Method and system for retrieval and usage of remote entry points

• US 20060031383A1
• Filed: 04/27/2004
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Gautier, Patrice, Robbin, Jeffrey L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,480,700 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A method for communicating between a client application and one or more servers is disclosed. In one embodiment, it is first determined whether a particular client application operation is the type of operation that requires a remote entry point. If a remote entry point is needed, the client application obtains a remote entry point file from a remote server computer and retrieves the remote entry point required by the client application operation such that it can direct the operation to the proper remote server.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for communicating between a client application operating on a client computer and a plurality of server computers, comprising:

determining if a client application operation requires a remote entry point;

obtaining, at the client computer, a set of remote entry points for at least one remote server computer;

retrieving a particular remote entry point from the set of remote entry points, the particular remote entry point being associated with the client application operation; and

directing the client application operation to the remote server in accordance with the particular remote entry point.

2. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said obtaining comprises:

requesting the set of remote entry points from a remote server computer; and

receiving the set of remote entry points from the remote server computer.

3. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 2, wherein said obtaining further comprises:

storing the set of remote entry points on the client computer.

4. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 3, wherein said storing operates to store the set of remote entry points in volatile memory at the client computer.

5. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 4, wherein said obtaining further comprises:

determining whether the set of remote entry points is already stored in the volatile memory at the client computer; and

receiving the set of remote entry points from the volatile memory at the client computer when said determining determines that the set of remote entry points is already stored in the volatile memory at the client computer.

6. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said obtaining further comprises:

determining whether the set of remote entry points is already stored at the client computer and is valid; and

receiving the set of remote entry points from the client computer when said determining determines that the set of remote entry points is already stored and is valid at the client computer.

7. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the set of remote entry points is provided as an entry point file.

8. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the set of remote entry points includes at least a list of URLs.

9. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the client application operation is a secure operation.

10. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 9, wherein at least one of the remote entry points within the set of remote entry points is a secure remote entry point.

11. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the client application is a media management application.

12. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said retrieving comprises:

searching through the set of remote entry points to locate the particular remote entry point that has an attribute that matches the client application operation; and

retrieving the particular remote entry point that has been identified by said searching.

13. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 12, wherein said searching uses text string matching to locate the particular remote entry point.

14. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 12, wherein the set of remote entry points is provided as an entry point file.

15. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14, wherein the client application is a media management application.

16. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 15, wherein the set of remote entry points includes at least a list of URLs.

17. A computer-implemented method for delivering a set of remote entry points from a server computer to a client computer, comprising:

receiving, at the server computer, a request from a client computer for a set of remote entry points;

retrieving, at the server computer, the set of remote entry points; and

transmitting the set of remote entry points to the client computer.

18. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 17, wherein the client computer operates a media management application that utilizes the set of remote entry points to interact with one or more server computers.

19. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 18, wherein the set of remote entry points includes at least a list of URLs.

20. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 17, wherein said retrieving comprises dynamically generating the set of remote entry points at the server computer upon receiving the request for the set of remote entry points.

21. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 17, wherein the set of remote entry points is provided as an entry point file.

22. A system for communicating between a client computer and a plurality of server computers, comprising:

a client computer including at least a processor, volatile memory and a storage disk drive; and

a plurality of server computers,

wherein said client computer can communicate with said server computer via a data network

wherein said client computer performs a client application and in doing so said processor executed computer program code, said computer program code includes at least;

determining if a client application operation requires a remote entry point;

obtaining, at said client computer, a set of remote entry points for at least one remote server computer;

retrieving a particular remote entry point from the set of remote entry points, the particular remote entry point being associated with the client application operation; and

directing the client application operation to the remote server in accordance with the particular remote entry point.

23. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein the set of remote entry points is stored at said client computer only in the volatile memory.

24. A computer readable medium, comprising:

computer code for receiving, at a server computer, a request from a client computer for at least one remote entry point;

computer code for retrieving, at the server computer, the set of at least one remote entry point; and

computer code for transmitting the at least one remote entry point to the requesting client computer.

25. A computer readable medium including at least computer program code for communicating between a client application operating on a client computer and a plurality of server computers, said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for determining if a client application operation requires a remote entry point;

computer program code for obtaining a set of remote entry points for at least one remote server computer;

computer program code for retrieving a particular remote entry point from the set of remote entry points, the particular remote entry point being associated with the client application operation; and

computer program code for directing the client application operation to the remote server in accordance with the particular remote entry point.

26. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 25, wherein the client application is a media management application.

27. A computer-implemented method for communicating between a client application operating on a client computer and a plurality of remote server computers, comprising:

determining if a client application operation requires a remote entry point;

determining whether the client application operation requires a secure entry point;

when it is determine that the client application operation requires a remote entry point and it is determined that a secure entry point is not required, then;

requesting the non-secure entry point file from a remote server computer;

receiving the non-secure entry point file from the remote server computer;

storing the non-secure entry point file on the client computer;

when it is determine that the client application operation requires a remote entry point and it is determined that a secure entry point is required, then;

requesting the secure entry point file from a remote server computer;

receiving the secure entry point file from the remote server computer; and

storing the secure entry point file on the client computer.

28. A computer-implemented method of claim 27, further comprising:

accessing the stored secure or non-secure remote entry point file;

retrieving the remote entry point associated with the client application operation; and

directing the client application operation to a remote server computer in accordance with the remote entry point.