Systems and methods for switching internet contexts without process shutdown

• US 20050022204A1
• Filed: 07/29/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mitchell, Darren, Dujari, Rajeev, Snapper, Erik, Kabir, Ahsan Syed
• Granted Patent: US 8,074,226 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/108
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Systems and methods for switching from a first Internet context to a second Internet context without process shutdown are described. Internet context data, such as cookies, history and user-defined data, is stored in containers unique to each user on a system. Internet content is stored in a common location so redundant downloaded information is not stored. Content information is found or stored by hashing a URL and indexing the memory location according to the resulting hash value. If content data is specific to a particular user, a hash is performed on a combination of the URL and an ordinal associated with the user'"'"'s unique identity to obtain a hash value unique to the user. The user-specific content is then stored and the memory location is indexed according to the unique hash value.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request at a computer to switch from a current network context that corresponds to a first user identity to a new network context that corresponds to a second user identity, wherein each said network context is executable on the computer to receive content at the computer from another computer over a network; and

switching from the current network context to the new network context without process shutdown.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein process shutdown includes terminating a user session utilizing the current network context and logging into a user session utilizing the new network context.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the current network context includes web page data specific to a user, and wherein the web page data is stored in a memory location based on a hash of a universal resource locator (URL) for the web page.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the current network context is associated with a current globally unique user identifier (guid);

the receiving a request to switch from the current network context to a new network context further comprises receiving a new guid with a request to switch to a new network context associated with the new guid; and

the switching from the current network context further comprises switching from the current network context to a new network context that is associated with the new guid.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the switching further comprises:

setting one or more global pointers to reference one or more directories uniquely associated with the new guid.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the new network context includes shared web page data, and wherein the web page data is stored in a location based on a hash of a universal resource locator (URL) for the web page.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the new network context includes web page data specific to a user, and wherein the web page data is stored in a location based on a hash of a combination of the new guid and a universal resource locator (URL) for the web page.

8. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the switching to a new network content further comprises:

storing the current network context in a directory uniquely associated with the current guid.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the current network context is a current Internet context and the new network context is a new Internet context.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the new network context is valid; and

switching network contexts only if the new network context is valid.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein switching network contexts further comprises switching universal resource locator (URL) cache components from current URL cache components to new URL cache components.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the new network context is a default network context.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a network context comprises a set of objects, one object for each network state.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a network context is an Internet context that comprises a set of objects, one object for each Internet state.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the set of objects is comprised of one or more of the following types of objects:

cookies, history, Internet content, or user-defined data.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the network context comprises cache components;

the switching further comprises;

shutting down cache components of the current network context to prevent operations utilizing the cache components;

flushing data uniquely associated with the current network context;

creating a set of cache components for the new network context; and

resetting a session start time to begin a new session.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the current network connection is an Internet connection;

the new network connection is an Internet connection;

the current network context is an Internet context that includes current web page content;

the new network context is an Internet context that includes new web page content;

the method further comprises;

storing the current web page content;

setting one or more global pointers to reference the new web page content; and

the switching further comprises;

utilizing the referenced new web page content for further processing.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein setting one or more global pointers to reference the new web page content further comprises:

hashing a universal resource locator (URL) of a web page from which the web page content is derived; and

setting one or more global pointers to the new web page content in a memory location associated with the hash value derived from hashing the URL.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the setting one or more global pointers further comprises:

identifying the new web page content as being user-specific;

determining a globally unique identifier (guid) associated with the new Internet context;

determining a value associated with the guid;

hashing a combination of the URL and the value associated with the guid;

setting the one or more global pointers to the new web page content in a memory location associated with the hash value derived from hashing the combination of the URL and the value associated with the guid.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the value associated with the guid is an ordinal.

21. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first user identity and the second user identity pertain to the same user.

22. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first user identity and the second user identity pertain to a different user.

23. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, perform the following steps:

receiving a request to switch from a first Internet context associated with a first user identity to a second Internet context associated with a second user identity, wherein the first and second Internet contexts are executable to receive content from over an Internet;

halting operations utilizing the first Internet context; and

initializing operations utilizing the second Internet context without requiring a process shutdown.

24. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 23, wherein the halting operations utilizing the first Internet context includes storing first Internet context data in one or more containers associated with the first user identity.

25. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 23, wherein the initializing operations utilizing the second user identity includes setting one or more global pointers to Internet context data associated with the second user identity that is stored in one or more containers associated with the second user identity.

26. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 23, wherein the initializing operations utilizing the second user identity includes setting one or more global pointers to reference default Internet context data and associating the Internet context data with the second user identity.

27. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 23, wherein the first user identity and the second user identity pertain to the same user.

28. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 23, wherein the first user identity and the second user identity pertain to a different user.

29. An Internet management object stored on a computer-readable medium, comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform the following steps:

receiving a request to switch from a first Internet context associated with a first user identity to a second Internet context associated with a second user identity, wherein the first and second Internet contexts are executable to receive content from over a network;

storing the first Internet context in one or more containers associated with the first user identity;

setting one or more global pointers to reference the second Internet context located in one or more containers associated with the second user identity without requiring open processes associated with the first user identity to shut down.

30. The Internet management object as recited in claim 29, further comprising computer-executable instructions to perform the following steps:

determining if the second user identity has been utilized previously; and

if the second user identity has not been utilized previously, creating a new Internet context and setting one or more global pointers to reference the new Internet context stored in new containers and associating the new Internet context with the second user identity.

31. The Internet management object as recited in claim 29, wherein the first Internet context includes first Internet content stored in a memory location and identified in an index record, the index record being identified according to a hash value of a URL associated with the first Internet content.

32. The Internet management object as recited in claim 31, wherein the first Internet content is shared content.

33. The Internet management object as recited in claim 29, wherein the first Internet context includes first Internet content stored in a memory location and identified in an index record, the index record being identified according to a hash value of a URL associated with the first Internet content and a value uniquely associated with the first user identity.

34. The Internet management object as recited in claim 33, wherein the first Internet content is user-specific content.

35. A computer system, comprising:

a registry that includes one or more global pointers that reference one or more containers that store a first user Internet context and a second user Internet context, wherein the first user Internet context and the second user Internet context are each executable to receive Internet content from over an Internet;

an Internet management component that associates a first identifier with the first Internet context and a second identifier with the second Internet context;

wherein the Internet management component is configured to halt processing of the first Internet context and initialize processing by the second Internet context without shutting down other processes when it receives a request to switch from the first user identity to the second user identity.

36. The computer system as recited in claim 35, wherein:

the first Internet context includes first Internet content from a first web page having a first universal resource locator (URL);

one of the global pointers references a first memory location derived by hashing the first URL; and

the Internet management component is further configured to store the first Internet context data in a container referenced by the global pointer that references the first memory location.

37. The computer system as recited in claim 35, wherein:

the first Internet context includes first Internet content from a first web page having a first universal resource locator (URL);

the first user identity is associated with a unique value;

one of the global pointers references a first identity memory location derived by hashing a combination of the first URL and the unique value; and

the Internet management component is further configured to store the first Internet context data in a container referenced by the global pointer that references the first identity memory location.

38. The computer system as recited in claim 35, wherein:

the second Internet context includes second Internet content from a second web page having a second universal resource locator (URL);

one of the global pointers references a second memory location derived by hashing the second URL; and

the Internet management component is further configured to set the global pointer to reference the second memory location.

39. The computer system as recited in claim 35, wherein:

the second Internet context includes second Internet content from a second web page having a second universal resource locator (URL);

the second user identity is associated with a second unique value;

one of the global pointers references a second identity memory location derived by hashing a combination of the second URL and the second unique value; and

the Internet management component is further configured to set the global pointer to reference the second identity memory location.