Dynamic web session clean-up

• US 20130246630A1
• Filed: 03/14/2012
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Exton, Scott Anthony, Robinson, Keiran, Sedgmen, John, Straubinger, Ben Lyle
• Granted Patent: US 9,930,093 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/143 Termination or inactivation of sessions, e.g. event-controlled end of session

Abstract

A “sign-off” cookie is generated and stored upon initiation of a web session between a client and a web application executing on a server. The sign-off cookie preferably comprises both an identifier for the session (a “session ID”) together with an identifier (such as a URL) for a sign-off resource (associated with a sign-off mechanism) that can be used to clean-up the web session following its termination. The sign-off cookie may be returned to the client and/or retained within a proxy. Upon termination of the web session, the URL in the sign-off cookie is used to initiate a request to the sign-off mechanism to clean-up the web session. This approach provides for dynamic web session clean-up without requiring any pre-configuration of the sign-off mechanism.

Claims

1. A method for dynamic web session clean-up, the method comprising:

storing a cookie in a data store, the cookie having been generated in response to initiation of a web session between a client and an application, the cookie including an identifier of a sign-off resource to be used to clean-up the web session upon termination of the web session;

responsive to receipt of a request to terminate a web session, determining whether any cookie in the data store includes an identifier for a sign-off resource; and

for any cookie that includes an identifier for a sign-off resource identifier, using the identifier to initiate a clean-up request to the sign-off resource.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the cookie also includes a session identifier.

3. The method as described in claim 2 wherein the cookie including the session identifier and the identifier of the sign-off resource is generated by the application.

4. The method as described in claim 2 further including providing the cookie to the client.

5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the cookie is stored in a cache associated with one of:

the client, and a proxy.

6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the identifier of the sign-off resource is stored in a value field of the cookie.

7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the method further includes URI-encoding into XML a session identifier for the web session and a URL, the URL being the identifier of the sign-off resource.

8. Apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a data store;

computer memory holding computer program instructions that when executed by the processor perform a method for dynamic web session clean-up, the method comprising;

storing a cookie in the data store, the cookie having been generated in response to initiation of a web session between a client and an application, the cookie including an identifier of a sign-off resource to be used to clean-up the web session upon termination of the web session;

responsive to receipt of a request to terminate a web session, determining whether any cookie in the data store includes an identifier for a sign-off resource; and

for any cookie that includes an identifier for a sign-off resource identifier, using the identifier to initiate a clean-up request to the sign-off resource.

9. The apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein the cookie also includes a session identifier.

10. The apparatus as described in claim 9 wherein the cookie including the session identifier and the identifier of the sign-off resource is generated by the application.

11. The apparatus as described in claim 9 wherein the method further includes providing the cookie to the client.

12. The apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein the identifier of the sign-off resource is stored in a value field of the cookie.

13. The apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein the method further includes URI-encoding into XML a session identifier for the web session and a URL, the URL being the identifier of the sign-off resource.

14. A computer program product in a computer readable storage medium for use in a data processing system, the computer program product holding computer program instructions which, when executed by the data processing system, perform a method comprising:

storing a cookie, the cookie having been generated in response to initiation of a web session between a client and an application, the cookie including an identifier of a sign-off resource to be used to clean-up the web session upon termination of the web session;

responsive to a request to terminate a web session, retrieving the cookie and

causing a clean-up request to the sent to the sign-off resource, the clean-up request including the cookie.

15. The computer program product as described in claim 14 wherein the storing, retrieving and causing steps are implemented in a client script.

16. The computer program product as described in claim 14 wherein the cookie also includes a session identifier.

17. The computer program product as described in claim 16 wherein the cookie including the session identifier and the identifier of the sign-off resource is generated by the application.

18. The computer program product as described in claim 14 wherein the cookie is stored in a cache associated with one of:

the client, and a proxy.

19. The computer program product as described in claim 14 wherein the identifier of the sign-off resource is stored in a value field of the cookie.

20. The computer program product as described in claim 14 wherein the method further includes URI-encoding into XML a session identifier for the web session and a URL, the URL being the identifier of the sign-off resource.