Content caching

• US 8,914,542 B1
• Filed: 04/30/2014
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iBoss
• Original Assignee: iBoss
• Inventors: Martini, Paul Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): DONAGHUE, LARRY D
• Application Number:
  US14/265,997
• Time in Patent Office: 230 Days
• Field of Search: 709/248, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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

At a gateway within a network, a message containing content is received. The message conforms to a protocol that specifies a format of the content, the message having been sent from a server outside the network to a client within the network. The message is routed from the gateway to the client. The message is analyzed to determine whether the content is static. Depending on a result of the analyzing, the content is selectively caused to be stored in the format specified by the protocol in a cache within the network.

Claims

1. A method performed by data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

routing, from a gateway within a network, a request by a first client within the network for a first webpage;

routing, from the gateway to the first client, a first document associated with the first webpage that identifies first content to be embedded in the first webpage;

receiving, at the gateway within the network, a message containing the first content to be embedded in the first webpage, the message conforming to a protocol that specifies a format of the first content, the message having been sent from a first server outside the network to the first client within the network;

routing the message from the gateway to the first client;

analyzing the message to determine whether the first content is static by determining whether the first content has at least a threshold similarity to stored content previously returned from an address outside the network, wherein the first content and the stored content both originate from the address outside the network;

depending on a result of the analyzing, selectively causing the first content to be stored in the format specified by the protocol in a cache within the network;

routing, from the gateway within the network, a request by a second client within the network for a second webpage;

routing, from the gateway to the second client, a second document associated with the second webpage that identifies second content to be embedded in the second webpage;

intercepting, at the gateway within the network, a request by the second client for the second content to be embedded in the second webpage, the requested second content associated with a second server outside the network, the second client having a direct connection with the second server outside the network;

determining whether a copy of the requested second content is available in the cache within the network;

if the copy of the requested second content is determined to be available in the cache within the network, transmitting a redirect response to the second client to cause the second client to retrieve the copy of the requested second content from the cache within the network; and

if the copy of the requested second content is determined not to be available in the cache within the network, permitting the intercepted content request by the second client to be transmitted to the second server outside the network to cause the requested second content to be retrieved via the direct connection between the second server outside the network and the second client within the network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein, when the result of the analysis comprises a determination that the first content is static, said selectively causing the first content to be stored comprises sending a message to the cache within the network instructing the cache to store the first content in a format specified by the protocol.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) message, the first content is a single HTTP resource, and the cache indexes stored content by HTTP resource name.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein analyzing the message to determine that the first content is static comprises analyzing a file extension of the first content.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein analyzing the message to determine that the first content is static comprises analyzing a header of the message.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein sending a message to a cache on the network to store the first content in the format specified by the protocol comprises sending the first content to the cache.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein sending a message to a cache on the network to store the first content in the format specified by the protocol comprises sending a publicly available address of the first contents to the cache.

8. The method of claim 7 the method further comprising requesting, by the cache, the first content from the publicly available address.

9. The method of claim 8 the method further comprising storing, by the cache, the first content in the format specified by the protocol and indexed according to the publicly available address.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the first webpage is the second webpage.

10. A non-transitory computer storage media encoded with computer program instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a computer device to perform operations comprising:

routing, from a gateway within a network, a request by a first client within the network for a first webpage;

routing, from the gateway to the first client, a first document associated with the first webpage that identifies first content to be embedded in the first webpage;

receiving, at the gateway within the network, a message containing the first content to be embedded in the first webpage, the message conforming to a protocol that specifies a format of the content, the message having been sent from a first server outside the network to the first client within the network;

routing the message from the gateway to the first client;

analyzing the message to determine whether the first content is static by determining whether the first content has at least a threshold similarity to stored content previously returned from an address outside the network, wherein the first content and the stored content both originate from the address outside the network;

depending on a result of the analyzing, selectively causing the first content to be stored in the format specified by the protocol in a cache within the network;

routing, from the gateway within the network, a request by a second client within the network for a second webpage;

routing, from the gateway to the second client, a second document associated with the second webpage that identifies second content to be embedded in the second webpage;

intercepting, at the gateway within the network, a request by the second client for the second content to be embedded in the second webpage, the requested second content associated with a second server outside the network, the second client having a direct connection with the second server outside the network;

determining whether a copy of the requested second content is available in the cache within the network;

if the copy of the requested second content is determined to be available in the cache within the network, transmitting a redirect response to the second client to cause the second client to retrieve the copy of the requested second content from the cache within the network; and

if the copy of the requested second content is determined not to be available in the cache within the network, permitting the intercepted content request by the second client to be transmitted to the second server outside the network to cause the requested second content to be retrieved via the direct connection between the second server outside the network and the second client within the network.

