Patents by Inventor F. Thomson Leighton
F. Thomson Leighton has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 8458259Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for responding to data requests made by a client. The apparatus includes an input receiving a first data request that includes a sequence of nodes corresponding to a sequence of servers. The apparatus also includes decision logic determining whether the data specified in the data request is available on a selected server, and if the data is not available determining a next node from the sequence of nodes. The apparatus also includes a mapper mapping a server to the next node, and an output requesting the data by transmitting a second data request to the server mapped to the next node.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2011Date of Patent: June 4, 2013Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyInventors: David Karger, Eric Lehman, F. Thomson Leighton, Matthew Levine, Daniel Lewin, Rina Panagrahy
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Patent number: 8392611Abstract: A method for Internet content delivery in a content delivery network established at network locations, the content delivery network comprising a plurality of content servers for serving content resources. The plurality of content servers includes a plurality of subsets of content servers, each subject being located at one of a plurality of Internet data centers. For each Internet Protocol (IP) address block from which requests for content resources are expected to be received, the method generates a candidate list of Internet data centers to be used to service the requests for content resources. For the IP address block, the method selects at least one of the Internet data centers from the candidate list to be used to service the requests for content resources. The selected Internet data center for the IP address block is written into a network map.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2010Date of Patent: March 5, 2013Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: F. Thomson Leighton, Rizwan S. Dhanidina, Robert D. Kleinberg, Matthew Levine, Daniel M. Lewin, Andrew D. Parker, Adrian Soviani, Ravi Sundaram
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Publication number: 20130013748Abstract: Network architecture supports hosting and content distribution on a global scale. The architecture allows a Content Provider to replicate and serve its most popular content at an unlimited number of points throughout the world. The inventive framework comprises a set of servers operating in a distributed manner. The actual content to be served is preferably supported on a set of hosting servers (sometimes referred to as ghost servers). This content comprises HTML page objects that, conventionally, are served from a Content Provider site. A base HTML document portion of a Web page is served from the Content Provider's site while one or more embedded objects for the page are served from the hosting servers, preferably, those hosting servers near the client machine. By serving the base HTML document from the Content Provider's site, the Content Provider maintains control over the content.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 15, 2012Publication date: January 10, 2013Applicant: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYInventors: F. Thomson Leighton, Daniel M. Lewin
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Publication number: 20120324060Abstract: A content delivery network (CDN) service provider extends a content delivery network to gather information on atomically identifiable web clients (called “user agents”) as such computer-implemented entities interact with the CDN across different domains being managed by the CDN service provider. The data system tracks user agents, preferably via cookies, although one or more passive techniques may be used. A user agent may be a cookie-able device having a cookie store. As the user agent navigates across sites, a CDN-specific unique identifier used by the system to correlate user agents is generated. Preferably, the unique identifier is stored as an encrypted cookie. The unique identifier represents one user agent (and, thus, one cookie-able device's store). The system tracks user agent behavior on and across customer sites that are served by the CDN, and these behaviors are classified into identifiable “segments” that may be used to create a profile.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 25, 2012Publication date: December 20, 2012Applicant: AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, F. Thomson Leighton, Timothy P. Johnson, Brian J. Mancuso, Ken G. Iwamoto
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Patent number: 8332484Abstract: A content delivery network (CDN) typically includes a mapping system for directing requests to CDN servers. One or more peer machines become associated with the CDN, and the CDN mapping system is then used to enable a given peer to locate another peer in the P2P network, and/or a CDN server. Using this hybrid approach, CDN customer content may be delivered from the CDN edge network, from the P2P network, or from both networks. In one embodiment, customer content is uploaded to the CDN and stored in the edge network, or in a storage network associated therewith. The CDN edge network is then used to prime the P2P network, which may be used to take over some of the content delivery requirements for the customer content. The decision of whether to use edge network or peer network resources for delivery may be based on load and traffic conditions.Type: GrantFiled: September 6, 2007Date of Patent: December 11, 2012Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, F. Thomson Leighton, Jay G. Parikh
