Automated media delivery system

1. A computer implemented method for generating and delivering Web page content comprising media, said method comprising:

parsing a URL containing proprietary tags to determine:

a content generation procedure to execute and corresponding input to said procedure;

dynamic modifications to perform on said media;

user profile characteristics; and

proxy-cache control;

generating a unique final lookup key for said media;

checking a media cache, using said final lookup key;

if said media exists in said media cache, then

passing control to said proxy-cache control; and

delivering said media;

if said media does not exist in said media cache, then

separating dynamic media system tags from content generation control tags; and

generating a unique intermediate image lookup key;

checking said media cache using said intermediate image lookup key;

if said intermediate media exists in said media cache, then

using said intermediate media for further processing;

if said intermediate media does not exist in said media cache, then

generating and caching said media, using said intermediate image lookup key;

determining if dynamic processing is required and, if affirmative, then

operating upon said media by a dynamic content generator,

determining if content type is valid and, if negative, then

converting said media automatically to a valid type;

customizing said media for specified browser or client attributes using a user profiling system;

attaching any specified cache-control directives to a response; and

delivering said media.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein dynamic processing comprises directives for zoom, pan, and slice.

3. An apparatus for generating Web-safe media, using an HTML page having a URL, said URL having encoded proprietary tags, said apparatus comprising:

a server for receiving media requests and delivering said Web-safe media;

a media repository for storing original media;

a content generation procedure containing instructions for transforming said original media into said Web-safe media;

a URL tag parser for determining:

said content generation procedure to execute and any corresponding input parameters to be used by said procedure for generating a primary media to be cached;

dynamic content processing to be performed, if necessary by dynamic media procedures;

user profile information, if any to be used for modification of a resulting image; and

cache control HTTP headers, if any to accompany said resulting image;

a unique primary lookup key generated by said parser and associated with said primary cached media, wherein said primary cached media, if existing, is delivered as said Web-safe media through a media cache; and

a unique secondary lookup key corresponding to intermediate media requiring said dynamic media processing by said dynamic media procedures, thereby generating corresponding derivative intermediate media, and said unique secondary lockup key corresponding to said derivative intermediate media stored in a secondary media cache.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein any of said original media, said content generation procedure, and said proprietary URL tags are modified, thereby rendering an automatically updated Web-safe media.

5. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said apparatus is configured in parallel to a Web server infrastructure, said existing Web server infrastructure providing said media requests.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said apparatus is configurable to work either on-site or off-site to said Web server infrastructure.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said primary cached media is composed of one or more original media images acquired from said media repository.

8. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said derivative intermediate media is suitably modified for the needs of zooming, panning, and slicing.