Secure HTML components for building client-side user interface

• US 8,839,126 B1
• Filed: 06/17/2009
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tang, Na, Zhang, Ying, Hornung, Zelidrag, Sekhon, Yash
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdul-Ali, Omar
• Assistant Examiner(s): BHARGAVA, ANIL K
• Application Number:
  US12/486,298
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A method performed by a server device includes receiving a request from a client, the request including data to identify a component of a graphical user interface (GUI) application; and determining that an updated version of the component is available. The method also includes retrieving, from a memory associated with the server device, the updated version of the component and providing the updated version of the component to the client.

Claims

1. A method performed by a server device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the server device, a request from a browser operating on a client, the request including data to identify the client and respective versions associated with components of an application provided through the browser, the client being associated with a private key;

determining, by the server device and based on the request, that an updated version of a component, of the plurality of components, is available;

determining, by the server device and based on the request, that the client has most recent versions of other components, of the plurality of components of the application, that differ from the component;

retrieving, by the server device, data associated with the updated version of the component, the retrieving of the data including;

comparing the version of the component, associated with the client, with the updated version of the component to produce comparison results,

selecting, based on the comparison results, one of a plurality of data files, each of the plurality of data files being associated with upgrading a respective different version of the component to the updated version of the component, and

retrieving the selected data file, other data files of the plurality of data files not being retrieved;

signing, by the server device, the data associated with the updated version of the component, with a signature, the signature being based on the data included in the request, the signature enabling the browser to verify the data associated with the updated version using the private key; and

providing, by the server device, the signed data associated with the updated version of the component to the client, data associated with the other components not being provided to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, where the request further includes additional data that includes one or more of:

respective identifiers associated with the components;

respective version indicators of the components;

a version indicator of the application;

or

information identifying a location associated with the client,

the selecting of the data file, from the plurality of data files, being further based on the additional data.

3. The method of claim 1, where the component includes binary code, and where the data associated with the updated version of the component includes at least one of:

mark-up language code;

or

script language code.

4. The method of claim 3, where the data associated with the updated version of the component includes the mark-up language code, and

where the mark-up language code includes hypertext markup language (HTML).

5. The method of claim 3, where the data associated with the updated version of the component includes the script language code, and

where the script language code includes JavaScript code.

6. The method of claim 1, where providing the signed data associated with the updated version of the component includes:

sending the signed data associated with the updated version of the component to the client using hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS).

7. The method of claim 1,

where determining that the updated version of the component is available includes:

comparing the version, associated with the component of the application, to information in a directory of component updates, and

determining, based on the comparison, that the updated version of the component is available.

8. The method of claim 1, where retrieving the data associated with the updated version of the component includes:

selecting, based on the data in the request, a component database from a plurality of component databases; and

retrieving the updated version of the component from the selected component database.

9. The method of claim 1, where:

the data associated with the updated version of the component includes hypertext markup language (HTML), and

the signature is included as an HTML comment in the data associated with the updated version of the component.

10. A system, comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and

a processor to execute instructions in the memory to;

receive a request from a browser operating on a client, the request including data identifying a plurality of components for an application installed on the client, the client being associated with a private key,

determine, based on the request, that an updated version of a particular component, of the plurality of components, is available,

determine, based on the request, that the client has most recent versions of other components, of the plurality of components of the application, that differ from the component,

retrieve data associated with the updated version of the particular component, the processor, when retrieving of the data, being further to;

compare the version of the component, associated with the client, with the updated version of the component to produce comparison results,

select, based on the comparison results, one of a plurality of data files, each of the plurality of data files being associated with upgrading a respective different version of the component to the updated version of the component, and

retrieve the selected data file, other data files of the plurality of data files not being retrieved,

append a cryptographic signature to the data associated with the updated version of the particular component, the cryptographic signature enabling the browser to verify the data associated with the updated version using the private key, and

provide, to the client, the signed data associated with the updated version of the particular component with the cryptographic signature without providing, to the client, data associated with the other components.

