Manipulating content objects to control their display

• US 7,035,907 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Jibe Networks, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Mundkur, Prashanth, Decasper, Dan S., Dittia, Zubin
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THAN VINH
• Application Number:
  US10/028,398
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: 709/213, 709215-228, 707/4, 707/6, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data

Abstract

A method and apparatus for processing content objects prior to their display is described. In one embodiment, the method comprises a client receiving a content object over a network connection; the client, prior to allowing the content object to be dynamically displayed, examining the content object and changing a portion of the content object to reflect information stored locally to the client, and dynamically displaying the content object changed based on the local information at the client.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a browser on a client causing a request for a content object to be sent to retrieve the content object for display using the browser;

the client receiving the content object over a network connection;

the client, after receiving the content object and prior to allowing the browser to dynamically display the content object, examining the content object and changing a portion of the content object to reflect information stored locally to the client, wherein changing the portion of the content object to reflect information stored locally to the client comprises the client changing the content object with one or more additional objects if the client determines an individual has subscribed to the one or more additional objects; and

the browser on the client displaying the content object changed based on the local information at the client.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the content object includes a program that uses the information to indicate how the content object is to be generated at the client.

3. The method defined in claim 2 wherein changing the content object comprises modifying the program to change a representation of the content object that is to be dynamically generated.

4. The method defined in claim 3 wherein changing the content object comprises modifying the program to change a representation of the content object based on whether an individual is subscribed to one or more other objects.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein changing the content object comprises replacing at least one string in the content object based on the information stored locally to the client.

6. The method defined in claim 5 wherein the at least one string comprises a portion of a program.

7. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising determining whether the one or more additional objects are stored with the client in order to determine if the one or more additional objects are to be displayed.

8. The method defined in claim 1 wherein changing the content object is performed by an agent running on the client.

9. The method defined in claim 8 wherein the agent comprises middleware.

10. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the information comprises a profile.

11. A method comprising:

a browser on a client causing a request for a content object to be sent to retrieve the content object for display using the browser, wherein the content object includes a program that uses the information to indicate how the content object is to be generated at the client;

the client receiving the content object over a network connection;

the client, after receiving the content object and prior to allowing the browser to dynamically display the content object, examining the content object and changing a portion of the content object to reflect information stored locally to the client, wherein changing the content object comprises modifying the program to change a representation of the content object, which is to be dynamically generated, based on whether one or more other objects are stored in a cache of the client; and

the browser on the client displaying the content object changed based on the local information at the client.

12. A method comprising:

a browser on a client causing a request for a content object to be sent to retrieve the content object for display using the browser;

the client receiving the content object over a network connection;

the client, after receiving the content object and prior to allowing the browser to dynamically display the content object, examining the content object and changing a portion of the content object to reflect information stored locally to the client; and

the browser on the client displaying the content object changed based on the local information at the client, wherein the information comprises an indication of whether one or more other objects to be displayed when the content object is displayed are stored with the client.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a browser on a client causing a request for a content object to be sent to retrieve the content object for display using the browser;

means, on the client, for receiving the content object over a network connection;

means, for determining whether an individual has subscribed to one or more additional objects that are to be displayed if the individual had subscribed to the one or more objects;

means, on the client, for, after receiving the content object and prior to allowing the browser to dynamically display the content object, examining the content object and changing a portion of the content object to reflect information stored locally to the client; and

the browser on the client to display the content object changed based on the local information at the client.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 13 wherein the content object includes a program that uses the information to indicate how the content object is to be generated at the client.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 14 wherein the means for changing the content object comprises means for modifying the program to change a representation of the content object that is to be dynamically generated.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 15 wherein the means for changing the portion of the content object to reflect information stored locally to the client comprises means for changing the content object with one or more additional objects if the client determines an individual has subscribed to the one or more additional objects.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 13 wherein the means for changing the content object comprises means for replacing at least one string in the content object based on the information stored locally to the client.

18. The apparatus defined in claim 17 wherein the at least one string comprises a portion of a program.

19. The apparatus defined in claim 13 further comprising means for determining whether the one or more additional objects are stored with the client in order to determine if the one or more additional objects are to be displayed.

20. The apparatus defined in claim 13 wherein the means for changing the content object comprises an agent running on the client.

21. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein the agent comprises middleware.

22. The apparatus defined in claim 13 wherein the information comprises a profile.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a browser on a client causing a request for a content object to be sent to retrieve the content object for display using the browser, wherein the content object includes a program that uses the information to indicate how the content object is to be generated at the client;

means, on the client, for receiving the content object over a network connection;

means, on the client, for, after receiving the content object and prior to allowing the browser to dynamically display the content object, examining the content object and changing a portion of the content object to reflect information stored locally to the client, wherein the means for changing the content object comprises means for modifying the program to change a representation of the content object, which is to be dynamically generated, based on whether one or more other objects are stored in a cache of the client; and

the browser on the client to display the content object changed based on the local information at the client.

24. An apparatus comprising:

a browser on a client causing a request for a content object to be sent to retrieve the content object for display using the browser;

means, on the client, for receiving the content object over a network connection;

means, on the client, for, after receiving the content object and prior to allowing the browser to dynamically display the content object, examining the content object and changing a portion of the content object to reflect information stored locally to the client; and

the browser on the client to display the content object changed based on the local information at the client,

wherein the information comprises an indication of whether one or more other objects to be displayed when the content object is displayed are stored with the client.

25. An article of manufacture having one or more computer readable media storing instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method comprising:

a browser on a client causing a request for a content object to be sent to retrieve the content object for display using the browser;

the client receiving the content object over a network connection;

determining whether an individual has subscribed to one or more additional objects that are to be displayed if the individual had subscribed to the one or more objects

the client, after receiving the content object and prior to allowing the browser to dynamically display the content object, examining the content object and changing a portion of the content object to reflect information stored locally to the client; and

the browser on the client displaying the content object changed based on the local information at the client.