Method and apparatus for transmitting documents over a network

• US 6,101,509 A
• Filed: 09/27/1996
• Issued: 08/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Hanson, Michael Robert, Lilly, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCUSO, HUEDUNG XUAN CAO
• Application Number:
  US08/721,173
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 707/513, 707/514, 707/515, 707/516
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An object comprising a Web document is transferred by a server to a client over a client-server data communications network. Alternatively, the object comprising the Web document can be executed by the server. The object, in turn, causes each object contained therein to execute and output a representation of the object in whatever format is requested by the client. For example, a client can send a request to the server over the data communications network. The requests specifies a particular Web document. The server searches its collection of objects in its object space for the object requested. The server, upon finding the object, and depending upon the nature of the client'"'"'s request, will transmit the object as is to the client, or execute the object. The object outputs a representation of each object contained within the object in a format specified by the client. Thus, if the client requests an HTML formatted Web document, the server executes the object representing the Web document, passing as input to the object an input argument indicating the output of each object within the Web document is to be formatted in HTML.

Claims

1. In a client-server computing environment, a method for a server to publish an object which can be represented in different formats to a client coupled to said server over a communications network, comprising said server:

a) receiving a request for said object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client;

b) identifying said object on said server based on said request;

c) obtaining via an object handler, said object;

d) processing said object corresponding to said format to form a representation of said object; and

e) publishing said representation of each of a plurality of objects contained within said object to said client over said communications network in response to said request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request for said object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client comprises receiving an application layer protocol request for said object from said client over said communications network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving an application layer protocol request for said object from said client over said communications network comprises receiving a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request for said object from said client over said communications network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a request for said object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client comprises receiving a request for said object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying a format for a representation of each of a plurality of objects contained within said object.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein receiving a request for said object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying said format for said representation of each of a plurality of objects contained within said object, comprises receiving a request for said object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying a hypertext markup language (HTML) format for said representation of each of a plurality of objects contained within said object.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein receiving a request for said object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client, said request specifying an HTML format for said object, comprises receiving a request for said object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying an HTML format, a object name, and an argument list, for said object.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving a request for said object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client, said request specifying an HTML format, an object name, and an argument list, for said object, comprises receiving a request for said object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying an HTML format, An object name, and a property list, for said object, wherein said property list is comprised of at least one property and a value assigned to said at least one property.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving a request for said object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client, said request specifying an HTML format, an object name, and an argument list, for said object, comprising receiving a request for said object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying an HTML format, an object name, and a property list, for said object, wherein said property list is comprised of a plurality of properties and a plurality of values each assigned to a respective one of said plurality of properties.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving a request for said object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client, said request specifying an HTML format, a object name, and an argument list, for said object, comprising receiving a request for a dynamic object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying an HTML format, An object name, and a property list, for said dynamic object.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein publishing a representation of said each of the plurality of objects contained within said object to said client over said communications network in response to said request includes publishing a representation of said each of the plurality of objects contained within said object to said client over said communications network in response to said request, wherein said representation is based on said format for said object specified in said request.

11. In a client-server computing environment, a method for a server to publish a representation of a dynamic data object (DDO) to a client coupled to said server over a communications network, comprising said server:

a) receiving a request for said DDO from said client over said communications network, said request specifying a DDO name and a set of values;

b) identifying said DDO on said server based on said DDO name;

c) passing as input to said DDO said set of values;

d) executing said DDO using said set of values as input;

