System and method for processing a request for information in a network

• US 6,981,029 B1
• Filed: 07/17/2001
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vilhuber, Jan, Menditto, Louis F., Batz, Robert M., Tiwari, Pranav K., Tsang, Tzu-Ming, Housel, Barron C., Bhargava, Anurag, Brim, Scott W., Shah, Gaurang K., Zallocco, Mauro
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Thong
• Application Number:
  US09/907,836
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709/235, 709226-228, 709/207, 709/246, 709/232, 709/203, 709/222, 709/225, 709/229, 709/227, 707/4, 707/10, 712/27, 715/523, 718/105, 701/211, 345/740, 370/235, 370/400, 379/220, 379/255, 455/67, 455/188, 340/825, 711/138
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• 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 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1031 Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

An information service provider network includes a content gateway to process requests for information from a client terminal. The content gateway includes a router for receiving a request for information from the client terminal. The request includes a domain name and additional content. The router forwards the request according to the domain name to a selected one of a plurality of processors to further process the request. The selected one of the plurality of processors identifies an information source to satisfy the request in response to the additional content of the request.

Claims

1. A system for processing a request for information in a network, comprising:

a content gateway operable to receive a request for information from a client terminal, the request including a domain name, wherein the content gateway is operable to communicate with a plurality of content providers that are represented by a plurality of content servers and that are operable to process the request, the content gateway operable to forward the request to a selected one of the plurality of content servers based on a domain name of the request and proximity information, wherein the content servers are original servers and the content servers can provide original information in response to the request; and

a content gateway directory that includes a directory defining a classification policy and a processing policy for the request, the content gateway directory being operable to provide data to determine whether the domain name of the request matches the classification police in the directory, wherein the directory includes subscription information that reflects one or more relationships of one or more content providers associated with one or more of the content servers, and wherein routing of the request is affected by the subscription information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing policy in the directory identifies a source having information to satisfy the request.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the content gateway operates as a proxy for the client terminal with respect to an information source, the content gateway being operable to retrieve information from the information source and forward the information to the client terminal pursuant to the request.

4. A method for processing a request for information in a network, comprising:

receiving a request for information from a client terminal, the request including a domain name;

identifying a content provider that is represented by a content server to handle the request according to the domain name of the request and proximity data;

forwarding the request to the identified content provider, wherein the content server is an original server and the content server can provide original information in response to the request; and

providing a content gateway directory that includes a directory defining a classification policy and a processing policy for the request, the content gateway directory being operable to provide data to determine whether the domain name of the request matches the classification policy in the directory, wherein the directory includes subscription information that reflects one or more relationships of one or more content providers associated with one or more of the content servers, and wherein routing of the request is affected by the subscription information.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

retrieving the information from the content server to satisfy the request.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

providing the information to the client terminal.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving the classification policy;

comparing the request to the classification policy.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving the processing policy;

determining a source of information according to the processing policy in response to the request matching the classification policy.

9. A system for processing a request for information in a network, comprising:

means for receiving a request for information from a client terminal, the request including a domain name;

means for identifying a content provider that is represented by a content server to handle the request according to the domain name of the request and proximity data;

means for forwarding the request to the identified content provider, wherein the content server is an original server and the content server can provide original information in response to the request;

means for providing a directory that includes a classification policy and a processing policy for the request; and

means for determining whether the domain name of the request matches the classification policy in the directory, wherein the directory includes subscription information that reflects one or more relationships of one or more content providers associated with one or more of the content servers, and wherein routing of the request is affected by the subscription information.

10. A computer readable medium including code for processing a request for information in a network, the code operable to perform a process comprising:

receiving a request for information from a client terminal, the request including a domain name;

identifying a content provider that is represented by a content server to handle the request according to the domain name of the request and proximity data;

forwarding the request to the identified content provider, wherein the content server is an original server and the content server can provide original information in response to the request;

providing a directory that includes a classification policy and a processing policy for the request; and

determining whether the domain name of the request matches the classification policy in the directory, wherein the directory includes subscription information that reflects one or more relationships of one or more content providers associated with one or more of the content servers, and wherein routing of the request is affected by the subscription information.