Cache-based compaction technique for internet browsing using similar objects in client cache as reference objects

• US 6,178,461 B1
• Filed: 12/08/1998
• Issued: 01/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia of America Corporation (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Woo, Thomas Yat Chung, Chan, Mun-Choon
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Viet D.
• Application Number:
  US09/207,196
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/230, 709/232, 709/246, 709/247, 709/313, 709/328, 709/329
• US Class Current: 709/247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• 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 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The amount of information that must be transmitted from an Internet server to a user'"'"'s computer or workstation when the user requests an Internet object, for example, by clicking on a URL in a web browser application, is reduced using a cache-based compaction technique in which the requested object is encoded in the server using information relating to similar objects that were previously supplied to the user. Similar objects available in both a client side cache and a server side cache are selected by comparing the URL of the requested object to the URL'"'"'s of stored objects. Differential encoding is performed in the server such that the server transmits to the client information indicative of the differences between the requested object and the reference (similar) objects available in the server cache. A corresponding decoding operation is performed in the client, using the encoded version and reference objects available in the client cache.

Claims

1. A process for transferring information defining a desired Internet object from a web server to a web client having a client cache, said process comprising the steps of

selecting one or more objects in said client cache similar to said desired Internet object;

transmitting to said web server, (a) information identifying said desired internet object and (b) information identifying said selected similar objects,

obtaining said desired Internet object in said web server;

forming an encoded version of said desired Internet object in said web server using ones of said selected similar objects obtained from said client cache as reference objects;

transmitting said encoded version from said web server to said web client; and

decoding said encoded version using said ones of said selected similar objects to recover said desired internet object.

2. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said web server includes a server cache and wherein said obtaining step includes obtaining said desired Internet object from said server cache, if present, or, if not present, from a remote origin server.

3. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said obtaining step includes obtaining said desired Internet object from a remote origin server.

4. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said process includes the steps of

accessing said client cache to determine the presence of said requested Internet object prior to performing said selecting step, and

providing said requested object to a web browser application if said requested Internet object is present in said client cache.

5. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said selection step includes examining the URL'"'"'s associated with said desired Internet object and objects stored in said client cache.

6. The process defined in claim 5 wherein said information identifying said desired internet object and said information identifying said selected similar objects includes the respective URL'"'"'s of said objects.

7. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said forming step includes determining the difference between said desired internet object and said selected similar objects.

8. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said obtaining step includes transmitting the URL of said desired Internet object to an origin server containing information defining said object.

9. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said forming step includes differential encoding, and said decoding step includes differential decoding.

10. A process in a web client having a client cache for obtaining information defining a desired Internet object from a web server, said process comprising the steps of

selecting one or more objects in said client cache similar to said desired Internet object;

transmitting to said web server, (a) information identifying said desired internet object and (b) information identifying said selected similar objects,

receiving from said web server, an encoded version of said desired internet object, said encoded version being formed as a function of the differences between said desired internet object and ones of said selected similar objects; and

decoding said encoded version using said ones of said selected similar objects to recover said desired internet object.

11. A process in a web server, for transferring information to a web client having a client cache, said information defining an Internet object desired by a user of said web client, said process comprising the steps of

receiving from said web client, (a) information identifying said desired internet object and (b) information identifying selected similar objects in said client cache similar to said desired Internet object,

obtaining said desired Internet object in said web server;

forming an encoded version of said desired Internet object in said web server using ones of said selected similar objects as reference objects; and

transmitting said encoded version from said web server to said web client.

12. The invention defined in claim 11 wherein said web server includes a server cache, and wherein said obtaining step includes obtaining said desired Internet object from said server cache, if present, or, if not present, from a remote origin server.

13. A method of processing a request to receive an object, said request generated by a user by selecting the URL of said object in a web browser application running on a client processor, said method including the steps of

determining if said object is already in a local client cache;

if so, presenting said object to said user'"'"'s web browser application;

if not, identifying objects similar to said requested object in said local cache;

transmitting to a remote server, a request to obtain said requested object, said request including (a) the identity of said requested object and (b) the identities of objects similar to said requested object that are stored both in said local cache and in a cache serving said remote server;

responsive to receipt of said request, obtaining in said server said requested object;

forming an encoded version of said requested object using ones of said similar objects and said requested object;

transmitting said encoded version to said client processor; and

decoding said encoded version using said ones of said similar objects; and

presenting said requested object to said web browser application.

14. The invention defined in claim 13 wherein said identification of said ones of said similar objects includes determining the similarity between the URL of said requested object and the URL'"'"'s of other objects in said local client cache.