System and method for variable size retrieval of webpage data

• US 7,099,914 B1
• Filed: 06/24/1999
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hartmann, Richard G., Martino, Gilford F., Timon, Vincent T. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Thong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V.
• Application Number:
  US09/344,323
• Time in Patent Office: 2,623 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/201, 709/246, 345/744, 715/511, 370/390, 370/392, 370/462
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A user desiring to retrieve any multimedia document (such as image, sound, audio, video, text) is provided the ability to select the size of the document desired. The HTTP protocol HEAD method is used for extracting content length and content type from the server. Whether the client browser requests the document or not is based on the content length and content type sent in the header served to the browser by the server and the minimum or maximum size selected by the user for the relevant type. If the content size is not within the parameters defined by the user, the document will not be requested or served on the network.

Claims

1. A method for operating a server responsive to a request for data from a user of a client browser specifying predefined configuration parameters comprising one or both of data type and size, comprising the steps of:

receiving from said browser a head request for the header of a data file;

responsive to said head request, serving to said browser data file header information including data file data type and size;

responsive to said browser determining from said data file header that said data file data type and size are in accordance with said request for data, receiving from said browser a get request, said browser responsive to said predefined configuration parameters, consisting only of one or both of said data file data type and said size, not being in accordance with said data file header information, not issuing said get request to said server; and

thereafter

responsive to said get request, serving to said browser data corresponding to said header.

2. A method for operating a client browser for requesting a data file from a server, comprising the steps of:

receiving data parameters consisting only of one or both of data type and size from a browser user to establish predefined configuration parameters; and

thereafter,

communicating to said server a head request;

receiving from said server in response to said head request a data file header describing data file parameters including data type and size;

determining if said data file parameters are within said predefined configuration parameters; and

only if so,

communicating to said server a get request requesting said server to serve said data file.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said predefined configuration parameters define the data type and data size acceptable to said user and wherein said data file parameters include the data content type and data content size of said data file.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said data file comprises a plurality of data files including one or more inline documents.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein each of said plurality of data files is of a type selected from the set of data file types including image data, video data, audio data, and text data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a head request is submitted separately for each said inline document.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said get request is submitted selectively only for those inline documents having data parameters within said predefined configuration parameters.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein said predefined configuration parameters include a maximum data size and a minimum data size acceptable to said user.

9. The method of claim 2, responsive to said data file parameters not being within said predefined configuration parameters, comprising the further step of providing to said user the option of modifying said user data parameters.

10. The method of claim 2, responsive to said data file parameters not being within said predefined configuration parameters, comprising the further step of providing to said user the option of requesting a portion of said data file.

11. A server computer system, comprising:

a first logic element of said computer system for receiving from a client browser a head request for a header only of a data document;

a second logic element of said computer system responsive to said head request for serving to said client browser a data document header including data type indicia and data size indicia;

a third logic element of said computer system for receiving from said browser a get request responsive to said browser determining that said data type indicia and data size indicia match predefined configuration parameters consisting only of one or both of data file data type and data filed size from a user request, said browser blocking said get request in the event that said data type indicia and said data size indicia do not match said predefined configuration parameters; and

a fourth logic element of said computer system responsive to said get request for serving to said browser a data document corresponding to said header.

12. A server system including a digital computer, said digital computer comprising:

first means for receiving from a client browser a head request for a header of a data document;

second means responsive to said head request for serving to said client browser a data document header including data type indicia and data size indicia;

third means for receiving from said browser a get request responsive to said browser determining that said data type indicia and data size indicia match predefined configuration parameters consisting only of one or both of data type and data size specified in a user request, said browser blocking said get request in the event that said data type indicia and said data size indicia do not match said predefined configuration parameters; and

fourth means responsive to said get request for serving to said browser a data document corresponding to said header.

13. A client browser including a digital processor for requesting a data file from a server, said digital processor comprising:

means for receiving user specified data parameters consisting only of one or both of data type and size from a browser user to establish predefined configuration parameters;

means for communicating to said server a head request;

means for receiving from said server in response to said head request a data file header describing data file parameters including data type and size;

means for determining if said data file parameters are within said predefined configuration parameters; and

only if so,

means operable for communicating to said server a get request requesting said server to serve said data file.

14. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for operating a client browser for requesting a data file from a server, said method steps comprising:

receiving user data parameters consisting only of one or both of data size and type from a browser user to establish predefined configuration parameters; and

thereafter

communicating to said server a head request;

receiving from said server in response to said head request a data file header describing data file parameters including data size and type;

determining if said data file parameters are within said predefined configuration parameters; and

only if so,

communicating to said server a get request requesting said server to serve said data file.

15. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer useable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for operating a client browser for requesting a data file from a server, the computer readable program means in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect receiving user specified data parameters consisting only of one or both of data type and data size from a browser user to establish predefined configuration parameters;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect communicating to said server a head request;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect receiving from said server in response to said head request a data file header describing data file parameters;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect determining if said data file parameters are within said predefined configuration parameters; and

only if so,

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect communicating to said server a get request requesting said server to serve said data file.

16. A digital computer program element digitally stored in a computer storage medium for operating a client browser for requesting a data file from a server according to the steps of:

receiving data parameters consisting only of one or both of data type and size from a browser user to establish predefined configuration parameters; and

thereafter

communicating to said server a head request;

receiving from said server in response to said head request a data file header describing data file parameters including data type and size;

determining if said data file parameters are within said predefined configuration parameters; and

only if so,

communicating to said server a get request requesting said server to serve said data file.

17. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for operating a server responsive to a request for data from a client browser, said method steps comprising:

receiving from said browser a head request for the header of a data file;

responsive to said head request, serving to said browser data file header information including data type and data size;

receiving from said browser a get request responsive to said browser determining that said data file is of a data type and data size specified by a user prior to said browser issuing said head request, said browser blocking said get request in the event that said data type indicia and said data size indicia do not match predefined configuration parameters consisting only of one or both of said data type and data size specified by said user request; and

thereafter

responsive to said get request, serving to said browser data corresponding to said header.

18. The program storage device of claim 17, said method steps further comprising responsive to said browser blocking said get request of providing to said user the option of modifying said data type and data size.

19. The program storage device of claim 17, said method steps further comprising responsive to said browser blocking said get request of providing to said user the option of requesting a portion of said data file.

20. The program storage device of claim 17, said method steps further comprising:

receiving from said browser data parameters defining the data type and data size acceptable to said user, wherein said data file parameters include the data content type and data content size of said data file, and wherein said data file comprises a plurality of data files including one or more in-line documents.