Technique for prefetching a web page of potential future interest in lieu of continuing a current information download
US6067565A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 15, 1998 |
| Grant date | May 23, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 15, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L69/329
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A technique that, through continual computation, harnesses available computer resources during periods of low processing activity and low network activity, such as idle time, for prefetching, e.g., web pages, or pre-selected portions thereof, into local cache of a client computer. This technique utilizes, e.g., a probabilistic user model, which specifies, at any one time, those pages or portions of pages that are likely to be prefetched given, e.g., a web page currently being rendered to a user; these pages being those which promise to provide the largest benefit (expected utility) to the user. Advantageously, this technique prematurely terminates or retards a current information download for a user in favor of prefetching a web page of future interest to that user whenever the latter page exhibits greater current incremental benefit to that user, in terms of a discounted expected rate of refinement in value with time for the future page, than a current incremental benefit being obtained for that user by continuing the current download.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.