Method and system to pre-fetch data in a network

• US 7,659,905 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2006
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Orcutt, Bill, Subramanian, Mahesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phu K
• Application Number:
  US11/359,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20070216674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• Field of Search: 345/530, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 717/127, 717/141, 717/154
• US Class Current: 345/530
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/172 Caching, prefetching or hoarding of files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics

Abstract

A system and method of pre-fetching data in a network includes displaying first data to a user, the first data being upstream of other data in a data flow. Before receiving a request from the user to view the other data, retrieving at least some of the other data and storing the retrieved other data in a memory device. After a request is received from the user to display the other data, using the stored data for the display to the user.

Claims

1. A method of pre-fetching data in a network, the method including:

processing a first web page at a user device, the first web page being upstream of other web pages in a page flow determined based on an observation of a user navigation;

responsive to the processing of the first web page at the user device, retrieving at least one of the other web pages;

storing the retrieved other web page at the user device; and

after receiving a request from the user, processing the stored other web page at the user device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first web page is upstream of a plurality of other web pages in a plurality of page flows.

3. The method of claim 2 further including determining which of the plurality of other web pages is most frequently viewed and retrieving and storing some or all of the web pages from at least one of the most frequently viewed other web pages.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the web page stored is stored in a local memory device of the user device which the user uses to view the web page.

5. The method of claim 1 further including, after a request is received from a user to view the other web pages, retrieving further data which is used in conjunction with the stored other web pages for the display to the user.

6. A method of pre-fetching in a network, the method including:

receiving a request from a user to display a first web page to the user, the first web page being upstream of other web pages in a page flow determined based on an observation of a user navigation;

transmitting the first web page to a user device to be viewed by the user;

transmitting at least one of the other web pages to the user device to be stored in a memory device before a request is received from the user to view the other web pages.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the first web page is upstream of a plurality of other web pages in a plurality of page flows.

8. The method of claim 7 further determining which of the plurality of other web pages is most frequently viewed and transmitting for storage some or all of the web pages from at least one of the most frequently viewed other web pages.

9. The method of claim 6 further including, after a request is received from a user to view the other web pages, transmitting further data which is used in conjunction with the stored other web pages for the display to the user.

10. A system including:

a display module to display a first web page to a user, the first web page being upstream of other web pages in a page flow determined based on an observation of a user navigation;

a memory device;

a communication module to receive at least some of the other web pages before receiving a request from the user to view the other web pages and to store the received other web pages in the memory device; and

the display module to display, in response to a request from the user, the other web pages, using the page flow.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the display module displays a first web page to a user in which the first web page is upstream of a plurality of other web pages in plurality of page flows.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the communication module determines which of the plurality of other web pages is most frequently viewed and retrieves and stores some or all of the data from at least one of the most frequently viewed other web pages.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the memory device is a local memory device of a user device which the user uses to view the web pages.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the communication module, after a request is received from a user to view the other web pages, retrieves further data which is used in conjunction with the stored other web pages for the display to the user.

15. A system including hardware modules comprising:

a receiving module to receive a request from a user device to display a first web page to the user, the first web page being upstream of other web pages in a page flow determined based on an observation of a user navigation; and

a transmitting module to transmit the first web page to a user device to be viewed by the user and to further transmit, before a request is received from the user to view the other web pages at least some of the other web pages to the user device to be stored in a memory device.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the transmitting module transmits first web page to a user in which the first web page is upstream of a plurality of other web pages in plurality of page flows.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the transmitting module determines which of the plurality of other web pages is most frequently viewed and retrieves and stores some or all of the data from at least one of the most frequently viewed other web pages.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the memory device is a local memory device of a user device which the user uses to view the web pages.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the transmitting module further, after a request is received from a user to view the other web pages, transmits further data which is used in conjunction with the stored other web pages for the display to the user.

20. A system including:

display means to display a first web page to a user, the first being upstream of other web pages in a page flow determined based on an observation of a user navigation;

memory means;

communication means to receive at least some of the other web pages before receiving a request from the user to view the other web pages and to store the other web pages in the memory device; and

the display means to display, in response to a request from the user, the other web pages, using the page flow.

21. A system including hardware modules comprising:

receiving means to receive a request from a user device to display a first web page to the user, the first web page being upstream of other web pages in a page flow determined based on an observation of a user navigation; and

transmitting means to transmit the first web page to a user device to be viewed by the user and to further transmit, before a request is received from the user to view the other web page, at least some of the other web pages to the user device to be stored in a memory device.

22. A machine-readable medium embodying instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method including:

processing a first web page at a user device, the first web page being upstream of other web pages in a page flow determined based on an observation of a user navigation;

responsive to the processing of the first web page at the user device, retrieving at least some of the other web pages;

storing the retrieved other web pages at the user device; and

after receiving a request from the user, processing the stored other web pages at the user device.

23. A machine-readable medium embodying instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method including:

receiving a request from a user to display a first web page to the user, the first web page being upstream of other web pages in a page flow determined based on an observation of a user navigation;

transmitting the first web page to a user device to be viewed by the user;

transmitting at least some of the other web pages to the user device to be stored in a memory device before a request is received from the user to view the other web pages; and

displaying the stored other web page to the user, using the page flow.