Cache-Safe Links for Web Page Content

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current client-side browsing applications inefficiently reload entire web pages from servers each time a web page is accessed, as they lack a mechanism to detect changes in server-side content or functionality, leading to unnecessary 'round-tripping' between client and server.

Innovation Solution

Generating dynamic links with unique hash values for web page content and functionality items, which are cached on the client-side, allowing the browser to only update changed items from the server, thereby reducing redundant data retrieval.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If the client-side browsing application caches web page content and functionality items, then retrieval speed improves, but the application cannot detect server-side changes and must reload all content

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveweb page retrieval speedVSAvoidchange detection capability

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The server generates hash values for content and functionality items in advance and includes them in the web page content. When items are updated, the server computes new hash values and embeds them in the updated content. The client-side application compares these pre-computed hash values against cached versions to detect changes without needing to reload entire pages, thus maintaining fast retrieval while enabling change detection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the client requests updated web page content from the server, then content freshness improves, but unnecessary data transfer increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent freshnessVSAvoiddata transfer efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts only the essential change information (hash values) from the server and transmits them to the client. The client uses these extracted hash values to identify which specific cached items need updating, rather than transferring entire content files. This minimizes data transfer while ensuring content freshness, as only necessary updates are retrieved from the server.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If the client performs round-trip requests to the server for every web page access, then content accuracy improves, but system efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent accuracyVSAvoidbrowsing efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The server provides feedback to the client in the form of hash values that represent the current state of content and functionality items. The client uses this feedback to determine whether cached items are still valid or need updating. This feedback mechanism allows the client to make informed decisions about content retrieval without performing unnecessary round-trip requests, thereby maintaining content accuracy while improving browsing efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS8225192B2Extensible cache-safe links to files in a web page

Publication Date: 2012.07.17 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

Linking content and functionality files in a cached client-side web page to a corresponding server-side web page is provided so that a client-side browsing application is notified of changes made to the server-side web page to allow the client-side browsing application to retrieve a server-side web page or server-side web page items only when changes are made to the server-side web page or corresponding server-side web page items.