Service for retrieving and aggregating data used to generate web pages or other content items

• US 7,620,653 B1
• Filed: 02/01/2006
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Swartz, Jonathan E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vital; Pierre M
• Assistant Examiner(s): OBISESAN, AUGUSTINE KUNLE
• Application Number:
  US11/275,862
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

An aggregation service acts as an intermediary between a template (or template processor) and a set of two or more services that supply data for generating web pages or other types of content items. The aggregation service stores dependency information in connection with the set of services, and uses this information to control the order and timing with which service requests are made on behalf of the template/template processor. The aggregation service aggregates the retrieved service data for incorporation into the template, and in some cases, formats the service data for display.

Claims

1. A method of generating data used to dynamically generate web pages, the method comprising:

receiving a request at a web server for a web page;

in response to the request, processing at least one template for generating the web page, wherein processing the template comprises invoking at least one method of an aggregation component in order to initiate retrieval by the aggregation component, from a plurality of services, of data for generating the web page;

via the aggregation component;

(a) generating a graph structure that corresponds to the at least one method and specifies dependencies between service requests for retrieving the data from the plurality of services, (b) during dynamic generation of the web page, traversing the graph structure and using the graph structure i) to maintain, during generation of the web page, service request status information, and ii) to control order and timing with which individual service requests are sent to corresponding services at least in part based on traversing the graph structure and at least in part on the service request status information and (c) receiving results of the sent service requests from the plurality of services; and

further processing the at least one template to generate the web page using the service request results received by the aggregation component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the web server sends the service requests to the corresponding service over a network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises generating a directed graph of the dependencies.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the directed graph comprises a plurality of nodes, the nodes corresponding to at least one of a parameter, executable code, and a service request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises performing a first processing pass to identify said plurality of service requests.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first processing pass comprises the template requesting a plurality of methods that correspond to the plurality of service requests.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein further processing the at least one template comprises performing at least a second processing pass of the at least one template to generate the web page.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the graph structure comprises nodes that represent particular service requests.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the aggregation component uses the graph structure to maintain service request dependency status information during generation of the web page.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the graph structure comprises at least one node that specifies executable instructions for formatting a received service request result for display.

11. The method of claim 1, the step of using the graph structure comprises repeatedly traversing at least a portion of the graph structure to identify dependent service requests that can be sent.

12. The method of claim 1, generating the graph structure comprises making a copy of a pre-defined graph structure.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the timing is relative to others of the service requests.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising aggregating identical service requests into a single service request to be sent to the corresponding service.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining the service request status information in response to sending and receiving the service requests.

16. A web server comprising a memory and a processor programmed to perform a method of generating data used to dynamically generate web pages, the method comprising:

receiving a request at a web server for a web page;

in response to the request, processing at least one template for generating the web page, wherein processing the template comprises invoking at least one method of an aggregation component in order to initiate retrieval by the aggregation component, from a plurality of services, of data for generating the web page;

via the aggregation component;

(a) generating a graph structure that corresponds to the at least one method and specifies dependencies between service requests for retrieving the data from the plurality of services, (b) during dynamic generation of the web page, traversing the graph structure and using the graph structure i) to maintain, during generation of the web page, service request status information, and ii) to control order and timing with which individual service requests are sent to corresponding services at least in part based on traversing the graph structure and at least in part on the service request status information and (c) receiving results of the sent service requests from the plurality of services; and

further processing the at least one template to generate the web page using the service request results received by the aggregation component.

17. A computer storage device which stores a computer program which, when executed, causes a processor to perform a method of generating data used to dynamically generate web pages, the method comprising:

receiving a request at a web server for a web page;

in response to the request, processing at least one template for generating the web page, wherein processing the template comprises invoking at least one method of an aggregation component in order to initiate retrieval by the aggregation component, from a plurality of services, of data for generating the web page;

via the aggregation component;

(a) generating a graph structure that corresponds to the at least one method and specifies dependencies between service requests for retrieving the data from the plurality of services, (b) during dynamic generation of the web page, traversing the graph structure and using the graph structure i) to maintain, during generation of the web page, service request status information, and ii) to control order and timing with which individual service requests are sent to corresponding services at least in part based on traversing the graph structure and at least in part on the service request status information and (c) receiving results of the sent service requests from the plurality of services; and

further processing the at least one template to generate the web page using the service request results received by the aggregation component.

18. A system for dynamically generating documents, comprising:

one or more processors;

a template processor that uses document templates to dynamically generate documents using service data retrieved from services, said template processor comprising software executed by at least one of said one or more processors; and

an aggregation component that acts as an intermediary between the template processor and a plurality of said services, and sends service requests to the plurality of services on behalf of, and in response to requests from, the template processor, said aggregation component comprising software executed by at least one of said one or more processors;

wherein the aggregation component maintains information about dependencies between the service requests, and uses such information to control the order and timing, relative to dependent ones of the service requests, with which the service requests are sent to the plurality of services.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the information about service request dependencies comprises a directed graph representing said dependencies.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the directed graph comprises nodes that correspond to service requests, and the aggregation component traverses the directed graph to identify service requests that can be made.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the template processor and aggregation component run on a common web server machine, and operate in conjunction to generate web pages in response to requests from client computing devices.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein said aggregation component is configured to aggregate a plurality of identical service requests from the template processor into a single service request sent to the service.

23. A computer system comprising:

at least one web server machine having at least one processor configured to;

receive a request for a web page;

in response to the request, process at least one template for generating the web page, wherein processing the template comprises invoking at least one method of an aggregation component in order to initiate retrieval by the aggregation component, from a plurality of services, of data for generating the web page, wherein via the aggregation component the processor is further configured to;

(a) generate a graph structure that corresponds to the at least one method and specifies dependencies between service requests for retrieving the data from the plurality of services, (b) during dynamic generation of the web page, traverse the graph structure and use the graph structure i) to maintain, during generation of the web page, service request status information, and ii) to control an order and a timing with which individual service requests are sent to corresponding services at least in part based on traversing the graph structure and at least in part on the service request status information, and (c) receive results of the sent service requests from the plurality of services; and

further process the at least one template to dynamically generate the web page using the service request results received by the aggregation component;

a storage configured to store the at least one template.