Patent ID: 8826118

Claim:
An intermediate device situated between a plurality of client devices and a plurality of destination servers, the intermediate device comprising: a processor programmed to perform actions including: facilitating a first message exchange between a client device associated with a user and a first destination server in the plurality of destination servers by forwarding through the intermediate device a first request from the client to the first destination server and forwarding through the intermediate device a corresponding response from the first destination server to the client; intercepting and storing each cookie sent from the first destination server to the client such that, for each cookie sent from the first destination server to the client, the cookie is received by the intermediate device rather than the client; receiving a second request from a different client device for a destination server resource, wherein the different client device is associated with the same user; sending, to the first destination server, at least one cookie stored in the intermediate device; determining at least one additional cookie that is located on the client device and copying it to the intermediate device, wherein the at least one additional cookie at the intermediate device simplifies access of the first destination server through the intermediate device; facilitating the second request by sending, to the first destination server, transactional data received within application layer data within an association of the first request and the corresponding response of the first message exchange by the intermediate device and stored on the intermediate device during the facilitation of the first message exchange, and wherein the application layer data is intercepted as the application layer data is forwarded through the intermediate device and between the first destination server and the client device during the first message exchange between the first destination server and the client device, and the transactional data includes data other than authorization and authentication data; and if the intermediate device is unable to process the second request because of a number of user connections, employing the intermediate device itself to redirect the second request to another intermediate device that is operative to process the second request in a same manner as the intermediate device, wherein a user's data is provided to the other intermediate device by the intermediate device to at least optimize a user's connection to the other intermediate device.