Content update proxy method

• US 7,464,381 B1
• Filed: 05/12/2000
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Nickerson, Thomas W., Phillips, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): LAFORGIA, CHRISTIAN A
• Application Number:
  US09/570,276
• Time in Patent Office: 3,133 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/219, 709/218, 709/204, 709/228, 707/10, 715/523, 715/240, 345/760, 705/20, 705/22, 705/28, 705/29
• US Class Current: 719/311
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• 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

Abstract

A web page can be updated by communicating modification instructions to the web page from a server, through a proxy frame of the web page, such that the modification instructions affect less than the entire web page. This method avoids having to reload the content frame every time a change to content is required thus eliminating screen flash within the browser which generally accompanies navigating between similar pages from the same web site. A source frame can be used to store methods having instructions for updating the content of the web page. These methods can be invoked from the proxy frame, further reducing the amount of network traffic generated during subsequent requests for content modification instructions.

Claims

1. A method of updating the displayed content of a web page comprising:

based, at least in part, on a user interaction with the web page, communicating modification instructions to the web page from a server through a proxy frame of the web page, such that the proxy frame communicates with the server on behalf of the web page;

based on the modification instructions and in response to the user interaction, invoking a proxy method from an event handler of a content frame;

generating a query string from the proxy method, the query string comprising information for generating a proxy script, the information being provided by the content frame;

transmitting the query string to the server for the proxy script;

from the proxy frame;

loading the proxy script from the server that update content of the web page that is contained outside the proxy frame; and

updating the content of the web page according to the proxy script, the updating affecting less than the entire web page.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, requesting the modification instructions from the server by a frame of the web page invoking a method of the proxy frame that generates and submits the request to the server.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the frame is a content frame.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising, receiving the modification instructions from the server in the proxy frame, the modification instructions being represented in a script for updating the content of the web page.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising executing the script of the proxy frame to update the content of the web page.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

from the proxy frame, invoking a method of a source frame of the web page for updating the content of the web page; and

executing the instructions of the source frame method updating the content of the web page.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the user interaction.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interaction comprises a mouse click event.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the web page comprise a cell, and wherein the user interaction comprises the cell losing focus.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interaction comprises text input via a keyboard.

11. A method of updating the displayed content of a web page comprising:

displaying a web page, the web page including a proxy frame;

based, at least in part, on a user interaction with the web page, transmitting a request to a server from the proxy frame on behalf of the web page for a proxy script comprising a set of instructions to cause a modification to content of the web page that is contained outside the proxy frame;

based on the proxy script and in response to the user interaction, invoking a proxy method from an event handler of a content frame;

generating a query string by the proxy frame from the proxy method;

transmitting the query string from the server into the proxy frame; and

executing the query string to update the content of the web page with the modification.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising loading the proxy script into the proxy frame, wherein the proxy script includes instructions to update the web page with the modification.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the instructions to update the web page include a command that modifies a property of a content element of the web page.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the instructions to update the web page include a call to a method in a script of the web page.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the instructions to update the web page include a command to spawn a new instance of a browser window.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the instructions to update the web page include a command to redirect a frame of the web page to a new URL.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the instructions to update the web page include commands to rewrite an entire frame of the web page.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the instructions to update the web page include commands to store global data in a web page.

19. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

generating the proxy script by a server scripting engine in response to the request transmitted from the proxy frame, the proxy script including instructions that modifies less than the entire region of the web page.

20. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

generating a query string by the proxy frame, the query string comprising information for generating the proxy script, the information being provided by a content frame; and

transmitting the query string in the request to the server for the proxy script.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

invoking an event handler of the content frame in response to an event;

invoking a proxy method from the event handler of the content frame;

generating the query string from the proxy method; and

transmitting the query string to the server.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the event is triggerable by the user interaction, and wherein the user interaction occurs within the content frame.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the event is triggerable by a server action.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the event is triggerable by a timer.

25. The method of claim 21 wherein the event is triggerable by a third party action.

26. The method of claim 11 wherein transmitting the request comprises posting data to the server.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein posting comprises:

generating a form in the proxy frame, the form having a form element for storing a value;

setting the value of the form element with data obtained from the web page; and

submitting the form to the server such that the value of the form element is transmitted to the server.

28. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving the user interaction.

29. The method of claim 11, wherein the user interaction comprises a mouse click event.

30. The method of claim 11, wherein the web page comprise a cell, and wherein the user interaction comprises the cell losing focus.

31. The method of claim 11, wherein the user interaction comprises text input via a keyboard.

32. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable memory device;

a set of computer program instructions embodied on the computer readable memory device for updating the displayed content of a web page, including instructions to;

based, at least in part, on a user interaction with a web page, communicate modification instructions to the web page from a server through a proxy frame of the web page, such that the proxy frame communicates with the server on behalf of the web page;

based on the modification instructions and in response to the user interaction, invoking a proxy method from an event handler of a content frame;

generate a query string from the proxy method, the query string comprising information for generating a proxy script, the information being provided by the content frame; and

transmit the query string to the server for the proxy script;

from the proxy frame;

load the proxy script from the server that update content of the web page that is contained outside the proxy frame; and

update the content of the web page according to the proxy script, the updating affecting less than the entire web page.

33. The computer program product of claim 32 further including instructions to request the modification instructions from the server by a frame of the web page invoking a method of the proxy frame that generates and submits the request to the server.

34. The computer program product of claim 33 wherein the frame is a content frame.

35. The computer program product of claim 33 further including instructions to receive the modification instructions from the server in the proxy frame, the modification instructions being represented in a script for updating the content of the web page.

36. The computer program product of claim 35 further including instructions to execute the script of the proxy frame to update the content of the web page.

37. The computer program product of claim 32 further including instructions to invoke a method of a source frame of the web page from the proxy frame for updating the content of the web page;

and

execute the instructions of the source frame method updating the content of the web page.

38. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable memory device;

a set of computer program instructions embodied on the computer readable memory device for updating the displayed content of a web page, including instructions to;

display a web page, the web page including a proxy frame;

based, at least in part, on a user interaction with the web page, transmit a request to a server from the proxy frame on behalf of the web page for a proxy script comprising a set of instructions to cause a modification to content of the web page that is contained outside the proxy frame;

based on the proxy script and in response to the user interaction, invoking a proxy method from an event handler of a content frame;

generate a query string by the proxy frame from the proxy method;

transmit the query string from the server into the proxy frame; and

execute the query string to update the content of the web page with the modification.

39. The computer program product of claim 38 further including instructions to load the proxy script into the proxy frame, wherein the proxy script includes instructions to update the web page with the modification.

40. The computer program product of claim 39 wherein the instructions to update the web page include a command that modifies a property of a content element of the web page.

41. The computer program product of claim 39 wherein the instructions to update the web page include a call to a method in a script of the web page.

42. The computer program product of claim 39 wherein the instructions to update the web page include a command to spawn a new instance of a browser window.

43. The computer program product of claim 39 wherein the instructions to update the web page include a command to redirect a frame of the web page to a new URL.

44. The computer program product of claim 39 wherein the instructions to update the web page include commands to rewrite an entire frame of the web page.

45. The computer program product of claim 39 wherein the instructions to update the web page include commands to store global data in the web page.

46. The computer program product of claim 38 further including instructions to generate a query string by the proxy frame, the query string comprising information for generating the proxy script, the information being provided by a content frame;

and

transmit the query string in the request to the server for the proxy script.

47. The computer program product of claim 46 further including instructions to invoke an event handler of the content frame in response to an event;

invoke a proxy method from the event handler of the content frame;

generate the query string from the proxy method; and

transmit the query string to the server.

48. The computer program product of claim 47 wherein the event is triggerable by the user interaction, and wherein the user interaction occurs within the content frame.

49. The computer program product of claim 47 wherein the event is triggerable by a server action.

50. The computer program product of claim 47 wherein the event is triggerable by a timer.

51. The computer program product of claim 47 wherein the event is triggerable by a third party action.

52. The computer program product of claim 38 wherein the instructions to transmit the request comprises posting data to the server.

53. The computer program product of claim 52 wherein the posting data to the server comprises instructions to:

generate a form in the proxy frame, the form having a form element for storing a value;

set the value of the form element with data obtained from the web page; and

submit the form to the server such that the value of the form element is transmitted to the server.

