Patent ID: 6862606

Claim:
A proxy partition cache architecture for vending objects to requesting clients comprising: a plurality of proxy cache servers for caching and vending objects from a storage location to a requesting client through an interconnected load-balancing mechanism adapted to selectively provide client requests to each of the plurality of proxy cache servers based upon load-balancing considerations; a network segment interconnecting each of the proxy cache servers so as to enable data to pass between the proxy cache servers; and a mechanism in each server of the plurality of proxy cache servers adapted to (a) receive a request for an object from the load-balancing mechanism, (b) identify a discrete server of the plurality of proxy cache servers that is designated to contain the object, based upon an address of the object, if a size of the object exceeds a cutoff value (c) referring the request to the discrete server if the size of the object exceeded the cutoff value and (d) return the object from the discrete server to the server receiving the request from the load-balancing mechanism for vending to the client unless the size of the object is below the cutoff value in which case the object is available or otherwise acquired directly from the server receiving the request and vended to the client.