Cached data expiration and refresh

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11019173-B2
Application number	US-201916658363-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2019
Priority date	Jun 1, 2016
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

The described technology is directed towards maintaining a cache of data items, with cached data items having current value subsets and next value subsets. The cache is accessed for data item requests, to return a cache miss if a requested data item is not cached, to return data from the current value subset if not expired, to return data from the next value subset if the current value subset is expired and the next value subset is not expired, or to return a cache miss (or expired data) if both subsets are expired. Cached data items are refreshed, (e.g., periodically), when a data item's current value subset is expired by replacing the data item's current value subset with the next value subset and caching a new next value subset, or caching a new next value subset when the next value subset will expire within a threshold time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
maintaining a cache comprising a first dataset of data items having respective unique data identifiers, and comprising a second dataset of the data items having the respective unique data identifiers, in which the first dataset and the second dataset are cached prior to a data service-specified time, wherein the first dataset comprises respective current values for the data items, and the second dataset comprises future values of the data items that become current after the data service-specified time;
in response to a first request that is received before the data service-specified time, for a unique data identifier of a data item of the data items, returning the data item from the first dataset; and
in response to a second request that is received after the data service-specified time, for the unique data identifier of the data item, returning the data item from the second dataset.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the first dataset from the cache after the data service-specified time.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data service-specified time is a first data service-specified time, and further comprising, before a second data service-specified time that is after the first data service-specified time, caching a third dataset of the data items comprising values of the data items that become current after the second data service-specified time.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising, in response to a request that is received before the second data service-specified time, for the unique data identifier of the data item, returning the data item from the second dataset, and in response to a third request that is received after the second data service-specified time, for the unique data identifier of the data item, returning the data item from the third dataset.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prepopulating the cache with the first dataset of data items, wherein the data items are presented as selection data on an interactive user interface.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data service-specified time is based on an anticipated spike in client requests.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prepopulating the cache with at least part of the second dataset of data items prior to an anticipated spike in client requests.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the prepopulating the cache with the second dataset of data items comprises using a time offset value to obtain a future value of a data item of the data items.

9. A system, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
maintaining a cache comprising a first dataset of data items having respective unique data identifiers;
prepopulating the cache with a second dataset of the data items having the respective unique data identifiers prior to a data service-specified time, wherein the first dataset comprises respective current values for the data items, and the second dataset comprises future values of the data items that become current after the data service-specified time;
in response to a first request that is received before the data service-specified time, for a unique data identifier of a data item of the data items, returning the data item from the first dataset; and
in response to a second request that is received after the data service-specified time, for the unique data identifier of the data item, returning the data item from the second dataset.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise removing the first dataset from the cache after the data service-specified time.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the data service-specified time is a first data service-specified time, and wherein the operations further comprise, before a second data service-specified time that is after the first data service-specified time, prepopulating the cache with a third dataset of the data items comprising values of the data items that become current after the second data service-specified time.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise, in response to a request that is received before the second data service-specified time, for the unique data identifier of the data item, returning the data item from the second dataset, and in response to a third request that is received after the second data service-specified time, for the unique data identifier of the data item, returning the data item from the third dataset.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the data items are presented as selection data on an interactive user interface.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the data service-specified time is based on an anticipated spike in client requests.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the prepopulating the cache with the second dataset of data items comprises using a time offset value to obtain a future value of a data item of the data items.

16. One or more machine-readable storage media having machine-executable instructions, which when executed perform steps, comprising:
prepopulating a cache with a first dataset of data items having respective unique data identifiers;
prepopulating the cache with a second dataset of the data items having the respective unique data identifiers prior to a data service-specified time, wherein the first dataset comprises respective current values for the data items, and the second dataset comprises future values of the data items that become current after the data service-specified time;
in response to a first request that is received before the data service-specified time, for a unique data identifier of a data item of the data items, returning the data item from the first dataset; and
in response to a second request that is received after the data service-specified time, for the unique data identifier of the data item, returning the data item from the second dataset.

17. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein the prepopulating the cache with the second dataset of data items comprises using a time offset value to obtain a future value of a data item of the data items.

18. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein the data service-specified time is a first data service-specified time, and wherein the operations further comprise, before a second data service-specified time that is after the first data service-specified time, prepopulating the cache with a third dataset of the data items comprising values of the data items that become current after the second data service-specified time.

19. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 18 , wherein the operations further comprise, in response to a third request that is received after the second data service-specified time, for the unique data identifier of the data item, returning the data item from the third dataset.

20. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 18 , wherein the operations further comprise removing the second dataset from the cache after the second data service-specified time is reached.

Assignees

• Home Box Office Inc

Inventors

• Lutz Jonathan David
• Busayarat Sata
• Qi Mei

Classifications

• H04L67/5682 Primary

  Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data · CPC title

• H04L67/5681

  Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics · CPC title

• H04L67/568

  Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching · CPC title

• G06F12/123 Primary

  with age lists, e.g. queue, most recently used [MRU] list or least recently used [LRU] list · CPC title

• G06F16/9574

  of access to content, e.g. by caching · CPC title