US 9762692

Here's a concise summary of US Patent 9762692:

US Patent 9762692: Handling long-tail content in a content delivery network (CDN)

• Title: Handling long-tail content in a content delivery network (CDN)
• Current Assignee: Sandpiper Cdn LLC (as of 2024-04-26)
• Inventors: David Fullagar, Christopher Newton, Laurence Lipstone
• Filing Date: 2010-09-13
• Issue Date: 2017-09-12
• Abstract: A content delivery network features at least a first tier of servers. A method involves a first server in this tier receiving a client's request for a resource. If the resource is locally available or with a peer, it's served. Otherwise, the system checks if the resource is popular. If popular, the first server obtains and serves it. If not popular, the client is redirected to a second server in a different tier (e.g., an intermediate tier or an origin server), and this second server then serves the resource to the client.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1 (Method of content delivery): This claim describes a method where a CDN server in a first tier (e.g., an edge server) receives a request for a resource. If the resource isn't readily available there, the system determines its popularity. If the resource is popular, the first server gets and delivers it. If it's not popular, the client is sent to a second server in a different, intermediate tier (not the edge tier), which holds a specific, distinct portion of the content provider's library (including the requested resource). This second server then delivers the resource.

• Claim 10 (Content delivery framework): This claim outlines a content delivery system comprising edge servers (first tier), parent servers (second tier), and at least one popularity service. The popularity service gathers information on content requests from edge servers and, based on content popularity, informs the edge servers which tier should handle the requests. The core idea is that different, distinct parts of a content provider's library are distributed across the parent servers in the second tier.

• Claim 15 (Method of content delivery with selective redirection and hashing): This claim details a method in a multi-tiered CDN. When a first server in any tier receives a client's request for a resource, and that resource isn't locally available, the request is selectively redirected to a second tier server (in a different tier) based on the resource's current popularity. This second tier server contains a specific portion of the content library, which is distinct from portions on other servers in that tier. Crucially, the system uses a hash function to determine which specific second-tier server (e.g., an intermediate server or origin server) stores the requested content before directing the client there.

Litigation Status (as of April 26, 2026):
The patent is currently active and is involved in litigation. Specific cases include:

• A PTAB case, IPR2026-00174, has been filed and is pending.
• Two US cases have been filed in the Texas Eastern District Court (case 2:25-cv-00664 and case 2:24-cv-00886).
• The first worldwide family litigation was filed in 2009-03-21.