Applet embedded cross-platform caching

• US 6,983,315 B1
• Filed: 01/18/2000
• Issued: 01/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Attachmate Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WRQ, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Crutcher, Craig
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/484,455
• Time in Patent Office: 2,177 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/220, 709230-232, 345/749, 717176-178, 715/749
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

An applet is used to deliver a persistent caching mechanism. An initial package of the applet incorporates a lightweight caching mechanism into its root set of classes. The remainder of the applet are divided into functional modules that can be subsequently downloaded as needed. The initial applet and caching mechanism is packaged and signed in a package using tools and procedures native to each platform; and each functional module is packaged and signed in a generic, platform-independent fashion for verification and loading by any of the various platform-dependent initial applet packages. In this way, the same functional module portions of the applet (which may comprise the bulk of the applet) are cached and loaded in a platform-independent manner without requiring or relying on any caching mechanism built into a platform such as a web browser or other applet execution environment.

Claims

1. A method of deploying an application using a web browser having a cache comprising:

(a) downloading a first stream including a platform-dependent caching and loading mechanism and executing said first stream to create a cache different from said browser cache; and

(b) downloading and caching, into said stream-created cache using said platform-dependent caching and loading mechanism downloaded by step (b), at least one further stream including at least one platform-independent functional module,

wherein said first stream execution manages the contents of said stream-created cache and controls the persistence of said downloaded resources within said stream-created cache independently of web browser control of persistence of items stored in said browser cache.

2. A system for downloading at least one applet to an end user computing device having a web browser that maintains a web browser cache, said system comprising an applet virtual machine execution environment that receives, verifies and begins executing a first stream including a platform-dependent caching and loading mechanism, said caching and loading mechanism creating and maintaining a cache that is different from said browser cache, wherein said applet environment, under control of said platform-dependent caching and resource loading mechanism, requests, receives and persistently caches at least one further stream including at least one platform-independent functional module in said cache created by said received caching and resource loading mechanism,

wherein said caching and loading mechanism manages the contents of said different cache and controls the persistence of created resources within said different cache independent of persistence of items within said browser cache.

3. An applet comprising:

a first, platform-dependent stream including a caching mechanism; and

at least one further stream including at least one platform-independent functional resource,

wherein said platform-dependent stream is used to create a cache outside of a browser cache and to cache and load said platform-independent functional resources into said outside cache,

wherein said applet manages the contents of said outside cache and controls the persistence of said downloaded resources within said outside cache independently of browser cache persistence.

4. A method of distributing software from a server to a client over a computer network, said method comprising:

downloading, from said server to said client, an applet including a caching and class loading mechanism; and

using said caching and class loading mechanism to retrieve and load additional applet modules on demand,

wherein said downloading step includes packaging said coaching and class loading mechanism within a stream and downloading said stream in a single http transaction, and

wherein said stream includes an uncompressed archive file containing said caching and class loading mechanism.

5. A method as in claim 4 wherein said stream includes at least one digital signature.

6. A system for distributing software from a server to a client over a computer network, said system including a downloader that downloads, from said server to said client over said computer network, an applet including a caching and class loading mechanism, wherein said caching and class loading mechanism executes on said client to retrieve and load additional applet modules on demand,

wherein said downloader packages said caching and class loading mechanism within a stream and downloads said stream within a single http transaction, and

wherein said stream includes an uncompressed archive file containing said code representing caching and class loading mechanism.

7. A system as in claim 6 wherein said stream includes at least one digital signature.

8. A method of distributing software from a server to a computing device over a data network, said computing device having a web browser providing a cache, said method comprising:

deploying by sending, from said server to said computing device via said computing device web browser, at least one applet providing instructions; and

executing said applet instructions with the computing device to (i) create a cache on the computing device that is independent of said browser cache, (ii) retrieve additional resources over the data network from at least one remote source, (iii) store said retrieved resources into said applet-created cache, and (iv) load additional resources from said applet-created cache for use by said computing device,

wherein said applet manages the contents of said applet-created cache and controls the persistence of said resources stored within said applet-created cache independently of said browser cache functionality.

