System and method for passing messages to a web browser

• US 7,984,113 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2004
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Steinwagner, Matthias Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Divecha; Kamal B
• Application Number:
  US10/935,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20060075107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,505 Days
• Field of Search: 711/106, 711/118, 707/8, 707/104, 707/1, 707/200, 707/201, 709/203, 709/206, 709/207, 709/219, 709/232, 709/236, 709/248
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method and system for passing messages to a Web browser. According to one embodiment, a controller receives one or more messages to be delivered to a Web browser session, provides notification to the Web browser session of the receipt of the one or more messages, receives a request by the Web browser session for the one or more messages in response to the notification, the request received via a connection opened by the Web browser session, and delivers the one or more messages to the Web browser session via the connection in response to the request.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for passing messages to a Web browser, comprising:

receiving one or more messages at a backend system comprising backend controller and a storage queue, to be delivered to a Web browser session on a frontend system comprising a frontend controller, wherein the one or more messages are received at the backend controller and stored in the storage queue;

providing notification by the backend controller of the backend system across a computer network to the Web browser session on the frontend system of the receipt of the one or more messages by changing a stored value in a server cache at the backend system by the backend controller, wherein the notification to the Web browser session is effected via a polling mechanism by the frontend controller in which the Web browser session monitors via HTTP requests sent over an HTTP connection formed for requesting the stored value, wherein the change in the stored value indicates that one or more messages are waiting to be delivered;

receiving, by the frontend controller, the stored value from the backend controller based on the HTTP requests sent over the HTTP connection;

determining by the frontend controller that the returned value has changed from a value returned in a previous polling cycle;

in response to the determination that the returned value has changed, creating an HTTP request by declaring at the frontend controller an iframe to transfer the messages referred to in the notification, wherein the HTTP request contains a form including data fields with instructions instructing the backend controller regarding delivery of the messages;

receiving at the backend controller of the backend system the HTTP request including the form from the Web browser session on the frontend system for the one or more messages in response to the provided notification, the HTTP request received across a computer network via an HTTP connection opened by the Web browser session on the frontend system by the frontend controller, wherein the form is dynamically created in a document object of the declared iframe with the instructions appended to the form in data fields of the form;

reading the data fields of the form to retrieve the instructions for delivering the one or more messages by reading posted data fields and deserializing the instructions; and

delivering the one or more messages from the backend system according to the instructions to the Web browser session on the frontend system via the HTTP connection in response to the HTTP request.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more messages includes a text message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more messages includes a byte message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more messages includes an object message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more messages are placed in a queue before being delivered to the Web browser session.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the polling mechanism includes changing a value to indicate the receipt of the one or more messages, the value being continually monitored by the Web Browser session.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the value is a timestamp.

17. The method of claim 1, comprising:

opening an HTTP connection by the frontend system to receive the one or more messages causing the notification.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the HTTP connection is opened by the Web browser session to receive the one or more messages related to the provided notification.

8. An apparatus for passing messages to a Web browser, comprising:

a processor operating on a backend system, the backend system comprising a backend controller and a storage queue; and

a memory, coupled to the processor, storing instructions to be executed by the processor to;

receive one or more messages to be delivered to a Web browser session on a frontend system, the frontend system comprising a frontend controller;

store the one or more received messages in the storage queue;

provide notification across a computer network to the Web browser session of the receipt of the one or more messages by changing a stored value in a server cache at the backend system by the backend controller, wherein the notification to the Web browser session is effected via a polling mechanism by the frontend controller in which the Web browser session monitors via HTTP requests sent over an HTTP connection formed for requesting the stored value , wherein the change in the stored value indicates that one or more messages are waiting to be delivered;

transmit the stored value from the server cache based on an HTTP request sent over an HTTP connection;

in response to a determination by the frontend controller that the returned value has changed from a value returned in a previous polling cycle, receive at the processor a HTTP request having a form including data fields with instructions regarding delivery of the messages from the Web browser session on the frontend system for the one or more messages in response to the provided notification, the request received across a computer network via the HTTP connection opened by the Web browser session, wherein the form is dynamically created in a document object of a declared iframe with the instructions appended to the form in data fields of the form;

open the form to obtain the instructions regarding delivery of the message;

read the data fields of the opened form to retrieve the instructions for delivering the one or more messages by reading posted data fields and deserializing the instructions; and

deliver the one or more messages to the Web browser session on the frontend system via the HTTP connection in response to the request.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more messages are placed in a queue before being delivered to the Web browser session.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the polling mechanism includes changing a value to indicate the receipt of the one or more messages, the value being continually monitored by the Web browser session.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the value is a timestamp.

