Patents by Inventor Michael M. Afergan
Michael M. Afergan 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: 9813284Abstract: 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: December 10, 2012Date of Patent: November 7, 2017Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, F. Thomson Leighton, Jay G. Parikh
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Patent number: 9497284Abstract: A content delivery network (CDN) edge server is provisioned to provide last mile acceleration of content to requesting end users. The CDN edge server fetches, compresses and caches content obtained from a content provider origin server, and serves that content in compressed form in response to receipt of an end user request for that content. It also provides “on-the-fly” compression of otherwise uncompressed content as such content is retrieved from cache and is delivered in response to receipt of an end user request for such content. A preferred compression routine is gzip, as most end user browsers support the capability to decompress files that are received in this format. The compression functionality preferably is enabled on the edge server using customer-specific metadata tags.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2014Date of Patent: November 15, 2016Assignee: AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, Charisma J. LaFleur, Duke P. Hong, Satish B. Rao
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Reliable, high-throughput, high-performance transport and routing mechanism for arbitrary data flows
Publication number: 20150074187Abstract: The present invention leverages an existing content delivery network infrastructure to provide a system that enhances performance for any application that uses the Internet Protocol (IP) as its underlying transport mechanism. An overlay network comprises a set of edge nodes, intermediate nodes, and gateway nodes. This network provides optimized routing of IP packets. Internet application users can use the overlay to obtain improved performance during normal network conditions, to obtain or maintain good performance where normal default BGP routing would otherwise force the user over congested or poorly performing paths, or to enable the user to maintain communications to a target server application even during network outages.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 17, 2014Publication date: March 12, 2015Inventors: Gregory Fletcher, Andrew F. Champagne, Daniel Stodolsky, Michael M. Afergan -
Patent number: 8972530Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 25, 2012Date of Patent: March 3, 2015Assignee: 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: 20150058439Abstract: A content delivery network (CDN) edge server is provisioned to provide last mile acceleration of content to requesting end users. The CDN edge server fetches, compresses and caches content obtained from a content provider origin server, and serves that content in compressed form in response to receipt of an end user request for that content. It also provides “on-the-fly” compression of otherwise uncompressed content as such content is retrieved from cache and is delivered in response to receipt of an end user request for such content. A preferred compression routine is gzip, as most end user browsers support the capability to decompress files that are received in this format. The compression functionality preferably is enabled on the edge server using customer-specific metadata tags.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 4, 2014Publication date: February 26, 2015Applicant: AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, Charisma J. LaFleur, Duke P. Hong, Satish B. Rao
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Publication number: 20150058455Abstract: A content delivery network (CDN) edge server is provisioned to provide last mile acceleration of content to requesting end users. The CDN edge server fetches, compresses and caches content obtained from a content provider origin server, and serves that content in compressed form in response to receipt of an end user request for that content. It also provides “on-the-fly” compression of otherwise uncompressed content as such content is retrieved from cache and is delivered in response to receipt of an end user request for such content. A preferred compression routine is gzip, as most end user browsers support the capability to decompress files that are received in this format. The compression functionality preferably is enabled on the edge server using customer-specific metadata tags.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 4, 2014Publication date: February 26, 2015Applicant: AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, Charisma J. LaFleur, Duke P. Hong, Satish B. Rao
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Patent number: 8903937Abstract: A content delivery network (CDN) edge server is provisioned to provide last mile acceleration of content to requesting end users. The CDN edge server fetches, compresses and caches content obtained from a content provider origin server, and serves that content in compressed form in response to receipt of an end user request for that content. It also provides “on-the-fly” compression of otherwise uncompressed content as such content is retrieved from cache and is delivered in response to receipt of an end user request for such content. A preferred compression routine is gzip, as most end user browsers support the capability to decompress files that are received in this format. The compression functionality preferably is enabled on the edge server using customer-specific metadata tags.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2012Date of Patent: December 2, 2014Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, Charisma J. LaFleur, Duke P. Hong, Satish B. Rao
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Reliable, high-throughput, high-performance transport and routing mechanism for arbitrary data flows
Patent number: 8891522Abstract: The present invention leverages an existing content delivery network infrastructure to provide a system that enhances performance for any application that uses the Internet Protocol (IP) as its underlying transport mechanism. An overlay network comprises a set of edge nodes, intermediate nodes, and gateway nodes. This network provides optimized routing of IP packets. Internet application users can use the overlay to obtain improved performance during normal network conditions, to obtain or maintain good performance where normal default BGP routing would otherwise force the user over congested or poorly performing paths, or to enable the user to maintain communications to a target server application even during network outages.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2012Date of Patent: November 18, 2014Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Gregory Fletcher, Andrew F. Champagne, Daniel Stodolsky, Michael M. Afergan -
Publication number: 20130304892Abstract: Applications that run on an overlay network-based managed service achieve high performance gains using a set of TCP optimizations. In a first optimization, a typical single TCP connection between a client and an origin server is broken into preferably three (3) separate TCP connections. These connections are: an edge-to-client connection, an edge-to-edge connection, and edge-to-origin connection. A second optimization replicates TCP state along the connection to increase fault tolerance. In this approach, preferably a given TCP connection is maintained on two servers. When a packet is received by one server, called the primary, its state is updated and then passed to a second server, called the backup. Only when the backup sends an acknowledgement back to the primary can it then send a TCP acknowledgement back to the host that originally sent the packet. Another optimization reduces connection establishment latency.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 15, 2013Publication date: November 14, 2013Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, Andrew F. Champagne, Gregory Fletcher, Daniel Stodolsky
