Method and apparatus for making a hypermedium interactive

• US 6,691,157 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2002
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Muir, Jeff, Stergiades, Andrew L.
• Primary Examiner(s): SWEARINGEN, JEFFREY R
• Application Number:
  US10/068,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20020095478A1
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/203, 709/201, 709/229, 707/10, 707/501.1, 707/513, 345/333, 345/335, 345/346, 711/132, 715/513, 715/501.1
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/541 Client-server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/549 Remote execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications

Abstract

A system and method of making a hypermedium page interactive. In one embodiment the system includes a hyperlink on the hypermedium page displayed on a client node; a hyperlink configuration file (corresponding to the hyperlink on the client node) located on a network server node; and a client agent located on the client node. In response to a user selecting the hyperlink on the hypermedium page, the client agent establishes a communications link from the client agent to an application execution server agent on an application server using the information located in the configuration file obtained from the network server node. In response to the creation of the communications link between the application execution server agent and the client agent, the application executes on the application execution server and the user is capable of interactively using the application running on the application execution node from the client node. Data input and display occurs at the client node under the control of the client agent.

Claims

1. A method of remotely interacting with an application executing on an application server, the method comprising:

retrieving a first page from a first node;

displaying the first page using a network browser;

receiving the selection of a hyperlink on the first page;

retrieving from the first node in response to the selection of the hyperlink, a network configuration file comprising information for establishing a communication link between a client agent and the application server;

executing the client agent utilizing information contained in the network configuration file; and

communicating with the application using the client agent.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating with the application comprises receiving, by the client agent, output data from the application and displaying the received output data.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the output data from the application is displayed in an application display window.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the application display window is located within the boundaries of the first page.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the application display window is located outside the boundaries of the first page.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein receiving and displaying occurs without the intervention of the network browser.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising executing the application in response to a signal from a server agent.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the signal from the server agent is sent in response to a communication from the client agent.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the communications between the client agent and the server agent occur without intervention by the network browser.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating with the application comprises establishing communications between the client agent and a server agent.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the communications between the client agent and the server agent occur without intervention by the network browser.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein communicating with the application comprises the creation by the client agent of the communication link to the application server executing the application.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the communication link uses a graphical presentation protocol.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the network configuration file comprises information identifying the application server.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein communicating with the application comprises the creation by the client agent of the communication link to the application server identified in the network configuration file.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the hyperlink specifies a link to an executable application.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the hyperlink identifies the location of the network configuration file.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the network configuration file comprises information identifying the application.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising initiating the execution of the application on the application server.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein communicating with the application is performed without intervention by the network browser.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the client agent operates independently of the network browser after the client agent begins execution.

22. The method of claim 1 further comprising registering the client agent with the network browser.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein executing the client agent is initiated by the network browser.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein communicating with the application comprises the transmission of data representative of user inputs from the client agent to the application without intervention by the network browser.