Client-server independent intermediary mechanism

• US 6,505,230 B1
• Filed: 05/14/1999
• Issued: 01/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Pivia, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Mohan, Sudhir, Patil, Umesh R., Jordan, Daniel S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Application Number:
  US09/312,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20030005033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/204, 707/1, 707/3, 707/4, 707/507
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a client-server independent intermediary mechanism is provided. The method comprises displaying a frame including a user interface of the IIM, the frame framing a destination server display area (DSDA). The method further comprises retrieving data for display from a destination server, and instrumenting the data prior to display such that future data retrieved from the destination server is displayed in the DSDA, without writing over the frame.

Claims

1. A method of accessing data through an independent intermediary mechanism (IIM), the method comprising:

displaying a frame including a user interface of the IIM, the frame framing a destination server display area (DSDA);

retrieving destination server data (DS data) for display from a destination server;

instrumenting the DS data prior to display such that future data retrieved from the destination server is displayed in the DSDA, without writing over the frame displaying the user interface of the IIM.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of instrumenting data prior to display comprises replacing a reference to a top frame or IIM frame with a reference to a top of the DSDA.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of replacing comprises,

in HTML, determining if a value of a Target attribute is “ _top”

, and changing the value to represent a topmost area of the DSDA.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of replacing comprises,

in Java, determining if a value of a Target attribute is “

_top”

, and changing the value to represent a topmost area of the DSDA.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of replacing comprises, in JavaScript, replacing the reference to “

top”

with a reference to a topmost area of the DSDA.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

altering requests for cookies such that cookies relevant to the destination server are accessed from the IIM.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein cookies received from the destination server or created by the DS data are stored in a user'"'"'s portion of the IIM.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if a user'"'"'s portion of the IIM includes a cookie for the destination server, and serving the cookie to the destination server and to the DS data, if the user'"'"'s portion includes the cookie.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining if a browser includes the cookie, and if the browser includes the cookie:

serving the cookie to the destination server and the DS data; and

saving the cookie in the user'"'"'s portion of the IIM.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one reference in the DS data to other DS data is redirected through the IIM.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein for predefined JavaScript, HTML and other code, the step of instrumenting is performed on a server side of the IIM, and wherein for dynamically generated code, the step of instrumenting is performed on a client side of the IIM.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of altering data prior to display comprises replacing the DS data references to a reference through the IIM.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein only selected references are routed through the IIM.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of replacing comprises altering a language of the reference such that any parameter which when set causes a document to be fetched from the destination server causes the document to be fetched through the IIM.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein links and references invoked by a user'"'"'s selection are altered when the user selects the reference.

16. An independent intermediary mechanism (IIM) comprising:

a core engine retrieving destination server data (DS data) for display from a destination server;

a user interface framework for maintaining a frame including the IIM user interface on a client browser as the client browser accesses different destination servers.

17. The IIM of claim 16, further comprising:

a cookie database;

a cookie modification engine that alters a request for a cookie from the destination server or the DS data, such that the cookie relevant to the destination server is accessed from the IIM cookie database; and

the cookie modification engine further for maintaining and updating the cookie.

18. The IIM of claim 16, further comprising:

a data modification engine for instrumenting the DS data such that future data retrieved from the destination server is retrieved through the IIM.

19. A method of accessing data through an independent intermediary mechanism (IIM), the method comprising:

retrieving destination server data (DS data) for display from a destination server;

instrumenting the DS data such that future data retrieved from the destination server is retrieved through the IIM.

20. A method of accessing data through an independent intermediary mechanism (IIM), the method comprising:

retrieving destination server data (DS data) for display from a destination server;

altering a request for a cookie from the destination server or the DS data, such that the cookie relevant to the destination server is accessed from the IIM; and

storing and updating the cookie in-the IIM cookie database.

21. A communications mechanism comprising:

a first independent intermediary mechanism (IIM) displaying a frame including a user interface of the IIM, the frame framing a destination server display area (DSDA);

the first IIM retrieving destination server data (DS data) for display from a destination server and instrumenting the DS data prior to, the first IIM further for providing services to the user.