11. The system of claim 10, where the request further includes additional data that includes one or more of:

respective identifiers of the plurality of components;

respective version indicator of the plurality of components;

a unique identifier for the application;

or

a version indicator of the application,

the processor being further to select the data file, from the plurality of data files, based on the additional data.

12. The system of claim 10, where the data associated with the updated version of the particular component includes one or more of:

mark-up language code;

script language code;

style sheet language code;

an image;

or

a plain text configuration file.

13. The system of claim 10, where, when providing the data associated with the updated version of the particular component to the client, the processor executes instructions in the memory to:

send the signed data associated with the updated version of the particular component to the client using hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS).

14. The system of claim 10, where, when determining that the updated version of the particular component is available, the processor executes instructions in the memory to:

compare the data in the request with a directory of component updates to identify that the updated version of the particular component is available.

15. The system of claim 10, where, when retrieving the data associated with the updated version of the particular component, the processor executes instructions in the memory to:

select, from a plurality of component databases, a component database that includes the updated version of the particular component; and

retrieve the data associated with the updated version of the particular component from the selected component database.

16. A method performed by a server device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the server device, a request from a client, the request including data identifying a plurality of components of an application rendered from binary code by the client, the client being associated with a private key;

retrieving, by the server device and based on the request, data associated with an updated version of a component, of the plurality of components, the data associated with the updated version of the component including mark-up language code that can be rendered at the client to incorporate the updated version of the component into the application, the retrieving of the data including;

comparing the version of the component, associated with the client, with the updated version of the component to produce comparison results,

selecting, based on the comparison results, one of a plurality of data files, each of the plurality of data files being associated with upgrading a respective different version of the component to the updated version of the component, and

retrieving the selected data file, other data files of the plurality of data files not being retrieved;

signing, by the server device, the data associated with the updated version of the component with a signature, the signature being based on the data included in the request, the signature enabling the client to verify the data associated with the updated version using the private key; and

sending, by the server device, the signed data associated with the updated version of the component, along with the signature, to the client, data associated with the other components not being sent to the client.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

comparing, by the server device, the data, to identify the version of the component of the application, with a directory of component updates; and

determining, by the server device, whether the data associated with the updated version of the component is stored in a memory associated with the server device based on a result of the comparing.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

sending, by the server device, the data associated with the updated version of the component to the client using hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS).

19. A non-transitory memory device comprising:

one or more instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to receive a request from a browser operating on a client, the request including data identifying a plurality of components of an application associated with the browser, the client being associated with a private key;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine that an updated version of a particular component, of the plurality of components, is available;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine, based on the request, that the client has most recent versions of other components, of the plurality of components of the application, that differ from the component;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to retrieve data associated with the updated version of the particular component, the one or more instructions to retrieve the data including;

one or more instructions to compare the version of the component, associated with the client, with the updated version of the component to produce comparison results,

one or more instructions to select, based on the comparison results, one of a plurality of data files, each of the plurality of data files being associated with upgrading a respective different version of the component to the updated version of the component, and

one or more instructions to retrieve only the selected data file;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to append a cryptographic signature to data associated with the updated version of the particular component, the cryptographic signature enabling the browser to verify data associated with the updated version using the private key; and

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to provide, to the client, the data associated with the updated version of the particular component with the cryptographic signature, data associated with the other components not being provided to the client.

20. The non-transitory memory device of claim 19, where the request further includes additional data that include one or more of:

information identifying a location of the client;

an identifier of the particular component;

a version indicator of the particular component;

a unique identifier for the application; and

a version indicator of the application, and

the one or more instructions to select the data file further include;

one or more instructions to select the data file, from the plurality of data files, further based on the additional data.

21. The non-transitory memory device of claim 19, where the data associated with the updated version of the particular component further includes one or more of:

script language code;

style sheet language code;

an image;

or

a plain text configuration file.

22. The non-transitory memory device of claim 19, where the one or more instructions to determine that an updated version of the particular component is available include:

one or more instructions to compare the data in the request with a directory of component updates to identify the particular component of the application.