Multi-tier Web Caching with Priority and Freshness Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current web browsing experiences are hindered by slow document download speeds due to limited Internet bandwidth, inefficiencies in the HTTP protocol, and limitations of conventional caching methods, which fail to efficiently manage document freshness and storage.
Innovation Solution
A client-server network system that assigns priorities to document requests, calculates content differences between fresh and stale versions, and utilizes a remote cache server to manage document caching and retrieval, including prefetching and preloading, to enhance download efficiency and freshness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a cache is established in the client computer to store downloaded files, then document download speed is improved, but the cache size is limited and cannot store a large number of documents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a remote cache server that operates in a different dimension (remote server infrastructure) to extend cache capacity beyond the client's local storage limits. This allows the system to leverage server-side storage resources to store a large number of documents while maintaining fast access speeds for clients.
Solution Approach 2:
The remote cache server acts as an intermediary between the client and the original document source. It receives documents from the source, stores them in its cache, and serves them to clients, thereby enabling large-scale document storage without requiring clients to have sufficient local storage capacity.
2Productivity
If the web browser cache is used to store documents, then frequently viewed files are reduced from being repeatedly downloaded, but the browser cannot tell whether a cached document is fresh and needlessly re-downloads the document
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the remote cache server receives freshness parameters from document sources and communicates this information to clients. This allows clients to accurately determine whether a cached document is fresh or stale, preventing unnecessary re-downloads while ensuring document freshness.
Solution Approach 2:
The remote cache server performs preliminary actions by pre-fetching documents and pre-determining their freshness status before clients request them. This allows the system to proactively manage document freshness and provide accurate information to clients about whether cached documents are up-to-date.
3Loss of time
If conventional caching methods are used, then static images and other static content are cached to reduce download time, but certain important HTTP protocol recommendations for improving document download speeds have not been implemented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes key parameters in HTTP protocol implementation, including introducing priority levels for different document types, implementing persistent connections, and using content difference transmission. These parameter changes enable the system to achieve faster document download speeds while following important HTTP protocol recommendations.
Data Source
AI summary
A client-server network system implements a multi-tier caching strategy for a user to access a document efficiently. When serving a document to client, the document is examined for embedded references to other documents. The embedded references are extracted and then assigned a priority. The documents referenced are obtained locally from the server cache or obtained from their respective web hosts and transmitted according to the assigned priority. If the client determines that it has the document, the transmission of is terminated. If the client or server determines that a newly requested document is one of the referenced documents being transmitted, the transmission is given a higher priority. In some instances, the server calculates a content difference between a current version of a referenced and a previous version and transmits this content.