Exchanging supplemental information fields between a client and a server

• US 6,775,687 B1
• Filed: 10/12/1999
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Singhal, Sandeep K., Binding, Carl, Hild, Stefan Georg, OʼConnor, Luke James
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/415,646
• Time in Patent Office: 1,764 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/104, 709/205, 709/108, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for exchanging supplemental information fields between a client and server. This supplemental information can then be used by the server to complete a client'"'"'s request for content stored at a particular location. For example, the supplemental information may be used to provide a customized response, or for access control to sensitive data. Preferably, the REDIRECT message of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or the Wireless Session Protocol (WSP) is used to request the supplemental information, encoding a comma-separated list of attribute names in a request header for the desired supplemental information. This solution is designed to be backward-compatible.

Claims

1. A method in a computing environment connected to a network, for obtain supplemental information from a client, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request, for content located at a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), sent from said client to a server;

determining whether said server needs supplemental information from said client before completing said request;

processing said request and sending, to said client, a completed response containing said requested content when said determining step has a negative result; and

obtaining said supplemental information from said client when said determining step has a positive result, further comprising the steps of;

generating a request header specifying one or more supplemental information field(s) to be used for requesting said supplemental information from said client;

embedding said generated request header in a REDIRECT response message created to respond to said request, wherein said REDIRECT response message is defined in a standards-based communications protocol operating between said client and said server but is not designed for requesting supplemental information from clients; and

sending said REDIRECT response message with said embedded request header to said client, wherein;

(1) said client will automatically send a subsequent request, responsive to receiving said sent REDIRECT response message with said embedded request header, according to said standards-based communications protocol; and

(2) said automatically sent sequent request from said client will include a reply header containing said client'"'"'s response to at least a portion of said requested additional information if said client is adapted for processing said supplemental information field(s) specified in said request header but will ignore said supplemental information field(s) otherwise.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said REDIRECT response message uses a page permanently moved status code.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said REDIRECT response message use a page temporarily moved status code.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said standards-based communications protocol is Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said standards-based communications protocol is Wireless Session Protocol.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said method operates on a proxy server.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said REDIRECT response message specifies a target URL which is located on said server.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said REDIRECT response message specifies a target URL which is not located on said server.

9. A system in a computing environment connected to a network, for obtaining supplemental information from a client, comprising:

means for receiving a request, for content heated at a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), sent from said client to a server;

means for determining whether said server needs supplemental information from said client before completing said request;

means for processing said request and sending, to said client, a completed response containing said requested content when said means for determining has a negative result; and

means for obtaining said supplemental information from said client when said means for determining has a positive result, further comprising;

means for generating a request header specifying one or more supplemental information field(s) to be used for requesting said supplemental information from said client;

means for embedding said generated request header in a REDIRECT response message created to respond to said request, wherein said REDIRECT response message is defined in a standards-based communications protocol operating between said client and said server but is not designed for requesting supplemental information from clients; and

means for sending said REDIRECT response message with said embedded request to said client, wherein;

(1) said client will automatically send a subsequent request, responsive to receiving said REDIRECT response message with said embedded request header, according to said standards-based communications protocol; and

(2) said automatically sent subsequent response from said client will include a reply header containing said client'"'"'s response to at least a portion of said requested additional information if said client is adapted for processing said supplemental information field(s) specified in said request header but will ignore said supplemental information field(s) otherwise.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said REDIRECT response message uses a page permanently moved status code.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein said REDIRECT response a uses a page temporarily moved status code.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein said standards-based communications protocol is Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein said standards-based communications protocol is Wireless Session Protocol.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein said system operates on a proxy server.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein said REDIRECT response message specifies a target URL which is located on said server.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein said REDIRECT response message specifies a target URL which is not located on said server.

17. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium readable by a computer in a computing environment connected to a network, for obtaining supplemental information from a client, comprising:

computer readable program code means for receiving a request, for content located at a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), sent from said client to a server;

computer readable program code means for determining whether said server needs supplemental information from said client before completing said request;

computer readable program code means for processing said request and sending, to said client, a completed response containing said requested content when said computer readable program code mean for determining has a negative result; and

computer readable program code means for obtaining said supplemental information from said client when said computer readable program code means for determining has a positive result, further comprising;

computer readable program code means for generating a request header specifying one or more supplemental information field(s) to be used for requesting said supplemental information from said client;

computer readable program code means for embedding said generated request header in a REDIRECT response message created to respond to said request, wherein said REDIRECT response message is defined in a standards-based communications protocol operating between said client and said server but is not designed for requesting supplemental information from clients; and

computer readable program code means for sending said REDIRECT response message with said embedded request header to said client, wherein;

(1) said client will automatically send a subsequent request, responsive to receiving said sent REDIRECT response message with said embedded request header, according to said standards-based commons protocol; and

(2) said automatically sent subsequent request from said client will include a reply header containing said client'"'"'s response to at least a portion of said requested additional information if said client is adapted for processing said supplemental information field(s) specified in said request header but will ignore said supplemental information field(s) otherwise.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said REDIRECT response message uses a page permanently moved status code.

19. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said REDIRECT response message uses a page temporarily moved status code.

20. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said standards-based communications protocol is Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

21. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said standards-based communications protocol is Wireless Session Protocol.

22. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said computer operates as a proxy server.

23. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said REDIRECT response message specifies a target URL which is located on said server.

24. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said REDIRECT response message specifies a target URL which is not located on said server.