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Patent number: 8307088Abstract: A content delivery network is enhanced to provide for delivery of cacheable markup language content files such as HTML. To support HTML delivery, the content provider provides the CDNSP with an association of the content provider's domain name (e.g., www.customer.com) to an origin server domain name (e.g., html.customer.com) at which one or more default HTML files are published and hosted. The CDNSP provides its customer with a CDNSP-specific domain name. The content provider, or an entity on its behalf, then implements DNS entry aliasing (e.g., a CNAME of the host to the CDNSP-specific domain) so that domain name requests for the host cue the CDN DNS request routing mechanism. This mechanism then identifies a best content server to respond to a request directed to the customer's domain.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2011Date of Patent: November 6, 2012Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: F. Thomson Leighton, Daniel M. Lewin
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Patent number: 8255489Abstract: A content delivery network (CDN) service provider extends a content delivery network to gather information on atomically identifiable web clients (called “user agents”) as such computer-implemented entities interact with the CDN across different domains being managed by the CDN service provider. In one embodiment, a set of machines, processes, programs, and data comprise a data system. The data system tracks user agents, preferably via cookies, although one or more passive techniques may be used. A user agent may be a cookie-able device having a cookie store. As the user agent navigates across sites, a CDN-specific unique identifier used by the system to correlate user agents is generated. Preferably, the unique identifier is stored as an encrypted cookie. The unique identifier represents one user agent (and, thus, one cookie-able device's store).Type: GrantFiled: August 19, 2007Date of Patent: August 28, 2012Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, F. Thomson Leighton, Timothy P. Johnson, Brian J. Mancuso, Ken G. Iwamoto
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Publication number: 20120143997Abstract: A network architecture or framework supports hosting and content distribution on a truly global scale. The inventive framework allows a Content Provider to replicate and serve its most popular content at an unlimited number of points throughout the world. The inventive framework comprises a set of servers operating in a distributed manner. The actual content to be served is preferably supported on a set of hosting servers (sometimes referred to as ghost servers). This content comprises HTML page objects that, conventionally, are served from a Content Provider site. A base HTML document portion of a Web page is served from the Content Provider's site while one or more embedded objects for the page are served from the hosting servers, preferably, those hosting servers near the client machine. By serving the base HTML document from the Content Provider's site, the Content Provider maintains control over the content.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 5, 2011Publication date: June 7, 2012Applicant: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYInventors: F. Thomson Leighton, Daniel M. Lewin
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Publication number: 20120124214Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for responding to data requests made by a client. The apparatus includes an input receiving a first data request that includes a sequence of nodes corresponding to a sequence of servers. The apparatus also includes decision logic determining whether the data specified in the data request is available on a selected server, and if the data is not available determining a next node from the sequence of nodes. The apparatus also includes a mapper mapping a server to the next node, and an output requesting the data by transmitting a second data request to the server mapped to the next node.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2011Publication date: May 17, 2012Applicant: Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyInventors: David Karger, Eric Lehman, F. Thomson Leighton, Matthew Levine, Daniel Lewin, Rina Panagrahy
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Patent number: 8103767Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for distributing a request to one of a plurality of resources. A request is mapped to a location in circular mapping space using a hash function. Each of the plurality of resources is mapped to a respective location or locations in the circular mapping space. The request is allocated to one of the resources based on the given request location and the resource location in the circular mapping space.Type: GrantFiled: January 16, 2009Date of Patent: January 24, 2012Assignee: Massachusetts Intitute of TechnologyInventors: David Karger, Eric Lehman, F. Thomson Leighton, Matthew Levine, Daniel Lewin, Rina Panagrahy
