Process of communication between an applet and a local Agent using a Socket communication channel

• US 7,428,570 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2000
• Issued: 09/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Blackboard Collaborate Incorporated (Blackboard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Wimba.Com S.A.
• Inventors: Ross, Keith, Nobili, Johanna, Nobili, Olivier, Van Haetsdaele, Bruno
• Primary Examiner(s): WINDER, PATRICE L
• Application Number:
  US10/181,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20030028363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,828 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/229, 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/52 during program execution, e.g. stack integrity ; Preventing unwanted data erasure; Buffer overflow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

A process allowing communication between a java code and an executable software file which permits the java code to receive an access to the internal system resources of the user'"'"'s computer. The java code is arranged to be configured as a server in the client'"'"'s configuration, by means of the establishment of a server socket communication channel. Once established, that socket communication channel is used for allowing a full ordered, error-free communication between the java code and the local executable file, thereby allowing the java code to take profit of the internal system resources of the user'"'"'s computer. Preferably, the java code is received by the user through an Internet/Intranet network as an applet which thus receives an effective and powerful access to the system resources of the user'"'"'s machine.

Claims

1. Process for allowing access to a java applet code to native resources of a user'"'"'s computer involving the steps of:

giving said java applet code a digitally signed format to provide the applet with expanded capabilities;

causing said java applet code to install a native local agent in the user'"'"'s computer, said native local agent corresponding to code being directly executable on the local machine CPU, bypassing the Java Virtual Machine;

creating a socket communication channel between said java applet code and said native local agent; and

using the created socket communication channel for providing said java applet code with an access to said native resources.

2. Process according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps:

detecting whether said native local agent is already installed into the user'"'"'s computer and, if not, initiating said installation;

installing a socket communication port by issuing a command socket to the operating system and receiving a free port N;

launching said native local agent with the attribute of the received free port; and

using said socket communication channel for the purpose of a multimedia application.

3. Process according to claim 1, wherein said java applet code is downloaded from a web server or a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) received through an Internet or Intranet network.

4. Process according to claim 3, wherein such process involves a mechanism for detecting whether said native local agent has an executable file which is already existing in the user'"'"'s computer, and wherein the existing file is the more recent one.

5. Process according to claim 4, wherein the file comprising the digitally signed java applet code also includes a public key used by a an asymmetric algorithm associated with a hashing function for the purpose of ascertaining integrity of the subsequent downloaded files.

6. Process according to claim 1, wherein said native local agent allows access to audio system resources of said user'"'"'s computer, so as to permit said java applet code to take control of recording functions of the computer.

7. Process according to claim 6, wherein said java applet code uses a Automatic Gain Control mechanism which simultaneously controls the sensitivity of the microphone input and processes the samples of digitized audio signal.

8. Process according to claim 1, wherein such process further involves a local cache mechanism which allows the regulation of the streamed audio data provided by audio devices and a direct re-access to voice messages which have already been downloaded by a voice message server.

9. Process according to claim 8, wherein the voice messages are recorded and are simultaneously transmitted to a remote server and stored within said cache mechanism while the recording process is going on.

10. Process of communication of a downloadable java applet code, which is to be run in a Java Virtual Machine of a web browser in a client system, with a native local independent agent, said method comprising the steps of:

configuring said java applet code as a server by creating a socket communication channel for the communication between said downloadable java applet code and said native local agent; and

using said socket communication channel for allowing communication between said java applet code and said native local agent.

11. Process according to claim 10, wherein said java applet code is downloadable from a web server or a File Transfer Protocol server through an Internet connection.

12. Method according to claim 10, wherein said native local agent code is a specific code for accessing to the internal resources of the client system.