METHOD FOR SERVIING THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS FROM SERVERS TO CLIENT COMPUTERS

• US 20080189361A1
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Softricity (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Schaefer, Stuart, Greschler, David M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An application serving system is disclosed that comprises a target client computer that connects to a server system and subscribing institution host Web Server, over a network. Both the client computer Web server and server system implement a network protocol layer to communicate across the network. In a preferred embodiment, network is the Internet, or other public or private network, and the network protocol layers are implemented on top of TCP/IP or UDP/IP. Other network configurations and network protocols layers, however, could be implemented in place or in addition to the Internet such as wireless CDPD, GPRS, or other networks. The target, client computer is preferably a PC.

Claims

1-28. -28. (canceled)

29. A method for serving an application over a network, the method comprising:

receiving a first request having a session identifier and a requested application identifier corresponding to the application, wherein the application is designed to run directly on an operating system;

accessing a user database to authenticate the first request associated with the session identifier;

accessing an application database to determine characteristics of the application based on the received application identifier;

selecting a host to serve the application at least partially based on the determined characteristics of the application;

sending an application descriptor to a client computer, wherein the application descriptor includes an identity of the host;

receiving a second request at the host for the application; and

sending a subset of instructions of the application to the client computer for execution.