URI Component Filtering for Network Bandwidth Conservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network administrators face challenges in managing bandwidth consumption due to irrelevant content being delivered over private networks, which hampers administrative tasks like database backups, and existing methods of blocking access, such as 'sinkholing,' often inadvertently block important resources.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for content monitoring and filtering that uses a filtering service to evaluate video resources based on dynamic portions of the URI and metadata, determining whether to block access using algorithms that analyze video content, thereby allowing only relevant content to pass through the network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If sinkholing is used to block access to certain domains, then bandwidth consumption from irrelevant content is reduced, but access to important resources is inadvertently blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the URI into multiple components (scheme, host, path, query parameters) and evaluates each component separately using different filtering algorithms. This allows selective blocking based on specific path segments or query parameters while permitting other legitimate accesses to the same host, thereby avoiding over-blocking of important resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different filtering algorithms to different portions of the URI based on their local characteristics. For example, path-based algorithms evaluate the path component, while query-based algorithms evaluate query parameters. This localized evaluation enables precise control over which specific content is blocked while preserving access to important resources that may share the same host but have different paths or parameters.
2Device complexity
If static portions of the URI are used for filtering, then filtering implementation is simplified, but dynamic portions of the URI are ignored causing important content to be excluded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from static filtering (based only on host or domain) to dynamic filtering by evaluating multiple URI components including path and query parameters that can change. The system dynamically selects which URI components to evaluate based on the specific request, allowing accurate identification of content type regardless of how the URL is structured or parameterized.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal filtering system that can handle multiple types of URI components (host, path, query parameters) using a unified architecture. The system can apply different algorithms to different components based on what is available in each request, making the filtering system adaptable to various content delivery methods while maintaining a single coherent filtering framework.
3Reliability
If comprehensive content analysis is performed on all video resources, then accurate filtering decisions are made, but computational load on network devices increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial analysis by evaluating only specific portions of the URI (host, path, or query parameters) rather than performing complete content analysis on all video resources. The system selects which URI components to evaluate based on the filtering algorithms being applied, performing just enough analysis to make accurate filtering decisions without the excessive computational burden of analyzing entire video contents.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary evaluation of URI components before actual video content is downloaded or processed. By analyzing the URI structure and applying filtering algorithms to path and query parameters in advance, the system can make filtering decisions without requiring extensive computational resources for complete content analysis, thereby reducing computational load while maintaining accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method of conserving network bandwidth by controlling access to resources. A filtering service determines if a resource should be blocked or allowed to pass between computers on the network based on information about the resource including the path and any query parameters in the URI along with any available metadata about the resource. The metadata may be retrieved from the remote hose, generated based on the content of the resource, or any combination thereof. One or more filtering algorithms may be engaged to compare the information about the resource to filtering rules to determine whether access to the resource is allowed. The information about the resource, and the result of the filtering algorithm may be stored to reduce the time required to make future determinations for the same resource, or for similar resources.