System and method for providing links to available services over a local network by a thin portal service configured to access imaging data stored in a personal imaging repository

• US 7,085,807 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2001
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Simpson, Shell S., Foster, Ward S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, OANH L
• Application Number:
  US09/874,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20020184370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,884 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/227, 709/232, 709/224, 709/226, 709/229, 707/3, 715/501.1, 715/738, 725/112
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A system and method for providing links to services available to an operably connected local computer over a network. The present invention includes a thin portal service for finding services available to the local computer, a thin portal service web content created by the thin portal service for returning links to the discovered available services, and a web browser installed on the local computer for displaying the thin portal service content.

Claims

1. A method for providing links to services that are available on a local network, the method comprising:

receiving a request for web content;

querying the local network for information about a current environment, including checking for devices that are connected to the local network;

checking for services that are available on the local network by a thin portal service, wherein checking for services comprises checking for services that are available on the local network that are configured to access imaging data stored in a personal imaging repository of a user; and

creating web content for a network browser, the web content includig at least one link to at least one of said services that is available on the local network;

wherein said web content provides said services to the user within said current environment without prior configuration of said services on a user computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request for web content comprises receivig a request form the network browser.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request from the network browser is input by a user of the browser.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein checking for services comprises checking for services that are available on the local network that are configured to access imaging data that belongs to a user of a computer on which the browser is executing.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein checking for services comprises determining whether a web proxy service is available on the local network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an active network address of a computer on which the browser is executing.

7. A computer program product having program code stored on a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising;

program code for querying a local network for information about a current environment, including checking for devices that are connected to the local network;

program code for checking for services that are available on the local network by a thin portal service, wherein checking for services comprises checking for services that are available on the local network that are configured to access imaging data stored in a personal imaging repository of a user; and

and program code for creating web content for a network browser, the web content including at least one link to at least one of said services that is available on the local network;

wherein said web content provides said services to the user within said current environment without prior configuration of said services on a user computer.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising logic configured to receive a request for web content from the network browser.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the logic configured to check for services comprises logic configured to check for services that are configured to access imaging data stored in a personal imaging repository of a user of a computer on which the network browser executes.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the logic configured to check for services comprises logic configured to check for a web proxy service that is available on the local network.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising logic configured to determine an active network address of a computer on which the browser is executing.

12. A computer, comprising:

A network browser that is configured to receive network content;

a personal imaging repository that is configured to store imaging data; and

a thin portal service that is configured to query a local network to which the computer is connected for information about a current environment, including checking for devices that are connected to the local network, to query for imaging services that are available on the local network and that are configured to access the imaging data of the personal imaging repository of a user, and to create we content for the network browser, the web content including at least one link to at least one of said imaging services that is available on the network;

wherein said web content provides said imaging services to the user within said current environment without prior configuration of said imaging services on a user computer.

13. The computer of claim 12, wherein the personal imaging repository comprises a composition store for storing imaging compositions and an imaging data store that stores imaging data.

14. The computer of claim 13, wherein the composition store comprises link references to imaging data stored in the imaging data store.

15. The computer of claim 12, further comprising a thin portal reference that identifies the thin portal service.

16. The computer of claim 12, further comprising an extension that provides access to content received by the network browser too the personal imaging repository.

17. The computer of claim 16, wherein the extension comprises part of the network browser.

18. The computer of claim 16, wherein the extension accesses the personal imaging repository by referring to user information stored on the computer.

19. The computer of claim 12, wherein the computer is a laptop computer.

20. A system provided on a local network, comprising:

a computer connected to the local network, the computer including a network browser that is configured to receive network content, and a personal imaging repository that is configured to store imaging data; and

a server connected to the local network, the server including a thin portal service that is configured to query the local network for information about a current environment, including checking for devices that are connected to the local network, query for imaging services that are available on the local network and that are configured to access the imaging data of the personal imaging repository of a user, and to create web content for the network browser, the web content including at least one link to at least one of the imaging services that is available on the local network;

wherein said when content provides said imaging services to the user within said current environment without prior configurational of said imaging services on a user computer.

21. A system provided on a local network, comprising:

a computer connected to the local, the copter including a network browser that is configured to receive network content;

a storage server connected to the local network, the storage server including a personal imaging repository that is configured to store imaging data; and

a thin portal server connected to the local network, the thin portal server including a thin portal service that is configured to query the local network for information about a current environment, including checking for devices that are connecting to the local network, query for imaging services that are available on the local network and that are configured to access the imaging data of the personal imaging repository of a user, and to create web content for the network browser, the web content including at least one link to at least one of said imaging services that is available on the local network;

wherein said web content provides said imaging services to the user within said current environment without prior configuration of said imaging services on a user computer.