Method and system for communicating and exchanging data between browser frames

• US 20060053224A1
• Filed: 09/07/2004
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Routeone LLC
• Original Assignee: Routeone LLC A Michigan Limited Liability Company
• Inventors: Subramaniam, Taruvai N.
• Granted Patent: US 7,979,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers

Abstract

Browser frames residing on different domain servers may exchange information indirectly without compromising security that ordinary restricts frame to frame communication. The first browser frame causes the browser to generate a notification of a change of state of the browser frame. The browser sends the notification, together with data values from the content of the first browser frame, to a domain server that hosts the second frame. The server software running on the domain server receives and interprets the notification and data values, and updates the content of the second frame according to the interpretation. The domain server then sends the updated content back to the browser that issued the notification. The browser displays the updated content in the area allocated to the second frame.

Claims

1. A method for communicating between browser frames, wherein said browser frames are part of one frameset element served by a first domain server, and wherein at least one of said browser frames is served by a second domain server different from the first domain server, said method comprising:

generating a notification of a change of state of a first browser frame served by one of said first and second domain servers, said notification comprising a URL call to an address on another of said first and second domain servers; and

interpreting said notification on said another of said first and second domain servers; and

causing a change of state of a second browser frame served by said another of said first and second domain servers in accordance with said interpretation of said notification on said another of said first and second domain servers.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein communicating comprises causing a change of state of said second browser frame based on said change of state of said first browser frame.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said change of state of said second browser frame comprises change of displayed content in said second browser frame.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said change of state of said second browser frame comprises occurrence of an action in said second browser frame.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said change of state of said second browser frame comprises generation of an event in said second browser frame.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said change of state of said first browser frame comprises change of displayed content in said first browser frame.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said change of state of said second browser frame comprises an action occurring in said second browser frame.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said change of state of said first browser frame comprises an occurrence of an event in said first browser frame.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said notification of change of state of said first browser frame comprises a URL call to a browser page on said another of said first and second domain servers, which serves said second browser frame.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said browser page is a blank page.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said browser page generates an event in said second browser frame and reloads said first browser frame.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein:

a third browser frame is part of said frameset element; and

wherein;

said notification of change of state of said first browser frame comprises;

causing said third browser frame to trigger a URL call to a browser page on said another of said first and second domain servers which serves said second browser frame; and

loading said browser page in said third browser frame.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said third browser frame is a hidden browser frame.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said notification is a command in logic of said frameset element indicating an address of said second browser frame.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said notification comprises:

calling an intermediate portion of software logic;

selecting a type of notification depending on a type of said change of state of said first browser frame; and

initiating a command in logic of said frameset element depending on said selection, said command indicating a content address of said second browser frame.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said command in said logic of said frameset element is an assignment of a location property of said second browser frame.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said URL call includes parameters representing values of data in said first browser frame.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein said URL call includes parameters representing a state of said first browser frame.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein said interpreting comprises manipulating parameters of said URL call on said another of said first and second domain servers and changing stored content for said second browser frame in accordance with said parameter values and according to predetermined logic on said another of said first and second domain servers.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein causing a change of state of said second browser frame comprises a display refresh of said second browser frame from said frameset element.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein said causing a change of state of said second browser frame comprises:

calling, from said first browser frame, an intermediate browser page that is served from said another of said first and second domain servers; and

generating an event in said second browser frame from said intermediate browser page.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising reloading said first browser frame after generating an event in said second browser frame.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein:

a third browser frame is part of said frameset element; and

said calling further comprises causing said intermediate browser page to load in said third browser frame.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein said third browser frame is a hidden browser frame.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein said frames and said frameset element are programmed using HTML.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein said notification is programmed using Jscript™

.

27. A system allowing communication between browser frames, wherein said browser frames are part of one frameset element served by a first domain server, and wherein at least one of said browser frames is served by a second domain server different from the first domain server, said system comprising:

a user-viewable interface device in communication with said first and second domain servers for displaying said browser frames, said interface device running software comprising;

frameset element logic that controls properties of said browser frames, and that causes display of content of said browser frames on said interface device; and

a portion of software logic adapted for execution upon a change of state of said first browser frame served by one of said first and second domain servers, and for delivering a notification of said change of state to another of said first and second domain servers;

wherein;

said another of said first and second domain servers is adapted to receive and interpret said notification, to update the content of said second frame according to said notification, and to return said updated content to said frameset.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein communication comprises causing a change of state of said second browser frame based on said change of state of said first browser frame.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein said change of state of said second browser frame comprises a change of displayed content in said second browser frame.

30. The system of claim 27 wherein said change of state of said second browser frame comprises occurrence of an action in said second browser frame.

31. The system of claim 27 wherein said change of state of said second browser frame comprises generation of an event in said second browser frame.

32. The system of claim 27 wherein said change of state of said first browser frame comprises a change of displayed content in said first browser frame.

33. The system of claim 27 wherein said change of state of said first browser frame comprises an action occurring in said first browser frame.

34. The system of claim 27 wherein said change of state of said first browser frame comprises an occurrence of an event in said first browser frame.

35. The system of claim 27 wherein said portion of software logic comprises a URL call to a browser page on said another of said first and second domain servers, which serves said second browser frame.

36. The system of claim 35 further comprising:

a third browser frame that is part of said frameset element;

wherein;

said portion of software logic further comprises software commands causing said browser page to load in said third browser frame.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein said third browser frame is a hidden frame.

38. The system of claim 35 wherein said browser page is a blank page.

39. The system of claim 35 wherein said browser page generates an event in said second browser frame and reloads said first browser frame.

40. The system of claim 27 wherein said portion of software logic comprises a command in logic of said frameset element indicating an address of said second browser frame.

41. The system of claim 27 wherein said portion of software logic comprises a dispatcher function running logic comprising:

selecting a type of notification depending on the type of said change of state of said first browser frame; and

sending said notification to said another of said first and second domain servers by executing a command pointing to a content address of said second browser frame.

42. The system of claim 27 wherein said URL call includes parameters representing values of data in content of said first browser frame.

43. The system of claim 27 wherein said another of said first and second domain servers performs said receiving and interpreting by:

manipulating the parameters of said notification on said another of said first and second domain servers; and

changing the stored content for said second browser frame in accordance with said parameter values and according to predetermined logic on said another of said first and second domain servers.