Electronic information caching

• US 8,751,599 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2006
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tran, Vinh, Sullivan, Brian, Morgan, Harry G., Howard, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheema, Umar
• Application Number:
  US11/276,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20060155823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,018 Days
• Field of Search: 709/216, 709/202, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/216
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0868 Data transfer between cache memory and other subsystems, e.g. storage devices or host systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5683 Storage of data provided by user terminals, i.e. reverse caching

Abstract

Electronic information is made more readily available to one or more access requesters based on an anticipated demand for the electronic information using a process, system or computer software. For instance, electronic information stored on a first storage medium is identified for transport (e.g., in response to a request of at least one of the access requesters), and the electronic information is transported accordingly. Afterwards, a determination is made to store the electronic information on a second storage medium that is more accessible to the access requesters than the first storage medium. The determination is based on an anticipated demand of the access requestors for the electronic information. The anticipated demand is determined based at least on information that is not particular to any single access requestor. The electronic information then is stored on the second storage medium and the access requesters are provided access to the electronic information from the second storage medium.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for making electronic information more readily available to access requesters, the method comprising:

identifying an access requester requesting access to electronic information stored at a source storage device;

determining a demographic for the identified access requester based on information that is unrelated to past requests by the access requester;

assigning cache values to selected portions of the electronic information stored within the source storage device, based on a frequency of past requests by different access requesters to access each of the selected portions of the electronic information;

anticipating, by a computing device, a demand for access to each of the selected portions of the electronic information by the access requester based on the demographic determined for the access requester and the respective cache values assigned to the selected portions;

identifying at least one of the selected portions of the electronic information stored at the source storage device for transport to a destination storage device that is more accessible to the access requester relative to the source storage device, based on the anticipated demand, the identified portion of the electronic information having a relatively higher cache value than the cached values assigned to the other selected portions of the electronic information in the source storage device; and

copying the identified portion of the electronic information from the source storage device to the destination storage device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the electronic information is identified for transport based on the anticipated demand and a current request of the access requester requesting access to the electronic information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the demographic of the access requester is determined based on information that is common to multiple access requesters within the same demographic.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the demographic of the access requester is determined based on information that is obtained from several access requesters within the same demographic.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein anticipating the demand for access to the electronic information by the access requester comprises anticipating the demand based on a predetermined popularity of the identified portion of the electronic information for the demographic of the access requester.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the identified portion of the electronic information is accessible to the access requester from the destination storage device; and

providing the access requester with access to the portion of the electronic information copied to the destination storage device, based on the determination,

wherein the access requester is provided with access to the electronic information from the source storage device only if the electronic information is not accessible to the access requester from the destination storage device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination storage device is more geographically proximate to the access requester than the source storage device such that the copying step includes copying the identified portion of the electronic information on a storage device that is more geographically proximate to the access requester than the source storage device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination storage device is more electronically proximate to the access requester than the source storage device such that the copying step includes copying the identified portion of the electronic information on a storage device that is more electronically proximate to the access requester than the source storage device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the source storage device resides on a central server and the destination storage device resides on a distributed server such that the copying step includes duplicating the identified portion of the electronic information from the central server to the distributed server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the demand is anticipated based on the demographic of the access requester and at least one of a current request and past requests by the access requester.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the demographic of the access corresponds to a class of access requestors.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the demographic of the access requester is determined based on past requests by the access requester for access to electronic information that is not related to the identified portion of the electronic information.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the demographic of the access requester is determined based on information including one or more of feedback by access requesters regarding topics of interest, formal or informal polling data, and survey research.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein anticipating the demand further comprises:

measuring a frequency of the past requests for access to electronic information that is not related to the identified portion of the electronic information; and

anticipating, by the computing device, the demand of the access requester for access to the electronic information based on the measured frequency of the past requests.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein anticipating the demand further comprises:

measuring a volume of the past requests for access to electronic information that is not related to the identified portion of the electronic information; and

anticipating, by the computing device, the demand of the access requester for access to the electronic information based on the measured volume of the past requests.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, to the access requester, a notice that the copied portion of the electronic information is available at the destination storage device that is more accessible to the access requester than the source storage device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein anticipating the demand further comprises anticipating the demand while an access request for the electronic information is being made.

18. A system comprising:

at least one computer; and

at least one memory device coupled to the at least one computer having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one computer, causes the at least one computer to perform operations comprising;

identifying an access requester requesting access to electronic information stored at a source storage device;

determining a demographic for the identified access requester based on information that is unrelated to past requests by the access requester;

assigning cache values to selected portions of the electronic information stored within the source storage device, based on a frequency of past requests by different access requesters to access each of the selected portions of the electronic information;

anticipating a demand for access to each of the selected portions of the electronic information by the access requester based on the demographic determined for the access requester and the respective cache values assigned to the selected portions;

identifying at least one of the selected portions of the electronic information stored at the source storage device for transport to a destination storage device that is more accessible to the access requester relative to the source storage device, based on the anticipated demand, the identified portion of the electronic information having a relatively higher cache value than the cached values assigned to the other selected portions of the electronic information in the source storage device; and

copying the identified portion of the electronic information from the source storage device to the destination storage device.

19. A machine-readable storage device tangibly embodying at least one computer program, the at least one program comprising instructions that when executed by at least one processor cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

identifying an access requester requesting access to electronic information stored at a source storage device;

determining a demographic for the identified access requester based on information that is unrelated to past requests by the access requester;

assigning cache values to selected portions of the electronic information stored within the source storage device, based on a frequency of past requests by different access requesters to access each of the selected portions of the electronic information;

anticipating a demand for access to each of the selected portions of the electronic information by the access requester based on the demographic determined for the access requester and the respective cache values assigned to the selected portions;

identifying at least one of the selected portions of the electronic information stored at the source storage device for transport to a destination storage medium that is more accessible to the access requester relative to the source storage device, based on the anticipated demand, the identified portion of the electronic information having a relatively higher cache value than the cached values assigned to the other selected portions of the electronic information in the source storage device; and

copying the identified portion of the electronic information from the source storage device to the destination storage device.