Patent ID: 7962580
Filing Date: 2011-06-14
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method of providing content to end users from a content delivery network, the method comprising: receiving, within a content delivery network comprising a plurality of delivery servers, a content item from a content provider, the content provider providing a web site; returning a uniform resource indicator (URI) corresponding to the content item, the URI operative to identify a plurality of inventory servers in the content delivery network; provisioning the content item to one or more of the delivery servers in the content delivery network, the one or more delivery servers each comprising computer hardware; in response to the one or more delivery servers receiving the content item, providing to the plurality of inventory servers a message from each of the one or more delivery servers that have received the content item, the message announcing the receiving of the content item by a respective one of the delivery servers, the message comprising content location information identifying a location of the content item on the respective delivery server; storing inventory information in an inventory of each of the plurality of inventory servers, the inventory information describing which of the one or more delivery servers hosts the content item and the content location information for the content item; receiving, at one of the plurality of inventory servers, a request for the content item from an end user, the request specifying the URI, the end user having received the URI in response to accessing the web site of the content provider; in response to receiving the request for the content item, accessing the inventory of the selected inventory server to determine a selected one of the one or more delivery servers that hosts the content item; redirecting the request for the content item from the selected inventory server to the selected delivery server; and providing the content item to the end user from the selected delivery server.