Methods and apparatus for enabling dynamic resource collaboration
View Patent ↗Methods and apparatus for enabling collaboration with web pages and other resources is described. A method includes the step of establishing a collaboration session between a first client and a second client. A requested resource is cached with the session host in response to a request having a first uniform resource locator (URL) issued by the first client, if the requested resource is a pre-determined type of resource. A second URL is provided to the second client. The second URL identifies the requested resource or the cached resource in accordance with whether the requested resource is cached. Apparatus for enabling collaboration includes a web server, a cache, and a filter. The web server provides a requested web page in response to a first client's request. The filter stores the requested web page in the cache, if the requested web page is a pre-determined type of web page.
1. A method comprising the steps of:
a) establishing a collaboration session between a first client and a second client through a session host server;
b) retrieving a requested resource from a resource host server through the session host server in accordance with a first URL of a plurality of URL's from the first client;
c) modifying the retrieved resource by modifying each URL of the plurality of URL's within the retrieved resource referring to the resource host server other than the session host server so as to redirect the request through the session host server;
d) determining, by operation of the session host server, whether to cache the modified resource based upon needs of the collaboration session between the first and second client and if the modified resource includes at least one of a pre-determined filename extension, a specified resource expiration date, or a command containing a method other than GET; and
e) providing the modified resource to the first client such that each modified URL designates operation through the session host server.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the second client with a second URL where the second URL is the same as the first URL if the modified resource was not cached, and if the modified resource is cached where the second URL identifies the cached modified resource.
3. The method of claim 2 further comprising caching the modified resource if the modified resource is a dynamic resource.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first URL provides an indirect reference to the resource host server by re-direction through the session host server.
5. A non-transitory machine-readable medium embodying a set of instructions that when executed by a machine cause the machine to perform a method comprising:
a) establishing a collaboration session between a first client and a second client through a session host server;
b) retrieving a requested resource from a resource host server through the session host server in accordance with a first URL of a plurality, of URL's from the first client;
c) modifying the retrieved resource by modifying each URL of the plurality of URL's within the retrieved resource referring to a host server other than the session host server so as to re-direct the request through the session host server;
d) determining, by operation of the session host server, whether to cache the modified resource based upon needs of the collaboration session between the first and second client and if the modified resource includes at least one of a pre-determined filename extension, a specified resource expiration date, or a command containing a method other than GET; and
e) providing the modified resource to the first client such that each modified URL designates operation through the session host server.
6. The medium of claim 5 wherein the method further provides the second client with a second URL where the second URL is the same as the first URL if the modified resource was not cached, and if the modified resource is cached, where the second URL identifies the cached modified resource.
7. The method of claim 6 further comprising caching the modified resource if the modified resource is a dynamic resource.
8. An apparatus comprising:
a) a resource host server to provide requested resources;
b) a cache; and
c) a session host server for establishing a collaboration session between a first client and a second client through the session host server, for retrieving a requested resource from the resource host server in accordance with a first URL of a plurality of URL's from the first client, for modifying the retrieved resource by modifying each URL of a plurality of URL's within the retrieved resource referring to the resource host server other than the session host server so as to re-direct the requester through the session host server, for storing the modified resource in the cache in response to determining to cache the modified resource if the modified resource includes at least one of a pre-determined filename extension, a specified resource expiration date, or a command containing a method other than GET, and for providing the modified resource to the first client.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the session host server further provides the second client with a second URL where the second URL is the same as the i first URL if the modified resource was not stored in the cache and where the Second URL identifies the modified resource stored in the cache if the modified resource was stored in the cache.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising storing the modified resource in the cache if the modified resource is a dynamic resource.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the modified resource is a dynamic web page.