Shared object stores for a networked computer system

• US 7,809,798 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cheng, Lili, Drucker, Steven M., Chesley, Harry R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayard; Djenane M
• Application Number:
  US11/238,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026264A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/216, 709/201, 709/203, 709/212, 709/213, 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A store of interfaced software objects are distributed between a server computer and multiple client computers to support an object oriented application communication environment that provides communication between software applications on each client computer. The application communication environment may include a central shared object store of interfaced software objects that operate on a server computer and communicate with one or more software applications on the server computer. A local shared object store of interfaced software objects operates on each client computer and communicates with the central shared object store and one or more software applications on that client computer. Changes to interfaced software objects in the local shared object stores may be automatically propagated to the interfaced software objects in the central shared object store. A local private object store of interfaced software objects may operate on a client computer and communicate with one or more software applications on the client computer.

Claims

1. In a networked computer system having a server computer in communication with plural client computers, an application communication environment with object stores, comprising:

a central shared object store of interfaced software objects that operate on the server computer and communicate with plural server software applications on the server computer;

a local shared object store of interfaced software objects that operate on each client computer and communicate with the central shared object store and a first plurality of client software applications on the client computer, communications between the first client software applications and the local shared object store on each client being available to the central shared object store, at least one of the interfaced software objects of at least one client computer dynamically inheriting one or more object services during runtime; and

a local private object store of interfaced software objects that operate on each client computer and facilitates communication between second client software applications on the client computer, communications between the second client software applications and the local private object store on each client computer not being directly available to the central shared object store, wherein a representation of one or more modified interfaced software objects of the local private object store are communicated to the local shared object store while maintaining a security of the local private object store.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the interfaced software objects of each local shared object store are instances of the interfaced software objects of the central shared object store.

3. The system of claim 1 in which the central shared object store maintains a complete and centralized representation of the interfaced software objects of the local shared object stores.

4. The system of claim 1 in which changes to interfaced software objects in the local shared object stores are automatically and dynamically propagated to the interfaced software objects in the central shared object store.

5. The system of claim 1 in which the interfaced software objects in the central shared object store and the local shared object store provide communication between users of the client computers.

6. In a networked computer system having a server computer in communication with plural client computers, an application communication method, comprising:

maintaining on the server computer a central shared object store of interfaced software objects that communicate with plural server software applications on the server computer;

maintaining on each client computer a local shared object store of interfaced software objects that communicate with the central shared object store and a plurality of first client software applications on the client computer, communications between the first client software applications and the local shared object store on each client being available to the central shared object store, at least one of the interfaced software objects of at least one client computer dynamically inheriting one or more object services during runtime;

maintaining on each client computer a local private object store of interfaced software objects that facilitates secure communication between second client software applications on the client computer, communications between second client software applications and the local private object store on each client computer not being available to the central shared object store; and

modifying at least one interfaced software object of the local private object store, communicating a representation of the at least one modified interfaced software object to the local shared object store; and

maintaining a security of the local private object store.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising maintaining in the central shared object store a complete and centralized representation of the interfaced software objects of the local shared object stores.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising automatically and dynamically propagating to the interfaced software objects in the central shared object store changes to interfaced software objects in the local shared object stores.

9. The method of claim 6 in which the interfaced software objects in the central shared object store and the local shared object store provide communication between users of the client computers.

10. A method comprising;

a) providing a networked computer system having a server computer in communication with a first client computer and a second client computer;

b) providing on the server computer a central shared object store of a plurality of central interfaced software objects for communicating with one or more server applications on the server computer;

c) providing on the first client computer a first local shared object store storing a plurality of first local interfaced software objects for communicating with one or more first client software applications on the first client computer, the plurality of first local interfaced software objects corresponding to at least a first portion of the plurality of central interfaced software objects;

d) providing on the second client computer a second local shared object store storing a plurality of second local interfaced software objects for communication with one or more second client software applications on the second client computer, the plurality of second local interfaced software objects corresponding to at least a second portion of the plurality of central interfaced software objects;

e) modifying at least one interfaced software object of the plurality of first local interfaced software objects;

f) automatically modifying a corresponding interfaced software object of the central shared object store based on the modified at least one interfaced software object of the plurality of first local interfaced software objects;

g) determining if the second client computer is likely to utilize the modified at least one interfaced software object;

h) in response to the determination, automatically modifying a corresponding interfaced software object of the second local shared object store based on the modified at least one interfaced software object of the central shared object store;

i) dynamically inheriting one or more object services by at least one of the plurality of first local interfaced software objects during runtime;

j) providing at the first client computer a local private object store storing at least one third local interfaced software object for securely communicating between third client software applications on the first client computer, the at least one third local interfaced software object not being available to the second client computer and the at least one third local interfaced software object being available for communicating between third client software applications on the first client computer; and

k) communicating a secure representation of the at least one third local interfaced software object to the central shared object store, the secure representation maintaining security of the local private object store.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising preventing modifying a corresponding interfaced software object of the second local shared object store based on the modified at least one interfaced software object of the central shared object store if the second client computer is determined to be unlikely to utilize the modified at least one interfaced software object.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the networked computer system includes a plurality of server computers, each server computer providing at least a portion of the central shared object store.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing one or more object services to at least one of the plurality of first local interfaced software objects during runtime.