Differential caching with template, sub-template, and delta information

• US 7,765,274 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digital River Incorporated (Danube Private Holdings II, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Digital River Incorporated (Danube Private Holdings II, LLC)
• Inventors: Kasriel, Stephane, Casanova, Xavier, Mann, Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Divecha, Kamal B
• Application Number:
  US11/203,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/217, 709/213, 709/246, 709/231, 709/238, 709/236, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data

Abstract

A method for transmitting a web page to a client device is described. Template information, sub-template information, and delta information are identified based on a request for information from the client device. The template information includes seldom changing elements of a web page. The sub-template information includes: (i) information that changes less frequently than delta information, and (ii) elements of a web page shared by several templates. At least one of the template information, sub-template information, and delta information is retrieved from a location other than an originating server that is the original provider of information requested by the client device. The request is responded to by sending to the client device the template information, sub-template information and delta information. In addition, a system for transmitting a web page to a client device is described.

Claims

1. A system including a server, the server comprising:

a processor;

a memory; and

a software module containing a computer program which when executed by the processor in the server causes the server to;

(i) dissect a web page retrieved from another server into plurality of components of the web page,

(ii) categorize and store each of the plurality of components into at least three storage categories in the memory, wherein at least one of the plurality of components of the web page is stored in each of the at least three storage categories, the at least three storage categories comprising template information, sub-template information, and delta information, the template information comprising seldom changing elements of a web page, the sub-template information comprising;

(a) information that changes less frequently than delta information, and (b) elements of a web page shared by several templates, the delta information comprising information that changes more frequently than the template information and sub-template information,

(iii) retrieve at least one of the template information, sub-template information, and delta information from the memory based on a request for information received by the server from a client device, and

(iv) respond to the request by sending to the client device both the retrieved information and other components of a particular web page retrieved from a location other than the memory, wherein the server is a server in a content delivery network other than an originating server that is an original provider of the information requested by the client device, the content delivery network comprising a set of mirroring servers situated in different locations throughout a communication network and at least one of the mirroring servers being positioned locally to the client device, each of the mirroring servers includes components of web pages stored in a memory, wherein the components of web pages are categorized into the storage categories of template information and sub-template information.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is one of a proxy encoding server and one of the mirroring servers within the content delivery network, the server including a software module containing a computer program which when executed by the processor in the server causes the server to intercept requests for information from the client device that are intended for the originating server.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the software module in the server contains a computer program which when executed by the processor in the server causes the server to further retrieve the template information and sub-template information from memory in one of the mirroring servers in the content delivery network.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the memory comprises a database containing the storage categories of template information and sub-template information.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein the software module in the server further contains a computer program which when executed by the processor in the server causes the server to (i) tag the template information to identify a version of the template information and (ii) tag the sub-template information to identify a version of the sub-template information.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a software module in the server containing a computer program which when executed by the processor in the server causes the server to (i) compress template information, (ii) compress the sub-template information, and (iii) cache the compressed template information in the memory in a memory address location different from the compressed sub-template information.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the template information is embedded with place markers that define a location for insertion of sub-template information and delta information in the template information when assembling a web page.

8. The system of claim 1 further including a decoder coupled to a user'"'"'s browser in the client device that integrates template information, sub-template information and delta information into a display for presentation to a user in the user'"'"'s browser as an assembled web page.

9. A method performed by a server having a processor and memory operating under the control of a computer program within a storage module, the method comprising steps of:

dissecting a web page retrieved from another server into plurality of components of the web page and storing the plurality of components of the web page by dividing the plurality of components into at least three storage categories and storing each of the plurality of components in the memory wherein at least one of the plurality of components of the web page is stored in each of the at least three storage categories, the at least three storage categories comprising;

template information, sub-template information, and delta information, the template information comprising seldom changing elements of a web page, the sub-template information comprising;

(i) information that changes less frequently than delta information, and (ii) elements of a web page shared by several templates, the delta information comprising information that changes more frequently than the template information and sub-template information;

retrieving at least one of the template information, the sub-template information, and the delta information from a first location other than an originating server that is the original provider of information requested by a client device based on a request for information received by the server from the client device, wherein the server is a server in a content delivery network other than the originating server, the content delivery network comprising a set of mirroring servers situated in different locations throughout a communication network and at least one of the mirroring servers being positioned locally to the client device, each of the mirroring servers includes components of web pages stored in a memory, wherein the components of the web pages are divided into the storage categories of template information and sub-template information; and

responding to the request by sending to the client device both the retrieved information and other components of a particular web page retrieved from a second separate and distinct location.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the server comprises one of a proxy encoding server and one of the mirroring servers within a content delivery network, the method further comprising a step of redirecting the request for information from the client device to the server where that request was intended for the originating server.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the redirecting step is performed by a decoder coupled to a user'"'"'s browser in the client device.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the retrieving step comprises retrieving the template information and sub-template information from one of the mirroring servers in the content delivery network.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the responding step comprises integrating template information, sub-template information and delta information at the server into an assembled web page.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the dissecting step includes tagging the template information to identify a version of the template information, subsequently the identified version of the template information is retrieved and sent to the client device in the retrieving and responding steps, respectively.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the dissecting step includes tagging the sub-template information to identify a version of the sub-template information, subsequently the identified version of the sub-template information is retrieved and sent to the client device in the retrieving and responding steps, respectively.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the dissecting step comprises identifying delta information that is relatively ephemeral information.

17. The method of claim 9 further comprising a step of compressing and caching the template information, and the retrieving step comprising retrieving and decompressing the compressed, cached template information.

18. The method of claim 9 further comprising a step of compressing and caching the sub-template information, and the retrieving step comprising retrieving and decompressing the compressed, cached sub-template information.

19. The method of claim 9 wherein the-template information is embedded with place markers that define a location for insertion of-sub-template information and delta information in the template information when assembling a web page while performing the responding step.

20. The method of claim 9 wherein the responding step comprises integrating template information, sub-template information and delta information in a decoder coupled to a user'"'"'s browser in the client device into a display for presentation to a user in the user'"'"'s browser as an assembled web page.