18. The apparatus of claim 8, the memory further comprising:

storing computer instructions for causing the processor to;

open an HTTP connection by the frontend system to receive the one or more messages causing the notification.

21. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the HTTP connection is opened by the Web browser session to receive the one or more messages related to the provided notification.

12. A system for passing messages to a Web browser, comprising:

a backend system that receives one or more messages to be delivered to a Web browser session on a frontend system, the backend system comprising a backend controller and a storage queue, and the frontend system comprising a frontend controller;

a database that stores a value;

means for providing notification across a computer network to the Web browser session of the receipt of the one or more messages by changing the stored value in a server cache at the backend system by the backend controller, wherein the notification to the Web browser session is effected via polling mechanism by the frontend controller in which the Web browser session continually monitors via HTTP requests sent over an HTTP connection formed for requesting the stored value, wherein the change in the stored value indicates that one or more messages are waiting to be delivered;

means for storing the one or more received messages in the storage queue;

means for receiving the stored value from the backend controller based on an HTTP request sent over an HTTP connection;

means for determining that the returned value has changed from a value returned in a previous polling cycle;

in response to a determination by the determining means that the returned value has changed from a value returned in a previous polling cycle, means for receiving, executing on the backend system, that receives an HTTP request having a form including data fields with instructions regarding delivery of the messages by the Web browser session for the one or more messages in response to the provided notification, the request received across a computer network via an HTTP connection opened by the Web browser session, wherein the form is dynamically created in a document object of a declared iframe with the instructions appended to the form in data fields of the form;

means for opening the form to obtain the instructions regarding delivery of the message;

means for reading data fields of the opened form to retrieve the instructions for delivering the one or more messages by reading posted data fields and deserializing the instructions; and

means for delivering the one or more messages to the Web browser session via the HTTP connection in response to the request.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more messages are placed in a queue before being delivered to the Web browser session.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the polling mechanism includes changing a value to indicate the receipt of the one or more messages, the value being continually monitored by the Web browser session.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the value is a timestamp.

16. A computer-implemented method for passing messages to a Web browser, comprising:

receiving by a first server, including a first controller and a storage queue, one or more messages to be delivered to a Web browser session executing on a second server including a second controller, wherein the one or more messages are received by the first controller and stored in the storage queue;

providing notification by the first server across a computer network to the Web browser session of the receipt of the one or more messages by changing a stored value in a server cache on the first server, wherein the notification to the Web browser session is effected via a polling mechanism by the second controller in which the Web browser session continually monitors via HTTP requests sent over an HTTP connection formed for requesting the stored value, wherein the change in the stored value indicates that one or more messages are waiting to be delivered;

receiving, by the second controller, the stored value from the backend controller based on the HTTP requests sent over the HTTP connection;

determining, by the second controller, that the returned value has changed from a value returned in a previous polling cycle;

in response to the determination that the returned value has changed, creating an HTTP request by declaring at the frontend controller an iframe to transfer the messages referred to in the notification, wherein the HTTP request contains a form including data fields with instructions instructing the first controller regarding delivery of the messages, wherein the form is dynamically created in a document object of a declared iframe with the instructions appended to the form in data fields of the form;

receiving at the first controller the HTTP request including the form by the Web browser session for the one or more messages in response to the provided notification, the HTTP request received across a computer network via an HTTP connection opened by the Web browser session;

reading the data fields of the form to retrieve the instructions for delivering the one or more messages by reading posted data fields and deserializing the instructions; and

delivering the one or more messages to the Web browser session via the HTTP connection in response to the HTTP request.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, comprising:

in response to receiving the notification, opening an HTTP connection by the web browser session at a frontend system to receive the one or more messages from the backend system.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the HTTP connection is opened by the Web browser session to receive the one or more messages related to the provided notification.