HTTP URL Field Client Platform Information Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network operators altering the user agent field in HTTP messages disrupt the delivery of user agent information from mobile devices to service providers, leading to poor user experiences and service failures, as the original client platform information is not reliably transported, affecting content formatting and relevance.
Innovation Solution
Inserting client platform information into alternative fields within the HTTP message, such as the URL field, using a type field to indicate whether the information was originally included, ensuring it reaches the service provider even if the user agent field is modified or removed by network operators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If network operators use transcoding to modify HTTP messages, then they can control content delivery, but the user agent field is altered and service provider cannot access original client platform information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the HTTP message into multiple fields, placing client platform information in the URL field (specifically the path portion) and keeping the user agent field separate. This segmentation allows the information to be transported independently, so that even if the user agent field is modified by network operators, the client platform information remains intact in the URL field for the service provider to access.
Solution Approach 2:
The URL field acts as an intermediary carrier for client platform information. Instead of relying solely on the user agent field (which can be intercepted and modified), the patent uses the URL field as an alternative transport path that network operators cannot easily modify without breaking the request routing. This intermediary path ensures reliable delivery of client information to the service provider.
2Adaptability or versatility
If client platform information is placed in the user agent field, then content can be tailored for mobile devices, but network operators can modify or remove this information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the client information transport by placing platform information in the URL field's path portion rather than solely in the user agent field. This allows the service provider to access client platform information (for content customization) while the URL field serves as a reliable transport path that network operators cannot easily modify without affecting request routing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different handling to different fields within the HTTP message. The URL field's path portion is specifically designed to carry client platform information with the understanding that it needs to be preserved through the network. The user agent field maintains its traditional function while the path portion of the URL provides an additional dedicated channel for client information transport.
3Ease of manufacture
If network operators perform transcoding, then they can reformat content, but the original HTTP header information including user agent field is changed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the HTTP header information into multiple locations, placing client platform information in the URL field's path portion. This segmentation allows network operators to modify the user agent field during transcoding while the original client platform information remains preserved in the URL field, preventing complete loss of original header information.
Solution Approach 2:
The client inserts client platform information into the URL field's path portion before the request reaches the network operator. This preliminary action ensures that even if the operator subsequently modifies the user agent field during transcoding, the original client information is already safely stored in the URL field and cannot be lost.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques to ensure that user agent information is transported includes determining whether both a type field and a client platform information field are included in a first portion of a uniform resource locator field (URL) of a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request message received from a remote client process. The first portion is different from a domain portion of the URL. The type field holds data that indicates whether the remote client inserted the client information field into a URL of an original HTTP request message. If both the type field and the client platform information field are included, then it is determined, based on data in the type field, whether to include both the type field and the client platform information field in a first portion of a URL in a link in a HTTP response message. The HTTP response message is sent to the remote client process.