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Publication number: 20110307584Abstract: A content delivery network is enhanced to provide for delivery of cacheable markup language content files such as HTML. To support HTML delivery, the content provider provides the CDNSP with an association of the content provider's domain name (e.g., www.customer.com) to an origin server domain name (e.g., html.customer.com) at which one or more default HTML files are published and hosted. The CDNSP provides its customer with a CDNSP-specific domain name. The content provider, or an entity on its behalf, then implements DNS entry aliasing (e.g., a CNAME of the host to the CDNSP-specific domain) so that domain name requests for the host cue the CDN DNS request routing mechanism. This mechanism then identifies a best content server to respond to a request directed to the customer's domain.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 8, 2011Publication date: December 15, 2011Applicant: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: F. Thomson Leighton, Daniel M. Lewin, Anne E. Lewin
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Patent number: 8073961Abstract: The present invention is a network architecture or framework that supports hosting and content distribution on a truly global scale. The inventive framework allows a Content Provider to replicate and serve its most popular content at an unlimited number of points throughout the world. The inventive framework comprises a set of servers operating in a distributed manner. The actual content to be served is preferably supported on a set of hosting servers (sometimes referred to as ghost servers). This content comprises HTML page objects that, conventionally, are served from a Content Provider site. In accordance with the invention, however, a base HTML document portion of a Web page is served from the Content Provider's site while one or more embedded objects for the page are served from the hosting servers, preferably, those hosting servers near the client machine. By serving the base HTML document from the Content Provider's site, the Content Provider maintains control over the content.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2010Date of Patent: December 6, 2011Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyInventors: F. Thomson Leighton, Daniel M. Lewin
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Patent number: 7996533Abstract: A content delivery network is enhanced to provide for delivery of cacheable markup language content files such as HTML. To support HTML delivery, the content provider provides the CDNSP with an association of the content provider's domain name (e.g., www.customer.com) to an origin server domain name (e.g., html.customer.com) at which one or more default HTML files are published and hosted. The CDNSP provides its customer with a CDNSP-specific domain name. The content provider, or an entity on its behalf, then implements DNS entry aliasing (e.g., a CNAME of the host to the CDNSP-specific domain) so that domain name requests for the host cue the CDN DNS request routing mechanism. This mechanism then identifies a best content server to respond to a request directed to the customer's domain.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2009Date of Patent: August 9, 2011Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: F. Thomson Leighton, Daniel M. Lewin, Anne E. Lewin, legal representative
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Publication number: 20110106887Abstract: In distributed networks of cooperating nodes, it is useful to perform resource discovery in a manner that is efficient but that also minimizes communication complexity. A system and method in which nodes in a network efficiently are provided with information about the presence of, and other information about, other nodes in the network provides tangible benefits. In general, in one aspect, a system and method according to the invention features a distributed method for communicating information among a plurality of nodes. The method includes choosing, by a first node, one second node from information about nodes that the first node is aware of. The method further includes communicating from the first node to the second node information about the first node and nodes that the first node is aware of. The method further includes adding or merging, by the second node, the information about the first node and nodes that the first node is aware of with information about nodes that the second node is aware of.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 26, 2010Publication date: May 5, 2011Inventors: Mor Harchol-Balter, F. Thomson Leighton, Daniel Lewin
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Patent number: 7808926Abstract: In distributed networks of cooperating nodes, it is useful to perform resource discovery in a manner that is efficient but that also minimizes communication complexity. A system and method in which nodes in a network efficiently are provided with information about the presence of, and other information about, other nodes in the network provides tangible benefits. In general, in one aspect, a system and method according to the invention features a distributed method for communicating information among a plurality of nodes. The method includes choosing, by a first node, one second node from information about nodes that the first node is aware of. The method further includes communicating from the first node to the second node information about the first node and nodes that the first node is aware of. The method further includes adding or merging, by the second node, the information about the first node and nodes that the first node is aware of with information about nodes that the second node is aware of.Type: GrantFiled: October 2, 2007Date of Patent: October 5, 2010Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyInventors: Mor Harchol-Balter, F. Thomson Leighton, Daniel Lewin
