Method and system to provide message communication between different browser based applications running on a desktop

• US 20050055458A1
• Filed: 09/10/2003
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aspect Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Mohan, Prabhuram, Pandurangan, Krishnakumar
• Granted Patent: US 7,519,689 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and system to facilitate the communication of data and/or messages between different Internet domains include, at a first application associated with a first Internet domain, embedding data in an anchor portion of a URL string. The URL string identifies a second Internet domain that is different from the first Internet domain. This URL string is communicated to a second application associated with the second Internet domain. At the second application, the received URL string is parsed, and the relevant data extracted therefrom.

Claims

1. A method to communicate data between different Internet domains, the method including:

at a first application associated with a first Internet domain, embedding the data in an anchor portion of a URL string that identifies a second Internet domain that is different from the first Internet domain;

communicating the URL string to a second application associated with the second Internet domain; and

at the second application, receiving the URL string and extracting the data therefrom,

wherein the receiving of the URL string at the second application does not cause the second application to perform a server access to a server associated with the second domain.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication of the URL string is performed by a client of the first application to the second application, and wherein both the client of the first application and the second application reside on a common machine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second application communicates the data to a third application, associated with the second Internet domain, the third application communicating the data to an application server associated with the second Internet domain.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second application communicates the data to a client of the third application, wherein both the client of the third application and the second application reside on a common machine.

5. The method of claim 1, including embedding an identifier that identifies the second application within the URL string, wherein the first application invokes execution of the second application by communicating the URL string to the server associated with the second domain.

6. The method of claim 1, including communicating a plurality of URL strings to the second application, each of the plurality of URL strings including further data embedded in a respective anchor portion of the URL string.

7. The method of claim 1, including, at the second application, periodically determining whether a new URL string has been received and, if so, extracting further data from an anchor portion of the new URL string.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second application includes client-side executable logic to determine receipt of the new URL string.

9. The method of claim 1, including, at the first application, embedding an identifier for the second application within the URL string, thereby to cause download of the second application from the second Internet domain.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second embedded applications is any one of a Java applet, an ActiveX control, and a Visual Basic control.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second embedded applications is any application that can communicate utilizing Java script.

10. A system to communicate data between different Internet domains, the method including:

a first application, associated with a first Internet domain, to embed the data in an anchor portion of a URL string that identifies a second Internet domain that is different from the first Internet domain, and to communicate the URL string to a second application associated with the second Internet domain; and

the second application to receive the URL string and to extract the data therefrom,

wherein the second application does not perform a server access to a server associated with the second domain responsive to receipt of the URL string.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first application includes a first application client and a first application server, the communication of the URL string being performed by the first application client to the second application, and wherein both the first application client and the second application reside on a common machine.

12. The system of claim 10, including a third application associated with the second Internet domain, wherein the second application is to communicate the data to a third application, and the third application is to communicate the data to an application server associated with the second Internet domain.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second application is to communicate the data to a client of the third application, wherein both the client of the third application and the second application reside on a common machine.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first application is to embed an identifier that identifies the second application within the URL string, and wherein the first application is to invoke execution of the second application by communicating the URL string to the server associated with the second domain.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the first application is to communicate a plurality of URL strings to the second application, each of the plurality of URL strings including further data embedded in a respective anchor portion of the URL string.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the second application is periodically to determine whether a new URL string has been received and, if so, to extract further data from an anchor portion of the new URL string.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the second application includes client-side executable logic to determine receipt of the new URL string.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the first application is to embed an identifier for the second application within the URL string, thereby to cause download of the second application from the second Internet domain.

19. A method to communicate data between different Internet domains, the method including:

downloading a first embedded application from a first Internet domain, the first embedded application being embedded within a browser instance operating as a first client application;

downloading a second embedded application from the first Internet domain, the second embedded application being embedded within a second browser instance operating as a second client application; and

establishing communications between the first and second embedded applications to thereby enable a communication of data between the first client application and the second client application.

22. A method to facilitate the communication of data between different Internet domains, the method including:

configuring first and second embedded applications, retrievable from a first Internet domain, to communicate data to each other;

at a server associated with a first Internet domain, responsive to a request from a first client application associated with the first Internet domain, communicating the first embedded application to the first client application; and

at the server associated with the first Internet domain, responsive to a request from a second client application associated with a second Internet domain, communicating the second embedded application to the second client application.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first client application includes a first script, the first script operationally to issue a first function call to a first function within the first embedded application, the function call including data to be communicated to the second client application.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first embedded application, responsive to the first function call from the first script, issues a second function call to the second embedded application, the second function call including the data to be communicated to the second application.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the second embedded application, responsive to the second function call from the first embedded application, issues a third function call to a second script included within the second client application, the third function call including the data to be communicated to the second application.

26. A system to facilitate communication of data between different Internet domains, the system including:

first and second client applications associated with first and second Internet domains respectively;

a server, associated with a first Internet domain, and;

responsive to a request from the first client application associated with the first Internet domain, to communicate a first embedded application to the first client application; and

responsive to a request from the second client application associated with a second Internet domain, to communicate a second embedded application to the second client application,

wherein the first and second embedded applications, retrievable from a first Internet domain, are configured to communicate data to each other.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the first client application includes a first script, the first script operationally to issue a first function call to a first function within the first embedded application, the function call including data to be communicated to the second client application.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the first embedded application, responsive to the first function call from the first script, is to issue a second function call to the second embedded application, the second function call including the data to be communicated to the second application.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the second embedded application, responsive to the second function call from the first embedded application, is to issue a third function call to a second script included within the second client application, the third function call including the data to be communicated to the second application.

30. A system to communicate data between different Internet domains, the system including:

first means, associated with a first Internet domain, for embedding the data in an anchor portion of a URL string that identifies a second Internet domain that is different from the first Internet domain, and for communicating the URL string to second means associated with the second Internet domain; and

the second means for receiving the URL string and for extracting the data therefrom,

wherein the second means does not perform a server access to a server associated with the second domain responsive to receipt of the URL string.

31. A system to facilitate communication of data between different Internet domains, the system including:

first and second means associated with first and second Internet domains respectively;

third means associated with a first Internet domain;

responsive to a request from the first means associated with the first Internet domain, for communicating a first embedded application to the first means; and

responsive to a request from the second means associated with a second Internet domain, for communicating a second embedded application to the second means,

wherein the first and second means are retrievable from a first Internet domain, and are configured to communicate data to each other.

32. A machine-readable medium storing a set of instructions, executable by a machine, to cause the machine to communicate data between different Internet domains utilizing a method, the method including:

at a first application associated with a first Internet domain, embedding the data in an anchor portion of a URL string that identifies a second Internet domain that is different from the first Internet domain;

communicating the URL string to a second application associated with the second Internet domain; and

at the second application, receiving the URL string and extracting the data therefrom,

wherein the receiving of the URL string at the second application does not cause the second application to perform a server access to a server associated with the second domain.

33. A machine-readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by machine, cause the machine to facilitate the communication of data between different Internet domains utilizing a method, the method including:

configuring first and second embedded applications, retrievable from a first Internet domain, to communicate data to each other;

at a server associated with a first Internet domain, responsive to a request from a first client application associated with the first Internet domain, communicating the first embedded application to the first client application; and

at the server associated with the first Internet domain, responsive to a request from a second client application associated with a second Internet domain, communicating the second embedded application to the second client application.