54. The computer program product of claim 38 further including instructions to generate the proxy script by a server scripting engine in response to the request transmitted from the proxy frame, the proxy script including instructions that modifies less than the entire region of the web page.

55. A system of updating the displayed content of a web page comprising:

a server having stored modification instructions;

a web page having a proxy frame; and

a modification instruction configured to be communicated from the server to the web page through the proxy frame, in response to a request that is based at least in part on a user interaction with the web page, such that the proxy frame communicates with the server on behalf of the web page;

the modification instruction being configured to invoke a proxy method from an event handler of a content frame, generate a query string from the proxy method, the query string comprising information for generating a proxy script, the information being provided by the content frame, and transmit the query string to the server for the proxy script;

the proxy frame being configured to load the proxy script from the server that updates content of the web page that is contained outside the proxy frame; and

the proxy frame being configured to update the content of the web page according to the proxy script.

56. The system of claim 55 further comprising, a proxy method of the proxy frame, the proxy method generating and submitting requests to the server for modification instructions for a frame of the web page when invoked by a content frame.

57. The system of claim 56 wherein the frame is a content frame.

58. The system of claim 56 further comprising, a proxy script generated by the server, the proxy script including the modification instructions for updating the content of the web page, the proxy script being received in the proxy frame.

59. The system of claim 58 wherein the instructions of the proxy script of the proxy frame is executed to update the web page.

60. The system of claim 55, wherein the web page further comprises:

a source frame including a method having instructions for updating the content of the web page, the source frame method being invoked from the proxy frame, the instructions of the source frame method being executed updating the content of the web page.

61. A system of updating the displayed content of a web page comprising:

a client computer configured to display a web page, the web page including a proxy frame;

the proxy frame being configured to transmit, to a server and on behalf of the web page, a request for a proxy script comprising a set of instructions to cause a modification to content of the web page that is contained outside the proxy frame;

wherein;

the proxy frame is configured to transmit the request based, at least in part, on a user interaction with the web page, based on the proxy script and in response to the user interaction, invoke a proxy method from an event handler of a content frame, generate a query string by the proxy frame from the proxy method;

the server is configured to transmit the proxy script into the proxy frame; and

the client computer is configured to update the content of the web page with the modification by executing the proxy script.

62. The system of claim 61 wherein the proxy script is loaded into the proxy frame, the proxy script including instructions to update the web page with the modification.

63. The system of claim 62 wherein the instructions to update the web page include a command that modifies a property of a content element of the web page.

64. The system of claim 62 wherein the instructions to update the web page include a call to a method in a script of the web page.

65. The system of claim 62 wherein the instructions to update the web page include a command to spawn a new instance of a browser window.

66. The system of claim 62 wherein the instructions to update the web page include a command to redirect a frame of the web page to a new URL.

67. The system of claim 62 wherein the instructions to update the web page include commands to rewrite an entire frame of the web page.

68. The system of claim 62 wherein the instructions to update the web page include commands to store global data in the web page.

69. The system of claim 61 further comprising:

a query string, the query string being generated by the proxy frame, the query string comprising information for generating the proxy script, the information being provided by a content frame, the query string being transmitted in the request to the server for the proxy script.

70. The system of claim 69 further comprising:

an event handler of the content frame;

a proxy method;

the proxy method being invoked from the event handler of the content frame, the event handler of the content frame being invoked in response to an event;

the proxy method generating the query string; and

the proxy method transmitting the query string to the server.

71. The system of claim 70 wherein the event is triggerable by the user interaction, and wherein the user interaction occurs within the content frame.

72. The system of claim 70 wherein the event is triggerable by a server action.

73. The system of claim 70 wherein the event is triggerable by a timer.

74. The system of claim 70 wherein the event is triggerable by a third party action.

75. The system of claim 61 wherein the request is transmitted by posting data to the server.

76. The system of claim 75 wherein the proxy frame further comprises:

a form, the form having a form element for storing a value, the value of the form element being set data obtained from the web page, the form being submitted to the server such that the value of the form element is transmitted to the server.

77. The system of claim 61, wherein the server further comprises:

a server scripting engine configured to generate the proxy script in response to the request transmitted from the proxy frame, the proxy script including instructions that modifies less than the entire region of the web page.