Patent ID: 7636769

Claim:
At a computer system, the computer system including a content server for returning content to other computer systems, the computer system also including a content buffer configured to buffer content that is to be returned to other computer systems in response to requests for content, the computer system having default buffering behavior used to control content buffering at the content buffer, a method for applying content specific buffering behavior in response to a request for content, the method comprising: an act of a content server receiving a request for content from a client, the content request including a content ID identifying the requested content; an act of accessing a dispatch table that maps content IDs to handler IDs and portions of buffer behavior data, the handler IDs identifying handlers that are to generate at least a portion of requested content for corresponding content IDs, the portions of buffer behavior data indicating buffering behavior that is to be used when returning generated content for corresponding content IDs; an act of referring to the dispatch table to the content ID included in the request to a corresponding handler ID of a handler configured to serve the requested content and to a corresponding portion of buffer behavior data indicating specific buffering behavior to be used for any requested content that is returned from the handler for the content ID, the specific buffering behavior differing from the default buffering behavior and differing from the buffering behavior indicated in at least one other portion of buffering behavior data in the dispatch table; an act of accessing a portion of the requested content from the handler; an act of buffering the portion of requested content at the content buffer in accordance with the specific buffering behavior indicated in the mapped to portion of buffer behavior data mapped to from the content ID; and an act of transferring the portion of requested content to the client in accordance with the specific buffering behavior indicated in the mapped to portion of buffer behavior data mapped to from the content ID.