Patent ID: 7305479

Claim:
In a content delivery network having content devices for distribution content of an origin server, a method for delivering a content request comprising the steps of: receiving the content request from a requesting device, the content request having a requesting device identifier; providing the content request to the origin server when the requesting device identifier indicates the requesting device is a content server of the content delivery network; and providing the content request to a content router of the content delivery network when the requesting device identifier indicates the requesting device is a device not of the content delivery network; wherein: receiving the content request from the requesting device comprises intercepting, by a content switch, the content request having the requesting device identifier and detecting, by the content switch, the requesting device identifier of the content request to distinguish the content request as originating either external from the content delivery network or as originating internal to the content delivery network; providing the content request to the origin server comprises transmitting, by the content switch, the content request to the origin server based upon detecting that the requesting device identifier indicates the content request as originating internal to the content delivery network from the content server; and providing the content request to the content router of the content delivery network comprises transmitting, by the content switch, the content request to the content router of the content delivery network, for delivery to the content server of the content delivery network, based upon detecting that the requesting device identifier indicates the content request as originating from a device external from the content delivery network; based upon receiving a content device marker associated with the content request, providing the content request to the origin server; and based upon receiving no content device marker associated with the content request, providing the content request to a content router of the content delivery network.