Computer architecture having a stateless human interface device and methods of use

• US 7,346,689 B1
• Filed: 04/20/1998
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Northcutt, J. Duane, Ruberg, Alan T., Wall, Gerard A, Wilhelm, Neil C., Hanko, James G., Butcher, Lawrence L.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/063,335
• Time in Patent Office: 3,620 Days
• Field of Search: 709/1, 709/200, 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/208, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/250, 709/300, 709/301, 709/302, 709/223, 709/225, 709/227, 709/228, 707/10, 707/104
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The invention provides a central office metaphor to computing, where features and functions are provided by a one or more servers and communicated to an appliance terminal through a network. Data providers are defined as “services” and are provided by one or more processing resources. The services communicate to display terminals through a network, such as Ethernet. The terminals are configured to display data, and to send keyboard, cursor, audio, and video data through the network to the processing server. Functionality is partitioned so that databases, server and graphical user interface functions are provided by the services, and human interface functionality is provided by the terminal. Communication with the terminals from various services is accomplished by converting disparate output to a common protocol. Appropriate drivers are provided for each service to allow protocol conversion. Multiple terminals are coupled to the network. Users can enable their unique session at any one of the terminals by inserting a “smart card” into a card reader. Removing the card disables the session. Re-inserting the card into the same or any other terminal re-enables the session.

Claims

1. A computing system architecture comprising:

a data source for providing data through an interconnect fabric;

a stateless human interface device coupled to said interconnect fabric for receiving and rendering data, wherein said data source is configured to maintain an active session associated with a user when said user is connected and disconnected from said stateless human interface device, said active session including a persistent representation of one or more executing services for the active session, such that said active session is maintained, and the executing services of said active session are configured to continue execution when said user is disconnected; and

an identifier associated with said user configured to connect said user with said stateless human interface device, said stateless human interface device configured to display said active session when said user is connected, said active session resuming said persistent representation of the executing services from a previous but still active session from which said user previously disconnected, said stateless human interface device configured to not display said active session when said user is disconnected,

wherein said identifier configured to provide said user access to said active session from any of a plurality of stateless human interface devices connected to said data source through said interconnect fabric.

2. The architecture of claim 1 wherein said identifier comprises a physical identifier.

3. The architecture of claim 1 wherein said identifier comprises a biometric identifier.

4. The architecture of claim 1 wherein said user accesses a computing session of said user when said user access said stateless human interface device.

5. The architecture of claim 1 wherein said data source comprises a plurality of data services.

6. The architecture of claim 5 said output of said plurality of data services is converted to a common protocol for transmitting across said interconnect fabric to said stateless human interface device.

7. A computing system comprising:

a centralized processing source providing computation and data generation for a plurality of user sessions;

a plurality of stateless human interface devices coupled through an interconnect fabric to said centralized processing source, wherein each of said stateless human interface devices receive data from said centralized processing source and display output to a user initiating one of said plurality of user sessions, and wherein each of said stateless human interface devices provide user input to said centralized processing source across said interconnect fabric, and wherein said centralized processing source is configured to maintain an active session associated with said user when said user is connected and disconnected from one of said stateless human interface devices, wherein said active session comprises of a persistent representation of one or more executing services for the active session, such that the active session is maintained and the executing services of said active session are configured to continue execution when said user is disconnected from one of said stateless human interface devices; and

an identifier associated with said user capable of connecting said user to any of said stateless human interface devices such that a session associated with said user is displayed on a stateless human interface device connected to said user, said session resuming said persistent representation of the executing services from a previous but still active session from which said user previously disconnected, said stateless human interface device configured to not display said session when said user is disconnected.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein a state of a user session is maintained at said centralized computing resource.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said user input comprises keyboard strokes.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein said user input comprises cursor movements.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein said user input comprises audio.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein said user input comprises video.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein said identifier is a physical identifier.