Method and system for cell rendering and manipulation

• US 20030052912A1
• Filed: 03/22/2002
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thepop.Com
• Original Assignee: Thepop.Com
• Inventors: Defensor, Dennis G., Bowman, John F. Jr.
• Application Number:
  US10/102,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20030052912A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A method and system for an active cell rendering engine, including a web server, a rendering engine, an application layer, and a data layer. The application layer includes cell applications. The data layer has data sources corresponding to the cell applications. One of the cell application is started pursuant to a request from the rendering engine, and returns formatted data, based on the data source in the data layer, to the rendering engine. The rendering engine, responsive to a copy request, provides a copy of one of the cell applications to the another page. The copied cell application includes a reference back to the page, so that modifications to the page appear in the copied cell application in a real-time fashion. Users can thus copy cells to pages, and construct pages utilizing copied cells, in order to keep real-time updated content in a cell on a page. The application layer and data layer can be provided in a configuration separate from the web server and rendering engine.

Claims

1. A cell rendering engine, comprising:

(A) a web server;

(B) a rendering engine, receiving information from the web server;

(C) an application layer, the application layer including at least one cell application; and

(D) a data layer, including at least one data source, said data source corresponding to said cell application.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said data source includes an address for the data to be placed into a cell.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cell application is started pursuant to a request from the rendering engine, and returns formatted data to the rendering engine responsive to the request from the rendering engine.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rendering engine obtains user information from the web server, and passes user information to the cell application.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the rendering engine further includes information indicating a cell that corresponds to data passed in from the web server, and wherein the rendering engine initiates a cell application corresponding to the data type.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein there are provided a plurality of cell applications, each of said cell applications corresponding to a type of data, and wherein there are provided a plurality of data sources, each of said data sources corresponding to one of each of said cell applications.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the web server and rendering engine correspond to a page, wherein there is provided a second page, and wherein the rendering engine, responsive to a copy request, provides a copy of at least one cell application to the other page.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the other page is on the same web server.

9. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the other page is on a different web server.

10. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the cell application on the other page includes a reference back to at least one cell.

11. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a copy function includes a transfer of user identifications on an other site.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cell application may be shared.

13. The device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the person with whom the cell application is shared is verified.

14. A device for providing cells for a cell rendering and manipulation engine, comprising:

(A) an application layer, including at least one cell application;

(B) a data layer including at least one data source, each at least one data source corresponding to the at least one cell application.

15. The device as claimed in claim 14, wherein said data source includes an address for the data to be placed into a cell.

16. The device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the cell application is started response to a request, and returns formatted data.

17. The device as claimed in claim 14, wherein there are provided a plurality of cell applications, each of said cell applications corresponding to a type of data, and wherein there are provided a plurality of data sources, each of said data sources corresponding to one of each of said cell applications.

18. A device for using cells in a cell rendering and manipulation engine, comprising:

(A) a web server;

(B) a rendering engine, receiving information from the web server wherein the rendering engine starts a foreign cell application and receives formatted data from the foreign cell application.

19. The device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the rendering engine obtains user information from the web server, and passes user information to the foreign cell application.

20. The device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the rendering engine further includes information indicating a cell that corresponds to data passed in from the web server, and wherein the rendering engine initiates a foreign cell application corresponding to the data type.

21. The device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the web server and rendering engine correspond to a page, and wherein the rendering engine, responsive to a copy request, provides a copy of at least one foreign cell application to an other page.

22. The device as claimed in claim 21, wherein the other page is on the same web server.

23. The device as claimed in claim 21, wherein the other page is on a different web server.

24. A method for rendering cells in a rendering engine, comprising the steps of:

(A) providing a web server;

(B) in a rendering engine, receiving information from the web server;

(C) in an application layer, providing at least one cell application, said application layer initiating the cell application responsive to a request from the rendering engine; and

(D) in a data layer, providing at least one data source, said data source corresponding to said cell application.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein said data source includes an address for the data to be placed into a cell.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25, comprising the steps of starting the cell application, responsive to a request from the rendering engine;

and returning formatted data to the rendering engine, responsive to the request from the rendering engine.

27. The method as claimed in claim 24, further comprising the step of, in the rendering engine, obtaining user information from the web server, and passing user information to the cell application.

28. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the rendering engine further includes information indicating a cell that corresponds to data passed in from the web server, and wherein the rendering engine initiates a cell application corresponding to the data type.

29. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein there are provided a plurality of cell applications, each of said cell applications corresponding to a type of data, and wherein there are provided a plurality of data sources, each of said data sources corresponding to one of each of said cell applications.

30. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the web server and rendering engine correspond to a page, wherein there is provided a second page, and further comprising the step if, in the rendering engine, responsive to a copy request, providing a copy of at least one cell application to the other page.

31. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the other page is on the same web server.

32. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the other page is on a different web server.

33. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the cell application on the other page includes a reference back to at least one cell.

34. A method for providing cells for a cell rendering and manipulation engine, comprising the steps of:

(A) providing an application layer, including at least one cell application;

(B) providing a data layer including at least one data source, each at least one data source corresponding to the at least one cell application.

35. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein said data source includes an address for the data to be placed into a cell.

36. The method as claimed in claim 34, further comprising the step of starting the cell application response to a request, and returns formatted data.

37. The method as claimed in claim 34, including the step of providing a plurality of cell applications, each of said cell applications corresponding to a type of data, and providing a plurality of data sources, each of said data sources corresponding to one of each of said cell applications.

38. A method for using cells in a cell rendering and manipulation engine, comprising the steps of:

(A) providing a web server;

(B) providing a rendering engine;

(C) in the rendering engine, receiving information from the web server and starting a foreign cell application and receiving formatted data from the foreign cell application.

39. The method as claimed in claim 38, further comprising the steps of, in the rendering engine, obtaining user information from the web server, and passing user information to the foreign cell application.

40. The method as claimed in claim 38, wherein the rendering engine further includes information indicating a cell that corresponds to data passed in from the web server, and wherein the rendering engine initiates a foreign cell application corresponding to the data type.

41. The method as claimed in claim 38, wherein the web server and rendering engine correspond to a page, and farther comprising the step of, in the rendering engine, responsive to a copy request, providing a copy of at least one foreign cell application to an other page.

42. The method as claimed in claim 41, wherein the other page is on the same web server.

43. The method as claimed in claim 41, wherein the other page is on a different web server.