System and method for maintaining a state for a user session using a web system

• US 6,480,894 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2000
• Issued: 11/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: i2 Technologies US Incorporated (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: i2 Technologies US Incorporated (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Poorte, Jacob, Macartney-Filgate, Bruce C., Dunn, Craig L., Huddleston, Erik L., Courts, Howard R., Huddleston, Brian J., McHyde, Timothy J., Dholakia, Neil K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US09/593,294
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/228, 709/203, 709/219, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• 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 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method are provided for maintaining states for user sessions with a web system. Maintaining state includes receiving a request from a user that initiates a user session with the web system and processing the request to provide a web page to the user. Session data (220) representing a state of the user session is stored in memory in a global session server (212). Then, for each subsequent request associated with the user session, the subsequent request is received, and the session data (220) is retrieved from the global session server (212). The subsequent request is then processed using the session data (220) to provide a web page to the user, and the session data (220) is changed to reflect the processing. The session data (220) is then updated in the global session server (212). The global session server (212) thereby stores session data (220) unique to each user session accumulated over multiple web transactions. In one implementation, the session data (220) includes name/value pairs where the values can be self describing objects such as text, numbers, arrays, and interfaces to other objects.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining a state for a user session with a web system, comprising:

receiving a current request from a user system during a user session with the web system;

processing the current request and providing a responsive web page to the user system using one of a plurality of web system engines at the web system; and

storing at the web system session data representing a current state of the user session and reflecting changes to the session data resulting from processing of one or more previous requests from the user system by the one of the web system engines at the web system during the user session, the session data accessible by the web system engines at the web system such that they can share the session data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the web system engines is implemented on a plurality of physical computer systems.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each computer system comprises a session manager operable to manage access to the session data.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein each physical computer system comprises a session server stored in memory and holding master or shadow copies of session data for a plurality of user sessions.

5. A method for maintaining a state for a user session with a web system, comprising:

at a session server of the web system, storing a single set of session data representing a state of a user session with the web system, the user session associated with a user of a user system, the session server accessible by a plurality of web system engines at the web system such that the web system engines at the web system can share the session data; and

updating the single set of session data to reflect changes to the session data resulting from processing by any one of the plurality of web system engines at the web system of a user request received from the user system.

6. A web system that maintains a state for a user session, comprising:

a plurality of web system engines;

a session server accessible by the web system engines;

at least one of the web system engines operable to receive a current request from a user system during a user session with the web system and operable to process the current request and provide a responsive web page to the user system; and

the at least one of the web system engines further operable to store session data representing a current state of the user session and reflecting changes to the session data resulting from processing of one or more previous requests from the user system by the at least one of the web system engines during the session, the session data accessible by the plurality of web system engines such that the plurality of web system engines can share the session data.

7. The web system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the web system engines is implemented on a plurality of physical computer systems.

8. The web system of claim 7, wherein each computer system comprises a session manager operable to manage access to the session data.

9. The web system of claim 7, wherein each physical computer system comprises a session server stored in memory and holding master or shadow copies of session data for a plurality of user sessions.

10. A web system that maintains a state for a user session, comprising:

a plurality of web system engines;

a session server accessible by the web system engines;

the web system engines operable to store at the session server a single set of session data representing a state of a user session associated with a user of a user system such that the plurality of web system engines of the web system can share the session data; and

the web system engines further operable to update the single set of session data to reflect changes to the session data resulting from processing by any one of the plurality of web system engines of the web system of a user request received from the user system.

11. A web system engine of a web system for maintaining a state for a user session associated with a user of a user system, the web system engine coupled to a session server of the web system, the session server accessible by the web system engine of the web system and one or more other web system engines of the web system, the web system engine of the web system operable to:

receive a current request from the user of the user system during the user session;

process the current request and provide a responsive web page to the user of the user system; and

store session data at the session server representing a current state of the user session and reflecting changes to the session data resulting from processing of one or more previous requests from the user of the user system by the web system engine of the web system during the user session, the session data accessible by the other web system engines of the web system such that they can share the session data.

12. A web system engine of a web system for maintaining a state for a user session associated with a user of a user system, the web system engine coupled to a session server of the web system, the session server accessible by the web system engine of the web system and one or more other web system engines of the web system, the web system engine of the web system operable to:

store a single set of session data representing a state of the user session at the session server such that other web system engines of the web system can share the session data; and

update the single set of session data to reflect changes to the session data resulting from processing of a user request received from the user system by the web system engine of the web system.