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Publication number: 20100250742Abstract: An intelligent traffic redirection system that performs global load balancing can be used in any situation where an end-user requires access to a replicated resource. The method directs end-users to the appropriate replica so that the route to the replica is good from a network standpoint and the replica is not overloaded. The technique preferably uses a Domain Name Service (DNS) to provide IP addresses for the appropriate replica. The most common use is to direct traffic to a mirrored web site.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 4, 2010Publication date: September 30, 2010Applicant: AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: F. Thomson Leighton, Daniel M. Lewin, Ravi Sundaram, Rizwan S. Dhanidina, Robert Kleinberg, Matthew Levine, Adrian M. Soviani, Bruce Maggs, Hariharan Shankar Rahul, Srikanth Thirumalai, Jay Gunvantrai Parikh, Yoav O. Yerushalmi
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Publication number: 20100217801Abstract: A method for Internet content delivery in a content delivery network established at network locations, the content delivery network comprising a plurality of content servers for serving content resources. The plurality of content servers includes a plurality of subsets of content servers, each subject being located at one of a plurality of Internet data centers. For each Internet Protocol (IP) address block from which requests for content resources are expected to be received, the method generates a candidate list of Internet data centers to be used to service the requests for content resources. For the IP address block, the method selects at least one of the Internet data centers from the candidate list to be used to service the requests for content resources. The selected Internet data center for the IP address block is written into a network map.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 10, 2010Publication date: August 26, 2010Applicant: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: F. Thomson Leighton, Rizwan S. Dhanidina, Robert D. Kleinberg, Matthew Levine, Daniel M. Lewin, Andrew Parker, Adrian Soviani, Ravi Sundaram
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Publication number: 20100198916Abstract: The present invention is a network architecture or framework that supports hosting and content distribution on a truly global scale. The inventive framework allows a Content Provider to replicate and serve its most popular content at an unlimited number of points throughout the world. The inventive framework comprises a set of servers operating in a distributed manner. The actual content to be served is preferably supported on a set of hosting servers (sometimes referred to as ghost servers). This content comprises HTML page objects that, conventionally, are served from a Content Provider site. In accordance with the invention, however, a base HTML document portion of a Web page is served from the Content Provider's site while one or more embedded objects for the page are served from the hosting servers, preferably, those hosting servers near the client machine. By serving the base HTML document from the Content Provider's site, the Content Provider maintains control over the content.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 5, 2010Publication date: August 5, 2010Inventors: F. Thomson Leighton, Daniel M. Lewin
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Patent number: 7734815Abstract: The invention is an intelligent traffic redirection system that does global load balancing. It can be used in any situation where an end-user requires access to a replicated resource. The method directs end-users to the appropriate replica so that the route to the replica is good from a network standpoint and the replica is not overloaded. The technique preferably uses a Domain Name Service (DNS) to provide IP addresses for the appropriate replica. The most common use is to direct traffic to a mirrored web site.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2006Date of Patent: June 8, 2010Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: F. Thomson Leighton, Daniel M. Lewin, Ravi Sundaram, Rizwan S. Dhanidina, Robert Kleinberg, Matthew Levine, Adrian M. Soviani, Bruce Maggs, Hariharan Shankar Rahul, Srikanth Thirumalai, Jay Gunvantrai Parikh, Yoav O. Yerushalmi
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Patent number: 7716367Abstract: A network architecture or framework that supports hosting and content distribution on a truly global scale allows a Content Provider to replicate and serve its most popular content at an unlimited number of points throughout the world. The inventive framework comprises a set of servers operating in a distributed manner. The actual content to be served is preferably supported on a set of hosting servers (sometimes referred to as ghost servers). This content comprises HTML page objects that, conventionally, are served from a Content Provider site. A base HTML document portion of a Web page is served from the Content Provider's site while one or more embedded objects for the page are served from the hosting servers, preferably, those hosting servers near the client machine. By serving the base HTML document from the Content Provider's site, the Content Provider maintains control over the content.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2004Date of Patent: May 11, 2010Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: F. Thomson Leighton, Rizwan S. Dhanldina, Robert Kleinberg, Matthew Levine, Daniel M. Lewin, Andrew Parker, Adrian Soviani, Ravi Sundaram