System and method for communicating state and title information between a browser and a rich internet application with browser forward and back button support

• US 7,802,262 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2005
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Jethani, Manish, Ruehle, Glenn, Lynch, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho; Andy
• Application Number:
  US11/280,023
• Time in Patent Office: 1,771 Days
• Field of Search: 719/313, 719/329, 709/217
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons

Abstract

A system and method communicates address and state information from a browser to a rich Internet application to allow the Rich Internet Application to start at a location, or preload variables, corresponding to the state information. The system and method communicates address and state information from the Rich Internet Application to the browser to allow such information to be displayed by the browser for use or retrieval. The system and method allows the user to navigate within the Rich Internet Application using the browser'"'"'s forward and back buttons.

Claims

1. A method of communicating state information between an application and a browser, comprising:

at an application that runs under the browser, providing the state information to a referring web page that caused the browser to run the application;

at the referring web page, receiving the state information and providing the state information to the browser in a manner that will cause the browser to display the state information in a text box in which an address of web pages is displayed; and

providing the state information from the application to the browser in a manner that will cause the browser to record the state information to be provided in response to a user'"'"'s use of the browser'"'"'s forward or back buttons.

2. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

at the application, providing title information to the referring web page; and

at the referring web page, receiving the title information and providing the title information in a manner that will cause the browser to display the title information in an area of the browser in which titles of web pages are displayed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein state information is provided from the application to the browser by directing the browser to load a utility referring page via a command that includes the state information.

4. The method of claim 3:

wherein the utility referring web page references a utility application; and

additionally comprising;

providing, by the utility referring web page to the utility application, state information from that used to load the utility referring web page.

5. The method of claim 4, additionally comprising providing by the utility application to the application, at least some of the state information received from the utility referring page.

6. The method of claim 5 additionally comprising operating the application responsive to the state information received.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the operating step comprises jumping to a location in the application responsive to the state information.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the operating step comprises changing a value of the application responsive to the state information.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the operating step is responsive to at least one time.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the operating step is responsive to a difference between the state information provided from the application to the browser and the state information provided by the utility application to the application.

11. A system for communicating state information between an application and a browser, comprising:

an application that runs under the browser, the application for providing at an output the state information to a referring web page that caused the browser to run the application, and providing at the application output the state information from the application to the browser in a manner that will cause the browser to record the state information to be provided in response to a user'"'"'s use of the browser'"'"'s forward or back buttons; and

a referring web page having an input coupled to the application output for receiving the state information, the referring web page for providing at an output the state information to the browser, in a manner that will cause the browser to display the state information in a text box in which an address of web pages is displayed.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the application is additionally for providing at the application output title information to the referring web page; and

the referring web page additionally receives the title information at the referring web page input and provides the title information at the referring web page output in a manner that will cause the browser to display the title information in an area of the browser in which titles of web pages are displayed.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the application provides the state information to the browser by directing the browser to load a utility referring page via a command that includes the state information.

14. The system of claim 13:

wherein the utility referring web page comprises an output coupled to an input of a utility application; and

the utility referring web page is for providing at the utility referring web page output to the utility application, state information from that used to load the utility referring web page.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the utility application is for providing to the application via an output coupled to a utility application input of the application, at least some of the state information received from the utility referring page.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the application operates responsive to the state information received.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the application operates by jumping to a location in the application responsive to the state information.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the operating operates by changing a value of the application responsive to the state information.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the application operates additionally responsive to at least one time.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein application operates additionally responsive to a difference between the state information provided from the application to the browser and the state information received from the utility application.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for communicating state information between an application and a browser, the computer program product comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer system to:

at an application that runs under the browser, provide the state information to a referring web page that caused the browser to run the application;

at the referring web page, receive the state information and provide the state information to the browser in a manner that will cause the browser to display the state information in a text box in which an address of web pages is displayed; and

provide the state information from the application to the browser in a manner that will cause the browser to record the state information to be provided in response to a user'"'"'s use of the browser'"'"'s forward or back buttons.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, additionally comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer system to:

at the application, provide title information to the referring web page; and

at the referring web page, receive the title information and providing the title information in a manner that will cause the browser to display the title information in an area of the browser in which titles of web pages are displayed.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein state information is provided from the application to the browser by directing the browser to load a utility referring page via a command that includes the state information.

24. The computer program product of claim 23:

wherein the utility referring web page references a utility application; and

additionally comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer system to;

provide, by the utility referring web page to the utility application, state information from that used to load the utility referring web page.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, additionally comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer system to provide, by the utility application to the application, at least some of the state information received from the utility referring page.

26. The computer program product of claim 25 additionally comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer system to operate the application responsive to the state information received.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer system to operate comprise computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer system to jump to a location in the application responsive to the state information.

28. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer system to operate comprise computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer system to change a value of the application responsive to the state information.

29. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer system to operate are responsive to at least one time.

30. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer system to operate are responsive to a difference between the state information provided from the application to the browser and the state information provided by the utility application to the application.