Publish-subscribe messaging in a content network

• US 9,654,571 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2014
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Horton, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Yohannes, Tesfay
• Application Number:
  US14/160,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20150207857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 709204, 709223, 713165, 165165
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A plurality of subscribers are registered to receive, from a publisher component, at client devices, via a broker component, at least one of messages and content pertaining to a first topic. Each of the subscribers is caused to generate one of N random numbers. A different one of the N random numbers is generated by each of the subscribers. Each of the subscribers is instructed to listen only for the messages and content pertaining to the first topic and corresponding to the corresponding one of the N random numbers. The at least one of messages and content pertaining to the first topic are published to those of the subscribers associated with each one of the N random numbers, number by number, until the at least one of messages and content pertaining to the first topic has been published to all of the plurality of subscribers.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

registering a plurality of client devices to receive, from a publisher component, via a broker component, at least one of messages and content pertaining to a first topic;

causing each of said client devices to generate one of N random numbers, a different one of N random numbers being generated by each of said client devices;

instructing each of said client devices to listen only for said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic and corresponding to said one of N random numbers generated by each corresponding one of said client devices;

publishing said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic from said publisher component, via said broker component, to those of said client devices associated with each one of said N random numbers, number by number, until said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic has been published to all of said plurality of client devices;

listening, at an interceptor component, for said at least one of messages and content pertaining to a first topic published from the publisher component to the plurality of client devices, via the broker component, said least one of messages and content including a uniform resource locator of said publisher component;

intercepting said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic with said interceptor component;

re-publishing, with said interceptor component, to a second topic different than said first topic, said random numbers corresponding to destination client devices for each of said intercepted at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic, thereby informing said publisher component of said plurality of client devices to which said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic was sent;

obtaining at said publisher component, from each of said client devices that received said at least one of messages and content, one of said N random numbers corresponding to that client device; and

using said random numbers obtained from said client devices and re-published by said interceptor component, said publisher component determining particular messages and/or content to be re-published to selected ones of said client devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in said step of causing each of said client devices to generate said one of N random numbers, a value of N in said N random numbers is generated based on available capacity of at least one of said publisher component and a network interconnecting said publisher component with said client devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said value of N is determined from an overall customer population divided by a preferred increment size.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one of messages and content comprises a uniform resource locator identifying a cloud-based user interface.

5. The method of Claim 1, wherein:

in said publishing step, said at least one of messages and content pertain to subscribers to a topic; and

in said using step, said publisher component uses said random numbers to specify that said particular messages and/or content to be delivered to each of said client devices vary for at least some of said client devices.

6. The method of Claim 1, wherein said using step comprises said publisher component providing at least some of said client devices with a confirmation of current messages and content.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining, at said publisher component, acknowledgements from those of said client devices which have received said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic, via said uniform resource locator of said publisher component.

16. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

generating, at said publisher component, a list of said plurality of client devices to which said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic was sent, said list being generated based on said information re-published to said second topic;

removing, at said publisher component, from said list those of said client devices which have received said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic, based on said acknowledgements obtained via said uniform resource locator of said publisher component; and

re-publishing, from said publisher component, to said client devices remaining on said list after said removing, via said broker component, said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic.

8. A publisher apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor, coupled to said memory and operative to;

register a plurality of client devices to receive, from said publisher apparatus, via a broker component, at least one of messages and content pertaining to a first topic;

cause each of said client devices to generate one of N random numbers, a different one of N random numbers being generated by each of said client devices;

instruct each of said client devices to listen only for said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic and corresponding to said one of N random numbers generated by each corresponding one of said client devices;

publish said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic to those of said client devices associated with each one of said N random numbers, number by number, until said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic has been published to all of said plurality of client devices;

receive, from an interceptor component, those of said N random numbers that correspond to destination client devices to which said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic was sent;

obtain from each of said client devices that received said at least one of messages and content, one of said N random numbers corresponding to that client device; and

using said random numbers obtained from said client devices and received from said interceptor component, determine particular messages and/or content to be re-published to selected ones of said client devices.

9. The publisher apparatus of claim 8, wherein a value of N in said N random numbers is generated by said at least one processor based on available capacity of at least one of said publisher component and a network interconnecting said publisher apparatus with said client devices.

10. The publisher apparatus of claim 9, wherein said value of N is determined from an overall customer population divided by a preferred increment size.

11. The publisher apparatus of claim 8, wherein said at least one of messages and content comprises a uniform resource locator identifying a cloud-based user interface.

12. An article of manufacture comprising a tangible non-transitory machine readable recordable storage medium with instructions recorded thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause said processor to be operative to:

register a plurality of client devices to receive, from said publisher apparatus, via a broker component, at least one of messages and content pertaining to a first topic;

cause each of said client devices to generate one of N random numbers, a different one of N random numbers being generated by each of said client devices;

instruct each of said client devices to listen only for said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic and corresponding to said one of N random numbers generated by each corresponding one of said client devices;

publish said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic to those of said client devices associated with each one of said N random numbers, number by number, until said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic has been published to all of said plurality of client devices;

receive, from an interceptor component, those of said N random numbers that correspond to destination client devices to which said at least one of messages and content pertaining to said first topic was sent;

obtain from each of said client devices that received said at least one of messages and content, one of said N random numbers corresponding to that client device; and

using said random numbers obtained from said client devices and received from said interceptor component, determine particular messages and/or content to be re-published to selected ones of said client devices.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein a value of N in said N random numbers is generated based on available capacity of at least one of said publisher component and a network interconnecting said publisher apparatus with said client devices.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein said value of N is determined from an overall customer population divided by a preferred increment size.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein said at least one of messages and content comprises a uniform resource locator identifying a cloud-based user interface.