Layering enterprise application services using semantic firewalls

• US 20020157023A1
• Filed: 03/28/2002
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sphere Software Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sphere Software Corporation
• Inventors: Callahan, John R., Glock, David P.
• Application Number:
  US10/107,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20020157023A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system for processing data requests from clients via a network is disclosed. The system has an application server coupled to a network, and a semantic firewall to pass and filter the content between the application server and the clients. The application server provides content from a database to the clients via the network, and the semantic firewall restricts access to a portion of the content for one or more clients.

Claims

1. A system for processing data requests from clients via a network, comprising:

an application server coupled to said network, said application server providing content from a database to said clients via said network; and

a semantic firewall to pass and filter said content between said application server and said clients, said semantic firewall restricting access to a portion of said content for at least one client.

2. A system as in claim 1, wherein said semantic firewall annotates content from said database to obtain annotated data, filters said annotated data to obtain filtered data, and renders said filtered data to obtain rendered data.

3. A system as in claim 1, wherein said semantic firewall comprises:

means for annotating content from said database to obtain annotated data;

means for filtering said annotated data to obtain filtered data; and

means for rendering said filtered data to obtain rendered data;

4. A system as in claim 3, wherein said means for annotating employs at least one annotated scheme and a rule-based transformation to obtain said annotated data.

5. A system as in claim 3, wherein said means for filtering employs at least one rule and a rule engine to obtain said filtered data.

6. A system as in claim 3, wherein said means for rendering employs at least one static style sheet to obtain said rendered data.

7. A system as in claim 1, wherein said semantic firewall is exterior to said application server.

8. A system as in claim 1, wherein said semantic firewall is interior to said application server.

9. A method of processing a data request by a server, comprising the steps of:

receiving said data request from a client via a network;

retrieving requested data from a database;

annotating said requested data to obtain annotated data;

filtering said annotated data to obtain filtered data;

rendering said filtered data to obtain rendered data; and

providing said rendered data to said client via said network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of annotating comprises the steps of:

accessing a rules file, wherein said rules file defines rules for accessing data; and

annotating said requested data based on said rules in said rules file to obtain said annotated data.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of filtering comprises the steps of:

creating a style sheet dynamically; and

applying said style sheet to said annotated data, thereby filtering said annotated data to obtain said filtered data.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of rendering comprises the steps of:

accessing a static style sheet; and

applying said static style sheet to said filtered data, thereby generating said rendered data.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said requested data is in extensible markup language (XML), and said rendered data is in hypertext markup language (HTML).

14. A computer system for performing the method of claim 9.

15. A computer-readable medium having software for performing the method of claim 9.