Computer networking system and method with javascript execution for pre-fetching content from dynamically-generated URL and javascript injection to modify date or random number calculation

• US 8,909,697 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2011
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Dillon, Douglas M., Brantley, Daren C.
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN GILLES, JUDE
• Application Number:
  US13/306,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20120136927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 709/246, 709202-206, 709/224, 709/225, 709/228, 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code which when executed by an apparatus causes the apparatus to effect the method, for pre-fetching web content. Preferably, a proxy server performs the pre-fetching. Techniques such, for example, as executing Javascript in pre-fetched pages, modifying pre-fetched pages to address URL generation involving random numbers or dates, using cookie information or browser specifics when performing pre-fetching of pages, and injecting Javascript to measure response time may be performed, by way of example.

Claims

1. A proxy server apparatus comprising:

a proxy server module adapted to, in a case where a client device has generated a first HTTP GET request for a first URL, receive, from a web server associated with the first URL, a HTTP response corresponding to the first URL; and

a Javascript obtaining module adapted to obtain, from Javascript in the HTTP response, modified Javascript,

wherein at least one of the following conditions is satisfied;

(a) said Javascript obtaining module is adapted to obtain as the modified Javascript, when the Javascript in the HTTP response, upon execution, uses a first random number algorithm in an instance, Javascript that when executed instead uses in that instance an algorithm different from the first random number algorithm;

(b) said Javascript obtaining module is adapted to obtain as the modified Javascript, when the Javascript in the HTTP response, upon execution, uses a first chronological algorithm in an instance, Javascript that when executed instead uses in that instance an algorithm different from the first chronological algorithm;

or

(c) said Javascript obtaining module is adapted to obtain as the modified Javascript, when the Javascript in the HTTP response, upon execution, uses an algorithm to generate a URL in an instance, Javascript that when executed instead uses in that instance a different algorithm to generate a URL,

wherein a memory and a processor are included in the proxy server apparatus.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sending module adapted to send from the proxy server apparatus, via a network connection, data in accordance with the modified Javascript.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said sending module sends the data in accordance with the modified Javascript via a network connection for receipt by the client device.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the data in accordance with the modified Javascript comprises the modified Javascript.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data from the HTTP response is the HTTP response.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said proxy server module, in response to the generation by the client device of the first HTTP GET request, generates a second HTTP GET request for the first URL.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a Javascript execution module adapted to execute the modified Javascript.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein condition (a) is satisfied.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the Javascript in the HTTP response includes a function call to a first random number function that uses the first random number algorithm.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the algorithm different from the first random number algorithm is selected such that a sequence of values output by the algorithm different from the first random number algorithm when executed by a first one of two different apparatuses matches in whole or in part with a sequence of values output by the algorithm different from the first random number algorithm when executed by a second one of the two different apparatuses.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the algorithm different from the first random number algorithm is selected such that a sequence of values output by the algorithm different from the first random number algorithm when executed by one apparatus and a sequence of values output by the algorithm different from the first random number algorithm when executed by another apparatus are the same.

12. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first random number function is the Javascript function Math.random.

13. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the algorithm different from the first random number algorithm is selected such that if two different apparatuses repeatedly execute the algorithm different from the first random number algorithm, each apparatus obtains a set of numerical values from the algorithm different from the first random number algorithm that matches in whole or in part a set of numerical values from the algorithm different from the first random number algorithm obtained by the other of the two different apparatuses.

14. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein in the case that the Javascript in the HTTP response uses the first random number function to generate a URL, then the modified Javascript uses the algorithm different from the first random number algorithm instead of the first random number function to generate a URL, and execution of the modified Javascript by two apparatuses including the client device results in generation of the same URL by each of the two apparatuses.

15. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said Javascript obtaining module is adapted to:

leave unchanged in the Javascript in the HTTP response a function call to a random number function; and

generate Javascript not originally present in the HTTP response that redefines the random number function so that the unchanged function call executes the generated Javascript,

wherein the generated Javascript, when executed, uses the algorithm different from the first random number algorithm.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the random number function is the Javascript Math.random function, and wherein the generated Javascript assigns a new function to the Math.random variable so as to redefine the Math.random function.

17. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said Javascript obtaining module is adapted to:

find in the Javascript in the HTTP response a function call to a random number function;

edit the Javascript in the HTTP response to add code which defines a different function at a position in the Javascript in the HTTP response so that the different function will already be defined at a position in the Javascript where the function call to the random number function is found; and

replace the found random number function call in the Javascript in the HTTP response with a call to the different function,

wherein the different function uses the algorithm different from the first random number algorithm.

18. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein condition (b) is satisfied.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the Javascript in the HTTP response uses the first chronological algorithm in an instance by invoking a date object that uses the first chronological algorithm, the date object returning a date and a time, and

wherein the modified Javascript uses a different programming construct in place of the date object.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the different programming construct is an object different from the date object.

21. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the different programming construct is a function call to a function.

22. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the algorithm different from the first chronological algorithm is such that when executed by the proxy server apparatus and when executed by the client device, the algorithm different from the first chronological algorithm returns a same chronological result in both cases irrespective of clocks in the proxy server apparatus and the client device being imperfectly synchronized.

23. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the modified Javascript uses the algorithm different from the first chronological algorithm to generate a URL such that when the proxy server apparatus executes the modified Javascript to generate a second URL and the client device executes the modified Javascript to generate a third URL, the same web page content is obtained in response to requests for the second and third URLs.

24. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the algorithm different from the first chronological algorithm is such that when the proxy server apparatus executes the modified Javascript that uses the algorithm different from the first chronological algorithm, and when another apparatus executes the modified Javascript that uses the algorithm different from the first chronological algorithm, the algorithm different from the first chronological algorithm returns the same result in both cases even when the proxy server apparatus and the another apparatus are configured for different time zones.

25. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the Javascript in the HTTP response includes an invocation of the date object default constructor that uses the first chronological algorithm, and

wherein said Javascript obtaining module is adapted to replace the invocation in the Javascript of the date object'"'"'s default constructor with a reference to a programming construct that uses the algorithm different from the first chronological algorithm, wherein the modified Javascript, as compared to the original Javascript, additionally includes code which defines the programming construct that uses the algorithm different from the first chronological algorithm.

26. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein

said JavaScript obtaining module is adapted to leave unchanged an invocation in the Javascript of the date object'"'"'s default constructor that uses the first chronological algorithm and for modifying the Javascript so as to redefine the date object so that references to the date object default constructor when invoked cause execution of the algorithm different from the first chronological algorithm instead of the first chronological algorithm.

27. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the algorithm different from the first chronological algorithm is such that even if the proxy server apparatus and the client device were to execute the different object at times that would result in a different seconds time field value if the first chronological algorithm were used, the algorithm different from the first chronological algorithm returns the same seconds time field value to each of the proxy server apparatus and the client device.

28. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein differences between the Javascript in the HTTP response and the modified Javascript include (a) a reference in the Javascript in the HTTP response to a date object has been replaced, in the modified Javascript, by a reference to a function call to a date function, and (b) the modified Javascript, as compared to the original Javascript, additionally includes code that defines the date function.

29. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein condition (c) is satisfied.

30. An apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising a Javascript execution module adapted to execute the modified Javascript,

wherein execution of the modified Javascript by said Javascript execution module and execution of the modified Javascript by the client device results in generation of the same URL even in the case where execution of the original Javascript by said Javascript execution module and execution of the original Javascript by the client device would not result in generation of the same URL.

31. A method comprising:

at least one of (a) modifying, by a first apparatus comprising a memory and a processor, of Javascript included in HTML web page data received via a network connection from a web server, such that in a case that the Javascript uses a random number function to generate a URL, the modified Javascript uses different programming instead of the random number function to generate a URL, or (b) modifying, by a first apparatus comprising a memory and a processor, of Javascript included in HTML web page data received via a network connection from a web server, such that in a case that the Javascript uses a date object to generate a URL, the modified Javascript generates a URL by using programming different from and in place of that used by the date object;

sending the modified Javascript from the first apparatus for receipt by a second apparatus via a network connection; and

executing by both the first apparatus and the second apparatus of the modified Javascript so that when the first apparatus executes the modified Javascript to request a URL generated using the different programming and receives a first image in response to the request, and the second apparatus executes the modified Javascript to request a URL generated using the different programming and receives a second image in response to the request, the first image and the second image are the same.

32. A method comprising:

receiving an HTTP response from a first apparatus;

at least one of (a) editing, by a second apparatus comprising a memory, of Javascript in the HTTP response to change an algorithm used for random number-based URL generation, or (b) editing, by a second apparatus comprising a memory, of Javascript in the HTTP response that performs chronologically-based URL generation to change an algorithm used for the chronologically-based URL generation; and

sending, by the second apparatus, of the edited Javascript to a third apparatus.