Methods and apparatus for providing content over a computer network

• US 7,840,645 B1
• Filed: 10/22/2001
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mueller, Kenneth Earl II, Lueckenhoff, Bruce Arthur, Aviani, James A., Chase, Joshua Miles
• Primary Examiner(s): Chankong; Dohm
• Application Number:
  US10/029,667
• Time in Patent Office: 3,319 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709/239, 709/244, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

The invention is directed to methods and techniques in a communications device for delivering content. In particular the technique includes intercepting, from a requesting device, an initial request for initial content accessible from an initial content source and in response to intercepting the initial request, creating redirection information indicating an identity of secondary content to be accessed by the requesting device in addition to the initial content in the initial request and providing the redirection information to the requesting device, such that the requesting device accesses both the secondary content from the secondary content source as well as the initial content from the initial content source.

Claims

1. A method performed in an intercepting communications device, the method comprising:

maintaining, in the intercepting communications device, access to a plurality of secondary content addresses, where a secondary content address identifies secondary content located at a secondary content source;

intercepting an initial request for initial content made by a requesting device before the initial request arrives at an intended destination, the intended destination being an initial content source;

extracting at least one request criteria from the intercepted initial request;

creating redirection information by processing the at least one request criteria to determine an identity of secondary content to be retrieved by the requesting device, wherein the redirection information includes a first redirection code and a second redirection code; and

transmitting the redirection information to the requesting device without transmitting the secondary content from the intercepting communications device to the requesting device;

wherein receipt of the redirection information by the requesting device controls the requesting device to issue a first request for the secondary content based on the first redirection code and wherein receipt of a command from a source of the secondary content by the requesting device controls the requesting device to issue a second request for the initial content based on the second redirection code, wherein the receipt of the command occurs subsequent to issuing the first request.

2. The method of claim 1, where processing the at least one request criteria to determine an identity of secondary content comprises:

extracting the at least one request criteria from at least one protocol header of the intercepted initial request; and

matching the at least one extracted request criteria to at least one of the plurality of secondary content addresses.

3. The method of claim 2, where matching the at least one extracted request criteria to at least one of the plurality of secondary content addresses comprises:

determining desirable secondary content by identifying at least one of the plurality of secondary content addresses that maps to content related to the at least one extracted request criteria; and

capturing an address from at least one of the plurality of secondary content addresses that maps to content related to the at least one extracted request criteria.

4. The method of claim 3, where identifying at least one of the plurality of secondary content addresses that maps to content related to the at least one extracted request criteria comprises:

identifying content related to at least one source indication from the at least one extracted request criteria;

identifying content that has at least one geographic indication related to at least one geographic location of the communications device;

identifying content that has at least one geographic indication related to at least one geographic indication from the at least one extracted request criteria; and

identifying content related to at least one initial content indication from the at least one extracted request criteria.

5. The method of claim 3, where capturing at least one address from the plurality of secondary content addresses that maps to content related to the at least one extracted request criteria comprises:

capturing at least one Internet address for at least one advertisement that is related to the at least one extracted request criteria, the at least one advertisement being programmed to be displayed with respect to a display of the initial content.

6. The method of claim 1, where creating redirection information comprises:

concatenating together the first redirection code and the second redirection code; and

separating the first redirection code and the second redirection code by a delimiter.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising:

including an address of the secondary content source in the first redirection code; and

including an address of the at least one initial content source in the second redirection code.

8. The method of claim 6, where the delimiter separating the first redirection code and the second redirection code indicates to the requesting device an existence of a secondary content condition.

9. The method of claim 1, where processing at least one request criteria extracted from the intercepted initial request to determine an identity of secondary content to be retrieved by the requesting device comprises:

determining the identity of the secondary content relative to at least one of a geographic indication, a source indication, and a content indication in the at least one request criteria extracted from the intercepted initial request.

10. The method of claim 1, where intercepting the initial request includes intercepting the initial request at an entry point to the Internet.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computer control the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

maintaining, in the computer, access to a plurality of secondary content addresses, where a secondary content address identifies secondary content located at a secondary content source;

intercepting an initial request for initial content made by a requesting device before the initial request arrives at an intended destination, the intended destination being an initial content source;

extracting at least one request criteria from the intercepted initial request;

creating redirection information by processing the at least one request criteria to determine an identity of secondary content to be retrieved by the requesting device, wherein the redirection information includes a first redirection code and a second redirection code; and

transmitting the redirection information and a command to the requesting device without transmitting the secondary content from the computer to the requesting device;

wherein receipt of the redirection information by the requesting device controls the requesting device to issue a first request for the secondary content based on the first redirection code and wherein receipt of a command from a source of the secondary content by the requesting device controls the requesting device to issue a second request for the initial content based on the second redirection code, wherein the receipt of the command occurs subsequent to issuing the first request.

12. A method performed in an intercepting communications device, the method comprising:

maintaining, in the intercepting communications device, access to a plurality of secondary content addresses, where a secondary content address identifies secondary content located at a secondary content source;

intercepting an initial request for initial content made by a requesting device before the initial request arrives at an intended destination, the intended destination being an initial content source;

extracting at least one request criteria from the intercepted initial request;

creating redirection information by processing the at least one request criteria to determine an identity of secondary content to be retrieved by the requesting device, where creating redirection information comprises;

concatenating together a first redirection code and at least one second redirection code, where the first redirection code instructs the requesting device to issue a first request for the secondary content, and where receipt of a command from a source of the secondary content by the requesting device controls the requesting device to issue a second request for the initial content based on the second redirection code, wherein the receipt of the command occurs subsequent to issuing the first request; and

separating the first redirection code and the second redirection code by a delimiter;

transmitting the redirection information to the requesting device without transmitting the secondary content from the intercepting communications device to the requesting device.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising:

including an address of the initial content source in the second redirection code; and

including an address of the at least one secondary content source in the initial redirection code.

14. The method of claim 12, where processing the at least one request criteria to determine an identity of secondary content comprises:

extracting the at least one request criteria from at least one protocol header of the intercepted initial request; and

matching the at least one extracted request criteria to at least one of the plurality of secondary content addresses.

15. The method of claim 14, where matching the at least one extracted request criteria to at least one of the plurality of secondary content addresses comprises:

determining desirable secondary content by identifying at least one of the plurality of secondary content addresses that maps to content related to the at least one extracted request criteria; and

capturing an address from at least one of the plurality of secondary content addresses that maps to content related to the at least one extracted request criteria.