Client-side data scraping for open overlay for social networks and online services

• US 8,615,550 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2006
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Fischer, Donald, Pennington, Havoc, Clark, Bryan, Taylor, Owen, Walters, Colin
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZUNIGA ABAD, JACKIE
• Application Number:
  US11/443,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,764 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and system for allowing an open overlay service for a social network to interface with other online services. In particular, the open overlay service configures its clients to make requests on behalf of the social network. Responses to the requests are routed back to the open overlay service and the information is then provided to the social network. Since the requests come from the client the online services will simply treat them as normal requests, and thus, the open overlay service can seamlessly integrate with a user'"'"'s online services.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

configuring, by an open overlay service, a client operated by a user to send a request to an online service for information associated with the user and maintained by the online service using an interface between the client and the online service,

wherein sending the request for information is based on a predetermined time interval, and

wherein the online service is separate from the open overlay service and the information maintained by the online service is only accessible directly to the user operating the client;

receiving, at the open overlay service, a response to the request, wherein the response is forwarded from the client; and

forwarding on behalf of the client, from the open overlay service, information in the response to a social network to which the user is registered using the interface between the client and the online service, wherein forwarding information to the social network comprises sending a notification to the client from another user of the social network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the request for information comprises sending a HTTP request to the client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein forwarding information to the social network comprises sending notifications to the client for a user of the social network and to at least one additional user of the social network.

4. An apparatus comprising at least one server configured to provide an open overlay service configured to:

configure, by the open overlay service, a client operated by a user to send a request to an online service for information associated with the user and maintained by the online service using an interface between the client and the online service,

wherein sending the request for information is based on a predetermined time interval, and

wherein the online service is separate from the open overlay service and the information maintained by the online service is only accessible directly to the user operating the client;

receive a response to the request, wherein the response is forwarded from the client; and

forward on behalf of the client information in the response to a social network to which the user is registered using the interface between the client and the online service, wherein forwarding information to the social network comprises sending a notification to the client from another user of the social network.

5. A non-transitory computer readable medium that provides instructions that, when executed by a processor, will cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

configuring, by an open overlay service, a client operated by a user, to send a request to an online service for information associated with the user and maintained by the online service using an interface between the client and the online service,

wherein sending the request for information is based on a predetermined time interval, and

wherein the online service is separate from the open overlay service and the information maintained by the online service is only accessible directly to the user operating the client;

receiving a response to the request, wherein the response is forwarded from the client; and

forwarding on behalf of the client information in the response to a social network to which the user is registered using the interface between the client and the online service, wherein forwarding information to the social network comprises sending a notification to the client from another user of the social network.

6. A method comprising:

configuring, by an open overlay service, a client operated by a user to make a request to an online service for information associated with the user and maintained by the online service using an interface between the client and the online service;

performing, by the open overlay service, client side data scraping of the online service to determine an interface between the client and the online service separate from the open overlay service;

sending, from the open overlay service to the client operated by the user, a web page request for information associated with the user and maintained by the online service,

wherein sending the web page request is based on a predetermined time interval, and

wherein the information maintained by the online service is only accessible directly to the user operating the client;

receiving, at the open overlay service, a response to the web page request, wherein the response is forwarded from the client;

identifying activity for the user on the online service based on the web page response, wherein identifying activity comprises identifying when the user has received a message from another user at the online service; and

notifying the user of the client when the activity for the user has been identified.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein identifying activity for the user at the online service based on the web page request comprises comparing the response to the web page refresh with a previous state of the web page at the online service.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein identifying activity for the user at the online service based on the web page request comprises identifying when the user has received a posting from another user at the online service.

9. An apparatus comprising at least one server configured to provide an open overlay service configured to:

configure, by an open overlay service, a client operated by a user to make a request to an online service for information associated with the user and maintained by the online service using an interface between the client and the online service;

perform client side data scraping of the online service to determine an interface between the client and the online service;

send, to the client operated by the user, a web page request for information associated with the user and maintained by the online service,

wherein sending the web page request is based on a predetermined time interval, and

wherein the information maintained by the online service is only accessible directly to the user operating the client;

receive a response to the web page request, wherein the response is forwarded from the client;

identify activity for the user on the online service based on the web page response, wherein identifying activity comprises identifying when the user has received a message from another user at the online service; and

notify the user of the client when the activity for the user has been identified.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium that provides instructions that, when executed by a processor, will cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

configuring, by an open overlay service, a client operated by a user to make a request to an online service for information associated with the user and maintained by the online service using an interface between the client and the online service;

performing client side data scraping of the online service to determine an interface between the client and the online service;

sending, to the client operated by the user, a web page request for information associated with the user and maintained by the online service,

wherein sending the web page request is based on a predetermined time interval, and

wherein the information maintained by the online service is only accessible directly to the user operating the client;

receiving a response to the web page request, wherein the response is forwarded from the client;

identifying activity for the user on the online service based on the web page response, wherein identifying activity comprises identifying when the user has received a message from another user at the online service; and

notifying the user of the client when the activity for the user has been identified.

11. A client system, comprising:

an interface coupled to a set of online services subscribed to by a user of the client system and to a social network, wherein the set of online services are only accessible directly to the user of the client system; and

a processor, communicating with memory and configured to execute an application client operating on the client system and configured to communicate with at least one of the set of online services via the interface; and

an overlay client operating on the client system and configured by an open overlay service to send a request to the at least one online service for information associated with the user and maintained by the at least one online service using the interface between the client system and the at least one online service, wherein sending the request for information is based on a predetermined time interval, to receive requests from the open overlay system using the interface, wherein the overlay system is separate from the at least one online service, to route the requests through the application client to the at least one online service via the open overlay service configured to forward the requests using the interface, to receive responses to the requests, wherein the responses comprise a notification from another user of the social network.

12. The client system of claim 11, wherein the application client is a web browser.

13. The client system of claim 11, wherein the application client is an instant messaging client.

14. The client system of claim 11, wherein the application client is multi-media content player.