System and Method for Running a Web-Based Application while Offline

• US 20090259744A1
• Filed: 04/14/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Etelos, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Etelos, Incorporated
• Inventors: Kolke, Daniel J., Baitalmal, Ahmad
• Application Number:
  US12/102,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20090259744A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable

Abstract

A system and a method for executing a web-based application on a client computer system without a network connection to an application server that hosts the web-based application is presented. In these embodiments, the web-based application can provide functionality substantially similar to the functionality of the web-based application when the client computer system has a network connection to the application server. A system and method for synchronizing and resolving conflicts between an online and an offline web-based application is also presented.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing on a computer system a local software stack configured to provide local web services for dynamic, web-based applications that are executed on the computer system when it is offline; and

when the computer system is offline, executing on the computer system a first dynamic, web-based application using the web services provided by the local software stack, such that functionality of the first dynamic, web-based application when the computer system is offline is substantially similar to functionality of the first dynamic, web-based application when the computer system is online.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first web-based application is a database-driven web-based application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein architecture of the first dynamic, web-based application is not modified to provide the functionality when the computer system is offline.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to detecting a network connection with an application server, synchronizing with the application server changes in information associated with the first dynamic, web-based application due to its offline execution.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a user of the computer system initiates execution of the first, dynamic web-based application when the computer system is offline by directing a web browser on the first computer system to a specified universal resource locator (URL) that is associated with the computer system instead of a remote application server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the specified URL is associated with the computer system through a modified hosts file on the first computer system.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the specified URL is associated with the computer system through a modified hosts file on the first computer system.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the specified URL is associated with the first computer system through a dynamic naming server (DNS) record on the first computer system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the local software stack comprises:

a web server responsive to browser-issued commands, a database management system, and a dynamic scripting language.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the web server is Apache web server, the database management system is mySQL, and the dynamic scripting language is at least one of PHP, Python, Perl, or Ruby.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first dynamic, web-based application communicates with the local software stack using TCP/IP.

12. A system, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs stored in the memory, the one or more programs comprising instructions to;

provide on a computer system a local software stack configured to provide local web services for dynamic, web-based applications that are executed on the computer system when it is offline; and

when the computer system is offline, execute on the computer system a first dynamic, web-based application using the web services provided by the local software stack, such that functionality of the first dynamic, web-based application when the computer system is offline is substantially similar to functionality of the first dynamic, web-based application when the computer system is online.

13. A computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs for execution by a computer, the one or more programs comprising instructions to:

provide on a computer system a local software stack configured to provide local web services for dynamic, web-based applications that are executed on the computer system when it is offline; and

when the computer system is offline, execute on the computer system a first dynamic, web-based application using the web services provided by the local software stack, such that functionality of the first dynamic, web-based application when the computer system is offline is substantially similar to functionality of the first dynamic, web-based application when the computer system is online.

14. A method, comprising:

using a dynamic, web-based application configured to interact over a network connection with an application server to provide desired functionality;

disconnecting the network connection from the application server; and

continuing to use the web-based application while still providing the desired functionality.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the dynamic, web-based application is a database-driven web-based application.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein architecture of the dynamic, web-based application is not modified to provide the functionality when the computer system is offline.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

in response to detecting a network connection with an application server, synchronizing with the application server changes in information associated with the dynamic, web-based application due to its offline execution.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein a user of the computer system initiates execution of the dynamic, web-based application when the computer system is offline by directing a web browser on the first computer system to a specified universal resource locator (URL) that is associated with the computer system instead of a remote application server.

19. A system, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs stored in the memory, the one or more programs comprising instructions to;

use a dynamic, web-based application configured to interact over a network connection with an application server to provide desired functionality;

disconnect the network connection from the application server; and

continue to use the web-based application while still providing the desired functionality.

20. A computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs for execution by a computer, the one or more programs comprising instructions to:

use a dynamic, web-based application configured to interact over a network connection with an application server to provide desired functionality;

disconnect the network connection from the application server; and

continue to use the web-based application while still providing the desired functionality.