System And Method For Content Retrieval From Remote Network Regions

What is this patent about?

’329 is related to the field of content delivery networks (CDNs), specifically addressing the challenge of accessing region-specific content. Traditional CDNs replicate content across geographically distributed servers to reduce latency and improve delivery speed. However, they often serve content based solely on the user's location, preventing access to content from other regions. Users seeking content from different geographic locations typically resort to public proxies or VPNs, which can be slow, insecure, and require manual configuration.

The underlying idea behind ’329 is to create a global virtual network (GVN) that allows users to securely and efficiently access content from any desired geographic region. This is achieved by routing requests through a mesh of interconnected access point servers (SRV_APs) strategically located in various regions. When a user requests content, the system intelligently routes the request to an SRV_AP in the target region, which then retrieves the content and delivers it back to the user, effectively bypassing geo-restrictions and optimizing network performance.

The claims of ’329 focus on a content delivery network device that receives a secure request for content delivery from a client device, along with an indication of the desired target region. The device then initiates a delivery request to a selected second network device (SRV_AP) serving that target region. This delivery request specifies the network source from which the SRV_AP should retrieve the content. Finally, the content delivery network device accepts the content from the SRV_AP and forwards it to the requesting client device.

In practice, the system uses advanced smart routing (ASR) to determine the optimal path through the GVN to the appropriate SRV_AP. This routing considers factors like bandwidth, latency, hop count, and packet loss, using both real-time and historical statistics. The SRV_AP in the target region acts as a content pulling agent (CPA), performing DNS lookups and retrieving content from servers in that region. To further enhance performance, the system employs chained caching, where content is cached at multiple points along the delivery path, reducing latency and improving delivery speed.

A key differentiation from prior approaches is the ability to establish multiple, concurrent, secure streams to multiple regions with low latency. Unlike traditional proxies or VPNs, the GVN provides control over the network path, ensuring optimal performance and security. The system also supports simultaneous content retrieval from multiple sources, including links embedded within web pages, allowing for a comprehensive and efficient content delivery experience. The use of secure tunnels and chained caches further distinguishes this approach from existing CDN solutions, offering a more robust and flexible solution for accessing region-specific content.