Peak traffic management

• US 9,118,722 B1
• Filed: 08/09/2012
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gershon, Alexander, Montz, Allen Brady, Hay, Owen D., Wakashige, Wade Kiyoshi, Quek, Karen Hwei M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Minh-Chau
• Application Number:
  US13/571,304
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709235-238
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/02 Protocol performance

Abstract

Users are allowed to communicate with a server via a local client even when the server experiences an abnormal peak of traffic. The local client is configured to send a new connection request only after a specified time interval passes from a previous connection. The local client presents content, such as a game, that makes it appear to the user as if the user is interacting with the server while the local client is waiting for reconnection to the server. The user interactions during the time interval are locally stored and later provided to the server for further process.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of managing a number of concurrent connections using an asynchronous connection between a client and a server, wherein the client has made a first connection to the server, the method comprising:

receiving input of a user that requests the first connection to the server;

obtaining a time interval for a second connection from the server;

presenting content during the time interval if the time interval is longer than a predetermined length of time, the presented content changing based at least in part on the user interacting with the presented content;

storing information about interaction, by the user, with the presented content in a local memory of the client;

requesting the second connection to the server after the time interval passes from the first connection;

receiving the information about interaction, by the user, with the presented content; and

updating the time interval for a subsequent connection based at least in part on the information about interaction, by the user, with the presented content.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content includes first rounds of a contest.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the first rounds of the contest are designed to throttle a certain number of users who can participate in a promotion.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein for at least one round from the first rounds, the user is provided an offer in exchange for forfeiting further participation in the contest.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the first rounds of the contest are designed to reduce traffic within the server at a given time.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content is presented in response to the input of the user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the time interval is obtained based on a default time interval.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the time interval is determined by the server.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the second connection is rejected from the server, updating the time interval.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the content at the client from a third party service provider; and

enabling the user to interact with the content on the client during the time interval.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon connecting to the server,

receiving server information from the server;

presenting the server information to the user; and

updating the time interval when the server information includes a new time interval.

12. A computer system for managing traffic associated with a Web server, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory, including instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the computer system to at least;

monitor traffic associated with a Web server to detect an event that indicates peak traffic;

upon detecting the event, determine a first time interval between connections from a client based on capacity of the Web server;

establish a first connection with the client in response to a first connection request;

transfer information about the first time interval and interactive content to the client after the first connection, the interactive content configured to allow a user to interact with the client during the first time interval, the interactive content changing based at least in part on the user interacting with the interactive content;

cause data about the user interaction with the interactive content to be stored in a local memory of the client, the data about the user interaction with the interactive content including a request for additional interactive content;

establish a second connection with the client, the second connection being requested from the client after the first time interval has expired;

receive, from the client, the data about the user interaction with the interactive content; and

update a second time interval for the second connection when the received data about the user interaction with the interactive content indicates that the second time interval is to be updated.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the computer system to transfer the second time interval to the client.

14. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the interactive content includes at least one of media content, catalog information, promotion information or game content.

15. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the computer system to transfer new interactive content to the client based at least in part on the received data about the user interaction with the interactive content.

16. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having collectively stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing resource provider'"'"'s computer system, cause the computer system to at least:

receive input of a user indicating a request for a first connection to a server associated with the computer system;

obtain a time interval for a next connection;

present interactive content during the time interval;

receive information about interactions, by the user, with the presented interactive content, the interactive content changing based at least in part on the user interacting with the interactive content;

store the information about interactions, by the user, with the presented interactive content in local memory of the computer system, the information about interactions including a request for additional interactive content;

request a second connection to the server after the time interval passes;

at a time after obtaining the second connection to the server;

transmit the information about interactions to the server; and

receive server information from the server; and

update the time interval for a subsequent connection to the second connection when the received server information indicates that the time interval should be updated.

17. The non-transitory storage media of claim 16, wherein the second connection is requested based at least in part on the information about interactions, by the user, with the presented interactive content.

18. The non-transitory storage media of claim 16, wherein the time interval is obtained based on a default time interval.

19. The non-transitory storage media of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the computer system to at least:

obtain the presented interactive content from a third party service provider; and

enable the user to locally interact with the presented interactive content during the time interval.

20. The non-transitory storage media of claim 16, wherein the time interval is determined by the server.