Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Remote data accessing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-02
2001-05-29
Chan, Eddie (Department: 2183)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Remote data accessing
C709S235000, C709S240000, C341S087000, C341S055000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06240447
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method for transferring and displaying data pages at a station connected to a network by a low-speed connection. In particular, this invention relates to a method for reducing the delay between the time a data page is requested and the time the page is displayed.
In data networks such as the Internet, data is stored on servers interconnected by high-speed connections. Such networks support protocols, such as the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (“HTTP”) used in the popular World Wide Web portion of the Internet, in which data is transmitted to users in a format known as a “page.” Under the HTTP protocol, the user interface software (known as a “browser”) cannot begin to display a page until a significant portion of the page has been received, and clearly cannot fully display the page until the entire page has been received. The resulting delays are referred to as “latency.”
Unfortunately, many Internet users are connected to the Internet by relatively slow connections using a modem and a standard telephone line. Even the fastest commercially available telephone modems are limited to speeds of 28.8 kilobits per second (“kbps”), or in some cases 33.6 kbps. This limits the speed at which a World Wide Web page can be transmitted to a user and displayed by the users browser. In addition, heavy user traffic, particularly heavy access by other users to the same server, also slow down the apparent speed of the World Wide Web. As a result, many users complain about the slow speed of the Internet in general, and the World Wide Web in particular. In fact, much of-the-latency perceived by users is the result of their relatively slow connection to, and heavy traffic on, what inherently ought to be a very fast network.
Currently available browser software makes some attempts to eliminate delays in receiving World Wide Web pages. For example, most browsers will store received pages in a disk cache. If the user asks for a page within a short time after having asked for it previously, the browser will retrieve the page from the cache. However, under the HTTP protocol, certain World Wide Web pages may not be cached, such as those that are dynamically generated. Therefore, current caching techniques are of limited usefulness in solving the latency problem.
It would be desirable to be able to reduce the perceived delays encountered in transmitting data pages from a relatively fast network to a user connected to the network by a relatively slow connection.
It would also be desirable to be able to make better use of the caching capabilities of browsers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to reduce the perceived delays encountered in transmitting data pages from a relatively fast network to a user connected to the network by a relatively slow connection.
It is also an object of this invention to make better use of the caching capabilities of browsers.
In accordance with this invention, there is provided a method for transferring and displaying data pages on a data network of a type on which data can be retrieved in a page format. The network has at least one server on which the data pages are stored, a gateway connected to the servers, and a user station connected to the gateway by a data connection having a finite speed. The user station requests one of the pages from one of the servers. The method comprises sending a request from the user station to the gateway for retrieval of the data page from one of the servers. In response to that request, an earlier version of the data page is recalled. If the earlier version is determined not to be current, a retrieval of the data page from that one of the servers to the gateway, for transfer to the user station, is initiated. After receipt at the gateway of a response to the request, a difference between the requested data page and the earlier version of the page is determined, and that difference is transmitted to the user station. At the user station, the data page is calculated as a function of the earlier version and the difference. The calculated page is then displayed at the user station.
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Banga Gaurav
Douglis Frederick
Jagadish Hosagrahar Visvesvaraya
Rabinovich Michael
AT&T Corp.
Chan Eddie
Patel Gautam R.
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