Peak traffic management

• US 8,296,417 B1
• Filed: 07/29/2008
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gershon, Alexander, Montz, Allen Brady, Hay, Owen D., Wakashige, Wade Kiyoshi, Quek, Karen Hwei M.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH CHAU
• Application Number:
  US12/181,952
• Time in Patent Office: 1,547 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/228
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/02 Protocol performance

Abstract

Users are allowed to communicate with a server via a local client even when the server experiences an abnormal peak of traffic. The local client is configured to send a new connection request only after a specified time interval passes from a previous connection. The local client presents content, such as a game, that makes it appear to the user as if the user is interacting with the server while the local client is waiting for reconnection to the server. The user interactions during the time interval are locally stored and later provided to the server for further process.

Claims

1. A computer program product embedded in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for managing a number of concurrent connections, comprising program code configured for:

monitoring a number of connection requests to at least one host address for user-requested content;

establishing a first connection to a user device upon receiving a first connection request from a client application executed on the user device, the first connection request including a first request for the user-requested content; and

at a time after the number of connection requests exceeds a threshold level,

setting a time interval between the first connection and a second connection from the user device to the at least one host address for the user-requested content;

transferring interactive content and information about the time interval to the client application, the interactive content, the interactive content being operable to be presented by the client application when the user device is not connected to the at least one host address, the information including a duration of the time interval; and

causing the interactive content to be presented on the user device during the time interval when the user device is not connected to the at least one host address such that presentation of the interactive content changes based at least in part on user interaction with the interactive content;

causing information for the user interaction to be stored in a local memory of the user device at least for the duration of the time interval, the information for the user interaction including a request for additional interactive content; and

after the time interval is complete,

receiving a second connection request from the client application, the second connection request including a second request for the user-requested content; and

receiving from the local memory of the user device the information for the user interaction at the at least one host address;

if the number of connection requests to the at least one host address for the user-requested content exceeds the threshold level at a time of the second connection request;

adjusting the time interval between the first connection and the second connection to the at least one host address for the user-requested content; and

providing the additional interactive content and information about the adjusted time interval to the client device in response to the request included in the received information for the user interaction, the additional interactive content being operable to be presented by the client application when the user device is not connected to the at least one host address, the information about the adjusted time interval including a duration of the adjusted time interval;

and if the number of connection requests to the at least one host address for the user-requested content is less than the threshold level at the time of the second connection request, then at least;

establishing the second connection from the user device to the at least one host address; and

providing, by the second connection, the user-requested content to the user device.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising program code for:

adjusting the time interval based at least in part on changes in traffic conditions and capacity conditions in a server.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, further comprising program code for:

pushing the adjusted time interval to the user device.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein additional interactive content is obtained and pushed to the user device.

5. A computer-implemented method of managing a number of concurrent connections, comprising:

monitoring a number of connection requests to at least one host address for user-requested content;

establishing a first connection to a user device upon receiving a first connection request from a client application executed on the user device, the first connection request including a first request for the user-requested content; and

at a time after the number of connection requests exceeds a threshold level;

setting a time interval between the first connection and a second connection from the user device to the at least one host address for the user-requested content;

transferring interactive content and information about the time interval to the client application, the interactive content being operable to be presented by the client application when the user device is not connected to the at least one host address, the information including a duration of the time interval;

causing the interactive content to be presented on the user device during the time interval when the user device is not connected to the at least one host address such that presentation of the interactive content changes based at least in part on user interaction with the interactive content; and

causing information for the user interaction to be stored in a local memory of the user device for at least the duration of the time interval, the information for the user interaction including a request for additional interactive content; and

after the time interval is complete,

receiving a second connection request from the client application, the second connection request including a second request for the user-requested content; and

receiving the information for the user interaction from the local memory of the user device at the at least one host address;

if the number of connection requests to the at least one host address for the user-requested content exceeds the threshold level at a time of the second connection request;

adjusting the time interval between the first connection and the second connection to the at least one host address for the user-requested content; and

providing the additional interactive content and information about the adjusted time interval to the client device in response to the request included in the received information for the user interaction, the additional interactive content being operable to be presented by the client application when the user device is not connected to the at least one host address, the information about the adjusted time interval including a duration of the adjusted time interval;

and if the number of connection requests to the at least one host address for the user-requested content is less than the threshold level at the time of the second connection request, then at least;

establishing the second connection from the user device to the at least one host address; and

providing, by the second connection, the user-requested content to the user device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the time interval is determined based at least in part on capacity to handle a number of concurrent connections at a given time.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the interactive content includes one of media content, catalog information, promotion information, or game content.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

adjusting the time interval based at least in part on changes in the number of connection requests; and

transferring the adjusted time interval to the client application.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, from the client application, information for the user interaction regarding the interactive content.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

processing the received information for the user interaction before sending information to the client application at the time of the second connection.

11. A system for of managing a number of concurrent connections, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

monitor a number of connection requests to at least one host address for user-requested content;

establish a first connection to a user device upon receiving a first connection request from a client application executed on the user device, the first connection request including a first request for the user-requested content; and

at a time after the number of connection requests exceeds a threshold level;

set a time interval between the first connection and a second connection from the user device to the at least one host address for the user-requested content;

transfer interactive content and information about the time interval to the client application, the interactive content being operable to be presented by the client application when the user device is not connected to the at least one host address, the information including a duration of the time interval; and

cause the interactive content to be presented on the user device during the time interval when the user device is not connected to the at least one host address such that presentation of the interactive content changes based at least in part on user interaction with the interactive content;

cause information for the user interaction to be stored in a local memory of the user device for at least the duration of the time interval, the information for user interaction including a request for additional content; and

after the time interval is complete,

receive a second connection request received from the client application, the second connection request including a second request for the user-requested content; and

receive the information for the user interaction from the local memory of the user device at the at least one host address;

if the number of connection requests to the at least one host address for the user-requested content exceeds the threshold level at a time of the second request;

adjust the time interval between the first connection and the second connection to the at least one host address for the user-requested content; and

provide the additional interactive content and information about the adjusted time interval to the client device in response to the request included in the received information for the user interaction, the additional interactive content being operable to be presented by the client application when the user device is not connected to the at least one host address, the information about the adjusted time interval including a duration of the adjusted time interval;

and if the number of connection requests to the at least one host address for the user-requested content is less than the threshold level at the time of the second connection request, then at least;

establish the second connection from the user device to the at least one host address; and

provide, by the second connection, the user-requested content to the user device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the time interval is determined based at least in part on capacity to handle a number of concurrent connections at a given time.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the interactive content includes one of media content, catalog information, promotion information, or game content.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory device further includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

adjust the time interval based at least in part on changes in the number of connection requests; and

transfer the adjusted time interval to the client application.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory device further includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive, from the client application, information for the user interaction regarding the interactive content.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory device further includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to process the received information for the user interaction before sending information to the client application at the time of the second connection.