Dynamic image delivery system

• US 8,346,956 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2011
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Day, Richard David, Swildens, Eric Sven-Johan, Liu, Zaide
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN, FRANTZ B
• Application Number:
  US13/244,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20120016933A1
• Time in Patent Office: 465 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/231, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/226, 370/235
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1004 Server selection for load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

A dynamic image delivery system receives a client request for an image at an image caching server. The image caching server measures the client'"'"'s network access speed and looks for an appropriate pre-rendered copy of the requested image that is rendered for the client'"'"'s network access speed in local storage. If the appropriate rendered copy is found, then the image caching server sends the rendered image to the client. If it is not found, then the image caching server dynamically renders a copy of the image and sends it to the client.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

receiving a first client'"'"'s request for an image file at a proxy server that is one of a plurality of servers in a content delivery network (CDN), the CDN delivering content to clients on behalf of a plurality of CDN users;

with the proxy server, requesting and receiving an original image file from another server that corresponds to the requested image file;

with the proxy server, rendering an image file based on the original image file to create a rendered image file, based on the first client'"'"'s network connection speed and one or more CDN user preferences for image delivery, where the one or more CDN user preferences can be set differently by different CDN users and where the rendered image file has a size different than that of the original image file;

storing the rendered image file in a storage local to the proxy server for use in responding to subsequent client requests;

in response to a second client'"'"'s request, sending, with the proxy server, the rendered image file to the second client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second clients is connected to the proxy server via a wireless network connection.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a configuration file at the proxy server, the configuration file specifying the one or more CDN user preferences for image delivery.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more CDN user preferences comprise configuration parameters that are set for a particular customer domain, or for a particular URL path.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first client'"'"'s network connection speed reflects a measurement of the first client'"'"'s network connection speed at the time of the first client'"'"'s request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first client'"'"'s request comprises an HTTP request.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a DNS request associated with the first client'"'"'s request for the image at one or more DNS servers associated with the CDN;

selecting, by the one or more DNS servers, the proxy server from among the plurality of servers in the CDN to respond to the first client'"'"'s request; and

responding to the DNS request with an IP address of the proxy server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy server renders the rendered image file at the time of the first client'"'"'s request.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy server renders the rendered image file in a different resolution than that of the original image file based on the first client'"'"'s network connection speed and the one or more CDN user preferences for image delivery.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the another server is a server that is associated with a CDN user.

11. A proxy server that is one of a plurality of servers in a content delivery network (CDN), the proxy server comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the proxy server to;

receive a first client'"'"'s request for an image file;

request and receive an original image file from another server that corresponds to the requested image file;

render an image file based on the original image file to create a rendered image file based on the first client'"'"'s network connection speed and one or more CDN customer preferences for image delivery, where the one or more CDN user preferences can be set differently by different CDN users, and where the rendered image file has a size different than that of the original image file;

store the rendered image file in a storage local to the proxy server for use in responding to a subsequent client request;

in response to a second client'"'"'s request, send the rendered image file to the second client.

12. The proxy server of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first and second clients is connected to the proxy server via a wireless network connection.

13. The proxy server of claim 11, the instructions further causing the proxy server to receive a configuration file at the proxy server, the configuration file specifying the one or more CDN user preferences for image delivery.

14. The proxy server of claim 11, wherein the one or more CDN user preferences comprise configuration parameters that are set for a particular customer domain, or for a particular URL path.

15. The proxy server of claim 11, wherein the first client'"'"'s network connection speed reflects a measurement of the first client'"'"'s network connection speed at the time of the first client'"'"'s request.

16. The proxy server of claim 11, wherein the first client'"'"'s request comprises an HTTP request.

17. The proxy server of claim 11, wherein the proxy server has an IP address that is sent to clients by a DNS server associated with the CDN.

18. The proxy server of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the proxy server to render the rendered image file at the time of the first client'"'"'s request.

19. The proxy server of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the proxy server to render the rendered image file in a different resolution than that of the original image file based on the first client'"'"'s network connection speed and the one or more CDN user preferences for image delivery.

20. The proxy server of claim 11, wherein the another server is a server that is associated with a CDN user.