Methods and systems for notifying a server with cache information and for serving resources based on it

• US 9,015,269 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2012
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruellan, Herve, Fablet, Youenn, Bellessort, Romain
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tammy
• Application Number:
  US13/527,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20130339472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 709/214, 707/3, 707/10, 707/740, 455/466
• US Class Current: 709/214
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

The present invention relates to the notification of a server device with the availability of resources in cache memories of a client device and to the serving of digital resources in such a client-server communication system. The notifying method comprises: obtaining a first list of resources available in the cache memories of the client device; filtering the first list according to filtering criteria relating to a resource parameter, to obtain a filtered list of fewer resources available in the client device or splitting the first list according to splitting criteria relating to a resource parameter, to obtain a plurality of sub-lists of resources available in the client device; and notifying the server device with data structures representing the filtered list or sub-lists of resources.

Claims

1. A method of communication between a local communication client device and a remote communication server device in a client-server system, the method comprising, at the local communication client device:

requesting a web page from the remote communication server device;

receiving the requested web page from the remote communication server device;

receiving secondary digital resources referenced in the requested web page, the secondary digital resources being pushed by the remote communication server device on a server'"'"'s own initiative;

the method further comprising at the local communication client device, before requesting the web page;

obtaining a first list of digital resources available in cache memories of the local communication client device;

filtering the first list according to at least one filtering criterion relating to a resource parameter, to obtain a filtered list of fewer digital resources available in the local communication client device; and

adding at least one data structure representing the filtered list of digital resources to the request for obtaining the web page, so to notify the remote communication server device with the availability of resources in the cache memories of the local communication client device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising splitting the filtered first list according to at least one splitting criterion relating to a resource parameter, to obtain a plurality of sub-lists of digital resources available in the local communication client device, wherein the step of adding at least one data structure representing the filtered list of digital resources includes adding data structures, each representing a respective sub-list of digital resources, to the request for obtaining the web page, so to notify the remote communication server device with the availability of digital resources in the cache memories of the local communication client device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one filtering criterion comprises at least one of the device of origin of the digital resource, the cache validity information and the information relating to a link between the digital resource and a primary resource.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein any subsequent data structure to notify the digital resources available at the local communication client device is included in a subsequent request for obtaining a secondary resource from the remote communication server device, wherein the secondary resource is referenced by the web page received in response to the request for the web page.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining a size of a request for the web page;

obtaining a maximum request size function of a communication network between the local communication client device and the remote communication server device;

determining a size available to transmit a first one of the data structures by a difference between the obtained request size and the maximum request size; and

splitting the first list according to at least one splitting criterion relating to a resource parameter, to obtain a plurality of sub-lists of digital resources available in the local communication client device;

wherein the splitting into sub-lists is also a function of the determined available size.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first list to split is first sorted according to the at least one splitting criterion and then split according to the determined available size.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, in the first list, a primary digital resource and secondary digital resources that are linked to the primary digital resource in the meaning that the rendering of the primary digital resource requires the secondary digital resources;

and substituting, in the first list, the primary digital resource and the secondary digital resources with a virtual resource defining the primary and secondary digital resources;

wherein the at least one data structure represents the availability of the virtual resource and not of each of the primary and secondary digital resources separately.

8. A method of communication between a local communication client device and a remote communication server device in a client-server system, the method comprising, at the local communication client device:

requesting a web page from the remote communication server device;

receiving the requested web page from the remote communication server device;

receiving secondary digital resources referenced in the requested web page, the secondary digital resources being pushed by the remote communication server device on a server'"'"'s own initiative;

the method further comprising at the local communication client device, before requesting the web page;

obtaining a first list of digital resources available in cache memories of the local communication client device;

splitting the first list according to at least one splitting criterion relating to a resource parameter, to obtain a plurality of sub-lists of digital resources available in the local communication client device; and

