Proxy Server Zero-Rated Content Signing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Affordable Internet access remains a challenge in developing regions due to limited affordability, and existing solutions do not effectively manage zero-rated data exchange between user devices and web servers to provide free Internet services.
Innovation Solution
A proxy server is configured to retrieve and process zero-rated web pages, validate them, and apply unique signatures to resource identifiers, ensuring that only whitelisted content is forwarded to user devices at no cost, thereby enabling efficient and effective retrieval of zero-rated content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a proxy server routes traffic between user devices and web servers to provide zero-rated access, then Internet accessibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a proxy server as an intermediary component between user devices and web servers. This mediator captures HTTP requests from user devices, validates them against zero-rated content policies, and forwards approved requests to web servers. The proxy server also intercepts responses and validates resource identifiers, ensuring that only authorized zero-rated content is delivered to users. This intermediary architecture enables zero-rated access without requiring modifications to user devices or web servers.
2Reliability
If signatures are applied to resource identifiers to ensure request validation, then security is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies signatures to resource identifiers (such as URLs, image tags, and video tags) during the initial web page delivery process. When the proxy server retrieves a web page from a web server, it identifies all resource identifiers within the page and appends cryptographic signatures to them before forwarding the page to the user device. This preliminary signing ensures that when the user device subsequently requests these resources, the proxy server can quickly validate the signatures without performing complex verification operations, thus reducing processing time for each individual resource request.
3Manufacturing precision
If the proxy server validates all resource identifiers on zero-rated web pages, then content accuracy is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements differentiated validation rules for different types of resource identifiers on zero-rated web pages. Rather than applying uniform validation to all resources, the system applies specific validation criteria based on the type of resource being requested. For example, image resources may be validated against one set of policies while video resources are validated against different policies. This localized validation approach allows the proxy server to maintain high content accuracy by validating each resource appropriately, while reducing overall processing complexity by avoiding unnecessary validation steps for resources that don't require them.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for processing web pages by a server system (e.g., a proxy server) are disclosed. The proxy server is coupled to a user device and a plurality of web servers. The proxy server receives a first request for a first web page provided by a first web server from the user device. The first web page is zero-rated. In response to receiving the first request, the proxy server retrieves the requested first web page from the first web server. The proxy server then processes the retrieved first web page. The proxy server identifies one or more resource identifiers contained within the retrieved first web page and appends one or more signatures to the identified one or more resource identifiers respectively. Each identified resource identifier is associated with a content item that is zero-rated. The proxy server further forwards the processed first web page to the user device.