System and method for displaying and operating multiple layered item list in web browser with support of concurrent users

• US 9,449,009 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TS Patents LLC
• Original Assignee: Sheng Tai Tsao
• Inventors: Tsao, Sheng Tai
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Tom Y
• Application Number:
  US13/932,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20140040778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0266 using meta-data, objects or commands for formatting management information, e.g. using eXtensible markup language [XML]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Support of end-user to view and operate computing resources through logically organized and graphically represented multi-layered item list (“hierarchical list”) has been fully realized on native window based computer user work environment with modern operating system such as Windows Explore of Microsoft. The present invention has implemented the hierarchical list to represent structured resources, such as for a central controlled distributed scalable virtual machine (CCDSVM), and to be displayable and operable via a browser on an end-user device for user to access and manage the actual structured resources. The implementation of the hierarchical list is accomplished by creating the hierarchical list in memory to mirror the actual structure resource, where the mirrored hierarchical list is sent to the end-user device, where the end-user device executes the browser to display the hierarchical list to allow the user to access the actual structured resources via the displayed hierarchical list.

Claims

1. A method for access to a document structure, the method comprising:

creating by a server a hierarchical list to represent, in a reduced form, the document structure served by the server for a user session;

causing display of the hierarchical list on an end-user device for the user session, initiated by a user of the end-user device, to facilitate the user through navigating the hierarchical list displayed;

to select one document object of a document file or folder in the document structure and submit a request for access to the selected document object; and

updating the document structure and updating the hierarchical list to reflect the updated document structure in accordance to the request received from the end-user device, and causing display of the updated hierarchical list on the end-user device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the hierarchical list is created in a memory, updated in response to the requested access, and deleted from the memory when the user session is ended.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the document structure comprises document objects of document files and folder distributed among a plurality of computing devices and the selected document object resides in one of the computing devices.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the access to the selected document object comprises at least one of renaming, moving, removing (deleting), copying, pasting, or sharing the selected file or folder, or editing a document file.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the hierarchical list displayed is navigated to explore one or more layers of document objects in the document structure including to display content of the selected document folder.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the displaying content of the selected document folder comprises displaying at least one document file or document subfolder, or the document file and the document subfolder, the displaying of the document subfolder comprising to display at least next one layer of document file or document subfolder.

7. A server;

for control access to a document structure, comprising;

at least one hardware processor, one network interface, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code that, being executed by the at least one hardware processor, causes the server to;

create a first hierarchical list to represent, in a reduced form, the document structure served by the server for a first user session;

cause display of the first hierarchical list on an first end-user device for the first user session, initiated by a first user of the first end-user device, to facilitate the first user through navigating the first hierarchical list displayed to select one document object of a document file or folder in the document structure and submit a request for access to the selected document object; and

update the document structure and update the first hierarchical list to reflect the updated document structure in accordance to the request received from the first end-user device, and cause display of the updated first hierarchical list on the first end-user device.

8. The server as recited in claim 7, wherein program code causes the server to creates the first hierarchical list in a memory, updates the first hierarchical list in response to the requested access, and delete the first hierarchical list from the memory when the first user session is ended.

9. The server as recited in claim 7, wherein the document structure comprises document objects of document files and folders distributed among a plurality of computing devices and the selected document object resides in one of the computing devices.

10. The server as recited in claim 7, wherein the access to the selected document object comprises at least one of renaming, moving, removing (deleting), copying, pasting, or sharing the selected file or folder, or editing the selected document file.

11. The server as recited in claim 7, wherein the hierarchical list displayed is navigated to explore one or more layers of document objects in the document structure including to display content of the selected document folder.

12. The server as recited in claim 11, wherein the displaying content of the selected document folder comprises displaying at least one document file or one document subfolder, or the document file and document subfolder, the displaying of the document subfolder comprising to display at least next one layer of document file and/or document subfolder.

13. The server as recited in claim 7, wherein the program code causes the server to create a second hierarchical list to represent, in a reduced form, the document structure and cause displaying the second hierarchical list on an second end-user device for a second user session of a second user to facilitate the second user access to document objects through the second hierarchical list display.

14. The server as recited in claim 7, wherein the program code further causes the server to present the first hierarchical list in a web browser on the first end-user device for the first user through the hierarchical list displayed thereof access to the selected document object.

15. A program product embedded in a non-transitory computer-readable medium in a server and comprising program instructions which, being executed by the server, cause the server to facilitate users access to a document structure, wherein the program instructions comprise:

program instructions for creating a first hierarchical list to represent, in a reduced form, the document structure served by the server for a first user session;

program instructions for causing display of the first hierarchical list on an first end-user device for the first user session, initiated by a first user of the first end-user device, to facilitate the first user through navigating the first hierarchical list displayed to select one document object of a document file or folder in the document structure and submit a request for access to the selected document object; and

program instructions for updating the document structure and updating the first hierarchical list to reflect the updated document structure in accordance to the request received from the first end-user device, and for causing display of the updated first hierarchical list on the first end-user device.

16. The program product as recited in claim 15, wherein the document structure comprises document files and folders distributed among a plurality of computing devices and the selected document object resides in one of the computing devices.

17. The program product as recited in claim 16, further comprising program instructions for causing the server to collect information of the document structure through communication with each of the computing devices in respect to the requirement for creating each of the first and second hierarchical lists.

18. The program product as recited in claim 15, wherein the server creates first hierarchical list in a memory, updates the first hierarchical list in response to the requested access, and deletes the first hierarchical list from the memory upon the first user session being ended.

19. The program product as recited in claim 15, wherein the access to the selected document object comprises at least one of renaming, moving, removing (deleting), copying, pasting, or sharing the selected file or folder, or editing the selected document file.

20. The program product as recited in claim 15, wherein the hierarchical list displayed is navigated to explore one or more layers of document objects in the document structure including to display at least one of document objects with a graphic indicator, an associated attribute and an operation menu.

21. The program product as recited in claim 15, wherein the program instructions for creating a first hierarchical list comprises to create a second hierarchical list to represent, in a reduced form, the document structure and cause displaying the second hierarchical list on an second end-user device for a second user session of a second user to facilitate the second user access to document structure through the second hierarchical list display.