Bi-directional communication between a web client and a web server

• US 7,461,134 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2004
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intelliproplist LLC
• Original Assignee: W.A. Krapf, Inc.
• Inventors: Ambrose, Dennis W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu; Jinsong
• Application Number:
  US10/992,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/223, 709/227, 715/811, 719/317
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for providing bidirectional communication between a user agent and an Internet Web server. Some applications include user agent initiated on demand access to Web content without requiring a Web page reload, updating of shopping cart information, extension of displayed product information and tracking of user interaction history. Web content can be accessed in response to a user agent detectable event, including such as the selection of a text field or a button. This approach enables user agent resident JAVA script to access and process Web content before it is rendered to a user.

Claims

1. A method for providing bidirectional communication between a user agent and a Web application server over a network, comprising the steps of:

providing a user agent and an application server, said user agent and said application server communicating via a hypertext transfer (HTTP) protocol, each of said user agent and said application server executing within a computer;

providing a server procedure configured to operate in association with said application server and associating a procedure identifier with said server procedure, said procedure identifier identifying said server procedure, said server procedure executing within a computer;

constructing by said user agent, a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) uniform resource identifier (URI) that includes at least said procedure identifier and a time identifier, said time identifier identifying a time of occurrence of said event and where said uniform resource identifier (URI) is constructed by said user agent in response to a user agent detectable event and where said procedure identifier is selected in association with said event;

transmitting by said user agent to said application server, a first communication including a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) REQUEST message, said (HTTP) REQUEST message including said uniform resource identifier (URI);

receiving and processing by said application server, said (HTTP) REQUEST message, said processing including the execution of said server procedure identified by said procedure identifier, constructing by said server procedure, a second communication including information responding to said first communication, said information stored within a portion of an HTTP RESPONSE message and where said portion is located outside of a body field of said HTTP RESPONSE message; and

transmitting by said application server to said user agent, said second communication.

2. The method of claim 1 where said information of said second communication is stored within a cookie.

3. The method of claim 1 where said information of said second communication is stored within an HTTP state object.

4. The method of claim 1 where said information of said second communication is stored within an HTTP header field.

5. The method of claim 1 where said information of said second communication is Web content that is accessible to said application server.

6. The method of claim 5 where said user agent controls a display monitor and further including the step of rendering by said user agent at least a portion of said Web content information onto said display monitor.

7. The method of claim 6 where said rendering draws over a portion of a Web page previously rendered onto said display monitor without causing a Web page reload operation.

8. The method of claim 5 further including the step of storing a web content identifier into said (HTTP) uniform resource identifier (URI), said web content identifier identifying said web content.

9. The method of claim 1 further including the step of storing an event identifier into said (HTTP) uniform resource identifier (URI), said event identifier identifying said event.

10. The method of claim 1 where at least one of the steps of constructing and communicating by said user agent are performed by a client script software executing in association with said user agent.

11. The method of claim 1 where the HTTP request message includes an image content-type header field.

12. The method of claim 11 where the user agent detects reception of said HTTP response message via an image on-load event.

13. The method of claim 1 where said server procedure is implemented as a server script software executing in association with said application server.

14. A Web server providing bi-directional communication with a user agent over a network comprising:

an application server including at least one server procedure configured to operate in association with said application server, said application server configured to communicate with a user agent via a hypertext transfer (HTTP) protocol, each of said application server, said server procedure and said user agent executing on a computer;

said application server configured for receiving and processing a first communication including an (HTTP) REQUEST message from said user agent, said processing including the execution of said server procedure identified by a procedure identifier included within said (HTTP) REQUEST message, said (HTTP) REQUEST message including a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) uniform resource identifier (URI) that includes at least said procedure identifier and a time identifier, said time identifier identifying a time of occurrence of said event and where said uniform resource identifier (URI) is constructed by said user agent in response to a user agent detectable event and where said procedure identifier is selected in association with said event;

said server procedure configured for constructing a second communication including information responding to said first communication, said information stored within a portion of an HTTP RESPONSE message and where said portion is located outside of a body field of said HTTP RESPONSE message; and

wherein said application server is configured to transmit to said user agent, said second communication.

15. A Web client providing bi-directional communication with a Web server comprising:

a user agent configured for communicating with an application server, said application server including a server procedure configured to operate in association with said application server, said server procedure identified by a procedure identifier, said application server being configured to communicate with a user agent via a hypertext transfer (HTTP) protocol, each of said user agent, said application server and said server procedure executing within a computer;

said user agent configured for constructing a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) uniform resource identifier (URI) that includes said procedure identifier and a time identifier, said time identifier identifying a time of occurrence of said event and where said uniform resource identifier (URI) is constructed by said user agent in response to a user agent detectable event and where said procedure identifier is selected in association with said event; and

said user agent is configured for transmitting to said application server, a first communication including a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) REQUEST message, said (HTTP) REQUEST message including a uniform resource identifier (URI) including said procedure identifier, and configured for receiving a second communication including information responding to said first communication, said information stored within a portion of an HTTP RESPONSE message and where said portion is located outside of a body field of said HTTP RESPONSE message; and

configured for extracting and processing said information.