Patent 10701173

Prior art

Earlier patents, publications, and products that may anticipate or render the claims unpatentable.

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Prior art

Earlier patents, publications, and products that may anticipate or render the claims unpatentable.

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To identify the most relevant prior art for US Patent 10701173 and assess potential anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102, I have analyzed the "Citations" section of the patent document, focusing on references marked as "* Cited by examiner" that are not part of the patent's own family (i.e., not a parent application or continuation).

The core inventive concept of US10701173, as described in its claims (Claims 1-14), revolves around a computer-implemented method and computer program product for caching in a content delivery network (CDN) that utilizes "late binding of caching policies." Specifically, upon receiving a request for content at a CDN node, the node first determines if the content is locally cached. If it is, the node then determines a current cache policy (including an expiration time) for that content from a potentially distinct source (e.g., a database). Based on this current policy, the node decides whether to serve the locally cached version or obtain and serve a new version. This contrasts with applying a policy at the time content is initially cached ("fill time").

Here are the most relevant prior art patents cited by the examiner, along with their details and a brief analysis of potential anticipation:

Identified Prior Art References:

  1. US20030188009A1

    • Full Citation: US20030188009A1, "Method and system for caching fragments while avoiding parsing of pages that do not contain fragments"
    • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2003-10-02; Filing: 2001-12-19
    • Brief Description: This patent application describes a system and method for caching fragments of web pages. It focuses on efficiently caching fragments by identifying pages that contain fragments and then storing/retrieving those fragments separately. This approach aims to avoid parsing entire pages that do not contain fragments, thereby improving performance. The caching strategy is primarily focused on the granular management of page components (fragments) rather than the dynamic determination of a current global content caching policy at request time.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Less likely to directly anticipate the "late binding" of a current cache policy based on an external rulebase at request time for an entire content item's expiration. While it discusses caching and policy (e.g., for fragments), it doesn't clearly teach the dynamic determination of a current overall content expiration policy from a separate source after content is locally cached, and using that current policy to decide serving. However, elements of "determining if content is cached locally" (Claim 1(A), 8(A)) and "serving the content" (Claim 1(B)(3)(ii), 8(B)(3)(ii)) are fundamental to caching systems.

  2. US20080065273A1

    • Full Citation: US20080065273A1, "Method and device for adaptive control"
    • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2008-03-13; Filing: 2006-08-28
    • Brief Description: This patent application describes methods and devices for adaptive control, particularly in networked systems. The abstract suggests dynamic adjustment of system behavior based on various parameters. While "adaptive control" might involve policy adjustments, the application's focus appears to be broad and not specifically on the "late binding" of content caching expiration policies in a CDN context as described in US10701173.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate the specific method of US10701173. Its broad "adaptive control" doesn't directly disclose determining a current cache policy (specifically an expiration time for locally cached content) from a distinct source at request time to decide whether to serve or refresh.

  3. US7987239B2

    • Full Citation: US7987239B2, "Method and system for caching role-specific fragments"
    • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2011-07-26; Filing: 2001-12-19
    • Brief Description: This patent describes caching fragments of web pages based on user roles. Different versions of a fragment might be cached depending on the authenticated user's role. This involves managing multiple cached versions and applying policies based on user attributes. Like US20030188009A1, it deals with fragment caching and policy, but the policy is tied to user roles for varying content versions rather than a dynamic global expiration policy for a single content item determined at request time from an external source.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US20030188009A1, this patent details specific caching strategies but doesn't explicitly describe the "late binding" of an up-to-date expiration policy from a distinct source to validate locally cached content at the time of request, which is central to US10701173.

  4. US8032586B2

    • Full Citation: US8032586B2, "Method and system for caching message fragments using an expansion attribute in a fragment link tag"
    • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2011-10-04; Filing: 2001-12-19
    • Brief Description: This patent focuses on caching fragments of messages or web pages, using an expansion attribute to determine how fragments are linked and cached. It's another example of granular caching for web page components. The mechanisms described are related to fragment assembly and caching, not the dynamic evaluation of a content's expiration policy from an external source at the moment a request for that content is received.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): The claims of US10701173 are directed to the determination of a current cache policy (including expiration) at request time to decide serving locally cached content. US8032586B2, while describing caching, does not appear to teach this specific "late binding" mechanism for content expiration.

  5. US20140129779A1

    • Full Citation: US20140129779A1, "Cache replacement policy for data with strong temporal locality"
    • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2014-05-08; Filing: 2012-11-06
    • Brief Description: This application discusses cache replacement policies, specifically for data exhibiting strong temporal locality (i.e., data that is likely to be requested again soon after its last access). It describes methods for determining which items to retain or evict from a cache based on predicted future access. While it deals with "cache policy," its focus is on replacement rather than the expiration or freshness of an item based on a dynamically retrieved current policy at request time.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent application is relevant to general caching policies but does not appear to anticipate the specific steps of US10701173, particularly "determining a current cache policy associated with the content, wherein determining the current cache policy comprises determining a time period for expiration of content in the cache" (Claim 1(B)(1), 8(B)(1)) and using this current policy to validate the freshness of an already cached item at request time.

  6. US20140215802A1

    • Full Citation: US20140215802A1, "Three piece floor mat retention system"
    • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2014-08-07; Filing: 2008-11-14
    • Brief Description: This patent application describes a system for retaining a floor mat, particularly a three-piece floor mat, within a vehicle. This is clearly unrelated to content delivery networks or caching.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent does not anticipate any claims of US10701173 as it pertains to an entirely different field of invention. This appears to be an erroneous citation by the examiner, or it was cited for a very tangential, non-substantive reason.

