Methods and apparatus for enabling dynamic resource collaboration

• US 6,981,256 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2001
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aspect Communications Corporation (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Aspect Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Dilip, Venkatachari, Jawahar, Janardhanan
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Al T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Lilian
• Application Number:
  US09/950,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20020073206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,569 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/227, 709/228, 709/200, 709/214, 709/213, 718/101, 718/100, 707/201, 711/133, 713/153
• US Class Current: 718/101
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/323 Visualisation of programs or trace data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for enabling collaboration with web pages and other resources is described. A method includes the step of establishing a collaboration session between a first client and a second client. A requested resource is cached with the session host in response to a request having a first uniform resource locator (URL) issued by the first client, if the requested resource is a pre-determined type of resource. A second URL is provided to the second client. The second URL identifies the requested resource or the cached resource in accordance with whether the requested resource is cached. Apparatus for enabling collaboration includes a web server, a cache, and a filter. The web server provides a requested web page in response to a first client'"'"'s request. The filter stores the requested web page in the cache, if the requested web page is a pre-determined type of web page. A number of pre-determined characteristics for caching are described in various embodiments of the methods and apparatus. In one embodiment, the requested resource is cached if it is a dynamic web page. In one embodiment an expiration date of the requested resource determines whether the requested resource should be cached. In another embodiment, a filename associated with the requested resource determines whether the requested resource should be cached. In another embodiment, components of the request determine whether the requested web page should be cached.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

establishing a collaboration session between a first client and a second client with a session host;

providing a requested web page from a resource host to the first client in response to a request having a first uniform resource locator (URL); and

caching the requested web page, at the session host, as a cached web page, if the requested web page has a pre-determined characteristic.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pre-determined characteristic of the requested web page corresponds to at least one from a group including a dynamically-generated web-page, an expiration date of the requested web page being a future date, and the requested web page being associated with a filename having a specified characteristic.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a second URL to the second client identifying the requested web page, wherein the second URL identifies the cached web page if the requested web page has the pre-determined characteristic, wherein the second URL identifies the web page from the resource host otherwise.

4. A computer implements method comprising:

establishing a collaboration session between a first client and a second client with a session host;

redirecting a request, having a first uniform resource locator (URL), for a web page from the first client through the session host to a resource host if the URL identifies the resource host;

providing a requested web page from the resource host to the first client in response to the request;

caching the requested web page, at the session host, as a cached web page, if the requested web page has pre-determined characteristic; and

providing a second URL to the second client identifying the requested web page.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the second URL identifies a web page cached within the session host.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the second URL identifies the web page provided from the resource host.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the request is issued in accordance with a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), wherein the requested web page is cached if the request includes a selected one of a PUT, a DELETE, a LINK, an UNLINK, a HEAD, and a POST method.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the pre-determined characteristic of the requested web page causing the session host to cache the requested web page corresponds to the requested web page being a dynamically generated web page.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the pre-determined characteristic of the requested web page causing the session host to cache the requested web page corresponds to an expiration date of the requested web page being in the future.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein the pre-determined characteristic of the requested web page causing the session host to cache the requested web page corresponds to the requested web page being associated with a filename having a specified characteristic.

11. A machine-readable medium embodying a set on instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause of the machine to perform a method for providing web pages to a plurality of clients, the method comprising:

establishing collaboration session between a first client and a second client with a session host;

redirecting a request for a web page from the first client having a first uniform resource locator (URL) through the session host to a resource host if the URL identifies the resource host;

providing a requested web page from the resource host to the first client in response to the request;

caching the requested web page, at the session host, as a cached web page, if the requested web page as a pre-determined characteristic; and

providing a second URL to the second client identifying the requested web page.

12. The machine-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the second URL identifies a web page cached within the session host.

13. The machine-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the second URL identifies the web page provided from the resource host.

14. The machine-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the request is issued in accordance with a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), wherein the requested web page is cached if the request includes a selected one of a PUT, a DELETE, a LINK, an UNLINK, a HEAD, and a POST method.

15. The machine-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the pre-determined characteristic of the requested web page causing the session host to cache the requested web page corresponds to the requested web page being a dynamically generated web page.

16. The machine-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the pre-determined characteristic of the requested web page causing the session host to cache the requested web page corresponds to an expiration date of the requested web page being in the future.

17. The machine-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the pre-determined characteristic of the requested web page causing the session host to cache the requested web page corresponds to the requested web page being associated with a filename having a specified characteristic.

18. A system comprising:

means for establishing a collaboration session between a first client and a second client with a session host;

means for providing a requested web page from a resource host to the first client in response to a request having a first uniform resource locator (URL); and

means for caching the requested web page, at the session host, as a cached web page, if the requested web page has a pre-determined characteristic.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the means for caching includes a filter.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for providing a second URL to the second client identifying the requested web page has the pre-determined characteristic, wherein the second URL identifies the web page from the resource host otherwise.

21. A computer-implemented method comprising:

establishing a collaboration session between a first client and a second client with a session host;

retrieving a request, having a first uniform locator (URL), for a web page by the first client through the session host, wherein the web page is associated with a resource host;

modifying the first URL, referring to the resource host, within the web page to form a modified web page to redirect the request through the session host;

providing the modified web page from the resource host to the first client in response to the request having the first uniform resource locator (URL); and

caching the modified web page, at the session host, as a cached web page, if the requested web page has a pre-determined characteristic.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising providing a second client with a second URL, wherein the second URL corresponds to the first URL if the modified web page is not cached, wherein the second URL identifies the cached web page if the modified web page is cached.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising retrieving a request, having the second URL for the web page by the second client through the session host.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the pre-determined characteristic of the requested web page corresponds to at least one from a group including a dynamically-generated web page, an expiration date of the requested web page being a future date, and the requested web page being associated with a filename having a specified characteristic.