Maintaining a content category cache at a gateway on a data path

• US 7,792,128 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2007
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Albert, Mark, O'Rourke, Chris, Sutton, Michael S., Bakita, Thomas R., Dixon, Walter G., Batz, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzlo; John
• Application Number:
  US11/834,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20090041036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 370/401, 370/252, 370/389
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data

Abstract

Maintaining a content category cache includes storing the content category cache at a gateway. The content category cache includes content category mappings, where a content category mapping associates content with one or more categories describing the content. A request requesting content for a user is received. One or more categories associated with the requested content are determined from a content category mapping of the content category cache. The requested content is filtered in accordance with the categories.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

accessing, by a processor comprising hardware, a first content identifier mapped to a first raw category, the first raw category associated with a first vendor and labeled using a first term, the first raw category corresponding to a generic category;

accessing, by the processor, a second content identifier mapped to a second raw category, the second raw category associated with a second vendor and labeled using a second term different from the first term, the second raw category corresponding to the generic category;

mapping, by the processor, the first content identifier to the generic category to yield a first content category mapping;

mapping, by the processor, the second content identifier to the generic category to yield a second content category mapping;

determining that a content services gateway has initialized; and

sending the first content category mapping to the content services gateway in response to the determination.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the first raw category corresponds to the generic category according to a grouping; and

determining that the second raw category corresponds to the generic category according to the grouping.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending at least one of the first content category mapping or the second content category to a content services gateway.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the first content identifier to the generic category to yield the first content category mapping further comprises:

accessing an entry corresponding to the first content identifier, the entry comprising one or more flags; and

setting a flag corresponding to the generic category to indicate the mapping.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for the second content category mapping; and

sending the second content category mapping to a content services gateway in response to the request.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a filter plan indicating whether the generic category is allowed or denied.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory operable to;

store a first content identifier mapped to a first raw category, the first raw category associated with a first vendor and labeled using a first term, the first raw category corresponding to a generic category;

store a second content identifier mapped to a second raw category, the second raw category associated with a second vendor and labeled using a second term different from the first term, the second raw category corresponding to the generic category; and

one or more processors comprising hardware and operable to;

map the first content identifier to the generic category to yield a first content category mapping;

map the second content identifier to the generic category to yield a second content category mapping;

determine that a content services gateway has initialized; and

send the first content category mapping to the content services gateway in response to the determination.

8. The apparatus, of claim 7, the one or more processors further operable to:

determine that the first raw category corresponds to the generic category according to a grouping; and

determine that the second raw category corresponds to the generic category according to the grouping.

9. The apparatus, of claim 7, the one or more processors further operable to:

send at least one of the first content category mapping or the second content category to a content services gateway.

10. The apparatus, of claim 7, the one or more processors further operable to map the first content identifier to the generic category to yield the first content category mapping by:

accessing an entry corresponding to the first content identifier, the entry comprising one or more flags; and

setting a flag corresponding to the generic category to indicate the mapping.

11. The apparatus, of claim 7, wherein:

the first raw category is associated with a first vendor; and

the second raw category is associated with a second vendor.

12. The apparatus, of claim 7, the one or more processors further operable to:

receive a request for the second content category mapping; and

send the second content category mapping to a content services gateway in response to the request.

13. The apparatus, of claim 7, the one or more processors further operable to:

generate a filter plan indicating whether the generic category is allowed or denied.

14. A system, comprising:

means for receiving a first content identifier mapped to a first raw category, the first raw category associated with a first vendor and labeled using a first term, the first raw category corresponding to a generic category;

means for receiving a second content identifier mapped to a second raw category, the second raw category associated with a second vendor and labeled using a second term different from the first term, the second raw category corresponding to the generic category;

means for;

mapping the first content identifier to the generic category to yield a first content category mapping; and

mapping the second content identifier to the generic category to yield a second content category mapping, the means for mapping comprising hardware;

means for determining that a content services gateway has initialized; and

means for sending the first content category mapping to the content services gateway in response to the determination.