Communication among browser windows

• US 20050108033A1
• Filed: 01/06/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Everett-Church, Justin Charles
• Granted Patent: US 8,528,003 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]

Abstract

A technique for communicating among browser windows includes communicating between a first browser window and a first plugin file; communicating between the first plugin file and a second plugin file, wherein the second plugin file is associated with a second browser window; and communicating between the second plugin file and the second browser window, and wherein the plugin files function as a communication medium between the first and second browser windows.

Claims

1. A method of communicating among browser windows, comprising:

communicating between a first browser window and a first plugin file;

communicating between the first plugin file and a second plugin file, wherein the second plugin file is associated with a second browser window; and

communicating between the second plugin file and the second browser window;

wherein the plugin files function as a communication medium between the first and second browser windows.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first browser window and second browser window are frames within a browser window.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first browser window or second browser window runs a webpage.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first browser window or second browser window is an instant messenger program.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plugin files are associated with a Flash player.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plugin files are associated with an ActiveX Control.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plugin files are associated with a Java Virtual Machine.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating between a first browser and a first plugin includes calling a function in the first plugin file.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating between a first browser and a first plugin includes passing an argument to the first plugin file.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating between a first browser and a first plugin includes passing an event index to the first plugin file.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein an event index is interpreted by the second browser window.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating between a first browser window and a first plugin file includes calling a function in the first plugin file, wherein a webpage running in the first browser window calls the function.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating between the second plugin file and the second browser includes running JavaScript in the second browser.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating between the second plugin and the second browser includes running the Flash fscommand.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating between a first browser window and a first plugin file includes communicating information associated with shopping.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating between a first browser window and a first plugin file includes communicating information associated with a photo.

17. A system for communicating among browser windows, comprising a processor and memory configured to:

communicate between a first browser window and a first plugin file;

communicate between the first plugin file and a second plugin file, wherein the second plugin file is associated with a second browser window; and

communicate between the second plugin file and the second browser window;

wherein the plugin files function as a communication medium between the first and second browser windows.

18. A computer program product for communicating among browser windows, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

communicating between a first browser window and a first plugin file;

communicating between the first plugin file and a second plugin file, wherein the second plugin file is associated with a second browser window; and

communicating between the second plugin file and the second browser window;

wherein the plugin files function as a communication medium between the first and second browser windows.