METHOD, SYSTEM AND PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR SHARING STATE INFORMATION ACROSS DOMAINS

• US 20080027824A1
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Callaghan, Patrick, Howland, Michael, Pritko, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 7,895,125 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

State information is shared across domains. The state information is placed in one or more cookies that are shared across disjoint domains. An intermediary application is used, as one example, to enable the sharing of the state information (e.g., the cookies) across the different domains. The intermediary application is used to add state information to requests received from a client and to responses going to the client. Further, an intermediary application is used to cause a client to save state information for any range of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), and to cause the client to send any previously stored state information to the intermediary application. Additionally, the intermediary application is used to cause state information previously saved by the client for one range of URLs to be subsequently saved by the client for one or more other range of URLs.

Claims

1. A computer program product for electronic shopping, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage media;

first program instructions, for execution in an intermediary server, to receive from a purchaser, a first selection of a first item to be purchased electronically from a first vendor having a first web server in a first domain and a second selection of a second item to be purchased electronically from a second vendor having a second web server in a second domain;

second program instructions, for execution in said intermediary server, to obtain state information from both said first domain and said second domain for said purchaser, said first domain not directly communicating state information to said second domain for said purchaser and said second domain not directly communicating state information to said first domain for said purchaser; and

third program instructions, for execution in said intermediary server, to provide a single electronic check-out for said purchaser for both said first and second items; and

wherein

said first, second and third program instructions are stored on said computer readable storage media.

2. A computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein said single electronic check-out with said intermediary server avoids the need for said purchaser to electronically check-out said first item with said first vendor and separately electronically check-out said second item with said second vendor.

3. A computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first and second selections are made by said purchaser in a same session with said intermediary server.

4. A computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein said state information comprises information about preferences of said purchaser.

5. A computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first domain has no knowledge of said second selection, and said second domain has no knowledge of said first selection.

6. A computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein said electronic check-out is an electronic shopping cart.

7. A computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first vendor is not aware of said second selection and said second vendor is not aware of said first selection.

8. A computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second program instructions obtain said state information from both said first web server and said second web server for said purchaser using one or more cookies.

9. A computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first program instructions convey said first selection to said first web server and said second selection to said second web server.

10. A computer system for electronic shopping, said computer system comprising:

a central processing unit;

first program instructions, for execution in an intermediary server, to receive from a purchaser, a first selection of a first item to be purchased electronically from a first vendor having a first web server in a first domain and a second selection of a second item to be purchased electronically from a second vendor having a second web server in a second domain;

second program instructions, for execution in said intermediary server, to obtain state information from both said first domain and said second domain for said purchaser, said first domain not directly communicating state information to said second domain for said purchaser and said second domain not directly communicating state information to said first domain for said purchaser; and

third program instructions, for execution in said intermediary server, to provide a single electronic check-out for said purchaser for both said first and second items; and

wherein

said first, second and third program instructions are stored in said computer system for execution by said central processing unit.

11. A computer system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said single electronic check-out with said intermediary server avoids the need for said purchaser to electronically check-out said first item with said first vendor and separately electronically check-out said second item with said second vendor.

12. A computer system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said first and second selections are made by said purchaser in a same session with said intermediary server.

13. A computer system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said state information comprises information about preferences of said purchaser.

14. A computer system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said first domain has no knowledge of said second selection, and said second domain has no knowledge of said first selection.

15. A computer system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said electronic check-out is an electronic shopping cart.

16. A computer system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said first vendor is not aware of said second selection and said second vendor is not aware of said first selection.

17. A computer system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said second program instructions obtain said state information from both said first web server and said second web server for said purchaser using one or more cookies.

18. A computer system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said first program instructions convey said first selection to said first web server and said second selection to said second web server.

19. A computer program product for electronic shopping, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage media;

first program instructions, for execution in an intermediary server, to obtain state information from a first domain for a purchaser and state information from a second domain for said purchaser, said first domain not directly communicating state information to said second domain for said purchaser and said second domain not directly communicating state information to said first domain for said purchaser;

second program instructions, for execution in said intermediary server, to receive from said purchaser, a first selection of a first item to be purchased electronically from said first domain and a second selection of a second item to be purchased electronically from said second domain; and

third program instructions, for execution in said intermediary server, to provide a single electronic check-out for said purchaser for both said first and second items; and

wherein

said first, second and third program instructions are stored on said computer readable storage media.

20. A computer program product as set forth in claim 19 wherein said single electronic check-out with said intermediary server avoids the need for said purchaser to electronically check-out said first item with said first vendor and separately electronically check-out said second item with said second vendor.

21. A computer program product as set forth in claim 19 wherein said first and second selections are made by said purchaser in a same session with said intermediary server.

22. A computer program product as set forth in claim 19 wherein said state information comprises information about preferences of said purchaser.

23. A computer program product as set forth in claim 19 wherein said first domain has no knowledge of said second selection, and said second domain has no knowledge of said first selection.

24. A computer program product as set forth in claim 19 wherein said electronic check-out is an electronic shopping cart.

25. A computer program product as set forth in claim 19 wherein said first program instructions convey said first selection to said first web server and said second selection to said second web server.