Pre-caching web content for a mobile device

• US 9,898,546 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2015
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Brown, Andrew James Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): JOSHI, SURAJ M
• Application Number:
  US14/851,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20150379157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 709213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2876 Pairs of inter-processing entities at each side of the network, e.g. split proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics

Abstract

A web service for pre-caching web content on a mobile device includes receiving a request from the mobile device for first web content, fetching the first web content, determining second web content to pre-fetch based upon the first web content, fetching the second web content, and causing the second web content to be stored in a content cache on the mobile device responsive to the request for the first web content. Pre-caching web content in this manner provides web content to the mobile device that the user of the mobile device is likely to access. Pre-caching of additional web content prior to receiving an explicit request improves web browsing performance of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method at a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a web request message for requested web content;

forwarding the web request message to a network proxy;

receiving the requested web content from the network proxy;

displaying, after the receiving, the requested web content;

determining that a number of links in the requested web content is greater than a threshold;

selecting links from the links in the requested web content based on usage patterns, the number of selected links being no greater than the threshold;

receiving additional content related to the requested web content at the mobile device, the additional content including all content identified by the selected links in the requested web content;

caching the additional content in a content cache at the mobile device;

receiving a user selection of a first link of the selected links in the requested web content;

retrieving, from the content cache at the mobile device, second web content identified by the first link from the content cache, the second web content being part of the additional content;

request, from the network proxy, second additional content related to the second web content, the second additional content including all content identified by links in the second web content;

receiving, from the network proxy, the second additional content; and

caching the second additional content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional content is based on parsing of the requested content.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the additional content is further based on usage patterns from the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the usage patterns include historical preferences for links from requested web content.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the usage patterns include historical preferences for non-linked web content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the additional content is from a push server communicating with the network proxy.

7. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor;

a communications subsystem; and

memory,

wherein the mobile device is configured to;

receive a web request message for requested web content;

forward the web request message to a network proxy utilizing the communications subsystem;

receive the requested web content from the network proxy;

display, after the receiving, the requested web content;

determine that a number of links in the requested web content is greater than a threshold;

select links from the links in the requested web content based on usage patterns, the number of selected links being no greater than the threshold;

receive additional content related to the requested web content at the mobile device, the additional content including all content identified by the selected links in the requested web content;

cache the additional content in a content cache at the mobile device;

receive a user selection of a first link of the selected links in the requested web content;

retrieve, from the content cache at the mobile device, second web content identified by the first link from the content cache, the second web content being part of the additional content;

request, from the network proxy, second additional content related to the second web content, the second additional content including all content identified by links in the second web content;

receive, from the network proxy, the second additional content related; and

cache the second additional content.

8. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the additional content is based on parsing of the requested content.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the additional content is further based on usage patterns from the mobile device.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the usage patterns include historical preferences for links from requested web content.

11. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the usage patterns include historical preferences for non-linked web content.

12. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the receiving the additional content is from a push server communicating with the network proxy.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions in code which when loaded into a memory and executed by a processor of a mobile device cause the mobile device to:

receive a web request message for requested web content;

forward the web request message to a network proxy utilizing the communications subsystem;

receive the requested web content from the network proxy;

display, after the receiving, the requested web content;

determine that a number of links in the requested web content is greater than a threshold;

select links from the links in the requested web content based on usage patterns, the number of selected links being no greater than the threshold;

receive additional content related to the requested web content at the mobile device, the additional content including all content identified by the selected links in the requested web content;

cache the additional content in a content cache at the mobile device;

receive a user selection of a first link of the selected links in the requested web content;

retrieving second web content identified by the first link from the content cache, the second web content being part of the additional content;

request, from the network proxy, second additional content related to the second web content, the second additional content including all content identified by links in the second web content;

receive, from the network proxy, the second additional content; and

cache the second additional content.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the additional content is based on parsing of the requested content.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the additional content is further based on usage patterns from the mobile device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the usage patterns include historical preferences for links from requested web content.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the usage patterns include historical preferences for non-linked web content.