e) generating said representation of said DDO; and

f) publishing said representation of said DDO to said client over said communications network.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein receiving a request for said DDO from said client over said communications network, said request specifying a DDO name and a set of values, comprising receiving a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request for said DDO from said client over said communications network, said request specifying a DDO name and a set of values.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein generating said representation of said DDO, comprising generating a hypertext markup language representation of said DDO and wherein publishing said representation of said DDO to said client over said communications network, comprises publishing said hypertext markup language representation of said DDO to said client over said communications network.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein receiving a request for said object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client comprises receiving a request for said object-oriented object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying a format for a representation of each of a plurality of object-oriented objects contained within said object-oriented object.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein receiving a request for said object-oriented object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client, said request specifying said format for said representation of each of a plurality of object-oriented objects contained within said object-oriented object, comprises receiving a request for said object-oriented object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying a hypertext markup language (HTML) format for said representation of each of a plurality of object-oriented objects contained within said object-oriented object.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein receiving a request for said object-oriented object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client, said request specifying an HTML format for said object-oriented object, comprises receiving a request for said object-oriented object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying an HTML format, a object-oriented object name, and an argument list, for said object-oriented object.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein receiving a request for said object-oriented object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client, said request specifying an HTML format, an object-oriented object name, and an argument list, for said object-oriented object, comprises receiving a request for said object-oriented object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying an HTML format, an object-oriented object name, and a property list, for said object-oriented object, wherein said property list is comprised of at least one property and a value assigned to said at least one property.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein receiving a request for said object-oriented object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client, said request specifying an HTML format, an object-oriented object name, and an argument list, for said object-oriented object, comprising receiving a request for said object-oriented object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying an HTML format, an object-oriented object name, and a property list, for said object-oriented object, wherein said property list is comprised a plurality of properties and a plurality of values each assigned to a respective one of said plurality of properties.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein receiving a request for said object-oriented object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client, said request specifying an HTML format, a object-oriented object name, a-ad an argument list, for said object-oriented object, comprising receiving a request for a dynamic object-oriented object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying an HTML format, an object-oriented object name, and a property list, for said dynamic object-oriented object.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein publishing a representation of said each of the plurality of object-oriented objects contained within said object-oriented object to said client over said communications network in response to said request includes publishing a representation of said each of the plurality of object-oriented objects contained within said object-oriented object to said client over said communications network in response to said request, wherein said representation is based on said format for said object-oriented object specified in said request.

14. In a client-server computing environment, a method for a server to publish an object-oriented object which can be represented in different formats to a client coupled to said server over a communications network, comprising said server:

a) receiving a request for said object-oriented object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client;

b) identifying said object-oriented object on said server based on said request;

c) obtaining, via an object-oriented object handler, said object-oriented object, and

d) processing said object corresponding to said format to form a representation of said object;

e) publishing a representation of each of a plurality of object-oriented objects contained within said object-oriented object to said client over said communications network in response to said request.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving a request for said object-oriented object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client comprises receiving an application layer protocol request for said object-oriented object from said client over said communications network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving an application layer protocol request for said object-oriented object from said client over said communications network comprises receiving a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request for said object-oriented object from said client over said communications network.

24. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a server in a client-server computing environment to publish an object to a client coupled to said server over a communications network, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive a request for said object from said client over said communications network;

computer readable program code means for causing the server to identify said object on said server based on said request,

computer readable program code means for causing the server to obtain, via an object-oriented object handier, said object, and

computer readable program code means for causing the server to publish a representation of each of a plurality of objects contained within said object to said client over said communications network in response to said request.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 24, wherein said computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive a request for said object from said client over said communications network comprises computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive an application layer protocol request for said object from said client over said communications network.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein said computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive an application layer protocol request for said object from said client over said communications network comprises computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request for said object from said client over said communications network.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 24, wherein said computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive a request for said object from said client over said communications network comprises computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive a request for said object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying a format for a representation of each of a plurality of objects contained within said object.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 27 wherein said computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive a request for said object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client, said request specifying a format for a representation of each of a plurality of objects contained within said object comprises computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive a request for said object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying a hypertext markup language (HTML) format for said representation of each of a plurality of objects contained within said object.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 28 wherein said computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive a request for said object from said client over said communications network according to a format define by client, said request specifying a hypertext markup language (HTML) format for said representation of each of a plurality of objects contained within said object comprises computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive request for said object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying a HTML format, an object name, and an argument Est, for said object.

30. The article of manufacture of claim, 29 wherein said computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive a request for said object from said client over said object name, and an argument list, for said object comprises computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive a request for said object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying a HTML format, a object name, and a property list, for said object, wherein said property list is comprised of at least one property and a value assigned to said at least one property.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 29 wherein said computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive a request for said object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying a HTML format, a object name, and an argument list, for said object comprises computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive a request for said object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying a HTML format, a object name, and a property list, for said object, wherein said property list is comprised of a plurality of properties and a plurality of values each assigned to a respective one of said plurality of properties.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 29 wherein said computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive a request for said object from, said client over said communications network, said request specifying a HTML format, a object name, and an argument list, for said object comprises computer readable program code means for causing the server to receive a request for a dynamic object from said client over said communications network, said request specifying an HTML format, an object name, and a property list, for said dynamic object.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 27 wherein said computer readable program code means for causing the server to publish a representation of each of a plurality of objects contained within said object to said client over said communications network in response to said request comprises computer readable program code means for causing the server to publish a representation of each of a plurality of objects contained within said object to said client over said communications network in response to said request, wherein said representation is based on said format for said object specified in said request.