  7. US8812695B2

    • Full Citation: US8812695B2, "Method and system for management of a virtual network connection without heartbeat messages"
    • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2014-08-19; Filing: 2012-04-09
    • Brief Description: This patent describes managing virtual network connections more efficiently by avoiding periodic heartbeat messages. It focuses on network communication protocols and efficiency, not content caching policies or their dynamic application in a CDN.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent does not appear to anticipate any claims of US10701173, as its subject matter is distinct.

  8. US20140245359A1

    • Full Citation: US20140245359A1, "Content Delivery Network Interconnection (CDNI) Mechanism"
    • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2014-08-28; Filing: 2011-06-01
    • Brief Description: This application relates to mechanisms for interconnecting different CDNs (CDNI). It describes how content requests and content delivery might traverse multiple CDN boundaries. While it is in the CDN domain, its focus is on inter-CDN communication and routing, not the internal caching policy determination logic within a single CDN node, especially not the "late binding" expiration policy.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is relevant to CDNs but does not appear to teach the specific elements of US10701173 regarding dynamically retrieving and applying a current cache expiration policy at request time to a locally cached item.

  9. US20140365683A1

    • Full Citation: US20140365683A1, "Domain name system bypass in user applications"
    • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2014-12-11; Filing: 2013-06-07
    • Brief Description: This application describes techniques for user applications to bypass the standard Domain Name System (DNS) resolution process to improve content access, potentially by directly connecting to known content servers. This relates to content access mechanisms but not to the internal caching policy logic of a CDN node.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Unlikely to anticipate the core claims of US10701173. The focus on DNS bypass is distinct from determining and applying a current cache expiration policy at request time.

  10. US8984166B2

    • Full Citation: US8984166B2, "Method and apparatus for reducing network resource transmission size using delta compression"
    • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2015-03-17; Filing: 2012-04-05
    • Brief Description: This patent describes methods and apparatus for reducing the size of network resources transmitted over a network using delta compression techniques. While it aims to improve network efficiency, it's focused on data compression, not the management or "late binding" of content caching expiration policies within a CDN.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is unrelated to the core aspects of US10701173.

  11. US20150333930A1

    • Full Citation: US20150333930A1, "Dynamic service function chaining"
    • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2015-11-19; Filing: 2014-05-15
    • Brief Description: This application describes dynamic service function chaining, where network services (like firewalls, load balancers, etc.) are chained together dynamically based on traffic flows or policy. This is about orchestrating network functions, which is different from managing content caching expiration policies.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): While "dynamic" and "policy" are keywords, this patent is about chaining services and not specifically about the late binding of content caching expiration policies for locally stored content in a CDN.

  12. US20150347248A1

    • Full Citation: US20150347248A1, "Communication continuation during content node failover"
    • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2015-12-03; Filing: 2014-05-30
    • Brief Description: This application describes mechanisms to ensure continuous communication when a content node in a CDN fails over to another node. It focuses on fault tolerance and session continuity, rather than the determination of content caching policies.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is related to CDN operations but does not teach the specific "late binding" of caching expiration policies at request time as defined in US10701173.

  13. US20180129613A1

    • Full Citation: US20180129613A1, "Cache memory architecture and policies for accelerating graph algorithms"
    • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2018-05-10; Filing: 2016-11-10
    • Brief Description: This application describes cache memory architectures and policies specifically designed to accelerate graph algorithms. The caching policies are tailored for the unique access patterns of graph processing, which is a different domain than general content delivery or web caching.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Although it discusses "cache memory architecture and policies," the context is highly specialized for graph algorithms, making it unlikely to directly anticipate the generic CDN caching method of US10701173. The focus on algorithm acceleration differs significantly from managing content expiration for web resources.

  14. US10417134B2

    • Full Citation: US10417134B2, "Cache memory architecture and policies for accelerating graph algorithms"
    • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: 2019-09-17; Filing: 2016-11-10
    • Brief Description: This is a granted patent stemming from the same application as US20180129613A1. Its description and relevance are identical.
    • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Same as US20180129613A1, unlikely to anticipate the generic CDN caching method of US10701173.

Summary of Potential Anticipation:

Most of the cited prior art patents describe various caching techniques or CDN-related functionalities. However, the unique aspect of US10701173, as defined in its claims, is the "late binding" of a current cache expiration policy, obtained from a potentially distinct source (like a RuleBase), and dynamically applying this policy at request time to determine whether a locally cached version of content is still acceptable to serve. Many of the prior art references discuss general caching, replacement policies, or fragment-specific caching, but none explicitly teach or fully anticipate all elements of Claim 1, particularly the combination of:

  • Determining a current cache policy (specifically for expiration) after content is locally cached.
  • Obtaining this policy from a location distinct from the node (e.g., a database).
  • Using this current policy to determine if the locally cached version is acceptable to serve.
  • Performing this determination at request time to avoid invalidations.

Therefore, while these prior art references demonstrate the existence of caching, policies, and CDN operations, they do not appear to fully anticipate the specific late-binding expiration policy determination claimed in US10701173 under 35 U.S.C. § 102. The most relevant ones (e.g., US20030188009A1, US7987239B2, US20140129779A1) pertain to general caching or fragment caching policies, but not the "late binding" of a dynamically updatable expiration policy from an external source to validate cached content at the point of serving.

Generated 5/28/2026, 12:45:59 AM