Web Server Consolidating Foreign Elements to Reduce DNS Requests

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Solution Overview

Problem

Mobile electronic devices face performance degradation and resource consumption due to the need to transmit multiple requests to various servers to view a web page, which requires determining server connections and can result in delays.

Innovation Solution

A method and system where a web server maintains web pages with references to foreign elements hosted on other servers, identifies these references, and transmits the necessary network addresses to the mobile device, allowing it to directly request foreign elements from the web server, reducing the need for additional DNS requests and offloading DNS processing to the web server.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the mobile device determines server connections and transmits multiple requests to various servers to view a web page, then the web page can be displayed with foreign elements from multiple servers, but the device consumes valuable computational resources, memory, and network bandwidth, resulting in delays and performance degradation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveweb page loading speedVSAvoidnumber of DNS requests and server connections
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a web server as an intermediary that consolidates multiple foreign elements from different servers into a single response. Instead of the mobile device making separate DNS requests and connections to multiple servers, the web server acts as a mediator that fetches foreign elements (images, scripts, stylesheets) from various external servers and delivers them all together in one HTTP response, reducing the number of DNS requests and network connections the mobile device must make

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges multiple separate HTTP requests and responses into a single consolidated response. The web server combines the main web page content with multiple foreign elements (images, scripts, stylesheets) from different external servers into one unified HTTP response that is delivered to the mobile device in a single transmission, reducing network overhead and improving loading efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If the mobile device makes multiple DNS requests to determine server addresses for foreign elements, then accurate server connections can be established, but network bandwidth is consumed and time is lost due to sequential DNS lookups

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy of server connectionVSAvoidtime for DNS requests
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The web server performs preliminary actions by pre-fetching foreign elements from external servers before the mobile device needs them. When the mobile device requests a web page, the web server has already or simultaneously retrieves the foreign elements (images, scripts, stylesheets) from various external servers and prepares them for delivery, eliminating the need for the mobile device to perform separate DNS lookups and connection establishment for each foreign element

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The web server acts as an intermediary that handles all DNS resolution and server connection tasks on behalf of the mobile device. Instead of the mobile device making multiple DNS requests to determine server addresses, the web server performs a single DNS lookup and then retrieves all foreign elements from the appropriate servers, delivering them together to the mobile device in one response

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP2360892B1Method, system and apparatus for delivering web content
Publication Date: 2013.07.03 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP2360892B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2360892B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2360892B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

According to embodiments described in the specification, a method, system and apparatus for delivering web content are provided. The method comprises maintaining a web page in a memory of a web server identifiable by a network address, the web page including at least one reference to a foreign element maintained at a second web server identifiable by a second network address; identifying the at least one reference; transmitting a request from an interface of the web server for obtaining the second network address; receiving the second network address of the second web server and storing the second network address in the memory in association with an identifier of the web page.