Methods and Systems for Switching Between Software Applications

• US 20140280486A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gordon E. Seay
• Original Assignee: Gordon E. Seay
• Inventors: Seay, Gordon E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,888,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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

Abstract

Methods and systems relating to hosted applications, some examples of systems including storage units including computer executable code associated with a plurality of applications, data memories, wherein one or more of the applications include computer executable code configured to store previous location data associated with a saved location within the application, retrieve the previous location data, and direct the client computer to the saved location. Some examples of methods include transferring computer executable instructions associated with first applications to client computers, receiving requests from users to execute second applications, storing previous location data associated with saved locations within the first applications, transferring computer executable instructions associated with second applications to client computers, receiving a request from users to execute first applications, and transferring computer executable instructions associated with the first application to the client computer, including directing the client computer to saved locations associated with previous location data.

Claims

1. A networked application system, comprising:

a network connected application server including a storage unit;

a plurality of applications including an application; and

a state data memory unit;

wherein the application includes computer executable code configured to;

store location data associated with a saved location within the application; and

retrieve the location data; and

direct a client computer in network communication with the application server to the saved location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the network connected application server is configured to store the plurality of applications including the application;

wherein the application server is configured to transfer the application in the plurality of applications to the client computer; and

the location data defines previous location data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the application includes processor executable code configured to store the previous location data automatically upon a user navigating away from the application, the previous location data associated with a departing page to which the client computer was pointed immediately prior to navigating away from the application.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the application defines a first application;

a second application in the plurality of applications includes processor executable code configured to direct the client computer to the first application; and

the first application includes processor executable code configured to direct the client computer to the saved location in response to the second application directing the client computer to the first application.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the application includes browser executable code configured to display a user interface within a web browser operating on the client computer.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the browser executable code includes a plurality of browser executable pages; and

the previous location data includes an address pointing the client computer to the browser executable page of the application to which the client computer was pointed prior to the client computer navigating away from the application.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the application defines a first application; and

wherein the first application includes computer executable code configured to store, in the state data memory unit, first application state data associated with the first application;

wherein a second application in the plurality of applications includes processor executable code configured to;

retrieve the first application state data from the state data memory unit; and

display on the client computer an output that incorporates the first application state data.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the application defines a first application;

the first application is displayed in a browser instance of a web browser operated on the client computer and the first application includes computer executable code to instruct the web browser to display a second application in the plurality of applications in the browser instance.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the application defines a first application;

the first application references computer executable code configured to;

display, on the client computer, an application switching element, the application switching element including a visual representation of each application in the plurality of applications; and

direct the client computer to a second application in response to a user selecting the visual representation of the second application.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first application includes computer executable code for automatically storing the previous location data associated with the first application in response to the user selecting the visual representation of the second application.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second application includes computer executable code configured to:

display, on the client computer, the application switching element; and

direct the client computer to the first application in response to the user selecting the visual representation of the first application in the application switching element;

wherein the first application includes computer executable instructions configured to automatically direct the client computer to the saved location after the second application directs the client computer to the first application.

12. The system of claim 2, wherein each application in the plurality of applications references a framework that is substantially consistent among the plurality of applications, the framework including:

a state data management module configured to store and retrieve state data associated with a given application in the plurality of applications; and

a framework interface module configured to display an application switching element in the given application.

13. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the application defines a first application;

the first application is accessible at a first application address that resolves from a first subdomain of a primary domain; and

a second application in the plurality of applications is accessible at a second application address that resolves from a second subdomain of the primary domain.

14. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the application defines a first application;

each application in the plurality of applications references computer executable instructions associated with a state data management module, wherein;

the state data management module, when referenced by the first application, is configured to store state data in a storage location accessible to a second application and to store state data in a storage format readable by the second application; and

the state data management module, when referenced by the second application, is configured to retrieve the state data stored by the first application and incorporate the state data into the second application.

15. The system of claim 2, wherein the state data memory unit stores global state data accessible to every application in the plurality of applications.

16. A method for switching between applications executing within a client-server network including an application server and at least one client computer in data communication with the application server, the application server having a processor and a memory, comprising the steps of:

transferring computer executable instructions associated with a first application to the client computer;

receiving a request from a user to execute a second application;

storing previous location data associated with a saved location within the first application to which the first application was pointed prior to receiving the request from the user to execute the second application;

transferring computer executable instructions associated with the second application to the client computer;

receiving a request from the user to execute the first application; and

transferring computer executable instructions associated with the first application to the client computer, including directing the client computer to the saved location within the first application associated with the previous location data.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

storing state data associated with the first application; and

incorporating a portion of the state data associated with the first application in a display produced by the second application.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the previous location data is associated with a departing location within the application to which the client computer is pointed immediately prior to receiving the request to execute the second application.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying an application selection switching element on the client computer configured to execute the second application in response to the user selecting the second application with the application selection switching element;

transferring computer executable code associated with the second application from the application server to the client computer in response to the user selecting the second application in the application selection switching element; and

storing previous location data associated with the first application in response to the user selecting the second application in the application selection switching element.

20. A networked application system, comprising:

a network connected application server including;

a storage unit storing a plurality of hosted applications, the server being configured to;

at least partially execute the hosted applications with a processor;

transfer the hosted applications to a client computer in network communication with the application server; and

store data entered by a user in the hosted applications on the client computer in the storage unit,

a state data memory unit;

wherein a hosted application in the plurality of hosted applications includes processor executable code configured to;

store state data associated with the application including previous location data in the state data memory unit, the previous location data being associated with a saved location within the hosted application;

retrieve the previous location data; and

direct the client computer to the saved location after the client computer navigates to the hosted application.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein each hosted application is configured to display an interface within a web browser being operated on the client computer.