Loading of web resources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9342620-B2
Application number	US-201213648203-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2012
Priority date	May 20, 2011
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

A method and apparatus for improving loading of web resources. A server receives a request for a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) document requested by a client network application. The server retrieves the requested document. The server automatically modifies objects referenced in the HTML document that have an external source such that loading of those objects by the client network application will be deferred. The server inserts a client-side script loader or a reference to the client-side script loader into the HTML document. The client-side script loader is configured to, when executed by the client network application, attempt to load the objects that have been deferred. The server transmits the modified HTML document to the client network application.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method in a server for improving loading of web resources, the method comprising:
receiving a first request from a client network application for a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) document, wherein the first request identifies a first domain that hosts the HTML document;
retrieving the requested HTML document, wherein the retrieved HTML document includes,
a first reference to a first object that is located at a second domain, and
a second reference to a second object that is located at a third domain;

modifying the HTML document including inserting a client-side script loader or a reference to the client-side script loader into the HTML document, wherein the client-side script loader is configured to, when executed by the client network application, perform the following:
initiate a single Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection with the server, and
transmit a single second request to the server over the single TCP connection for the first object and the second object; and

transmitting the modified HTML document to the client network application.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving the single second request over the single TCP connection from the client network application;
retrieving the first object and the second object; and
transmitting the first object and the second object to the client network application in a single first response over the single TCP connection.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first object and the second object are included in the single first response and transmitted to the client network application as they are retrieved regardless of an order in which they are retrieved.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein retrieving the first object includes determining that the first object is in cache and has not expired and retrieving the first object from the cache.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein retrieving the second object includes,
determining that the second object is not in cache or is in cache but expired;
transmitting a third request to an origin server that hosts the first object; and
receiving a second response from the origin server that includes the first object.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein prior to transmitting the modified HTML document to the client network application, automatically modifying the first reference and the second reference such that the client network application will not request the first object and the second object respectively until the client network application executes the client-side script loader.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the client-side script loader is configured to be executed by the client network application only after the client network application has completed loading the rest of the HTML document.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first request and the single second request are received at the server as a result of a Domain Name System (DNS) request for the first domain, second domain, and third domain resolving to an IP address of the server.

9. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, when executed by a processor of a server, cause said processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving a first request from a client network application for a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) document, wherein the first request identifies a first domain that hosts the HTML document;
retrieving the requested HTML document, wherein the retrieved HTML document includes,
a first reference to a first object that is located at a second domain, and
a second reference to a second object that is located at a third domain;

modifying the HTML document including inserting a client-side script loader or a reference to the client-side script loader into the HTML document, wherein the client-side script loader is configured to, when executed by the client network application, perform the following:
initiate a single Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection with the server, and
transmit a single second request to the server over the single TCP connection for the first object and the second object; and

transmitting the modified HTML document to the client network application.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium further provides instructions that, when executed by the processor of the server, cause said processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving the single second request over the single TCP connection from the client network application;
retrieving the single object and the second object; and
transmitting the first object and the second object to the client network application in a single first response over the single TCP connection.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the first object and the second object are included in the single first response and transmitted to the client network application as they are retrieved regardless of an order in which they are retrieved.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein retrieving the first object includes determining that the first object is in cache and has not expired and retrieving the first object from the cache.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein retrieving the second object includes,
determining that the second object is not in cache or is in cache but expired;
transmitting a third request to an origin server that hosts the first object; and
receiving a second response from the origin server that includes the first object.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein prior to transmitting the modified HTML document to the client network application, automatically modifying the first reference and the second reference such that the client network application will not request the first object and the second object respectively until the client network application executes the client-side script loader.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the client-side script loader is configured to be executed by the client network application only after the client network application has completed loading the rest of the HTML document.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the first request and the single second request are received at the server as a result of a Domain Name System (DNS) request for the first domain, second domain, and third domain resolving to an IP address of the server.

17. A server for improving loading of a web page, the server comprising
a processor; and
a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium configured to store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause said processor to perform the following:
receive a first request from a client network application for a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) document, wherein the first request identifies a first domain that hosts the HTML document;
retrieve the requested HTML document, wherein the retrieved HTML document includes,
a first reference to a first object that is located at a second domain, and
a second reference to a second object that is located at a third domain;

modify the HTML document including an insertion of a client-side script loader or a reference to the client-side script loader into the HTML document, wherein the client-side script loader is configured to, when executed by the client network application, perfor

Assignees

• Cloudflare Inc

Inventors

• Joel Christopher Stephen
• Benterou Jason Thomas Walter
• Holloway Lee Hahn
• Prince Matthew Browning
• Pye Ian Gerald

Classifications

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title

• G06F16/9577 Primary

  Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents · CPC title

• G06F17/30905 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• H04L67/568

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

• H04L61/4511

  using domain name system [DNS] · CPC title