TIME-BASED DATA CACHING

• US 20130318191A1
• Filed: 05/22/2012
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: YIN, Fenglin, HAO, Jianxiu
• Granted Patent: US 10,893,119 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

A system is configured to receive, by a first server, a request, from a user device, for a first record stored by a cache associated with the first server, determine, a first timestamp associated with the first record, determine that the first record is invalid based on the first timestamp, and determine, based on determining that the first record is invalid, whether the first record is out of date with respect to a corresponding second record stored by a second server by comparing a second timestamp of the first record with a timestamp of the second record. The system is further configured to update the first record with information from the second record to form an updated first record when the first record is out of date, and to send the updated first record to the user device associated with the request.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first server, a request, from a user device, for a first record stored by a cache associated with the first server,

determining, by the first server, a first timestamp associated with the first record;

determining, by the first server, that the first record is invalid based on the first timestamp;

determining, by the first server and based on determining that the first record is invalid, whether the first record is out of date with respect to a corresponding second record stored by a second server by comparing a second timestamp of the first record with a timestamp of the second record;

updating, by the first server, the first record with information from the second record to form an updated first record when the first record is out of date; and

sending the updated first record to the user device associated with the request.

2. The method of claim 1, where determining whether the first record is out of date with respect to the corresponding second record includes:

identifying that the first record is up to date based on comparing the second timestamp of the first record with the timestamp of the second record; and

updating the first timestamp associated with the first record based on identifying that the first record is up to date,

the first timestamp being updated based on a time value associated with the first record.

3. The method of claim 2, where the cache stores a plurality of records and the time value is defined per record for each of the plurality of records.

4. The method of claim 1, where determining whether the first record is out of date with respect to the corresponding second record is performed independent of the request.

5. The method of claim 1, where updating the first record with information from the second record when the first record is out of date includes:

replacing the out-of-date first record with a copy of the second record to form the updated first record,

the updated first record including a third timestamp corresponding to a time when the updated first record is formed,

the first server being capable of using the third timestamp to validate the updated first record.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for a third record,

the request for the first record further including the request for the third record and a third timestamp associated with the third record;

determining that the third record is invalid based on the third timestamp;

determining whether the third record is out of date with respect to a corresponding fourth record stored by a third server, based on determining that the third record is invalid;

updating the third record with information from the fourth record to form an updated third record when the third record is out of date; and

aggregating the updated first record and the updated third record to form an aggregated record,

where sending the updated first record to the user device includes sending the aggregated record.

7. The method of claim 6, where the second server is associated with a different party than the third server.

8. A system comprising:

one or more devices to;

receive a request, from a user device, for a first record stored by a cache associated with the one or more devices;

determine a first timestamp associated with the first record;

determine that the first record is invalid based on the first timestamp;

determine, based on determining that the first record is invalid, whether the first record is out of date with respect to a corresponding second record stored by a server group by comparing a second timestamp of the first record with a timestamp of the second record,

the server group including a plurality of servers associated with different parties;

update the first record with information from the second record to form an updated first record when the first record is out of date; and

send the updated first record to the user device associated with the request.

9. The system of claim 8, where when determining whether the first record is out of date with respect to the corresponding second record, the one or more devices are further to:

identify that the first record is up to date based on comparing the second timestamp of the first record with the timestamp of the second record; and

update the first timestamp associated with the first record based on identifying that the first record is up to date;

the first timestamp being updated based on a time value associated with the first record.

10. The system of claim 9, where the cache stores a plurality of records and the time value is defined per record for each of the plurality of records.

11. The system of claim 8, where the one or more devices are to determine whether the first record is out of date with respect to the second record independent of the request.

12. The system of claim 8, where when updating the first record with information from the second record, the one or more devices are further to:

replace the out-of-date first record with a copy of the corresponding second record to form the updated first record,

the updated first record including a third timestamp corresponding to the timestamp associated with the second record, and

use the third timestamp to validate the updated first record.

13. The system of claim 8, where the one or more devices are further to:

receive a request for a third record,

the request for the first record further including the request for the third record and a third timestamp associated with the third record;

determine that the third record is invalid based on the third timestamp;

determine that the third record is out of date with respect to a corresponding fourth record stored by the server group, based on determining that the third record is invalid;

update the third record with information from the fourth record to form an updated third record when the third record is out of date; and

aggregate the updated first record and the updated third record to form an aggregated record,

where sending the updated first record to the user device includes sending the aggregated record.

14. The system of claim 13, where the server group includes a first server and a second server, the first server storing the second record, and the second server storing the third record.

15. A computer-readable medium comprising:

a plurality of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a first server, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a request, from a user device, for a first record stored by a cache associated with the first server,

determine a first timestamp associated with the first record;

determine that the first record is invalid based on the first timestamp;

determine, based on determining that the first record is invalid, whether the first record is out of date with respect to a corresponding second record stored by a server group by comparing a second timestamp of the first record with a timestamp of the second record,

the server group including a plurality of servers;

update the first record with information from the second record to form an updated first record when the first record is out of date; and

send the updated first record to the user device associated with the request.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where one or more instructions, of the plurality of instructions to determine whether the first record is out of date with respect to the second record include:

one or more instructions to;

identify that the first record is up to date based on comparing the second timestamp of the first record with the timestamp of the second record; and

update the first timestamp associated with the first record based on identifying that the first record is up to date;

the first timestamp being updated based on a time value associated with the first record.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the cache stores a plurality of records and the time value is defined per record for each of the plurality of records.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where one or more instructions, of the plurality of instructions, to determine whether the first record is out of date with respect to the corresponding second record are executed independent of the request.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where when updating the first record with information from the second record when the first record is out of date, the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

replace the out-of-date first record with a copy of the corresponding second record to form an updated first record,

the updated first record including a third timestamp corresponding to the timestamp associated with the second record,

the first server being capable of using the third timestamp to validate the updated first record.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

receive a request for a third record,

where the request for the first record further includes the request for the third record and a third timestamp associated with the third record;

determine that the third record is invalid based on the third timestamp;

determine that the third record is up to date with respect to a corresponding fourth record stored by the server group, based on determining that the third record is invalid;

update the third timestamp associated with the third record to form an updated third record based on determining that the third record is up to date; and

aggregate the updated first record and the updated third record to form an aggregated record,

where one or more instructions, of the plurality of instructions, to send the updated first record to the user device include one or more instructions to send the aggregated record.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

receive a request for a third record,

where the request for the first record further includes the request for the third record and a third timestamp associated with the third record;

determine that the third record is valid based on the third timestamp; and

aggregate the updated first record and the third record to form an aggregated record,

where one or more instructions, of the plurality of instructions, to send the updated first record to the user device include one or more instructions to send the aggregated record.