11. The computer storage media of claim 10 wherein, when the result of the analysis comprises a determination that the first content is static, said selectively causing the first content to be stored comprises sending a message to the cache within the network instructing the cache to store the first content in a format specified by the protocol.

12. The computer storage media of claim 10 wherein the message is a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) message, the first content is a single HTTP resource, and the cache indexes stored content by HTTP resource name.

13. The computer storage media of claim 10 wherein analyzing the message to determine that the first content is static comprises analyzing a file extension of the first content.

14. The computer storage media of claim 10 wherein analyzing the message to determine that the first content is static comprises analyzing a header of the message.

15. The computer storage media of claim 10 wherein sending a message to a cache on the network to store the first content in the format specified by the protocol comprises sending the first content to the cache.

16. The computer storage media of claim 10 wherein sending a message to a cache on the network to store the first content in the format specified by the protocol comprises sending a publicly available address of the first contents to the cache.

17. The computer storage media of claim 16 the operations further comprising requesting, by the cache, the first content from the publicly available address.

18. The computer storage media of claim 17 the operations further comprising storing, by the cache, the first content in the format specified by the protocol and indexed according to the publicly available address.

19. A system comprising:

one or more processors configured to execute computer program instructions; and

computer storage media encoded with computer program instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a computer device to perform operations comprising;

routing, from a gateway within a network, a request by a first client within the network for a first webpage;

routing, from the gateway to the first client, a first document associated with the first webpage that identifies first content to be embedded in the first webpage;

receiving, at the gateway within the network, a message containing the first content to be embedded in the first webpage, the message conforming to a protocol that specifies a format of the first content, the message having been sent from a first server outside the network to the first client within the network;

routing the message from the gateway to the first client;

analyzing the message to determine whether the first content is static by determining whether the first content has at least a threshold similarity to stored content previously returned from an address outside the network, wherein the first content and the stored content both originate from the address outside the network;

depending on a result of the analyzing, selectively causing the first content to be stored in the format specified by the protocol in a cache within the network;

routing, from the gateway within the network, a request by a second client within the network for a second webpage;

routing, from the gateway to the second client, a second document associated with the second webpage that identifies second content to be embedded in the second webpage;

intercepting, at the gateway within the network, a request by the second client for the second content to be embedded in the second webpage, the requested second content associated with a second server outside the network, the second client having a direct connection with the second server outside the network;

determining whether a copy of the requested second content is available in the cache within the network;

if the copy of the requested second content is determined to be available in the cache within the network, transmitting a redirect response to the second client to cause the second client to retrieve the copy of the requested second content from the cache within the network; and

if the copy of the requested second content is determined not to be available in the cache within the network, permitting the intercepted content request by the second client to be transmitted to the second server outside the network to cause the requested second content to be retrieved via the direct connection between the second server outside the network and the second client within the network.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein, when the result of the analysis comprises a determination that the first content is static, said selectively causing the first content to be stored comprises sending a message to the cache within the network instructing the cache to store the first content in a format specified by the protocol.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the message is a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) message, the first content is a single HTTP resource, and the cache indexes stored content by HTTP resource name.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein analyzing the message to determine that the first content is static comprises analyzing a file extension of the first content or comparing the first content with stored content previously returned from an address shared by the first content and the stored content have at least a threshold similarity or analyzing a header of the message.

23. The system of claim 19 wherein sending a message to a cache on the network to store the first content in the format specified by the protocol comprises sending the first content to the cache.

24. The system of claim 19 wherein sending a message to a cache on the network to store the first content in the format specified by the protocol comprises sending a publicly available address of the first contents to the cache.

25. The system of claim 24 the operations further comprising:

requesting, by the cache, the first content from the publicly available address; and

storing, by the cache, the first content in the format specified by the protocol and indexed according to the publicly available address.