9. A method as in claim 8 wherein said computing device provides a particular virtual machine applet execution environment, said deploying step comprises downloading an applet package that has been customized for said particular virtual machine applet execution environment, and said executing step includes retrieving and loading additional applet modules not specific to said particular virtual machine applet execution environment.

10. A method as in claim 8 wherein said computing device web browser comprises a particular web browser, said deploying step comprises downloading an applet package that has been customized for said particular web browser, and said executing step includes retrieving and loading additional applet modules not specific to said particular web browser.

11. A method as in claim 8 wherein said deploying step includes packaging a resource loading mechanism within a stream and downloading said stream in a single http transaction.

12. A method as in claim 8 wherein said executing step includes verifying, under control of code within said applet, at least one further applet module downloaded on demand.

13. A method as in claim 8 further including constructing, on the computing device, a cache map.

14. A method as in claim 8 wherein said executing step includes loading at least further applet module to be persistent in said applet-created cache on the computing device for subsequent use.

15. A method as in claim 8 wherein additional applet modules are organized into plural functional modules, and said executing step comprises downloading at least one of said functional modules on demand.

16. A method as in claim 8 wherein said computing device includes a local non-volatile memory that persistently caches applet classes, and said executing step includes requesting an applet class from said server conditioned on determining whether said applet class is already available in said non-volatile memory.

17. A method as in claim 8 wherein said computing device includes a local non-volatile memory, and said executing step includes determining whether a particular version of an applet class is stored in said non-volatile memory, and requesting said version from said server based on results of said determining step.

18. A method as in claim 8 wherein said executing step includes persistently storing applet modules downloaded from said server to said computing device in a local non-volatile memory associated with said computing device.

19. A system for distributing a software from a server to a computing device over a data network, said computing device providing a web browser having a cache, said system including a downloader that downloads, from said server via the computing device web browser over said data network, at least one applet providing a caching and resource loading mechanism, wherein said caching and resource loading mechanism executes on said computing device to create a cache distinct from said browser cache and to automatically retrieve and load additional resources over said data network into said applet-created cache for use by said computing device,

wherein said applet manages the contents of said applet-created cache and controls the persistence of said downloaded resources within said applet-created cache, said persistence control being independent of browser cache persistence.

20. A system as in claim 19 wherein said computing device provides a particular applet execution environment, said downloader downloads an applet package that has been customized for said particular applet execution environment, and said caching and loading mechanism retrieves and loads additional applet modules not specific to said particular applet execution environment.

21. A system as in claim 19 wherein said web browser comprises a particular web browser, said downloader downloads an applet package that has been customized for said particular web browser, and said caching and loading mechanism retrieves and loads additional applet modules not specific to said particular web browser.

22. A system as in claim 19 wherein said downloader packages said caching and resource loading mechanism within a stream and downloads said stream within a single http transaction.

23. A system as in claim 19 wherein said caching and loading mechanism verifies at least one further applet class downloaded on demand.

24. A system as in claim 19 wherein said caching and loading mechanism maintains a cache map.

25. A system as in claim 19 wherein said applet created cache comprises a persistent cache, and said caching and loading mechanism stores at least further applet class into said persistent cache for subsequent use.

26. A system as in claim 19 wherein said additional applet classes are organized into functional modules, and said using caching and loading mechanism downloads said functional modules on demand.

27. A system as in claim 19 wherein said computing device includes a local non-volatile memory that persistently caches applet classes, and said caching and downloading mechanism requests an applet class from said server conditioned on determining whether said applet class is already available in said non-volatile memory.

28. A system as in claim 19 wherein said computing device includes a local non-volatile memory, and said caching and loading mechanism determines whether a particular version of an applet class is stored in said non-volatile memory, and requests said version from said server based on results of said determining step.

29. A system as in claim 19 wherein said computing device includes a local non-volatile memory associated therewith, and said caching and loading mechanism persistently stores applet classes downloaded from said server to said computing device.