System and method of application input validation

• US 20020083171A1
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Bogia, Douglas P., Hoogenboom, Peter J., Ireland, Richard G.
• Granted Patent: US 6,874,025 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method of validating user inputs to a server based application are disclosed. A network server receives inputs to an application process from external processes at a plurality of communication interfaces. A validation engine determines validation criteria for inputs to the application process received at any one of the communication interfaces.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a communication network;

a client process hosted on a client device to receive user inputs from a user interface and to transmit the inputs through the communication network;

a plurality of communication interfaces to receive inputs to an application process from a plurality of sources, a first communication interface being adapted for receiving inputs from the client process; and

a validation engine to define validation criteria for inputs to the application from any of the communication interfaces, to determine the validity of inputs received on a second communication interface and to provide validation data representative of the validation criteria in response to a query from the first communication interface,

wherein the first communication interface comprises logic to transmit computer readable instructions to the client process for validating inputs provided at the user interface.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first communication interface comprises an HTTP server and the client process comprises a network browser.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the second communication interface comprises one of an SNMP manager, an electronic mail process, a VoIP process and a telephony server coupled to a public switched telephone network.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first communication interface comprises logic to transmit machine-readable instructions to the client process for generating a graphical user interface to accept user inputs and for validating inputs received at the graphical user interface.

5. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the second communication interface is adapted to receive inputs to the application process from an external process independently of any input validation at the external process, and wherein the validation engine provides a message to the second communication interface to indicate whether the received inputs are valid.

6. The communication system of claim 5, wherein the second communication interface comprises logic to receive inputs to the application process from the external process according to one of a simple network management protocol (SNMP), an electronic mail protocol and a voice over Internet protocol.

7. The communication system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the communication interfaces is adapted to receive inputs to the application process from an external process independently of any input validation at the external process, and wherein the validation engine comprises logic to provide validated inputs to the application process based upon the received inputs.

8. A server comprising:

a plurality of communication interfaces to receive inputs to an application process, a first communication interface being adapted for receiving inputs from a client process hosted on a client device; and

a validation engine to define validation criteria for inputs to the application from any of the communication interfaces, to determine the validity of inputs received on a second communication interface and to provide validation data representative of the validation criteria in response to a query from the first communication interface,

wherein the first communication interface comprises logic to transmit computer readable instructions to the client process for validating inputs provided at a user interface associated with the client device based upon the validation data.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the first communication interface comprises an HTTP server and the client process comprises a network browser.

10. The server of claim 8, wherein the second communication interface comprises one of an SNMP manager, an electronic mail process, a VoIP process and a telephony server coupled to a public switched telephone network.

11. The server of claim 8, wherein the first communication interface comprises logic to transmit machine-readable instructions to the client process for generating a graphical user interface to accept user inputs and for validating inputs received at the graphical user interface.

12. The server of claim 8, wherein the second communication interface is adapted to receive inputs to the application process from an external process independently of any input validation at the external process, and wherein the validation engine comprises logic to provide a message to the second communication interface to indicate whether the received inputs are valid.

13. The server of claim 12, wherein the second communication interface receives inputs to the application process from the external process according to one of a simple network management protocol (SNMP), an electronic mail protocol and a voice over Internet protocol.

14. The server of claim 8, wherein at least one of the communication interfaces is adapted to receive inputs to the application process from an external process independently of any input validation at the external process, and wherein the validation engine comprises logic to provide validated inputs to the application process based upon the received inputs.

16. The article of claim 15, wherein the first communication interface comprises an HTTP server and the client process comprises a network browser, and wherein the storage medium further comprises machine-readable instructions stored thereon for generating machine-readable instructions executable on the client device for validating inputs provided at a user interface associated with the network browser based upon the validation data.

17. The article of claim 15, wherein the second communication interface is adapted to receive inputs to the application process from an external process independently of any input validation at the external process, and wherein the storage medium further comprises machine-readable instructions stored thereon for providing a message to the second communication interface to indicate whether the received inputs are valid.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein the storage medium further comprises machine-readable instructions stored thereon for determining validity of inputs to the application process transmitted to the second communication interface from the external process according to one of a simple network management protocol (SNMP), an electronic mail protocol and a voice over Internet protocol.

19. The article of claim 15, wherein the storage medium further comprises machine-readable instructions stored thereon for:

validating inputs to the application process received at the second communication interface from an external process independently of any input validation at the external process; and

providing validated inputs to the application process based upon the inputs received at the second communication interface.

15. An article comprising:

a storage medium comprising machine-readable instructions stored thereon for;

determining validation criteria for inputs to an application process received from a plurality of communication interfaces of a server, a first communication interface being adapted for receiving inputs from a client process hosted on a client device;

providing validation data representative of the validation criteria in response to a query from the communication server; and

determining the validity of inputs received on a second one of the communication interfaces.

20. A method comprising:

receiving inputs to an application process at a plurality of communication interfaces of a server, a first communication interface being adapted for receiving inputs from a client process hosted on a client device;

determining validation criteria for inputs to an application process received from any of the communication interfaces;

transmitting computer readable instructions to the client process for validating inputs provided at a user interface associated with the client device based upon the validation criteria; and

determining the validity of inputs received on a second one of the communication interfaces.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first communication interface comprises an HTTP server and the client process comprises a network browser, and wherein the method further comprises generating machine-readable instructions executable on the client device for validating inputs provided at a user interface associated with the network browser based upon the validation criteria.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the second communication interface is adapted to receive inputs to the application process from an external process independently of any input validation at the external process, and wherein the method further comprises providing a message to the second communication interface to indicate whether the received inputs are valid.

23. The method of claim 20, the method further comprising determining validity of inputs to the application process transmitted to the second communication interface from the external process according to one of a simple network management protocol (SNMP), an electronic mail protocol and a voice over Internet protocol.

24. The method of claim 20, the method further comprising:

validating inputs to the application process received at the second communication interface from an external process independently of any input validation at the external process; and

providing validated inputs to the application process based upon the inputs received at the second communication interface.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first communication interface comprises an HTTP server and the client process comprises a network browser, and wherein the apparatus further comprises means for generating machine-readable instructions executable on the client device for validating inputs provided at a user interface associated with the network browser based upon the validation criteria.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the second communication interface is adapted to receive inputs to the application process from an external process independently of any input validation at the external process, and wherein the apparatus further comprises means for providing a message to the second communication interface to indicate whether the received inputs are valid.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, the apparatus further comprising means for determining validity of inputs to the application process transmitted to the second communication interface from the external process according to one of a simple network management protocol (SNMP), an electronic mail protocol and a voice over Internet protocol.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, the apparatus further comprising:

means for validating inputs to the application process received at the second communication interface from an external process independently of any input validation at the external process; and

means for providing validated inputs to the application process based upon the inputs received at the second communication interface.

25. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving inputs to an application process at a plurality of communication interfaces of a server, a first communication interface being adapted for receiving inputs from a client process hosted on a client device;

means for determining validation criteria for inputs to an application process received from any of the communication interfaces;

means for transmitting computer readable instructions to the client process for validating inputs provided at a user interface associated with the client device based upon the validation criteria; and

means for determining the validity of inputs received on a second one of the communication interfaces.