Method, system, and program for transferring data between servers through a client computer over a network

• US 20020077933A1
• Filed: 12/15/2000
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Rabindranath, Patel, Kamal Chandrakant
• Granted Patent: US 7,099,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Provided is a method, system, and program for transferring data from a first server to a second server through a client computer over a network. The client performs downloading and displaying content in a first page from the first server and downloading and displaying content in a second page from the second server including transfer data to communicate to the first server. The client computer displays the transfer data with the content from the first page and communicates the transfer data to the first server.

Claims

1. A method for transferring data from a first server to a second server through a client computer over a network, wherein the client computer performs:

downloading and displaying content in a first page from the first server;

downloading and displaying content in a second page from the second server including transfer data to communicate to the first server;

displaying the transfer data with the content from the first page; and

communicating the transfer data to the first server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the transfer data to the first server comprises:

writing the transfer data to a memory location in the client computer; and

reading the transfer data from the memory location, wherein the read transfer data is displayed with the content from the first page.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating a first program in response to processing the first page;

receiving user input selection to access the transfer data with the first program, wherein the first program issues a request to download and display the content from the second server including the transfer data; and

activating a second program in response to processing the second page, wherein the second program communicates the transfer data to the first program, and wherein the first program displays the transfer data with the content from the first page.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving user input selection to cause the second program to communicate the transfer data to the first program.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the transfer data is communicated to the first program by:

writing, with the second program, the transfer data to a memory location in the client; and

reading, with the first program, the memory location to access the transfer data.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the first and second pages include code to activate the first and second programs, respectively.

7. A method for performing an electronic sale of a product over the Internet, wherein a sales agent sells the product produced by a product source, comprising:

downloading and displaying product information in a first page from a sales agent server;

downloading and displaying content in a second page from a product source server including price information to communicate to the sales agent server;

displaying the price information data with the product information from the first page; and

communicating the price information to the sales agent server, wherein the sales agent uses the communicated price information in determining a price to charge for the product.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the price information data includes a time stamp, wherein the sales agent server does not use the price information to charge the client if the time stamp in the price information data has expired.

9. A system for transferring data from a first server through a client, comprising:

a second server;

a network interface allowing the second server to communicate with the client;

program logic implemented in a computer readable memory capable of causing the second server to perform;

(i) in response to a request, transmitting a first page to the client computer, wherein the first page activates a program in the client computer to cause the client computer to transmit transfer data to the second server, wherein the client computer accesses the transfer data from a second page the client computer downloads and displays from the first server, and wherein the program further causes the client computer to display the transfer data from the second page with the content from the first page; and

(ii) receiving the transfer data from the client computer.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the transfer data is written to a memory location in the client computer, and wherein the program activated in the client computer reads the transfer data from the memory location.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the activated program, in response to user input at the client computer, issues a request to download and display the second page from the first server including the transfer data, wherein the program displays the transfer data with the content from the first page.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the price information data includes a time stamp, wherein the sales agent server does not use the price information to charge the client if the time stamp in the price information data has expired.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the transfer data is written from the second page to a memory location in the client computer, and wherein the program is further capable of causing the client computer to read the transfer data from the memory location.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the activated program, in response to user input at the client computer, issues a request to download the second page from the second server including the transfer data, wherein the program displays the transfer data with the content from the second page.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the price information data includes a time stamp, wherein the sales agent server does not use the price information to charge the client if the time stamp in the price information data has expired.

12. A sales agent system for performing an electronic sale of a product over the Internet to a consumer at a consumer computer, wherein a sales agent sells the product produced by a product source, and wherein the product source maintains a product source server, comprising:

a sales agent server;

a network interface allowing the sales agent server to communicate with the customer computer;

program logic implemented in a computer readable memory capable of causing the sales agent server to perform;

(i) in response to a request, transmitting a first page to the customer computer, wherein the first page activates a program in the customer computer to cause the customer computer to transmit price information to the sales agent server, wherein the customer computer accesses the price information from a second page the customer computer downloads and displays from the product source server, and wherein the program further causes the customer computer to display the price information data from the second page with product information in the first page; and

(ii) receiving the price data from the customer computer, wherein the sales agent server uses the price information when charging the customer for purchasing the product.

14. A computer readable medium including a first page including content and code to activate a program, wherein the first page is transferred to a client computer from a first server, wherein the client computer is further capable of communicating with a second server, and wherein the first page causes the client computer to perform:

displaying the content in the first page;

activating the program to cause the client computer to transmit transfer data to the second server, wherein the client computer accesses the transfer data from a second page the client computer downloads and displays from the second server, and wherein the program further causes the client computer to display the transfer data from the second page with the content from the first page.

17. The computer readable medium, wherein the client computer uses an Internet browser program to display the content in the first page and activate the program in the first page.

18. A computer readable medium including a first page including product information and code to activate a program, wherein the first page is transferred to a customer computer from a sales agent server to enable the sales agent server to perform an electronic sale of a product over the Internet to a consumer at the consumer computer, wherein a sales agent sells the product produced by a product source, and wherein the product source maintains a product source server, wherein the first page causes the customer computer to perform:

displaying the product information in the first page; and

activating the program to cause the customer computer to transfer price information to the sales agent server, wherein the customer computer accesses the price information from a second page the customer computer downloads and displays from the source product server, wherein the program further causes the customer computer to display the price information from the second page with the product information from the first page, and wherein the sales agent server uses the price information when charging the customer for purchasing the product.

20. The computer readable medium, wherein the client computer uses an Internet browser program to display the content in the first page and activate the program in the first page.