Patent ID: 8683011

Claim:
A computer-implemented method performed at a gateway device, the method comprising the following operations performed by at least one processor: receiving a first request and a second request to download content; determining whether the received first request and the second request is a human interactive request or a non-human interactive request; assigning a priority value to the received first and second requests based on whether the requests are determined to be a human interactive request or non-human interactive request, wherein the priority value of a human interactive request is higher than the priority value of a non-human interactive request; simultaneously receiving portions of the content requested by the first request from a first content provider and portions of the content requested by the second request from a second content provider; determining that the assigned priority value of the first request is greater than the assigned priority value of the second request; and prioritizing receipt of portions of the requested content for the first request over receipt of portions of the requested content for the second request based on the determination that the assigned priority value of the first request is greater than the assigned priority value of the second request, wherein: the prioritizing includes increasing a time delay between receiving, from the second content provider, portions of the content requested by the second request and sending an acknowledgment message to the second content provider in response to the received portions, and the portions of the content requested by the second request are received at a rate slower than the content requested by the first request as a result of the increase in the time delay.