Patent US4815293A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US6748416B2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6748416B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Client-side method and apparatus for improving the availability and performance of network mediated services
Assignee: eBay Inc
•
Filing: 1999-01-20
•
Granted: 2004-06-08
•
Expires: 2019-01-20
Abstract
Abstract An intelligent local client agent can passively keep track of the state of network intermediaries, and can allocate network traffic according to different policies. In addition, an optional management platform running on a policy server provides an active network monitor of intermediaries and implements administrative policies. Under the present invention, an intermediary-aware application (e.g., a browser) will be configured to use the local client agent instead of an intermediary. The policy server can remotely load configuration information into a running client agent to provide administrative constraints or state changes. At each client agent, the intermediary servers (e.g. SOCKS servers) are ranked into tiers, so that several servers in the top-rated tier can be used concurrently to provide better performance. When the performance of a server degrades, its tier rating is lowered, and thus it may be avoided. Administratively defined tiers can be used to reserve resources for mission critical applications. Each client agent may passively collect local statistics on observed performance. The policy server may aggregate and evaluate the collected data, and use it as metrics to improve the tier groupings to the client agents, in order to provide better utilization of shared resources.
Inventors
- 👤 Geoffrey C. Carpenter
- 👤 German S. Goldszmidt Ziman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-10 01:32
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L67/00; H04L67/01; H04L67/10; H04L67/1001; H04L67/1004; H04L67/1008; H04L67/02; H04L67/2866; H04L67/30; H04L67/306; H04L69/00; H04L69/30; H04L69/32; H04L69/322; H04L69/329
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
99 words
A method for a client agent resident at a client computer to establish communication between the client location and a destination location comprising the steps of: receiving a request for communication from said client location said request specifying a destination for the communication; analyzing the content of said communication request, said content comprising at least one of the application to be invoked for processing said communication request, the protocol used to make the request, and the identification of the requested data; determining an optimal communication path based on said analyzing; and attempting to establish communications along said optimal path.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
99 words
A method for a client agent resident at a client computer to establish communication between the client location and a destination location comprising the steps of: receiving a request for communication from said client location said request specifying a destination for the communication; analyzing the content of said communication request, said content comprising at least one of the application to be invoked for processing said communication request, the protocol used to make the request, and the identification of the requested data; determining an optimal communication path based on said analyzing; and attempting to establish communications along said optimal path.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 1 additionally comprising the steps of: when communications cannot be established along said optimal path, selecting a successive alternative path; trying to establish communication along said alternative path; and repeating said selecting and trying until communication between said client location and said destination has been established.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said determining optimal path comprises determining whether the request should be sent to a special service location based on said analyzing of content, and wherein said optimal communication path includes said special service location.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said determining optimal path comprises determining if said data should be routed to a proxy cache and wherein said optimal communication path includes said proxy cache.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said determining comprises ascertaining whether said communication between said client location and said destination can be made without accessing an intermediary location.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said determining optimal path further comprises determining if said data should be routed to a proxy cache and wherein said optimal communication path includes said proxy cache.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said determining optimal path further comprises ascertaining whether said communication between said client location and said destination can be made without accessing an intermediary location.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 6 wherein said determining optimal path further comprises ascertaining whether said communication between said client location and said destination can be made without accessing an intermediary location.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 4 wherein said determining optimal path further comprises ascertaining whether said communication between said client location and said destination can be made without accessing an intermediary location.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said determining an optimal path comprises selecting one of a plurality of intermediary server locations for routing said communication.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of maintaining at least one record comprising a ranking of said plurality of intermediary server locations and wherein said determining an optimal path comprises consulting said at least one record and selecting one of said plurality of intermediary server locations for said communication.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said client agent is adapted to receive communication information from at least one management server, and wherein said determining an optimal communication path additionally comprises consulting said communication information and selecting said path based on said content of said request and said communication information.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 11 , wherein said client agent is adapted to receive communication information from at least one management server, further comprising receiving communication information from said management server and updating said ranking based on said communication information.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
57 words
The method of claim 13 additionally comprising the steps of: when communications cannot be established along said optimal path, selecting a successive alternative path; trying to establish communication along said alternative path; repeating said selecting and trying until communication between said client location and said destination has been established; and notifying said management server about said communication.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
102 words
