Browser Resource Refresh via Persistent Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current browsers cache web page components such as style sheets and script code for extended periods, leading to issues when these components are updated on the server side, resulting in partial or complete failure of web pages or applications unless users manually refresh them, causing unnecessary user interaction and service interruptions.
Innovation Solution
Establishing a persistent connection between the browser and the web content site allows for background updates of style sheets and script code upon notification, ensuring the web page is refreshed automatically without user intervention, using long polling and publish/subscribe patterns to manage resource updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the browser caches style sheets and script code for extended periods, then network traffic is reduced and latency is saved, but the web page becomes inconsistent with server-side updates and may fail partially or completely
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the browser sends periodic requests to the server to check for updates of style sheets and script code. The server responds with update information when changes are detected, allowing the browser to refresh cached resources accordingly. This feedback loop ensures the web page remains consistent with server-side updates while maintaining the benefits of caching.
Solution Approach 2:
The browser performs periodic checks with the server to determine if cached style sheets and script code have been updated. This periodic action allows the system to maintain cached resources for extended periods (reducing latency) while periodically verifying consistency with the server (maintaining reliability). The periodic nature balances caching benefits with update detection.
2Reliability
If the browser manually refreshes the web page to update cached components, then the web page consistency with server-side resources is restored, but user interaction is required and service interruption occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically detecting and refreshing cached style sheets and script code without requiring user intervention. The browser autonomously communicates with the server to check for updates and retrieves updated resources when needed. This eliminates the need for manual user actions to maintain web page consistency, while the refresh operation occurs in the background to minimize service interruption.
3Reliability
If the browser refreshes the entire web page to update components, then all resources are synchronized with the server, but network traffic increases and latency is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and updates only the specific cached resources (style sheets and script code) that have been modified on the server, rather than refreshing the entire web page. When the server detects changes in specific resources, it notifies the browser which then retrieves only those updated components. This selective extraction approach maintains resource synchronization while minimizing network traffic and avoiding the time loss associated with full page refreshes.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile phone. The mobile phone comprises a radio frequency transceiver, memory, processor, and browser application stored in the memory. When executed by the processor, the browser application establishes persistent connection with a content site, downloads a page from the content site by radio frequency transceiver, wherein the web page comprises content and at least one of a style sheet and a script code, presents the page based at least in part on the style sheet and the script code, caches the style sheet and the script code, receives a notification from the content site that one of the style sheet or the script code has been updated, downloads at least one of the updated style sheet or the updated script code based on the notification, and presents the page based at least in part on the at least one of the updated style sheet or the updated script code.