SYSTEM AND METHOD TO TRANSFORM RESULTS OF CLIENT REQUESTS USING CLIENT UPLOADED PRESENTATION FORMATS

• US 20120192062A1
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Ahmed, Zahid N., Avalani, Bhaven, Zhu, Changyi, Nikolaev, Sergei
• Granted Patent: US 9,081,867 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/236
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]

Abstract

Method and apparatus to facilitate access to a network-based publication system. In an embodiment, a user or third party affiliate of a network-based publication system uploads a style sheet or other presentation format file to a database in the network-based publication system. Thereafter, the user or third party affiliate sends a request to the network-based publication system, and the publication system uses one or more of the uploaded style sheets to format the response to be transmitted back to the third party affiliate.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving from a client or a user a presentation format to a database on a network-based publication system;

storing the presentation format in the database;

using the presentation format to transform a test document;

marking the presentation format as active when the test document is transformed;

receiving from the client or the user a request to said network-based publication system; and

formatting a response to said request on the network-based publication system in a readily displayable format using said received presentation format when said presentation format is marked as active.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said presentation format is selected from the group consisting of an eXtensible Style Language (XSL) document and a Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) document.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said network-based publication system is one or more of a network based commerce system and an online auction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said request is received at said network-based publication system via an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) document over Hyper Text Transmission Protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said network-based publication system checks the syntax of said presentation format.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said presentation format comprises an eXtensible Style Language (XSL) document, and said test documents comprise eXtensible Markup Language (XML) documents.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein

said network-based publication system creates a process to transform said request into said response using said active presentation format;

said network-based publication system sets a threshold for said process; and

said network-based publication system terminates said process if said process fails to complete said transformation within said threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said request comprises a command to access information on said network-based publication system and a key to identify said presentation format for said response.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the readily displayable format comprises a hyper text markup language (HTML) document.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the test document comprises an XML document and the XML document is transformed into another XML document or an HTML document.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a duration of time that it takes to transform the test document using the presentation format is examined to verify that the transformation does not take an indefinite time period.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising maintaining a transformation timeout history for a presentation format.

13. A system comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to said memory; and

instructions for execution in said processor to implement a network-based publication system;

wherein said network-based publication system comprises a database of style sheets uploaded from a client or a user of the network-based publication system;

wherein said processor is configured to test said style sheets against a test document;

wherein the processor is configured to mark the style sheets are active when the test is successful;

wherein said processor is configured to receive from the client or the user a request; and

wherein said processor is configured to format a response to said request using one or more active style sheets.

14. The system of claim 13, comprising a first user interface for uploading said style sheets to said network-based publication system.

15. The system of claim 14, comprising a second user interface to receive a request from a user, said request comprising a command to access information in said network-based publication system and a key to identify said style sheets in said database.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein said style sheets comprise eXtensible Style Language (XSL) documents, and said test document comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML) documents.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said second user interface comprises a Representational State Transfer Application Program Interface.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein each of said style sheets comprises an identifier, a creation timestamp, a last accessed timestamp, a deleted timestamp, and a transformation timeout history.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein said processor is configured to:

verify a syntax of said style sheets; and

verify an absence of malicious code in said style sheets.

20. A machine readable medium comprising instructions for executing a process comprising:

receiving from a client or a user a presentation format into a database on a network-based publication system;

storing the presentation format in the database;

using the presentation format to transform a test document;

marking the presentation format as active when the test document is transformed;

receiving from the client or the user a request to said network-based publication system; and

formatting a response to said request using said active presentation format.

21. A network-based system comprising:

an interface configured to receive a client or a user uploaded presentation format to a database on a network-based publication system, and to receive from the client or the user a request to said network-based publication system;

a processor configured to use the presentation format to transform a test document;

a processor configured to mark the presentation format as active when the test document is transformed; and

a formatting processor to format a response to said request using the active presentation format.

22. The network-based system of claim 21, wherein said network-based system comprises an online auction.

23. The network-based system of claim 21, wherein said network-based system checks the syntax of said presentation format.

24. The network-based system of claim 21, wherein said network-based system checks said presentation format for malicious code.

25. The network-based system of claim 21, wherein

said network-based system creates a process to transform said request into said response using said presentation format;

said network-based system sets a threshold for said process; and

said network-based system terminates said process if said process fails to complete said transformation within said threshold.

26. The network-based system of claim 21, wherein said request comprises a command to access information on said network-based system and a key to identify said presentation format for said response.

27. A network-based system comprising:

first means for receiving a client or a user uploaded presentation format to a database on a network-based publication system, and for receiving from the client or the user a request to said network-based publication system;

second means for using the presentation format to transform a test document;

third means for marking the presentation format as active when the test document is transformed; and

fourth means for formatting a response to said request using said active presentation format.

28. A system comprising a computer processor configured to:

receive from a client or a user a presentation format to a database on a network-based publication system;

store the presentation format in the database;

use the presentation format to transform a test document;

mark the presentation format as active when the test document is transformed;

receive from the client or the user a request to said network-based publication system; and

format a response to said request on the network-based publication system in a readily displayable format using said received presentation format when said presentation format is marked as active.

29. A system comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to said memory; and

instructions for execution in said processor to implement a network-based commerce system;

wherein said network-based commerce system comprises a database of style sheets uploaded from a client or a user of the network-based commerce system; and

wherein said processor is configured to format a response to said request using one or more style sheets.

30. A method comprising:

receiving a presentation format to a database on a network-based commerce system;

receiving a request to said network-based commerce system; and

formatting a response to said request using said received presentation format.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said network-based publication system comprises one or more of a network based commerce system and an online auction.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said network-based commerce system checks the syntax of said presentation format.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein said network-based commerce system checks said presentation format for malicious code.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein said network-based commerce system tests said presentation format against a test data document.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein

said network-based commerce system creates a process to transform said request into said response using said presentation format;

said network-based commerce system sets a threshold for said process; and

said network-based commerce system terminates said process if said process fails to complete said transformation within said threshold.