# US 2019/0320034 A1 · Handling long-tail content in a content delivery network (cdn) > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0320034 A1 - Document ID: US20190320034A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/284,791 - Filed: 2019-02-25 - Published: 2019-10-17 - Earliest claimed: 2008-04-04 - Assignees: Level 3 Communications, LLC - Applicants: Level 3 Communications, LLC - Inventors: Christopher Newton; Laurence Lipstone; David Fullagar - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190320034A1 ## CPC - H04L 67/563: Data redirection of data network streams - H04L 67/1014: based on the content of a request - H04L 67/1097: for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] - H04L 67/568: Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching - H04N 7/17354: {in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals} - H04N 21/222: Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end {(provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56)} - H04N 21/23103: {using load balancing strategies, e.g. by placing or distributing content on different disks, different memories or different servers (storage management G06F3/0604; allocation of resources considering the load in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/505; techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system G06F9/5083; access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. load balancing, in data networks H04L67/1001)} - H04N 21/23106: {involving caching operations (prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568)} - H04N 21/25891: {being end-user preferences (retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18)} - H04N 21/472: End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content {(end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612)} - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A content delivery network has at least a first tier of servers. A content delivery method includes, at a first server in the first tier of servers, obtaining a request from a client for a resource. If the resource is available at the first server or at a peer of the first server, then the resource is served to the client from the first server. Otherwise, it is determined whether the resource is popular, and if the resource is determined to be popular, then the first server obtains the resource and the first server serves the resource to the client. If the resource is determined not to be popular, the client is directed to a second server, not in the first tier of servers, and the second server serves the resource to the client. The second server may be in a second tier of servers or it may be an origin server. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of content delivery in a content delivery network comprising: receiving, at a first server of a first tier of servers of the content delivery network, a request from a requesting device for a resource available from the content delivery network; accessing a popularity service associated with the content delivery network to determine a popularity designation associated with the requested resource; requesting the resource from a second server of the content delivery network; processing, at the first server of the first tier of servers, a redirect instruction from the second server of the content delivery network to obtain the resource from a content server of the content delivery network; and providing the obtained resource to the requesting device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the popularity designation associated with the requested resource indicates that the requested resource is not popular, the method further comprising: receiving an instruction to not cache the resource at the first server of the first tier of servers when the resource is obtained from the content server of the content delivery network. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the popularity designation associated with the requested resource indicates that the requested resource is popular, the method further comprising: receiving an instruction to cache the resource at the first server of the first tier of servers when the resource is obtained from the content server of the content delivery network. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the second server is a metro mid-tier server of the content delivery network. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the second server is a peer server of the first tier of servers of the content delivery network. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the popularity designation associated with the requested resource comprises an indication whether a current popularity value for the resource exceeds a first predetermined popularity threshold. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the popularity service is associated with the second server of the content delivery network. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the popularity service is associated with the first server of the first tier of servers of the content delivery network. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the content delivery network further comprises a second tier of servers distinct from the first tier of servers, and wherein the second server is in the second tier of servers. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The method as recited in claim 3 further comprising: receiving, at the first server of the first tier of servers of the content delivery network, an additional request for the resource available from the content delivery network; determining that the resource is cached at the first server of the first tier of servers; and providing the cached resource from the first server of the first tier of servers in response to the additional request for the resource. ### Claim 11 A content delivery network comprising: a first tier of servers comprising a first plurality of servers, an edge server of the first tier of servers receiving a request from a requesting device in communication with the first server for a resource available from the content delivery network; a second tier of servers comprising a second plurality of servers, a first server of the second plurality of servers receiving a request from the edge server for the content and, in response, transmitting a redirect instruction intended for the requesting device to the edge server to obtain the resource from a content server; and a popularity service tracking a popularity designation associated with the requested resource; wherein the edge server processes the redirect instruction to obtain the content from the content server and provides the obtained content to the requesting device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The content delivery network as recited in claim 11 wherein the popularity designation associated with the requested resource indicates that the requested resource is not popular and the first server of the second plurality of servers transmits an instruction to not cache the resource at the content server of the first tier of servers when the resource is obtained from the content server. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The content delivery network as recited in claim 11 wherein the popularity designation associated with the requested resource indicates that the requested resource is popular and the first server of the second plurality of servers transmits an instruction to cache the resource at the content server of the first tier of servers when the resource is obtained from the content server. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The content delivery network as recited in claim 11 wherein the first server of the second plurality of servers is a metro mid-tier server of the content delivery network. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The content delivery network as recited in claim 11 wherein the first server of the second plurality of servers is a peer server of the first tier of servers of the content delivery network. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The content delivery network as recited in claim 11 wherein the popularity designation associated with the requested resource comprises an indication whether a current popularity value for the resource exceeds a first predetermined popularity threshold. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The content delivery network as recited in claim 16 wherein the popularity service is associated with the first server of the second plurality of servers of the content delivery network. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The content delivery network as recited in claim 16 wherein the popularity service is associated with the content server of the first tier of servers of the content delivery network. ### Claim 19 A method of content delivery in a content delivery network comprising: receiving, at a first server of a first tier of servers of the content delivery network, a request from a requesting device for a resource available from the content delivery network; accessing a popularity service associated with the first server of the first tier of the content delivery network to determine a popularity designation associated with the requested resource; receiving an instruction to not cache the resource at the first server of the first tier of servers; requesting the resource from a second server of the content delivery network based at least on the popularity designation associated with the requested resource; and providing the obtained resource to the requesting device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method as recited in claim 19 wherein the second server of the content delivery network is a content server storing the requested content.