Time-out management for session dependent applications

• US 9,654,544 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2004
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Zhou, Qun, Hasson, Laurent D., Li, Jianren
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, TAE K
• Application Number:
  US10/894,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20060080383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,684 Days
• Field of Search: 709223, 713201, 705 37, 711118
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/143 Termination or inactivation of sessions, e.g. event-controlled end of session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus for time-out management for session-dependent applications. A time-out management system can include one or more of pages defining a session-dependent application. The system further can include a server-side time-out manager configured for use in a content server in detecting a time-out condition in the session-dependent application when the session-dependent application has been distributed to a content client. Finally, the system can include at least one client-side time-out manager configured to detect activity for the session-dependent application and to notify the content server when activity is detected in the session-dependent application when the session-dependent application has been distributed to the content client.

Claims

1. A time-out management system comprising at least one processor configured to perform:

distributing a session-dependent application from a content server to a content browser within a content client, wherein a client-side time-out manager is disposed in content distributed to the content browser from the content server as part of the session dependent application;

tracking interactions between the content client and the content server during a session of the session-dependent application by a server-side time-out manager using a first time-out threshold time interval, wherein the session is terminated upon no activity detected by the server-side time-out manager during the first time-out threshold time interval;

tracking activities within the content browser occurring in the session dependent application by the client-side time-out manager using a second time-out threshold time interval, wherein the second time-out threshold time interval is shorter than the first time-out threshold time interval; and

,

responsive to detecting an activity within the content browser occurring in the session dependent application within the second time-out threshold time interval, spoofing, during an post-second time-out threshold interval period of time between an expiration of the second time-out threshold interval and an expiration of the first time-out threshold time interval, client-side activity even when no activity occurs in the content browser by falsely indicating to the server-side time-out manager that activity has occurred in the content browser in connection with the session dependent application during the post-second time-out threshold interval period of time when no activity in fact has occurred in the content browser in connection with the session dependent application during the post-second time-out threshold interval period of time.

2. A time-out management method comprising the steps of:

distributing a session-dependent application from a content server to a content browser within a content client, wherein a client-side time-out manager is disposed in content distributed to the content browser from the content server as part of the session dependent application;

tracking interactions between the content client and the content server during a session of the session-dependent application by a server-side time-out manager using a first time-out threshold time interval, wherein the session is terminated upon no activity detected by the server-side time-out manager during the first time-out threshold time interval;

tracking activities within the content browser occurring in the session dependent application by the client-side time-out manager using a second time-out threshold time interval, wherein the second time-out threshold time interval is shorter than the first time-out threshold time interval; and

,

responsive to detecting an activity within the content browser occurring in the session dependent application within the second time-out threshold time interval, spoofing, during an post-second time-out threshold interval period of time between an expiration of the second time-out threshold interval and an expiration of the first time-out threshold time interval, client-side activity even when no activity occurs in the content browser by falsely indicating to the server-side time-out manager that activity has occurred in the content browser in connection with the session dependent application during the post-second time-out threshold interval period of time when no activity in fact has occurred in the content browser in connection with the session dependent application during the post-second time-out threshold interval period of time.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

determining a time-out condition in said client-side content browser;

rendering a prompt to continue said session; and

,

notifying the server-side time-out manager to maintain said session if a response to said prompt is detected.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the activities within the content browser include one of mouse movement, a mouse click or a keyboard stroke in said client-side content browser within the second time-out threshold time interval.

5. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program for time-out management, the computer program comprising a routine set of instructions which when executed by a machine cause the machine to perform the steps of:

distributing a session-dependent application from a content server to a content browser within a content client, wherein a client-side time-out manager is disposed in content distributed to the content browser from the content server as part of the session dependent application;

tracking interactions between the content client and the content server during a session of the session-dependent application by a server-side time-out manager using a first time-out threshold time interval, wherein the session is terminated upon no activity detected by the server-side time-out manager during the first time-out threshold time interval;

tracking activities within the content browser occurring in the session dependent application by the client-side time-out manager using a second time-out threshold time interval, wherein the second time-out threshold time interval is shorter than the first time-out threshold time interval; and

,

responsive to detecting an activity within the content browser occurring in the session dependent application within the second time-out threshold time interval, spoofing, during an post-second time-out threshold interval period of time between an expiration of the second time-out threshold interval and an expiration of the first time-out threshold time interval, client-side activity even when no activity occurs in the content browser by falsely indicating to the server-side time-out manager that activity has occurred in the content browser in connection with the session dependent application during the post-second time-out threshold interval period of time when no activity in fact has occurred in the content browser in connection with the session dependent application during the post-second time-out threshold interval period of time.

6. The machine readable storage medium of claim 5, further comprising a routine set of instructions for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

determining a time-out condition in said client-side content browser;

rendering a prompt to continue said session; and

,

notifying the server-side time-out manager to maintain said session if a response to said prompt is detected.

7. The machine readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the activities within the content browser include one of mouse movement, a mouse click or a keyboard stroke in said client-side content browser within the second time-out threshold time interval.