Proxy Server Dynamic Content Caching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing caching techniques are ineffective in reducing data delivery times for dynamic content specific to users, as they often require communication with the origin server for each request, leading to increased loading times and degraded user experience, especially when dynamic content is personalized.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that employs a proxy server to cache dynamic content at the edge of the network, using dynamic content tags and user identifiers to store and retrieve personalized content, allowing for partial caching and placeholder insertion to reduce the need for repeated origin server requests, thereby improving data delivery efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If dynamic content is cached at the edge of the network, then data delivery time is reduced, but cache memory usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments dynamic content into user-specific portions that can be individually cached. The system identifies and caches only the dynamic content specific to each user at the edge cache, rather than caching entire web pages or all dynamic content. This segmentation allows the cache to store smaller, more targeted portions of dynamic content, reducing overall cache memory usage while still achieving fast delivery for personalized content.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by creating user-specific cache entries tailored to individual users' needs and preferences. The edge cache stores dynamic content with user-specific identifiers, allowing each user to have customized cached content rather than a uniform cache for all users. This approach optimizes cache memory usage by storing only relevant dynamic content for each user while maintaining fast delivery times for personalized content.
2Ease of operation
If dynamic content is personalized for each user, then user experience is improved, but complexity of content management increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism at the edge cache that automatically manages personalized dynamic content. The edge cache acts as a mediator between the origin server and user devices, handling the complexity of user-specific content identification, caching, and delivery. This intermediary approach allows personalized content management without requiring complex changes to the origin server or user devices, as the edge cache automatically handles user-specific content routing and caching based on user identifiers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables self-service by allowing the edge cache to automatically identify, cache, and deliver user-specific dynamic content without manual intervention. The system uses user identifiers embedded in requests to automatically determine which dynamic content portions to cache and retrieve, eliminating the need for manual content management for each user. This automated self-service approach simplifies personalized content management while maintaining high user experience quality.
3Productivity
If origin server communication is reduced, then network load is decreased, but content freshness may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by establishing mechanisms for the edge cache to periodically refresh user-specific dynamic content from the origin server. The system uses time-to-live (TTL) values and invalidation signals to determine when cached dynamic content should be refreshed. This periodic refresh approach ensures that user-specific dynamic content remains fresh and up-to-date while minimizing unnecessary communication with the origin server, as updates only occur when needed based on content change detection or expiration timing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where the origin server sends invalidation signals or change notifications to the edge cache when dynamic content is updated. The edge cache monitors for these feedback signals and automatically refreshes user-specific cached content accordingly. This feedback-driven approach ensures content freshness is maintained without requiring continuous communication with the origin server, as the cache only reaches out when it receives indication that content has changed or needs updating.
Data Source
AI summary
A proxy server routes a request for online content from a user device to an origin server, which returns the requested online content to the proxy server. The proxy server passes the online content to the user device. In order to service subsequent user device requests with cached content, the proxy server, having received the initially requested online content from the origin server, parses out dynamic content specific to the user from static content common to many users within the web page content according to tags identifying the dynamic content. The proxy server stores the dynamic content within a personalized cache and also stores an association between the user/user device for the dynamic content stored. In this way, a subsequent request from the user device for the same online content may be serviced from cache, and include dynamic content specific to that user/user device by way of the personalized cache.