the web traffic monitor and return the replacement web page to the one of the client or the subscriber;

or

b. if the predetermined criterion is not satisfied, then transit the request for the intended web page on the communication path to the web page content server;

or

ii. if the traffic does not include the request for the intended web page, transmit the traffic to an appropriate location.

2. The web traffic monitor of claim 1, in which the predetermined criterion is a particular length of time that has elapsed since an immediately preceding request from the one of the client or the subscriber for any web page.

3. The web traffic monitor of claim 1, in which the predetermined criterion is that the request is directed to at least one of a particular set of IP destination addresses.

4. The web traffic monitor of claim 1, in which the predetermined criterion is that the request originates from at least one of a particular set of IP source addresses.

5. The web traffic monitor of claim 1, in which the replacement web page is returned to the one of the client or the subscriber and the intended web page is never returned to the one of the client or the subscriber.

6. The web traffic monitor of claim 1, in which the traffic monitor is further operable to return the intended web page to the one of the client or the subscriber after a predetermined viewing time period has elapsed since the replacement web page was returned to the one of the client or the subscriber.

7. The web traffic monitor of claim 1, in which the traffic monitor is further operable to:

A. return the intended web page to the one of the client or the subscriber in a primary window; and

B. return the replacement web page to the one of the client or the subscriber in a secondary window.

8. A web traffic monitor interposed into a communication path between one of a client or a subscriber and a web page content server which is operable to:

A. intercept at least some web traffic originating from the one of the client or the subscriber; and

B. determine whether the intercepted web traffic includes a request or originating the from one of the client or the subscriber for an intended web page which may be retrieved from the web page content server and;

i. if the traffic does include the request for the intended web page, then determine, based on a predetermined criterion, whether it is appropriate to respond to the request for the intended web page by returning a replacement page; and

a. if the predetermined criterion is satisfied, then retrieve the replacement web page from a web content shove server linked to the web traffic monitor and return the replacement web page to the one of the client or the subscriber, or

b. if the predetermined criterion is not satisfied, then transmit the request for the intended web page on the communication path to the web page content server;

or

ii. if the traffic does not include the request for the intended web page, transmit the traffic to an appropriate location, in which

C. the request for the intended web page includes one of a client or a subscriber data packet, comprising;

i. an original one of a client or a subscriber destination address referring to the intended web page and

ii. one of a client or a subscriber source address referring to the one of the client or the subscriber;

D. the return of the replacement web page is accompanied via return traffic originating from the web content shove server including a shover data packet, comprising;

i. a shover destination address referring to the one of the client or the subscriber and

ii. a shover source address referring to the intended web page; and

E. the web traffic monitor is further operable to;

i. before retrieving the replacement web page;

a. store the original one of the client or the subscriber destination address in a storage location,

b. overwrite the original client/subscriber destination address in the one of the client or the subscriber data packet with a redirected destination address referring to the replacement web page,

ii. after receiving the return traffic from the web content shove server;

a. retrieve the original one of the client or the subscriber destination address from the storage location, and

b. overwrite the shover source address in the shover data packet with the original one of the client or the subscriber destination address.

9. The web traffic monitor of claim 8, in which the communications path is a channel linking one of a client or a subscriber network, of which the one of the client or the subscriber is a node, to a WAN, of which the web page content server is a node.

10. The web traffic monitor of claim 9, in which the web content shove server is a node accessible to both the one of the client or the subscriber and the web traffic monitor.

11. The web traffic monitor of claim 9, in which the web content shove server is a software-based process running on the web traffic monitor.

12. A method for redirecting web traffic, comprising the steps of:

A. intercepting at least some of the web traffic on a communication path between one of a client or a subscriber and a web page content server and

B. determining whether the intercepted web traffic includes a request originating from the one of the client or the subscriber for an intended web page which may be retrieved from the web page content server and;

i. if the traffic does include the request for the intended web page, then determining whether a predetermined criterion is met, and

a. if the predetermined criterion is met,

1) requesting a replacement web page other than that which was intended by the one of the client or the subscriber from a web content shove server and

2) returning the replacement web page to one of the client or the subscriber;

or

b. if the predetermined criterion is not met, the transmitting the request for the intended web page on the communication path to the web page content server, or

ii. if the traffic does not include the request for the intended web page, transmitting the traffic to an appropriate location.

13. The method of claim 12, in which the predetermined criterion is a particular length of time that has elapsed since an immediately preceding request from the one of the client or the subscriber for any web page.

14. The method of claim 12, in which the predetermined criterion is that the request is directed to at least one of a particular set of IP destination addresses.

15. The method of claim 12, in which the predetermined criterion is that the request originates from at least one of a particular set of IP source addresses.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of returning the intended web page to the one of the client or the subscriber after a predetermined viewing time period has elapsed after performing the step of returning the replacement web page to the one of the client or the subscriber.

17. The method of claim 12, in which the step of returning the replacement web page to the one of the client or the subscriber is performed by retaining the replacement web page in a secondary window and further comprising the step of returning the intended web page to the one of the client or the subscriber in a primary a window.

