Pre-caching web content for a mobile device

• US 9,275,162 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2011
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Brown, Andrew James Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): JOSHI, SURAJ M
• Application Number:
  US13/053,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20120246257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,806 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2876 Pairs of inter-processing entities at each side of the network, e.g. split proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics

Abstract

A web service for pre-caching web content on a mobile device includes receiving a request from the mobile device for first web content, fetching the first web content, determining second web content to pre-fetch based upon the first web content, fetching the second web content, and causing the second web content to be stored in a content cache on the mobile device responsive to the request for the first web content. Pre-caching web content in this manner provides web content to the mobile device that the user of the mobile device is likely to access. Pre-caching of additional web content prior to receiving an explicit request improves web browsing performance of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method of providing web service to a mobile device,

the method comprising:

receiving a request from the mobile device for first web content;

fetching the first web content from a first web server;

forwarding the fetched first web content back to the mobile device;

parsing the fetched first web content for determining second web content to pre-fetch wherein the determining of the second web content to pre-fetch is performed at a network proxy that mediates web request and response messages between the mobile device and a web server;

prior to completion of parsing of the received first web content at the mobile device and prior to receiving a request for the second web content from the mobile device;

fetching the second web content from a second web server, wherein the second web content is distinct from the first web content; and

causing the second web content to be stored at the network proxy and then pushed to a content cache on the mobile device, wherein some types of data are pushed to the content cache while other types of data are stored at the network proxy;

following parsing of the received first web content at the mobile device, receiving, from the mobile device, a request for at least some of the second web content not previously pushed to the content cache on the mobile device; and

forwarding, to the mobile device, the requested second web content from storage of the network proxy without additional fetching from the second web server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the causing of the second web content to be stored in the content cache is performed without receiving a second request for the second web content.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the causing of the second web content to be stored in the content cache on the mobile device comprises:

sending the second web content to a push server, wherein the push server is configured to push some of the second web content to the content cache on the mobile device based on one or more of web browsing usage patterns, location and time.

4. A system for providing web service to a mobile device, the system comprising:

a server having a memory and a processor;

a network proxy comprising a web proxy engine disposed in the memory of the server, the processor of the server executing the web proxy engine, the web proxy engine configured to fetch first web content from a first web server for the mobile device, to forward the fetched first web content back to the mobile device and to parse the fetched first web content to determine second web content to pre-fetch from a second web server for the mobile device, and further configured to, prior to completion of parsing of the received first web content at the mobile device and prior to receiving a request for the second web content from the mobile device, fetch the second web content and send the second web content to a push server at the network proxy, wherein the second web content is distinct from the first web content;

wherein the push server is configured to send some types of data relating to the second web content to a content cache on the mobile device while storing other types of data at the push server; and

wherein the web proxy engine disposed on the server is further configured to, following parsing of the received first web content at the mobile device, receive, from the mobile device, a request for at least some of the second web content not previously pushed to the content cache on the mobile device and forward, to the mobile device, the requested second web content from storage of the network proxy without additional fetching from the second web server.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions in code which when loaded into a memory and executed by a processor of a network proxy that mediates web request and response messages between a mobile device and a web server cause the network proxy to:

receive a request from the mobile device for first web content;

fetch the first web content from a first web server;

forward the fetched first web content back to the mobile device;

parse the fetched first web content to determine second web content to pre-fetch;

prior to completion of parsing of the received first web content at the mobile device and prior to receiving a request for the second web content from the mobile device;

fetch the second web content from a second web server, wherein the second web content is distinct from the first web content; and

store the second web content at the network proxy and then push some of the second web content to a content cache on the mobile device,

following parsing of the received first web content at the mobile device, receive, from the mobile device, a request for at least some of the second web content not previously pushed to the content cache on the mobile device; and

forward, to the mobile device, the requested second web content from storage of the network proxy without additional fetching from the second web server.