adding data structures, each representing a respective sub-list of digital resources, to the request for obtaining the web page, so to notify the remote communication server device with the availability of digital resources in the cache memories of the local communication client device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the splitting provides an ordered plurality of sub-lists according to the at least one splitting criterion and the data structures are added, and notified to the remote communication server device, according to the order of their respective sub-lists in the ordered plurality.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one splitting criterion comprises at least one of the digital resource type and size.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein any subsequent data structure to notify the digital resources available at the local communication client device is included in a subsequent request for obtaining a secondary resource from the remote communication server device, wherein the secondary resource is referenced by the web page received in response to the request for the web page.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising obtaining a size of a request for the web page;

obtaining a maximum request size function of a communication network between the local communication client device and the remote communication server device; and

determining a size available to transmit a first one of the data structures by a difference between the obtained request size and the maximum request size;

wherein the splitting into sub-lists is also a function of the determined available size.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining, in the first list, a primary digital resource and secondary digital resources that are linked to the primary digital resource in the meaning that the rendering of the primary digital resource requires the secondary digital resources;

and substituting, in the first list, the primary digital resource and the secondary digital resources with a virtual resource defining the primary and secondary digital resources;

wherein the data structure(s) represent(s) the availability of the virtual resource and not of each of the primary and secondary digital resources separately.

14. A local communication client device for communicating with a remote communication server device in a client-server system, the local communication client device comprising:

a request unit for requesting a web page from the remote communication server device;

at least one receiving unit that operates to;

(i) receive the requested web page from the remote communication server device; and

(ii) receive secondary digital resources referenced in the requested web page, the secondary digital resources being pushed by the remote communication server device on a server'"'"'s own initiative;

cache memories storing digital resources;

a resource collector for obtaining a first list of digital resources available in the cache memories;

a resource filter for filtering the first list according to at least one filtering criterion relating to a resource parameter, to obtain a filtered list of fewer digital resources available in the local communication client device; and

an adding and notifying module for adding at least one data structure representing the filtered list of digital resources to the request for the web page, so to notify the remote communication server device of the client-server system with the availability of digital resources in the cache memories of the local communication client device,

wherein the resource collector, the resource filter and the adding and notifying module operate before the request unit requests the web page.

15. The local communication client device of claim 14, further comprising a resource splitter for splitting the first list according to at least one splitting criterion relating to a resource parameter, to obtain a plurality of sub-lists of digital resources available in the local communication client device, wherein the resource splitter is arranged to split the filtered list obtained from the resource filter and wherein at least one of:

(i) the adding of at least one data structure representing the filtered list of digital resources by the adding and notifying module includes adding data structures, each representing a respective sub-list of digital resources, to the request for the web page, so to notify the remote communication server device of the client-server system with the availability of digital resources in the cache memories of the local communication client device; and

(ii) the adding and notifying module further operates to add data structures, each representing a respective sub-list of digital resources, to the request for the web page, so to notify the remote communication server device of the client-server system with the availability of digital resources in the cache memories of the local communication client device.

16. The communication device of claim 14, wherein the at least one filtering criterion of the resource filter comprises at least one of the device of origin of the digital resource, the cache validity information and the information relating to a link between the digital resource and a primary resource.

17. A local communication client device for communicating with a remote communication server device in a client-server system, the local communication client device comprising:

a request unit for requesting a web page from the remote communication server device;

at least one receiving unit that operates to;

(i) receive the requested web page from the remote communication server device; and

(ii) receive secondary digital resources referenced in the requested web page, the secondary digital resources being pushed by the remote communication server device on a server'"'"'s own initiative;

cache memories storing digital resources;

a resource collector for obtaining a first list of digital resources available in the cache memories;

a resource splitter for splitting the first list according to at least one splitting criterion relating to a resource parameter, to obtain a plurality of sub-lists of digital resources available in the local communication client device; and

an adding and notifying module for adding data structures, each representing a respective sub-list of digital resources, to the request for the web page, so to notify the remote communication server device of the client-server system with the availability of digital resources in the cache memories of the local communication client device,

wherein the resource collector, the resource splitter and the adding and notifying module operate before the request unit requests the web page.

18. The local communication client device of claim 17, wherein the resource splitter is configured to provide an ordered plurality of sub-lists according to the at least one splitting criterion;

and wherein the adding and notifying module adds, and notifies to the remote communication server device, the data structures according to the order of their respective sub-lists in the ordered plurality.