18. A method for redirecting web traffic, comprising the steps of:

A. intercepting at least some of the web traffic on a communication path between one of a client or a subscriber and a web page content server and

B. determining whether the intercepted web traffic includes a request originating from the one of the client or the subscriber for an intended web page which may be retrieved from the web page content server and;

i. if the traffic does include the request for the intended web page, then determining whether a predetermined criterion is met, and

a. if the predetermined criterion is met,

1) requesting a replacement web page from a web content shove server and

2) returning the replacement web page to the one of the client or the subscriber, or

b. if the predetermined criterion is not met, then transmitting the request for the intended web page on the communication path to the web page content server, or

ii. if the traffic does not include the request for the intended web page, transmitting the traffic to an appropriate location in which;

C. the step of requesting the intended web page includes transmission of one of a client or a subscriber datapacket, comprising;

i. an original one of a client or a subscriber destination address referring to the intended web page and

ii. one of a client or a subscriber source address referring to the one of the client or the subscriber;

D. the step of requesting the replacement web page is accomplished via return traffic originating from the web content shove server including a shover data packet, comprising;

i. a shover destination address referring to the one of the client or the subscriber and

ii. a shover source address referring to the intended web page; and

E. and further comprising the steps of;

i. before retrieving the replacement web page,

a. storing the original one of the client or the subscriber destination address in a storage location,

b. overwriting the original one of the client or the subscriber destination address in the one of the client or the subscriber data packet with a redirected destination address referring to the replacement web page,

ii. after receiving the return traffic from the web content shove server,

a. retrieving the original one of the client or the subscriber destination address from the storage location, and

b. overwriting the shover source address in the shover data packet with the original one of the client or the subscriber destination address.

19. The method of claim 18, in which the communications path is a channel linking one of a client or a subscriber network, of which the one of the client or the subscriber is a node, to a WAN, of which the web page content server is a node.

20. The method of claim 19, in which the web content shove server is a node accessible to the one of the client or the subscriber.

21. The method of claim 19, in which the web content shove server is a software-based process running on a web traffic monitor that performs the step of intercepting web traffic, which is a node connected to the communications path.

22. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for redirecting web traffic by performing the steps comprising:

A. intercepting at least some of the web traffic on a communication path between one of a client or a subscriber and a web page content server and

B. determining whether the intercepted web traffic includes a request originating from the one of the client or the subscriber for an intended web page which may be retrieved from the web page content server and;

i. if the traffic does include the request for the intended web page, then determining whether a predetermined criterion is met, and

a. if the predetermined criterion is met,

1) requesting a replacement web page other than that which was intended by the one of the client or the subscriber from a web content shove server and

2) returning the replacement web page to the one of the client or the subscriber, or

b. if the predetermined criterion is not met, then transmitting the request for the intended web page on the communication path to the web page content server;

or

ii. if the traffic does not include the request for the intended web page, transmitting the traffic to an appropriate location.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, in which the predetermined criterion is a particular length of time that has elapsed since an immediately preceding request from the one of the client or the subscriber for any web page.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, in which the predetermined criterion is that the request is directed to at least one of a particular set of IP destination addresses.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, in which the predetermined criterion is that the request originates from at least one of a particular set of IP source addresses.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, having further computer-executable instructions for performing the step of returning the intended web page to the one of the client or the subscriber after a predetermined viewing time period has elapsed after performing the step of returning the replacement web page to the one of the client or the subscriber.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, in which the step of returning the replacement web page to the one of the client or the subscriber is performed by returning the replacement web page in a secondary window and further comprising the step of retuining the intended web page to the one of the client or the subscriber in a primary window.

28. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for redirecting web traffic by performing the steps comprising:

A. intercepting at least some of the web traffic on a communication path between one of client or a subscriber and a web page content server and

B. determining whether the intercepted web traffic includes a request originating from the one of the client or the subscriber for an intended web page which may be retrieved from the web page content server and;

i. if the traffic does include the request for the intended web page, then determining whether a predetermined criterion is met, and

a. if the predetermined criterion is met,

1) requesting a replacement web page from a web content shove server and

2) returning the replacement web page to the one of the client or the subscriber;

or

b. if the predetermined criterion is not met, then transmitting the request for the intended web page on the communication path to the web page content server;

or

ii. if the traffic does not include the request for the intended web page, transmitting the traffic to an appropriate location, in which;

C. the step of requesting the intended web page includes transmission of one of a client or a subscriber data packet, comprising;

i. an original one of a client or a subscriber destination address referring to the intended web page and

ii. one of a client or a subscriber source address referring to the one of the client or the subscriber;

D. the step of returning the replacement web page is accomplished via return traffic originating from the web content shove server including a shover data packet, comprising;

i. a shover destination address referring to the one of the client or the subscriber and

ii. a shover source address referring to the intended web page; and

E. and further comprising the steps of;

i. before retrieving the replacement web page;

a. storing the original one of the client or the subscriber destination address in a storage location,

b. overwriting the original one of the client or the subscriber destination address in the one of the client or the subscriber data packet with a redirected destination address referring to the replacement web page,

ii after receiving the return traffic from the web content shove server,

a. retrieving the original one of the client or the subscriber destination address from the storage location, and

b. overwriting the shover source address in the shover data packet with the original one of the client or the subscriber destination address.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, in which the communications path is a channel linking one of a client or a subscriber network, of which the one of the client or the subscriber is a node, to a WAN, of which the web page content server is a node.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, in which the web content shove server is a node accessible to the one of the client or the subscriber.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, in which the web content shove server is a software-based process running on a web traffic monitor that performs the step of intercepting web traffic, which is a node connected to the communications path.