System for enabling multiple clients to interact together over a network with a secure web page

• US 7,139,799 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2001
• Issued: 11/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Net2Phone, Inc. (IDT Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Net2Phone, Inc. (IDT Corporation)
• Inventors: Zhang, Cheng, Ward, James, Qian, Dahong, Eichner, Matthew, Xie, Feiyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, HARESH N
• Application Number:
  US09/777,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20020032731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,113 Days
• Field of Search: 719310-318, 719/328, 719329-332, 707/10, 707/9, 709200-209, 709217-237
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/15 Synchronised browsing

Abstract

A group-browsing system for a plurality of clients each including a shared web browser. A server is linked to the shared web browser of each client and is configured to monitor the transmission of the web site URL request from the shared web browser of one client of the group and to direct the request to the shared web browser of other clients in the group. A gatekeeper module is configured to first mask the identity of each client'"'"'s computer on the shared browser. This prevents the web site from retrieving any client'"'"'s actual identifier. Second, the gatekeeper is also configured to create a same temporary identifier for each client when any client logs on to the web site so that the same web page is displayed for all the clients in the group.

Claims

1. A group-browsing system comprising:

a group of client computers including a first client computer and other client computers;

wherein each of said group of client computers securely share and display a shared web browser;

a server linked to the shared web browser and the server configured to (1) monitor a transmission of a web site URL request from the shared web browser of the first client computer and (2) direct the web site URL request to the shared web browser of the other client computers; and

gatekeeper modules of the respective said group of client computers;

wherein, each of the gatekeeper modules are configured to (1) mask an identity of each of said group of client computers to prevent a web site corresponding to the web site URL request from retrieving an actual identifier of the first client computer, and (2) create a same temporary identifier for each of said group of client computers when a user of the first client computer logs on to the web site so that a same web page corresponding to the web site URL request is displayed securely at each said group of client computers.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the group-browsing system is a scalable secure system.

3. The system of claim 1 in which the gatekeeper module resides on each client.

4. The system of claim 1 in which the actual identifier is a cookie and the temporary identifier is a temporary cookie.

5. The system of claim 1 in which the gatekeeper further including means for deleting the temporary identifier at the end of a group-browsing session to prevent any client from returning to the web site identified as another client.

6. The system of claim 1 in which the gatekeeper further including means for generating a warning message when any client logs on to the web site to inform that client that the other clients in the group will now be able to access that clients private information.

7. The system of claim 1 further including means for tracking the actions of all the clients for billing purposes.

8. The system of claim 1 further including client software configured to detect the end of a group-browsing session and, in response, to direct a client'"'"'s secure browser to transmit the web site URL to allow the client to return to the previously accessed web site.

9. A gatekeeper system for group-browsing, the system comprising:

a group of client computers including a first client computer and other client computers;

wherein each of said group of client computers securely share and display a shared web browser;

a server linked to the shared web browser and the server configured to (1) monitor a transmission of a web site URL request from the shared web browser of the first client computer and (2) direct the web site URL request to the shared web browser of the other client computers;

gatekeeper modules of the respective said group of client computers;

means for masking an identity of each of said group of client computers to prevent a web site corresponding to the web site URL request from retrieving an actual identifier of the first client computer; and

means for creating a same temporary identifier for each of said group of client computers when a user of the first client computer logs on to the web site so that a same web page corresponding to the web site URL request is displayed securely at each said group of client computers.

10. The system of claim 9 in which the actual identifier is a cookie and the temporary identifier is a temporary cookie.

11. The system of claim 9 further including means for deleting the temporary identifier at the end of a group-browsing session.

12. A group-browsing method for a group of client computers including a first client computer and other client computers;

wherein, each of said group of client computers securely share and display a shared web browser, the method comprising;

linking a server to the shared web browser;

using the server to configure to (1) monitor a transmission of a web site URL request from the shared web browser of the first client computer and (2) direct the web site URL request to the shared web browser of the other client computers;

masking an identity of each of said group of client computers to prevent a web site corresponding to the web site URL request from retrieving an actual identifier of the first client computer; and

creating a same temporary identifier for each of said group of client computers when a user of the first client computer logs on to the web site so that a same web page corresponding to the web site URL request is displayed securely at each said group of client computers;

wherein, the masking and the creating steps are performed by each of gatekeeper modules of the respective said group of client computers.

13. The system of claim 12 in which the actual identifier is a cookie and the temporary identifier is a temporary cookie.

14. The method of claim 12 further including deleting the temporary identifier at the end of a group-browsing session to prevent any client from returning to the web site identified as another client.

15. The method of claim 12 in which the step of configuring the gatekeeper further including generating a warning message when any client logs on to the web site to inform that client that the other clients in the group will now be able to access that client'"'"'s private information.

16. The method of claim 12 further including tracking the actions of all the clients for billing purposes.

17. The method of claim 12 further including configuring a client software to detect the end of a group-browsing session and, in response, directing a client'"'"'s secure browser to transmit the web site URL to allow the client to return to the previously accessed web site.

18. A group-browsing method comprising:

securely sharing and displaying a shared web browser by each of a group of client computers;

wherein, the group of client computers include a first client computer and other client computers;

linking a server to the shared web browser;

using the server to configure to (1) monitor a transmission of a web site URL request from the shared web browser of the first client computer and (2) direct the web site URL request to the shared web browser of the other client computers;

masking an identity of each of said group of client computers to prevent a web site corresponding to the web site URL request from retrieving an actual identifier of the first of the client computer; and

creating a same temporary identifier for each of said group of client computers when a user of the first client computer logs on to the web site so that a same web page corresponding to the web site URL request is displayed securely at each said group of client computers;

wherein, the masking and the creating steps are performed by each of gatekeeper modules of the respective said group of client computers.

19. The method of claim 18 in which the identifier is a cookie and the temporary identifier is a temporary cookie.

20. The method of claim 18 further including deleting the temporary identifier at the end of a group-browsing session.