Patent ID: 8595308

Claim:
A method in a server for caching device specific content, comprising the steps of: (1) receiving a request for a data object from a device; (2) determining whether the data object is cached in a form specific to a characteristic of the requesting device; (3) retrieving the cached data object, if found to be cached in step (2); (4) providing the retrieved data object to the requesting device during a synchronization operation for the requesting device; (5) polling a cache for volume of cached objects expiring at the same time; and (6) randomizing expiration of cached objects set to expire at the same time, wherein step (6) comprises the steps of: (a) determining a freshness lifetime of a cached object; (b) determining an age of the cached object; (c) determining a percent of the cached object's freshness lifetime; (d) retrieving the cached object from the cache, if the percent of the cached object's freshness lifetime is less than the percent of the server freshness lifetime; and (e) stochastically determining if the cached object has expired, if the percent of the cached object's freshness lifetime is equal to or greater than a percent of a server freshness lifetime.