Method, system and program product for asynchronously processing requests

• US 20050027869A1
• Filed: 07/31/2003
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, David Phillip
• Granted Patent: US 7,349,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Under the present invention, a request for a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is received from a client on a server. Upon receipt, a corresponding session object is obtained, and a response identifier is generated. Based on the response identifier, it is determined whether the URL was previously requested by the client. If not, generation of a final response begins. As the response is being generated, a response refresh header is generated and returned to the client with a temporary response. The response refresh header contains a time value for causing the client to automatically send a subsequent request for the URL. After generation of the final response is complete, it is stored in a cache according to the response identifier. Then, when the subsequent request is received from the client, the final response is retrieved from the cache and served to the client.

Claims

1. A method for asynchronously processing requests, comprising:

receiving a request for a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) from a client, and obtaining a session object corresponding to the request;

generating a response identifier based on a session identifier and the URL;

determining if the URL was previously requested by the client based on the response identifier;

generating a response refresh header that includes a time value for causing the client to automatically send a subsequent request for the URL; and

sending a temporary response to the request and the response refresh header to the client.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the request to a response caching system with an instruction to cache a final response to the request according to the response identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is a web request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the response identifier comprises the session identifier and a hash of the URL.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if a final response to the request is complete, prior to the generating step; and

sending the final response to the client if the final response is complete, wherein the refresh header is not generated and sent to the client with the temporary response if the final response is complete.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

commencing generation of a final response to the request; and

storing the final response in a cache according to the response identifier when the final response is complete.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a subsequent request for the URL from the client after expiration of the time value in the response refresh header;

obtaining the session object;

generating the response identifier;

determining whether the URL was previously requested based on the response identifier;

checking the cache for the final response to request based on the response identifier; and

sending the final response to the client if the final response complete, wherein a new refresh header is generated and sent to the client with a new temporary response if the final response is not complete.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step comprises checking a table in the session object for the response identifier to determine if the URL was previously requested by the client.

9. A method for asynchronously processing requests, comprising:

receiving a request for a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) from a client, and obtaining a session object corresponding to the request;

generating a response identifier based on a session identifier and the URL;

determining if the URL was previously requested by the client based on the response identifier;

checking a cache for a final response to the request based on the response identifier, if the URL was previously requested by the client;

generating a response refresh header that includes a time value for causing the client to automatically send a subsequent request for the URL if the final response is not complete; and

sending a temporary response to the request and the response refresh header to the client if the final response is not complete.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the response identifier comprises the session identifier and a hash of the URL.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining step comprises checking a table in the session object for the response identifier to determine if the URL was previously requested by the client.

12. the method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating the final response; and

caching the final response in the cache according to the response identifier, prior to the checking step.

13. A system for asynchronously processing requests, comprising:

an object system for obtaining a session object for a request for a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) received from a client;

a response identifier system for generating a response identifier based on a session identifier and the URL;

a request checking system for determining whether the URL was previously requested by the client; and

a header generation system for generating a response refresh header that includes a time value for causing the client to automatically send a subsequent request for the URL.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a response caching system for storing a final response to the request in a cache according to the response identifier.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising a cache checking system for checking a cache for a final response to the request based on the response identifier, wherein the final response is sent to the client if complete.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising an output system for sending the response refresh header and a temporary response to the request to the client.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the response identifier comprises the session identifier and a hash of the URL.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the request checking system checks a table of the session object to determine whether the URL was previously requested by the client.

19. The system of claim 13, further comprising an input system for receiving the request, and for receiving a subsequent request for the URL from the client after expiration of the time value in the response refresh header.

20. A program product stored on a recordable medium for asynchronously processing requests, which when executed, comprises:

program code for obtaining a session object for a request for a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) received from a client;

program code for generating a response identifier based on a session identifier and the URL;

program code for determining whether the URL was previously requested by the client; and

program code for generating a response refresh header that includes a time value for causing the client to automatically send a subsequent request for the URL.

21. The program product of claim 20, further comprising program code for storing a final response to the request in a cache according to the response identifier.

22. The program product of claim 20, further comprising program code for checking a cache for a final response to the request based on the response identifier, wherein the final response is sent to the client if complete.

23. The program product of claim 20, further comprising program code for sending the response refresh header and a temporary response to the request to the client.

24. The program product of claim 20, wherein the response identifier comprises the session identifier and a hash of the URL.

25. The program product of claim 20, wherein the program code for determining checks a table of the session object to determine whether the URL was previously requested by the client.

26. The program product of claim 20, further comprising program code for receiving the request, and for receiving a subsequent request for the URL from the client after expiration of the time value in the response refresh header.