COMMUNICATION BETWEEN FRAMES OF A WEB BROWSER

• US 20150350253A1
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Livestax Limited
• Original Assignee: Livestax Limited
• Inventors: Alderson, Ross, Brown, Philip
• Granted Patent: US 10,356,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• 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

There is provided a method and apparatus of providing communication between frames of a web browser which is arranged to enforce a same origin security policy for communication between frames. The method comprises, receiving a hub document of a hub origin into a hub frame of the web browser. Receiving a first application document of a first application origin into a first application frame of the web browser, the first application origin being different to the hub origin.

Communicating between the hub document and the first application document within the web browser using a cross origin communication mechanism.

Claims

1. A method of providing communication between frames of a web browser which is arranged to enforce a same origin security policy for communication between frames, the method comprising:

receiving a hub document of a hub origin into a hub frame of the web browser;

receiving a first application document of a first application origin into a first application frame of the web browser, the first application origin being different to the hub origin; and

communicating between the hub document and the first application document within the web browser using a cross origin communication mechanism.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the first application document trapping an event and passing the event to the hub document using the cross origin communication mechanism, and the hub document taking action in respect of the trapped event.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the event comprises a selection of a hyperlink, and the hub document taking action in respect of the trapped event comprises the hub document arranging for navigation of a frame to the hyperlink.

4. The method of claim 3 comprising the hub document using the cross origin communication mechanism to poll the first application document in the first application frame.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the hub document restarting the first application document if the first application document becomes unresponsive to the poll.

6. The method of any preceding claim 1 further comprising:

receiving one or more further application documents into one or more corresponding further application frames of the web browser, each further application document being from a corresponding further application origin different than the hub origin and each other application origin; and

using the cross origin communication mechanism to communicate between two or more of the application documents through the hub document.

7. The method of claim 6 comprising the first application document sending a broadcast message to the hub document using the cross origin communication mechanism, and the hub document sending the broadcast message to a plurality of the other application documents using the cross origin communication mechanism.

8. The method of claim 6 comprising the first application document sending an addressed message to the hub document using the cross origin communication mechanism, and the hub document sending the addressed message to the one or more addressee application documents using the cross origin communication mechanism.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising the hub document maintaining a register, and the first application document sending a message to the hub document using the cross origin communication mechanism, and the hub document sending the message to one or more recipient application documents using the cross origin communication mechanism, the recipient application documents being determined according to the register.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein each application document is one of a plurality of classes of application document, and further comprising the first application document sending a message to the hub document using the cross origin communication mechanism, and the hub document sending the message to one or more recipient application documents using the cross origin communication mechanism, the recipient application documents being determined according to class of at least one of the first application document and the one or more recipient application documents..

11. The method of claim 6 further comprising the first application document sending a message to the hub document using the cross origin communication mechanism, and the hub document sending the message to one or more identified ones of the further application documents using the cross origin communication mechanism, wherein the message is one of a plurality of message classes, the identified further application documents being identified according to a message class of the message.

12. The method of claim 6 wherein each application document implements a tool in a GUI desktop environment.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein one or more of the application documents provide administrative controls for the hub document.

40. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the first application document storing one or more variables using the hub document.

41. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

the first application document storing one or more variables using the hub document; and

subsequent to the hub document restarting the first application document;

the first application document retrieving at least one of the one or more variables from the hub document; and

the first application document using the at least one retrieved variable.

42. The method according to claim 6 further comprising:

the first application document storing one or more variables using the hub document;

one of the one or more further application documents retrieving at least one of the one or more variables from the hub document; and

said further application document using the at least one retrieved variable.

14-30. -30. (canceled)

31. Apparatus comprising:

a web browser implementing a same origin security policy;

a hub document from a hub origin executing within a hub frame of the web browser;

a first application document, from a first application origin different to said hub origin, executing within a first application frame of the web browser,

wherein the hub document and the first application document implement a cross origin communication mechanism for communication between the hub document and the first application document.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 further comprising

one or more further application documents executing within corresponding further application frames of the web browser, each further application document implementing the cross origin communication mechanism and being from a corresponding further application origin different than the hub origin and each other application origin,

wherein the application documents are arranged to communicate between each other through the hub document using the cross origin communication mechanism.

35. The apparatus of claim 31 arranged to provide a desktop environment in which each application document corresponds to a desktop tool and provides communication with one or more others of the desktop tools via the hub document using the cross origin communication mechanism.

33. (canceled)

34. (canceled)

36. (canceled)

37. A non-transient computer readable medium comprising computer program code arranged to, when executed on a suitable computer system, put into effect the steps of:

receiving a hub document of a hub origin into a hub frame of a web browser;

receiving a first application document of a first application origin into a first application frame of the web browser, the first application origin being different to the hub origin; and

communicating between the hub document and the first application document within the web browser using a cross origin communication mechanism,

wherein the web browser is arranged to enforce a same origin security policy for communication between frames.

38. (canceled)

39. (canceled)