Inter-applet communication within a web browser

• US 6,175,877 B1
• Filed: 12/04/1997
• Issued: 01/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Zerber, Kevin Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): Oberley, Alvin E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BULLOCK JR, LEWIS ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US08/985,428
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 709/300, 709/310, 709/312, 709/313, 709/329, 709/203, 709/201, 709/217, 709/219, 707/501
• US Class Current: 719/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system for providing communication between applets. A browser, such as an HTML web browser, is executed within a computer and a server program including a protocol, such as the HTTP protocol, is executed in the browser. A first page is executed within the browser and a first applet, such as a Java applet, is executed within the first page. A second page is executed within the browser and a second applet is executed within the second page. The second applet transmits data to the server program using the protocol. The first applet executing in the first page processes the data transmitted from the second applet to the server program. The first applet may be used to establish a connection with a remote server over a network using a second protocol, such as POP3, IMAP4, LDAP, SMTP, and transmit the data received from the second applet to the remote server via the network using the second protocol.

Claims

1. A method for communicating between a first applet executing in a first page displayed in a browser and a second applet executing in a second page displayed in the browser, wherein the browser has an address space and communicates with servers over a network using a pre-defined communication protocol, the method comprising:

using the first applet to spawn a local server program in the browser address space wherein the local server program has an address and communicates with the browser using the communications protocol;

transmitting data from the second applet to the browser using the communication protocol, whereupon the browser forwards the communication to the local server program by using the local server program address;

forwarding the communication from the local server program to the first applet; and

executing the first applet to process the data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the browser is an HTML web browser and the communication protocol is the HTTP protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data transmitted by the second applet includes a request for data, wherein the step of executing the first applet to process the data further includes the steps of generating a response to the request for data and transmitting the response to the local server program, and further comprising the steps of:

transmitting the response from the local server program using the communication protocol to the second page; and

executing the second applet in the second page to process the response.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data transmitted by the second applet to the local server program includes a command, wherein the step of executing the first applet to process the data further includes the steps of generating a response to the command and transmitting the response to the local server program, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting the response from the local server program using the communication protocol to the second page; and

executing the second applet in the second page to process the response.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of executing the first applet in the first page to generate a response to the command includes the step of generating a third page, wherein the step of transmitting the response comprises transmitting the third page to the browser, further comprising the step of displaying the third page with the browser.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of executing the first applet in the first page to perform the steps of establishing a connection with a remote server over a network using a second protocol and transmitting the data received from the second applet to the remote server via the network using the second protocol.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second protocol is a member of the set of protocols comprising the Post Office Protocol, the Internet Message Access Protocol, the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, and the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

8. Apparatus for communicating between a first applet executing in a first page displayed in a browser and a second applet executing in a second page displayed in the browser, wherein the browser has an address space and communicates with servers over a network using a pre-defined communication protocol, the apparatus comprising:

a method in the first applet that spawns a local server thread in the browser address space wherein the local server thread has an address and communicates with the browser using the communication protocol;

a method in the second applet that transmits data from the second applet to the browser using the communication protocol, whereupon the browser forwards the communication to the local server thread using the local server thread address;

a method in the local server thread that forwards the communication from the local server thread to the first applet; and

a method in the browser that executes the first applet to process the data.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first page has an address space and the apparatus further includes a method in the first applet which spawns the local server thread in the first page address space.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the browser is an HTML web browser and the communication protocol is the HTTP protocol.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the data transmitted by the second applet to the browser includes a request for data and wherein the first applet processes the data by generating a response to the request for data and transmitting the response to the local server thread, the apparatus further comprising:

a method in the local server thread that transmits the response to the second page using the communication protocol; and

a method in the second applet that processes the response.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the data transmitted by the second applet to the local server thread includes a command, wherein the first applet processes the data by generating a response to the command and transmitting the response to the local server thread, the apparatus further comprising:

a method in the local server thread that transmits the response to the second page using the communication protocol; and

a method in the second applet that processes the response.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first applet includes a method operable in response to the command for generating information for a third browser page and for transmitting the third page information to the browser, and wherein the browser comprises a method for displaying the third page information.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a method in the first applet which establishes a connection with a remote server over a network using a second communication protocol and transmits the data received from the second applet to the remote server via the network using the second communication protocol.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second communication protocol is a member of the set of protocols comprising the Post Office Protocol, the Internet Message Access Protocol, the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, and the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

16. A computer program product for communicating between a first applet executing in a first page displayed in a browser and a second applet executing in a second page displayed in the browser, wherein the browser has an address space and communicates with servers over a network using a pre-defined communication protocol, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, including:

program code operable by the first applet for spawning a local server program in the browser address space wherein the local server program has an address and communicates with the browser using the communication protocol;

program code for transmitting data from the second applet to the browser using the communication protocol, whereupon the browser forwards the communication to the local server program using the local server program address;

program code for forwarding the communication from the local server program to the first applet; and

program code for executing the first applet to process the data.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the first page has an address space and the program code for spawning the local server program spawns the local server program in the first page address space.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the browser is an HTML web browser and the protocol is the HTTP protocol.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the data transmitted from the second applet includes a request for data, wherein the program code for executing the first applet to process the data further includes program code that generates a response to the request for data and transmits the response to the local server program, and the computer program product further comprises:

program code for transmitting the response from the local server program using the communication protocol to the second page; and

program code for executing the second applet in the second page to process the response.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the data transmitted by the second applet to the local server program includes a command, wherein the program code for executing the first applet to process the command further includes program code that generates a response to the command and transmits the response to the local server program, and the computer program product further comprises:

program code for transmitting the response from the local server program using the communication protocol to the second page; and

program code for executing the second applet in the second page to process the response.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the program code that generates a response to the command includes program code for generating a third browser page, wherein the program code for transmitting the response comprises program code for transmitting the third browser page to the browser and the computer program product further comprises program code for displaying the third browser page with the browser.

22. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising program code in the first applet for establishing a connection with a remote server over a network using a second protocol and for transmitting the data received from the second applet to the remote server via the network using the second protocol.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the second protocol is a member of the set of protocols comprising the Post Office Protocol, the Internet Message Access Protocol, the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, and the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

24. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave for communicating between a first applet executing in a first page displayed in a browser and a second applet executing in a second page displayed in the browser, wherein the browser has an address space and communicates with servers over a network using a predefined communication protocol, the computer data signal comprising:

program code operable by the first applet for spawning a local server program in the browser address space wherein the local server program has an address and communicates with the browser using the communications protocol;

program code for transmitting data from the second applet to the browser using the communication protocol, whereupon the browser forwards the communication to the local server program by using the local server program address;

program code for forwarding the communication from the local server program to the first applet; and

program code for executing the first applet to process the data.