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Patent number: 8484283Abstract: 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 17, 2007Date of Patent: July 9, 2013Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, F. Thomson Leighton, Timothy P. Johnson, Brian Mancuso, Ken G. Iwamoto
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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: 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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Reliable, high-throughput, high-performance transport and routing mechanism for arbitrary data flows
Publication number: 20120215938Abstract: The present invention leverages an existing content delivery network infrastructure to provide a system that enhances performance for any application that uses the Internet Protocol (IP) as its underlying transport mechanism. An overlay network comprises a set of edge nodes, intermediate nodes, and gateway nodes. This network provides optimized routing of IP packets. Internet application users can use the overlay to obtain improved performance during normal network conditions, to obtain or maintain good performance where normal default BGP routing would otherwise force the user over congested or poorly performing paths, or to enable the user to maintain communications to a target server application even during network outages.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 30, 2012Publication date: August 23, 2012Applicant: AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Gregory Fletcher, Andrew F. Champagne, Daniel Stodolsky, Michael M. Afergan -
Reliable, high-throughput, high-performance transport and routing mechanism for arbitrary data flows
Patent number: 8170017Abstract: The present invention leverages an existing content delivery network infrastructure to provide a system that enhances performance for any application that uses the Internet Protocol (IP) as its underlying transport mechanism. An overlay network comprises a set of edge nodes, intermediate nodes, and gateway nodes. This network provides optimized routing of IP packets. Internet application users can use the overlay to obtain improved performance during normal network conditions, to obtain or maintain good performance where normal default BGP routing would otherwise force the user over congested or poorly performing paths, or to enable the user to maintain communications to a target server application even during network outages.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2010Date of Patent: May 1, 2012Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Gregory Fletcher, Andrew F. Champagne, Daniel Stodolsky, Michael M. Afergan -
Reliable, high-throughput, high-performance transport and routing mechanism for arbitrary data flows
Publication number: 20100138488Abstract: The present invention leverages an existing content delivery network infrastructure to provide a system that enhances performance for any application that uses the Internet Protocol (IP) as its underlying transport mechanism. An overlay network comprises a set of edge nodes, intermediate nodes, and gateway nodes. This network provides optimized routing of IP packets. Internet application users can use the overlay to obtain improved performance during normal network conditions, to obtain or maintain good performance where normal default BGP routing would otherwise force the user over congested or poorly performing paths, or to enable the user to maintain communications to a target server application even during network outages.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 8, 2010Publication date: June 3, 2010Inventors: Gregory Fletcher, Andrew F. Champagne, Daniel Stodolsky, Michael M. Afergan -
Reliable, high-throughput, high-performance transport and routing mechanism for arbitrary data flows
Patent number: 7660296Abstract: The present invention leverages an existing content delivery network infrastructure to provide a system that enhances performance for any application that uses the Internet Protocol (IP) as its underlying transport mechanism. An overlay network comprises a set of edge nodes, intermediate nodes, and gateway nodes. This network provides optimized routing of IP packets. Internet application users can use the overlay to obtain improved performance during normal network conditions, to obtain or maintain good performance where normal default BGP routing would otherwise force the user over congested or poorly performing paths, or to enable the user to maintain communications to a target server application even during network outages.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2005Date of Patent: February 9, 2010Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Gregory Fletcher, Andrew F. Champagne, Daniel Stodolsky, Michael M. Afergan -
Patent number: 7395355Abstract: A content delivery network (CDN) edge server is provisioned to provide last mile acceleration of content to requesting end users. The CDN edge server fetches, compresses and caches content obtained from a content provider origin server, and serves that content in compressed form in response to receipt of an end user request for that content. It also provides “on-the-fly” compression of otherwise uncompressed content as such content is retrieved from cache and is delivered in response to receipt of an end user request for such content. A preferred compression routine is gzip, as most end user browsers support the capability to decompress files that are received in this format. The compression functionality preferably is enabled on the edge server using customer-specific metadata tags.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2002Date of Patent: July 1, 2008Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, Charisma Schlossberg, Duke P. Hong, Satish Balusu Rao
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Publication number: 20080155061Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: September 6, 2007Publication date: June 26, 2008Applicant: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, F. Thomson Leighton, Jay G. Parikh
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Patent number: 7260639Abstract: The present invention addresses the known vulnerabilities of Web site infrastructure by making an origin server substantially inaccessible via Internet Protocol traffic. In particular, according to a preferred embodiment, the origin server is “shielded” from the publicly-routable IP address space. Preferably, only given machines (acting as clients) can access the origin server, and then only under restricted, secure circumstances. In a preferred embodiment, these clients are the servers located in a “parent” region of a content delivery network (CDN) tiered distribution hierarchy. The invention implements an origin server shield that protects a site against security breaches and the high cost of Web site downtime by ensuring that the only traffic sent to an enterprise's origin infrastructure preferably originates from CDN servers.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2002Date of Patent: August 21, 2007Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, Andrew B. Ellis, Ravi Sundaram, Hariharan S. Rahul