Providing for data types of properties according to standard request-response protocols

• US 6,356,907 B1
• Filed: 07/26/1999
• Issued: 03/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hopmann, Alexander I
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Application Number:
  US09/361,199
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-4, 707/10, 707/100-103, 707/501, 707/513, 707/501.1, 709/217-219, 717/1.5, 345/733, 345/751, 345/760
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Data types of properties for resources of standard request-response protocols such as HTTP is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method specifies a command, such as a PROPPATCH command, a PROPFIND command, or a SEARCH command. At least one value of a data type for a property within the command is set, and the command is output according to a request-response protocol. The outputting of the command may also be in accordance with a predetermined markup language, such as XML.

Claims

1. In a network that includes a plurality of computer systems including a requesting computer system and a resource computer system that are capable of communicating using a transport protocol, the resource computer system maintaining a resource identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), the resource having corresponding property information, a method for the requesting computer system to notify the resource computer system of a data type of a property associated with the resource, the method comprising:

an act of the requesting computer system generating a network message that represents a request to perform an operation on the property associated with the resource;

an act of the requesting computer system including markup language commands in the request in accordance with a markup language, the commands notifying the resource computer system of a data type assigned to the property; and

an act of the requesting computer system dispatching the request to the resource computer system according to the transport protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport protocol comprises HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of the requesting computer system generating a network message comprises generating a PROPPATCH command.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of the requesting computer system generating a network message further comprises an act of generating a request to set a value for the property.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of the requesting computer system generating a network message further comprises an act of generating a request to set multiple values for the property.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the markup language comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting computer system and the resource computer system are communicatively coupled over a network that comprises one of the Internet, an intranet, and an extranet.

8. A computer program product for use in a network that includes a plurality of computer systems including a requesting computer system and a resource computer system that are capable of communicating using a transport protocol, the resource computer system maintaining a resource identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), the resource having corresponding property information, the computer program product for implementing a method for the requesting computer system to notify the resource computer system of a data type of a property associated with the resource, the computer program product comprising one or more machine-readable media having machine-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, perform the following acts:

the requesting computer system generating a network message that represents a request to perform an operation on the property associate with the resource;

the requesting computer system including markup language commands in the request in accordance with a markup language, the commands notifying the resource computer system of at least one data type assigned to the property; and

the requesting computer system dispatching the request to the resource computer system according to the transport protocol over a network.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the markup language comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML), and the transport protocol comprises HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP).

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the network comprises one of:

the Internet, an intranet, and an extranet.

11. The computer program product in accordance with claim 8, wherein the machine-readable instructions for performing the act of the requesting computer system generating a network message comprise machine-readable instructions for performing the following act:

generating a PROPPATCH command.

12. A computer program product for use in a network that includes a plurality of computer systems including a requesting computer system and a resource computer system that are capable of communicating using a transport protocol, the resource computer system maintaining a resource identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), the resource having corresponding property information, the computer program product for implementing a method for the resource computer system providing notification of a data type of a property associated with the resource in response to a request from the requesting computer system, the computer program product comprising one or more machine-readable media having machine-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, perform the following acts:

the resource computer system generating a network message that represents a response to a request from the requesting computer system, the response including a property associated with the resource;

the resource computer system including markup language commands in the request in accordance with the markup language, the commands notifying of at least one value of a data type for the property; and

the resource computer system dispatching the response according to the transport protocol over a network.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the markup language comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML), and the transport protocol comprises HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP).

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the network comprises one of:

the Internet, an intranet, and an extranet.

15. The computer program product in accordance with claim 12, wherein the machine-readable instructions for performing the act of the resource computer system generating a network message comprise machine-readable instructions for performing the following act:

generating a response to a PROPFIND command.

16. The computer program product in accordance with claim 12, wherein the machine-readable instructions for performing the act of the resource computer system generating a network message comprise machine-readable instructions for performing the following act:

generating a response to a SEARCH command.

17. A computerized system comprising:

a requesting computer system configured to generate a request, and configured to include markup language commands in the request that notify a resource computer system of a data type of a property associated with a resource in accordance with a markup language, and configured to dispatch the request to the resource computer system according to a transport protocol; and

the resource computer system, communicatively coupled to the requesting computer system, configured to generate a response to the request and send the response according to the markup language and according to the transport protocol.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the resource computer system and the requesting computer system comprise a computer-readable medium and a processor coupled thereto.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a network, such that the resource computer system is communicatively coupled to the requesting computer system over the network.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the markup language comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML), and the transport protocol comprises HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol).