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).

  • Patent number: 9813284
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, F. Thomson Leighton, Jay G. Parikh
  • Patent number: 9497284
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, Charisma J. LaFleur, Duke P. Hong, Satish B. Rao
  • Publication number: 20150074187
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Inventors: Gregory Fletcher, Andrew F. Champagne, Daniel Stodolsky, Michael M. Afergan
  • Patent number: 8972530
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, F. Thomson Leighton, Timothy P. Johnson, Brian J. Mancuso, Ken G. Iwamoto
  • Publication number: 20150058439
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Applicant: AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, Charisma J. LaFleur, Duke P. Hong, Satish B. Rao
  • Publication number: 20150058455
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Applicant: AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, Charisma J. LaFleur, Duke P. Hong, Satish B. Rao
  • Patent number: 8903937
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, Charisma J. LaFleur, Duke P. Hong, Satish B. Rao
  • Patent number: 8891522
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Fletcher, Andrew F. Champagne, Daniel Stodolsky, Michael M. Afergan
  • Publication number: 20130304892
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, Andrew F. Champagne, Gregory Fletcher, Daniel Stodolsky
  • Patent number: 8484283
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, F. Thomson Leighton, Timothy P. Johnson, Brian Mancuso, Ken G. Iwamoto
  • Publication number: 20120324060
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2012
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, F. Thomson Leighton, Timothy P. Johnson, Brian J. Mancuso, Ken G. Iwamoto
  • Patent number: 8332484
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, F. Thomson Leighton, Jay G. Parikh
  • Patent number: 8255489
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, F. Thomson Leighton, Timothy P. Johnson, Brian J. Mancuso, Ken G. Iwamoto
  • Publication number: 20120215938
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Gregory Fletcher, Andrew F. Champagne, Daniel Stodolsky, Michael M. Afergan
  • Patent number: 8170017
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Fletcher, Andrew F. Champagne, Daniel Stodolsky, Michael M. Afergan
  • Publication number: 20100138488
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2010
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Inventors: Gregory Fletcher, Andrew F. Champagne, Daniel Stodolsky, Michael M. Afergan
  • Patent number: 7660296
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2010
    Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Fletcher, Andrew F. Champagne, Daniel Stodolsky, Michael M. Afergan
  • Patent number: 7395355
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, Charisma Schlossberg, Duke P. Hong, Satish Balusu Rao
  • Publication number: 20080155061
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2007
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Applicant: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, F. Thomson Leighton, Jay G. Parikh
  • Patent number: 7260639
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael M. Afergan, Andrew B. Ellis, Ravi Sundaram, Hariharan S. Rahul