Method and apparatus for transmitting images and other objects over a computer network system

• US 6,249,787 B1
• Filed: 02/22/2000
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Hickman, Paul L., Schleimer, Stephen I., Ahlstrom, John K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Application Number:
  US09/510,727
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/513, 707/104, 707/3, 709/224, 709/303, 709/218, 709/231, 709/227, 395/500.02, 395/710, 712/203, 712/213
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A network browsing system includes a host computer coupled to a client computer by a network. A network browser process implemented on the client computer is capable of establishing a connection with the host computer and of generating a request for desired data from the host computer which is to generate desired images on the display of the client computer. A server process implemented on the host computer services the request for desired data received from the client computer by modifying the desired data into modified data such that no additional connection between the client computer and the host computer is required to receive the entirety of the modified data. The browser process of the client computer can generate the desired images from the modified data to the same extent that it could from the originally requested desired data.

Claims

1. A server computer system for communicating with at least one client computer via a data network, the client computer including a display, the server system being configured or designed to service requests for desired data received from said client computer by modifying the desired data into modified data such that no additional connection between the client computer and the server system is required to receive the entirety of the modified data;

the server system further being configured or designed to transmit the modified data to the client computer, and disconnecting from the client computer after the transmission of the modified data;

the server system being further configured or designed to determine whether said requested data includes a local embedded URL, and, if so, obtains the data associated with said local embedded URL, and includes such data with said modified data.

2. A server system as recited in claim 1 wherein said server transmits data using a TCP/IP protocol, and wherein said transmission of data includes the transmission of HTML data.

3. A server system as recited in claim 1 wherein said server system is further configured or designed to determine whether the requested data includes a local embedded URL and, if so, composes HTML data including an data associated with said local embedded URL and with said URL itself.

4. A server system as recited in claim 1 wherein determining whether the requested data includes a local embedded URL is a recursive process.

5. A server system implemented on a host computer system coupled to a computer network, the host computer system being configured or designed to communicate with a client computer via said network, the server system being configured or designed to receive a request from said client computer for desired data that is to be provided by said host computer system;

the server system further being configured or designed to modify said desired data into modified data such that no additional connection between the client computer and the host computer system is required to receive the entirety of the modified data;

the server system being further configured or designed to analyze said desired data for a local embedded URL, and resolve said local embedded URL by including data referenced by said local embedded URL in said modified data.

6. The server system as recited in claim 5 wherein said server transmits data using a TCP/IP protocol, and wherein said desired data includes HTML data.

7. The server system as recited in claim 5 wherein said resolving said local embedded URL is a recursive process.

8. The server system as recited in claim 7 wherein said resolving said local embedded URL includes creating a new HTML object including information about said URL.

9. The server system as recited in claim 5 wherein said server system is further configured or designed to transmit the modified data to the client computer;

and

wherein said server system is further configured or designed to disconnect from the client computer after the transmission of the modified data.