Predictive pre-download of a network object

• US 7,548,947 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2005
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Digital River Incorporated (Danube Private Holdings II, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Digital River Incorporated (Danube Private Holdings II, LLC)
• Inventors: Kasriel, Stephane, Mann, Walter, Casanova, Xavier
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean, Frantz B
• Application Number:
  US11/262,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20060075068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/234, 709/235, 719/314, 719/315, 719/316
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics

Abstract

A method for enabling pre-downloading of network objects to a web client from a web server is described. The method includes intercepting at a device a request from a web client to a web server for a first network object. The same device intercepts a response to the request from the web server. The device determines a second network object most probable to be requested in the future from the web server. Subsequently, a message is sent from the device to the web client the first message informing the web client of the second network object to be cached by the web client. A second message is sent from the web client requesting the second network object. The second network object is received and predicatively pre-downloaded into a cache whereby a latency for requesting the second network object is reduced when requested in response to an actual user request.

Claims

1. A method for enabling predictive pre-downloading of network objects to a web client from a web server on a network, the method including steps of:

intercepting at a device a request from the web client to the web server for a first network object;

intercepting at the device a response to the request from the web server;

determining at the device a second network object most probable to be requested in the future from the web server;

sending a first message from the device to the web client informing the web client of the second network object to be cached by the web client

sending a second message from the web client requesting the second network object in response to the web client receiving the first message; and

receiving the second network object at the web client such that the second network object is predicatively pre-downloaded into a cache by the web client whereby a latency for requesting the second network object is reduced when requested in response to an actual user request.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first message comprises the response including the first network object and a hint identifying the determined second network object most probable to be requested.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the hint comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) pointing to the second network object.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining step comprises communicating with a statistics server, separate from the web server, that maintains policy rules and statistics regarding a set of request pairs for network objects, the request pairs indicating transitions between one network object and another network object.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the determining step comprises determining the second network object most probable to be requested in the future from the web server based on a match between a maintained policy rule and the requested first network object, the maintained policy rule comprising request pairs indicating transitions between important network objects.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the determining step comprises determining the second network object most probable to be requested in the future from the web server based on a match between statistics and the requested first network object, the statistics comprising a web-side model database of regular expressions constructed in response to prior incoming messages.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the determining step comprises utilizing a finite state machine to detect whether first network object possibly matches a regular expression in the web-side model database.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the maintained policy rules comprise information selected from a group consisting of:

information about categories of users, demographic information, and past behavior of specific users at a web site.