System and method for dynamically inserting prefetch tags by the web server
View Patent ↗A method and system for embedding prefetch tags in the HTML of a user-requested webpage so that, after delivery of the user-requested webpage to the user, the proxy can cache webpages that the user is likely to request. After the browser issues a request for a webpage to the proxy, the proxy passes the request to the web server. The web server obtains the webpage and embeds prefetch tags into the HTML of the webpage. The selection of prefetch tags is determined by a personalization database or log/statistics database in the web server. The web server sends the user-requested webpage back to the user through the proxy. The proxy reads the prefetch tags and prefetches the webpages identified in the prefetch tags. The webpages identified in the prefetch tags are stored in the proxy cache memory so that they can be quickly sent to the user upon request.
1. A method for automatically instructing a proxy to prefetch a webpage from a web server, comprising:
establishing a proxy between a web browser on a user's computer and the web server;
recording, in a database connected to the web server, a plurality of user preferences and a plurality of user configuration data;
when the user sends a request for a user-requested webpage that is not in a cache memory of the proxy, forwarding the request to the web server;
cross-referencing a hyperlink in the user-requested webpage with the plurality of user preferences and the plurality of user configuration data in the database;
when the web server receives the request, and only when a match results from cross-referencing the hyperlink with the plurality of user preferences and the plurality of user configuration data, causing the web server to add an instruction to the user-requested webpage and then returning the user-requested webpage to the proxy;
when the proxy receives the user-requested webpage, forwarding the user-requested webpage to the browser, and only after forwarding the user-requested webpage to the browser, automatically obtaining a prefetched webpage from the web server in accordance with the instruction, and storing the prefetched webpage in a proxy cache memory;
wherein the proxy stores the prefetched webpage in the proxy cache memory in an anticipation of a request for the prefetched webpage by the user; and
wherein the proxy is automatically instructed to prefetch a webpage by the instruction placed in the user-requested webpage.