User device and system for traffic management and content distribution over a world wide area network

• US 6,484,143 B1
• Filed: 08/18/2000
• Issued: 11/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Speedera Networks Incorporated (Akamai Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gupta, Ajit K., Swildens, Eric Sven-Johan, Day, Richard David
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Application Number:
  US09/641,746
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/235, 709/203, 709/201, 713/213, 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5064 Customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1006 with static server selection, e.g. the same server being selected for a specific client
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1027 Persistence of sessions during load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A user interface device and system for providing a shared GTM and CDN (collectively Universal Distribution Network) for a service fee, where the customer or user does not need to purchase significant hardware and/or software features. The present interface device and system allows a customer to scale up its Web site, without a need for expensive and difficult to use hardware and/or software. In a preferred embodiment, the customer merely pays for a service fee, which can be fixed, variable, lump some, or based upon a subscription model using the present system. The present device and system are preferably implemented on a system including a novel combination of global traffic management and content distribution.

Claims

1. A service based system for traffic management and content distribution for a plurality of users over a world wide network of computers, the system comprising:

a global traffic management device coupled to a world wide area network, the global traffic management device being provided to load balance traffic for a customer across multiple customer origin sites;

a content delivery network coupled to the global traffic management device, the content delivery network providing content distribution and delivery of any of;

static Web page content or streaming media, for the customer;

a computing device including a computer memory coupled to the global traffic management device; and

an accounting module coupled to the computing device, the accounting module being provided to track a usage of the global traffic management device and the content delivery network for the customer of the global traffic management device and the content delivery network to determine a service fee to the customer of the global traffic management device and the content delivery network for the usage based upon a period time frequency.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the periodic time frequency is selected from an hour, a week, a month, a quarter, or a year.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the content distribution network comprises a plurality of content servers, each of the content servers being spatially disposed in a geographical manner.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the content distribution and delivery is for at least HTTP, HTTPS and FTP.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the streaming media is selected from Real Media, Windows Media, and QuickTime.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the global traffic management system comprises a plurality of management agents being distributed throughout the content distribution network.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the customer of the content distribution network is an Internet commerce company.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the usage of the content distribution network reduces a latency of web pages of the customer to a user.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the global traffic management device reduces a latency of web pages of the customer.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the service fee is a one time fee.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the global traffic management system provides intelligent failover for origin sites.

12. A service based system for traffic management and content distribution for a plurality of users over a world wide network of computers, the service based system being free from capital expenditure to the plurality of users and being provided on periodic service fees, the system comprising:

a global traffic management device coupled to a world wide area network, the global traffic management device being provided to load balance traffic for a customer across multiple customer origin sites;

a content delivery network coupled to the global traffic management device, the content delivery network providing content distribution and delivery of any of;

static Web page content or streaming media, for the customer;

a computing device including a computer memory coupled to the global traffic management device; and

an accounting module coupled to the computing device, the accounting module being provided to track a usage of the global traffic management device and the content delivery network for the customer of the global traffic management device and the content delivery network to determine a service fee to the customer of the global traffic management device and the content delivery network for the usage based upon a period time frequency, the accounting module comprising;

a first code directed to retrieving invoicing information from the computer memory; and

a second code directed to determining a service fee based upon the invoicing information from the computer.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the invoicing information comprises an address and a service fee.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the service fee is based upon a periodic frequency.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the content distribution and delivery is for at least HTTP, HTTPS and FTP.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the customer is free from paying a capital fee toward the usage of the content delivery network and the global traffic management device.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the customer of the content distribution network is an Internet commerce company.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the Internet commerce company is a book store, a business to business site, a portal, a health site, and a finance site.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the usage of the content distribution network reduces a latency of web pages of the customer to a user.

20. The system of claim 12 wherein the customer of the content distribution network is an Internet commerce company.

21. The system of claim 12 wherein the periodic time frequency is selected from an hour, a week, a month, a quarter, or a year.

22. The system of claim 12 wherein the global traffic management system provides intelligent failover for origin sites.