System and method for maintaining state information on a client

• US 20020078177A1
• Filed: 12/18/2000
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Rabindranath
• Granted Patent: US 7,454,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method of maintaining state information on a client. In response to a client request for a file located on a server, the file is transmitted from the server to the client. An unmodifiable cookie which specifies state information from the server is also transmitted to the client. The client then stores the unmodifiable cookie. A user is unable to alter the unmodifiable cookie on the client machine.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining state information on a client, the method comprising:

transmitting an unmodifiable cookie which specifies state information from a server to the client; and

storing the unmodifiable cookie on the client.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the unmodifiable cookie is transmitted from the client to the server when the client makes predefined requests to the server and wherein the unmodifiable cookie is transmitted with the file.

3. The method of claim I wherein a copy of the unmodifiable cookie is stored in a public cookie file and the unmodifiable cookie is stored in a private cookie file in a location separate from the public cookie file on the client.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising in response to a request from the client for a document requiring an umodifiable cookie, checking the public cookie file for a matching unmodifiable cookie.

5. The method of claim 4 where no matching unmodifiable cookie is present in the public cookie file, checking the private cookie file for a matching unmodifiable cookie.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising updating the public cookie file to reflect the unmodifiable cookies found in the private cookie file.

7. A system for maintaining state information on a client, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a computer readable medium coupled to the processor, the computer readable medium containing executable program instructions for;

transmitting an unmodifiable cookie which specifies state information from a server to the client; and

storing the unmodifiable cookie on the client.

8. A computer readable medium on a client containing executable program instructions for performing a method comprising:

transmitting an unmodifiable cookie which specifies state information from a server to the client; and

storing the unmodifiable cookie on the client.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein a copy of the unmodifiable cookie is stored in a public cookie file and the unmodifiable cookie is stored in a private cookie file in a location separate from the public cookie file on the client.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9 further comprising in response to a request from the client for a document requiring an umodifiable cookie, instructions for checking the public cookie file for a matching unmodifiable cookie.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10 where no matching unmodifiable cookie is present in the public cookie file, further comprising instructions checking the private cookie file for a matching unmodifiable cookie.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 further comprising instructions for updating the public cookie file to reflect the unmodifiable cookies found in the private cookie file.

15. The computer system of claim 14 wherein the unmodifiable cookie is transmitted from the client to a server when the client makes predefined requests to the server.

13. A computer readable medium on a server containing executable program instructions for performing a method comprising:

transmitting an unmodifiable cookie which specifies state information from a server to the client; and

storing the unmodifiable cookie on the client.

14. A computer system, the computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a computer readable medium coupled to the processor, the computer readable medium containing executable program instructions for;

transmitting an unmodifiable cookie which specifies state information from a server to the client; and

storing the unmodifiable cookie on the client.