Access to network content

• US 9,769,285 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2011
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Burkard, Timo, Jain, Arvind, Bentzel, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garcia-Ching, Karina J
• Application Number:
  US13/175,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20150193547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,272 Days
• Field of Search: 709202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A method and system for improving access to network content are described. Aspects of the disclosure minimize the delay between a navigation event and a network response by prerendering the next navigation event. For example, the method and system may predict a likely next uniform resource locator during web browsing to preemptively request content from the network before the user selects the corresponding link on a web page. The methods and systems describe a variety of manners for prerendering content and managing and configuring prerendering operations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for accessing network content, the method comprising:

predicting, using a processor, a navigation event associated with web content;

requesting content associated with the predicted navigation event, wherein requesting content comprises sending a notification from a computing device to a server, via a network, that the requested content is for a pre-rendering of content associated with a web address;

prerendering a redacted version of the content in a hidden browser instance, wherein the redacted version of the content is rendered and stored in the hidden browser instance in an executed format;

swapping the rendered redacted version of the content into a viewable application instance in response to a selection of the next navigation event, such that a delay in accessing the content is minimized;

sending a notification from the computing device to the server that the rendered redacted version of the content was accessed;

after the step of requesting content, receiving an indication that certain content of the requested content has been redacted; and

after the step of sending a notification, receiving redacted content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising discarding the rendered version of the content in response to the navigation event not being selected within a specified period of time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is a web page and the navigation event is a selection of a uniform resource locator (URL).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigation event is determined by identifying one or more embedded prerender tags within a web page.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the embedded prerender tags comprise a rank number to identify an order in which to prerender their content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the content is a set of web page search results, and the order is a relevance of the search results.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is sent via a modified hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) header.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is sent using a scripted application programming interface (API).

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a cookie state change during the rendering of the content; and

aborting the rendering of the content in response to the cookie state change.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting multimedia content of at least one of an audio or video file in the content; and

pausing playback of the multimedia content in response to detecting the at least one audio file or video file.

11. A processing system for prerendering network content comprising:

a memory storing web content; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor being configured to;

predict a navigation event associated with the web content in memory,

request content associated with the predicted navigation event, wherein the request comprises sending a notification from a computing device to a server, via a network, that the requested content is for a pre-rendering of content associated with a web address,

prerender a redacted version of the content in a hidden browser instance, wherein the redacted version of the content is rendered and stored in the hidden browser instance in an executed format,

swap the hidden browser instance into a viewable application instance in response to the selection of the navigation event,

send a notification from the computing device to the server that the rendered redacted version of the content was accessed,

after requesting content, receive an indication that certain content of the requested content has been redacted; and

after sending a notification, receive redacted content.

12. The processing system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to identify the navigation event and communicate the navigation event.

13. The processing system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to identify the navigation event by extracting at least one prerender tag from a web page.

14. The processing system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to identify the navigation event by analyzing a client navigation history.