On-line image caching control for efficient image display

• US 6,363,418 B1
• Filed: 10/16/1998
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SoftBook Press, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Sachs, James, Leshner, William S., Novicov, Aleksey, Duga, Brady, Conboy, Garth
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/173,866
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200-203, 709/217-219, 709/223, 709/228-229, 709/245-246, 707/10, 707/2, 707/102-104, 707/513, 345/335, 345/339, 345/350, 345/112, 345/115, 345/127
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

A method for on-line controlling caching of an image on a viewing device to efficiently display the image on the viewing device. The method comprises the following steps: (a) sending from a server to the viewing device an image tag included in a hypertext language code, the image tag having attributes, the attributes specifying the image; (b) parsing the hypertext language code including the image tag; (c) searching for a copy of the image in a cache memory of the viewing device using the image tag attributes; (d) displaying the copy of the image if the copy of the image is found in the cache memory and is current; (e) fetching the image from the server if the copy of the image is not found in the cache memory or if the copy of the image is not current; and (f) storing the fetched image and the image tag attributes in the cache memory.

Claims

1. A method for on-line controlling caching of an image in a cache memory on a viewing device to efficiently display the image on the viewing device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) sending from a server to the viewing device an image tag and one or more separate image tag attributes included in a hypertext language code, the image tag specifying the image on the server and the one or more separate image tag attributes specifying the image in the cache memory;

(b) parsing the hypertext language code including the image tag and one or more separate image tag attributes;

(c) searching for a copy of the image in a cache memory of the viewing device using the one or more separate image tag attributes;

(d) displaying the copy of the image if the copy of the image is found in the cache memory and is current;

(e) fetching the image from the server using the image tag if the copy of the image is not found in the cache memory or if the copy of the image is not current; and

(f) storing the fetched image and the one or more separate image tag attributes in the cache memory.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the image tag attributes include a local identification, the local identification facilitating the search for a copy of the image in the cache memory of the viewing device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the local identification has a numeric value or a string value.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the image tag attributes include an image type, the image type having a value.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the image type value includes one of the values PICT, GIF, and JPEG.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the image tag attributes include an image signature, the image signature having a first value.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein in step (d) the copy of the image found in the cache memory has a copy signature, and wherein the copy of the image is current if the copy signature has a second value equal to the first value of the image signature.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the image signature first value is a modification date/time of the image or a version stamp of the image.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the image tag attributes include a remote identification, the remote identification having a value facilitating fetching of the image from the server.

10. A system for on-line controlling caching of an image in a cache memory on a viewing device to efficiently display the image on the viewing device, the system comprising:

(a) a server in electrical communication with the viewing device, the server sending to the viewing device a hypertext language code including an image tag and one or more separate image tag attributes, the image tag specifying the image on the server and the one or more separate image tag attributes specifying the image in the cache memory; and

(b) the viewing device for viewing the image, the viewing device including;

a display screen for displaying the image;

a cache memory;

a processor coupled to the cache memory and the display screen, the processor parsing the hypertext language code including the image tag and the one or more separate image tag attributes, searching for a copy of the image in the cache memory using the one or more separate image tag attributes, displaying the copy of the image if the copy of the image is found in the cache memory and is current, fetching the image from the server using the image tag if the copy of the image is not found in the cache memory or if the copy of the image is not current, and storing the fetched image and the one or more separate image tag attributes in the cache memory.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the server is a virtual bookstore.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the viewing device is a portable electronic book.