COMMUNICATION CHANNEL BETWEEN WEB APPLICATION AND PROCESS OUTSIDE BROWSER

• US 20110138059A1
• Filed: 12/03/2009
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Schleifer, Jason E., Ozzie, Raymond
• Granted Patent: US 9,390,172 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/128 involving web programs, i.e. using technology especially used in internet, generally interacting with a web browser, e.g. hypertext markup language [HTML], applets, java
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45529 Embedded in an application, e.g. JavaScript in a Web browser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed herein for relaying a request to a process running on a computing device from a web client and receiving a response from the process. A bridge message client disposed in a web application, running in a browser on a computer, opens a local connection to a process running outside the browser. The bridge message client comprises a communication channel ID that identifies a communication channel to host the local connection to a bridge server, and a bridge message client ID facilitates communications from the bridge server to the web application. The bridge server is disposed outside of the browser environment, and can receive a request from the bridge message client and forward it to the process, and/or can receive a response to the request from the process and forward it to the bridge message client over the local connection.

Claims

1. A system for relaying a request to a process running on a computing device from a web client and receiving a response from the process, comprising:

a bridge message client component disposed in a web application running in a browser environment on a computing device, configured to open a local connection that connects to a process running outside of the browser environment on the computing device, and comprising;

a communication channel identification configured to identify a communication channel to host the local connection to a bridge server component disposed on the computing device; and

a bridge message client identification that facilitates communications from the bridge server component to the web application; and

the bridge server component disposed outside of the browser environment, and configured to perform one of more of;

receive a request from the bridge message client component and forward it to the process; and

receive a response to the request from the process and forward it to the bridge message client component over the local connection.

2. The system of claim 1, the bridge server component comprising a web relay component configured to perform one of more of:

receive a request from the bridge message client component and forward it to a machine relay component; and

receive a response to the request from the machine relay component and forward it to the bridge message client component over the local connection.

3. The system of claim 1, the bridge server component comprising a machine relay component configured to perform one of more of:

receive a request from a web relay component and forward it to a bridge message server component over a first named communication pipe; and

receive a response to the request from the bridge message server component and forward it to the web relay component.

4. The system of claim 3, the machine relay component disposed in a same domain as a web relay component.

5. The system of claim 1, the bridge server component comprising a bridge message server component configured to perform one of more of:

receive a request from a machine relay component and forward it to the process; and

receive a response to the request from the process and forward it to the machine relay component over a second named communication pipe.

6. The system of claim 1, the bridge server component comprising:

a web relay component configured to perform one of more of;

receive a request from the bridge message client component and forward it to a machine relay component; and

receive a response to the request from the machine relay component and forward it to the bridge message client component over the local connection;

the machine relay component disposed in a same domain as the web relay component, and configured to perform one of more of;

receive the request from the web relay component and forward it to a bridge message server component over a first named communication pipe; and

receive the response to the request from the bridge message server component and forward it to the web relay component; and

the bridge message server component configured to perform one of more of;

receive the request from the machine relay component and forward it to the process; and

receive the response to the request from the process and forward it to the machine relay component over a second named communication pipe.

7. The system of claim 1, the process comprising at least a portion of a program running in a desktop environment of the computing device.

8. The system of claim 1, the communication channel identification comprising a channel name that links the communications channel from the web application to a bridge server component associated with a desired process.

9. The system of claim 1, the bridge message client identification comprising a client name that links the communications channel from the bridge server component associated with the process to a desired web application.

10. The system of claim 1, a web relay component created as an instantiation of a machine relay component in a same domain.

11. The system of claim 1, the bridge server component comprising one of:

a component hosted by an application running on the computing device; and

a component instantiated as a service running on the computing device.

12. The system of claim 1, one or more responses received asynchronously.

13. The system of claim 1, the bridge server component disposed outside of the browser environment on the computing device.

14. A method for relaying a request to a process running on a computing device from a web client and receiving a response from the process, comprising:

providing for a bridge server to be installed on the computing device outside of the browser environment, where the bridge server performs one or more of;

receives a request from a bridge message client over a local connection and forwards it to a process running outside of the browser environment on the computing device; and

receives a response to the request from the process and forwards it to the bridge message client over the local connection;

providing for the bridge message client to be installed in a web application, where the web application is configured to operate in the browser environment on the computing device, the bridge message client performing one or more of;

forwarding a request from the web application to the bridge server over the local connection; and

receiving a response to the request from the bridge server; and

providing for the local connection to be opened over an identified channel between the web application and the process, the local connection comprising a communications link between the bridge message client installed in the web application and the bridge server associated with the process.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising:

providing for the web application to send a request to the process using the bridge message client comprised therein; and

providing for the process to send data to the web application in response to the request using the bridge server linked to the process.

16. The method of claim 14, receiving a request from a bridge message client over a local connection and forwarding it to a process running outside of the browser environment on the computing device comprising:

a web relay disposed outside of the browser environment on the computing device receiving the request from the bridge message client over the local connection and forwarding it to a machine relay disposed in a same domain as the web relay component; and

the machine relay receiving the request from the web relay and forwarding it to a bridge message server over a first named communication pipe.

17. The method of claim 14, receiving a response to the request from the process and forwarding it to the bridge message client over the local connection comprising:

a machine relay, disposed outside of the browser environment in the computing device, receiving the response to the request from a bridge message server over a second named communication pipe and forwarding it to a web relay disposed in a same domain; and

the web relay receiving the response to the request from the machine relay and forwarding it to the bridge message client component over the local connection.

18. The method of claim 14, providing for the local connection to be opened comprising creating a communications link between the browser environment and the desktop environment of the computing device, which allows strings of data to be transferred from the desktop environment to the browser environment.

19. The method of claim 14, comprising providing for merely a bridge message client that originates from a same root domain as the bridge server to communicate with the bridge server.

20. A system for relaying a request to a process running on a computing device from a web client and receiving an asynchronous response from the process, comprising:

a bridge message client component disposed in a web application running in a browser environment on a computing device, configured to open a local connection to a process running outside of the browser environment on the computing device, and comprising;

a communication channel identification configured to identify a communication channel to host the local connection to a bridge server component disposed on the computing device, and comprising a channel name that links the communications channel from the web application to a bridge server component associated with a desired process; and

a bridge message client identification that facilitates communications from the bridge server component to the web application, and comprising a client name that links the communications channel from the bridge server component associated with the process to a desired web application; and

the bridge server component disposed outside of the browser environment, and configured to perform one of more of;

receive a request from the bridge message client component and forward it to the process; and

receive a response to the request from the process and forward it to the bridge message client component over the local connection;

the bridge server component comprising;

a web relay component configured to perform one of more of;

receive a request from the bridge message client component and forward it to a machine relay component; and

receive a response to the request from the machine relay component and forward it to the bridge message client component over the local connection;

the machine relay component disposed in a same domain as the web relay component, and configured to perform one of more of;

receive the request from the web relay component and forward it to a bridge message server component over a first named communication pipe; and

receive the response to the request from the bridge message server component and forward it to the web relay component; and

the bridge message server component configured to perform one of more of;

receive the request from the machine relay component and forward it to the process; and

receive the response to the request from the process and forward it to the machine relay component over a second named communication pipe.