Method and system for session sharing

• US 20050138122A1
• Filed: 09/16/2004
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GOTO Group Incorporated (LogMeIn, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fischer, Peter, Schulz, Sven, Koziolek, Heiko, Maurer, Uwe, Boehringer, Jochen
• Granted Patent: US 7,441,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/15 Synchronised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2147 Locking files
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for session sharing that allows multiple authorized users (e.g., assistants) to access the same session and synchronize the browser views, when the current state changes. Through the use of use of session sharing, it is ensured that all users work on the same data and have the same Web side state. The Client side is kept in synchronization through the use of a publisher-subscriber model that initiates an update of all connected Clients when a state change occurs. These functionalities of the present invention ensure that all participating users can work together and can share the same state both on server and Client side.

Claims

1. A method for sharing session data, comprising:

sending a request from a first user to a web application;

sending session data and an information element from the web application to the first user;

actuating the information element to send a session sharing request to the web application, wherein the session sharing request includes at least a session ID of the first user;

sending at least the session ID of the first user and a universal resource locator (URL) of the web application to a second user who is allowed to share the session data;

sending a session sharing request from the second user to the web application, wherein the session sharing request from the second user includes at least the session ID of the first user;

assigning the session data to the second user, and sending the session data to the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said information element comprises a graphical user interface, and wherein said graphical user interface includes a link for automatically generating the session sharing request from the first user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each additional session sharing request for existing session data further comprises:

automatically dispatching each additional session sharing request to the second user;

automatically receiving a session sharing request from the second user, wherein the session sharing request contains information included in the additional session sharing request; and

sending data generated by the additional session sharing request to the first and second users.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each additional session sharing request is generated by clicking a link in the session data, and wherein clicking of the link automatically causes the link to blink and causes the link to blink in the session data provided to the first and second users.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user is authenticated by a login procedure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein communication between the first user, the second user, and the web application is encrypted.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the web application comprises a portal application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second users share the session data using a client-server architecture.

9. A system for sharing session data, comprising:

a system for sending a request from a first user to a web application;

a system for sending session data and an information element from the web application to the first user;

a system for actuating the information element to send a session sharing request to the web application, wherein the session sharing request includes at least a session ID of the first user;

a system for sending at least the session ID of the first user and a universal resource locator (URL) of the web application to a second user who is allowed to share the session data;

a system for sending a session sharing request from the second user to the web application, wherein the session sharing request from the second user includes at least the session ID of the first user;

a system for assigning the session data to the second user, and

a system for sending the session data to the second user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said information element comprises a graphical user interface, and wherein said graphical user interface includes a link for automatically generating the session sharing request from the first user.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a system for automatically dispatching an additional session sharing request to the second user;

a system for automatically receiving a session sharing request from the second user, wherein the session sharing request contains information included in the additional session sharing request; and

a system for sending data generated by the additional session sharing request to the first and second users.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the additional session sharing request is generated by clicking a link in the session data, and wherein clicking of the link automatically causes the link to blink and causes the link to blink in the session data provided to the first and second users.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising a system for authenticating the second user using a login procedure.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising a system for encrypting communication between the first user, the second user, and the web application.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the web application comprises a portal application.

16. The system of claim 9, further comprising a client-server architecture for sharing the session data between the first and second users.

17. A program product stored on a recordable medium for sharing session data, which when executed comprises:

program code for sending a request from a first user to a web application;

program code for sending session data and an information element from the web application to the first user;

program code for sending a session sharing request to the web application in response to an actuation of the information element, wherein the session sharing request includes at least a session ID of the first user;

program code for sending at least the session ID of the first user and a universal resource locator (URL) of the web application to a second user who is allowed to share the session data;

program code for sending a session sharing request from the second user to the web application, wherein the session sharing request from the second user includes at least the session ID of the first user;

program code for assigning the session data to the second user, and

program code for sending the session data to the second user.

18. The program product of claim 17, wherein said information element comprises a graphical user interface, and wherein said graphical user interface includes a link for automatically generating the session sharing request from the first user.

19. The program product of claim 17, further comprising:

program code for automatically dispatching an additional session sharing request to the second user;

program code for automatically receiving a session sharing request from second first user, wherein the session sharing request contains information included in the additional session sharing request; and

program code for sending data generated by the additional session sharing request to the first and second users.

20. The program product of claim 19, wherein each additional session sharing request is generated by clicking a link in the session data, and wherein clicking of the link automatically causes the link to blink and causes the link to blink in the session data provided to the first and second users.

21. The program product of claim 17, further comprising program code for authenticating the second user using a login procedure.

22. The program product of claim 17, further comprising program code for encrypting communication between the first user, the second user, and the web application.

23. The program product of claim 17, wherein the web application comprises a portal application.

24. The program product of claim 17, wherein the first and second users share the session data using a client-server architecture.

25. A method for deploying an application for sharing session data, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

send a request from a first user to a web application;

send session data and an information element from the web application to the first user;

actuate the information element to send a session sharing request to the web application, wherein the session sharing request includes at least a session ID of the first user;

send at least the session ID of the first user and a universal resource locator (URL) of the web application to a second user who is allowed to share the session data;

send a session sharing request from the second user to the web application, wherein the session sharing request from the second user includes at least the session ID of the first user;

assign the session data to the second user, and

send the session data to the second user.

26. Computer software embodied in a propagated signal for sharing session data, the computer software comprising instructions to cause a computer system to perform the following functions:

send a request from a first user to a web application;

send session data and an information element from the web application to the first user;

actuate the information element to send a session sharing request to the web application, wherein the session sharing request includes at least a session ID of the first user;

send at least the session ID of the first user and a universal resource locator (URL) of the web application to a second user who is allowed to share the session data;

send a session sharing request from the second user to the web application, wherein the session sharing request from the second user includes at least the session ID of the first user;

assign the session data to the second user, and

send the session data to the second user.