A client resident client agent for establishing communications between a client location and a destination location comprising: receiver component for receiving a request for communication from said client location said request specifying the destination for the communication; processing means for analyzing the content of said communication request information, said content comprising at least one of the application to be invoked for processing the communication request, the protocol used to make the request, and the identification of the requested data, and for determining an optimal communication path based on said analyzing; and communication component for attempting to establish communications along said optimal path.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
102 words
A client resident client agent for establishing communications between a client location and a destination location comprising: receiver component for receiving a request for communication from said client location said request specifying the destination for the communication; processing means for analyzing the content of said communication request information, said content comprising at least one of the application to be invoked for processing the communication request, the protocol used to make the request, and the identification of the requested data, and for determining an optimal communication path based on said analyzing; and communication component for attempting to establish communications along said optimal path.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
27 words
The client agent of claim 15 further comprising record maintenance means for maintaining at least one record comprising a ranking of said plurality of intermediary server locations.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
23 words
The client agent of claim 15 wherein said receiver component is further adapted to receive communication information from at least one management server.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
37 words
The client agent of claim 16 wherein said receiver component is further adapted to receive communication information from at least one management server, said communication information being used by said record maintenance means for updating said ranking.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
24 words
The client agent of claim 17 wherein said communication component is additionally adapted to inform said management server about communications at said client agent.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
139 words
A communication system for a first client computer location to establish communication with at least one other computer location comprising: at least one client resident client agent associated with said first client computer location, said client agent comprising: receiver component for receiving a request for communication from said client location said request specifying the destination for the communication; processing means for analyzing the content of said communication request, said content comprising at least one of the application to be invoked for processing said communication request, the protocol used to make the request and the identification of the requested data, and for determining an optimal communication path based on said analyzing; and communication component for attempting to establish communications along said optimal path; and at least one management server for sharing communication information with said at least one client agent.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
139 words
A communication system for a first client computer location to establish communication with at least one other computer location comprising: at least one client resident client agent associated with said first client computer location, said client agent comprising: receiver component for receiving a request for communication from said client location said request specifying the destination for the communication; processing means for analyzing the content of said communication request, said content comprising at least one of the application to be invoked for processing said communication request, the protocol used to make the request and the identification of the requested data, and for determining an optimal communication path based on said analyzing; and communication component for attempting to establish communications along said optimal path; and at least one management server for sharing communication information with said at least one client agent.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
138 words
An article of manufacture comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for establishing communication between a client location and a destination location, the computer readable program code in said article of manufacture being executed at the client location and comprising: computer readable program code for receiving a request for communication from said client location said request specifying the destination for the communication; computer readable program code for analyzing the content of said communication request, said content comprising at least one of the application to be invoked for processing the communication request, the protocol used to make the request, and the identification of the requested data; computer readable program code for determining an optimal communication path based on said analyzing; and computer readable program code for attempting to establish communications along said optimal path.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
138 words
An article of manufacture comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for establishing communication between a client location and a destination location, the computer readable program code in said article of manufacture being executed at the client location and comprising: computer readable program code for receiving a request for communication from said client location said request specifying the destination for the communication; computer readable program code for analyzing the content of said communication request, said content comprising at least one of the application to be invoked for processing the communication request, the protocol used to make the request, and the identification of the requested data; computer readable program code for determining an optimal communication path based on said analyzing; and computer readable program code for attempting to establish communications along said optimal path.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
59 words
The article of manufacture of claim 21 further comprising computer readable code for causing the computer to maintain at least one record comprising a ranking of said plurality of intermediary server locations and wherein said determining an optimal path comprises consulting said at least one record and selecting one of said plurality of intermediary server locations for said communication.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US6360266B1
Cited
US5603029A
Cited
US5828844A
Cited
US6035341A
Cited
US6249516B1
Cited
US6058435A
Cited
US6067580A
Cited
US5996021A
Cited
US6418478B1
Cited
US6038594A
Cited
US6253230B1
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-06-08 | 2007-12-08 | 2008-06-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-06-08 | 2011-12-08 | 2012-06-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-06-08 | 2015-12-08 | 2016-06-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |