System and method for display of multiple electronic pages

• US 7,379,977 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2001
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Steve Walrath
• Original Assignee: Steve Walrath
• Inventors: Walrath, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone; Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pollack; Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US09/912,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20030023670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,499 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/203, 715/503, 715513-515, 715767-769, 715/777, 715/778, 705/30, 705/35, 705/42
• US Class Current: 709/219
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for providing a distributed software application is disclosed. The application includes multiple browser window components that run together within a single browser window. Each component manages and displays data independently, so that a series of Internet pages can be simultaneously displayed and manipulated by a user. In one embodiment, an electronic main page is downloaded from a server to a client computer, wherein the main page comprises at least two browser components for displaying additional electronic pages within the main page. The main page includes a user selectable software control for selection of one of the at least two browser components for display.

Claims

1. A system for providing a distributed software application, comprising:

a server comprising a stored electronic page, wherein the page comprises a first browser component configured to display a first electronic page and a second browser component configured to display a second electronic page within the stored electronic page;

a client computer comprising a browser program configured to establish a communication link with the server, download said first and second electronic pages, and display the stored electronic page, wherein said first browser component is active and displays said first electronic page to a user, and said second browser component is inactive and does not display said second electronic page to the user; and

at least one software control on the stored electronic page for selecting between said first browser component and said second browser component, wherein selecting said first browser component results in said first electronic page being displayed to the user and said second electronic page becoming hidden from said user and wherein selecting said second browser component results in said second electronic page being displayed to the user and said first electronic page becoming hidden from said user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored electronic page is written in the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second browser components comprise the Microsoft HTML parsing and rendering engine.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein The browser program is the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser program.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the software control is an Active X control.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the Active X control is a command button control.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the Active X control appears as a tab within the browser program, and wherein the electronic main page displays a first tab associated with the first browser component and a second tab associated with the second browser component.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the software control is configured to store variable data to the client computer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second browser components are part of a single software control.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the browser program is configured to download said first and second electronic pages substantially simultaneously.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein said client computer comprises a queue for storing data that is to be communicated from said first browser component to said second browser component.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said system is configured to read said data at predetermined time intervals.

10. A method of processing information using a computer network, comprising:

downloading an electronic page from a server computer to a client computer, wherein the downloaded electronic page comprises a first browser component configured to display a first electronic page and a second browser component configured to display a second electronic page within the downloaded electronic page;

providing at least one software control on the downloaded electronic page for selecting between said first and second browser components;

downloading said first electronic page and said second electronic page to said client computer; and

displaying the downloaded electronic page, wherein said first browser component is active and displays said first electronic page, and said second browser component is inactive and does not display said second electronic page, and wherein activation of the software control results said second browser component becoming active and displaying said second electronic page.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the downloaded electronic page is written in the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and second browser components comprise the Microsoft HTML parsing and rendering engine.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the browser program is the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser program.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the software control is an Active X control.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the Active X control is a command button control.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the Active X control appears as a tab within the browser program, and wherein the downloaded electronic page displays a first tab associated with the first browser component and a second tab associated with the second browser component.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the software control stores variable data to the client computer.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and second browser components are part of a single software control.

19. In a computer readable storage, an electronic page configured to display a plurality of electronic web pages to a user on a computer desktop, comprising:

a first browser component configured to download and display a first web page to the user;

a second browser component configured to download and display a second web page to the user;

a first software control configured to activate said first browser component and display said first web page in a front position on said desktop, wherein said first software control deactivates and makes hidden said second browser component and said second web page; and

a second software control configured to activate said second browser component and display said second web page in a front position on said desktop, while deactivating and hiding said first browser component and said first web page.

20. The electronic main page of claim 19, wherein said first software control and said second software control are tab controls.

24. In a computer readable storage, an Internet browser program for displaying electronic pages on a computer display, comprising:

a first browser component configured to display a first electronic page;

a second browser component configured to display a second electronic page;

a first tab control configured to display said first electronic page and hide said second electronic page; and

a second tab control configured to display said second electronic page and hide said first electronic page.

25. The program of claim 24, wherein said program comprises an accounting program.

26. The program of claim 24, wherein said internet browser program is configured to download said first electronic page and said second electronic page substantially simultaneously.

27. The program of claim 24, wherein said first tab control is configured to move said first browser component to a front position on said computer display.

28. The program of claim 24, wherein said second tab control is configured to move said second browser component to a front position on said computer display.