Controlling communications with local applications using a browser application

• US 6,119,166 A
• Filed: 03/28/1997
• Issued: 09/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Turek, John J. E., Bergman, Lawrence David
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): WINDER, PATRICE L
• Application Number:
  US08/828,463
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.36, 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 395/200.49, 395/200.32, 395/200.33, 709/206, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/202, 709/203, 709/231, 709/232, 709/300
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A communications facility for interactive communications with local applications. The flow of information to local applications is coordinated using a browser. The browser determines, at any given time, which of a plurality of communication paths is to be used to provide the information to the local application. The local application commences a polling loop, which enables messages to be received at the local application via the plurality of communication paths, without terminating the local application. Thus, the local application can have interactive communications with the browser and/or one or more remote servers.

Claims

1. A method for communicating with local applications, said method comprising:

initiating a local application; and

coordinating a flow of information to said local application, said coordinating comprising using a separate, local browser application ("browser") to determine, at any given time, which of a plurality of communication paths is to be used to provide information to said local application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said local application is an interactive application directly connected to said browser.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of communication paths comprise at least two of the following:

a first path in which said browser forwards a request to a server, said server passes information, responsive to said request, to said browser and said browser initiates forwarding of said information to said local application;

a second path in which said browser sends information to said local application based on a selection made at said browser; and

a third path in which said browser forwards a request to said server, said server passes one or more of at least one of interactive and programmatic controls for the local application back to said browser, at least one of said one or more controls is set at said browser and said browser provides information corresponding to the one or more controls to said local application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said initiating forwarding of said information to said local application in said first path further comprises passing said information to said local application via a new instance of said local application started by said browser.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said passing of information by said server to said browser in said first path comprises providing to said browser a MIME type indicative of said new instance to be started.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said information sent to said local application in said second path comprises an action code, and wherein said method further comprises decoding said action code, by said local application, to determine an action to be taken by said local application.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein said providing of information to said local application in said third path comprises using said first path or said second path to provide said information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a direct communication path between a remote server and said local application, said direct communication path being independent of said browser.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said coordinating further comprises:

determining, by said browser, which information received from a plurality of servers is to be presented to said local application; and

providing said information, after it is determined, to said local application via a communication path selected by said browser.

10. A method for communicating with local applications, comprising:

initiating a local application;

forwarding a first message from a separate, local browser application ("browser") to said local application, said forwarding comprising selecting, by said browser, a path of a plurality of communication paths for use in forwarding said first message;

continuing processing of said local application subsequent to receipt of said first message from said browser; and

forwarding a second message from said browser to said local application during said continuing processing, said forwarding comprising selecting, by said browser, a path of said plurality of communication paths for use in forwarding said second message.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said path for forwarding said first message and said path for forwarding said second message are different communication paths.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said path for forwarding said first message and said path for forwarding said second message are the same communication path.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said plurality of communication paths comprise at least two of the following:

a first path in which said browser forwards a request to a server, said server passes information, responsive to said request, to said browser and said browser initiates forwarding of said information to said local application;

a second path in which said browser sends information to said local application based on a selection made at said browser; and

a third path in which said browser forwards a request to said server, said server passes one or more of at least one of interactive and programmatic controls for the local application back to said browser, at least one of said one or more controls is set at said browser and said browser provides information corresponding to the one or more controls to said local application.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said initiating forwarding of said information to said local application in said first path further comprises passing said information to said local application via a new instance of said local application started by said browser.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising forwarding additional messages to said local application without terminating said local application, said forwarding comprising using said browser to select at least one communication path for use in forwarding said additional messages.

16. A system for communicating with local applications, said system comprising:

a local application; and

a separate, local browser application ("browser") adapted to coordinate a flow of information to said local application, said browser determining, at any given time, which of a plurality of communication paths is to be used to provide information to said local application.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said local application is an interactive application directly connected to said browser.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said plurality of communication paths comprise at least two of the following:

a first path in which said browser forwards a request to a server, said server passes information, responsive to said request, to said browser and said browser initiates forwarding of said information to said local application;

a second path in which said browser sends information to said local application based on a selection made at said browser; and

a third path in which said browser forwards a request to said server, said server passes one or more of at least one of interactive and programmatic controls for the local application back to said browser, at least one of said one or more controls is set at said browser and said browser provides information corresponding to the one or more controls to said local application.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a new instance of said local application started by said browser, said new instance passing said information to said local application in said first path.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said information sent to said local application in said second path comprises an action code and wherein said local application is adapted to decode said action code to determine an action to be taken by said local application.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein said third path comprises means for using said first path or said second path to provide said information to said local application.

22. The system of claim 16, further comprising a direct communication path between a remote server and said local application, said direct communication path being independent of said browser.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein said browser is further adapted to determine which information received from a plurality of servers is to be presented to said local application and to provide said information, after it is determined, to said local application via a communication path selected by said browser.

24. A system for communicating with local applications, comprising:

means for initiating a local application;

means for forwarding a first message from a separate. local browser application ("browser") to said local application, said means for forwarding comprising means for selecting, by said browser, a path of a plurality of communication paths for use in forwarding said first message;

means for continuing processing of said local application subsequent to receipt of said first message from said browser; and

means for forwarding a second message from said browser to said local application during said continuing processing, said means for forwarding comprising means for selecting, by said browser, a path of said plurality of communication paths for use in forwarding said second message.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said path for forwarding said first message and said path for forwarding said second message are different communication paths.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein said path for forwarding said first message and said path for forwarding said second message are the same communication path.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein said plurality of communication paths comprise at least two of the following:

a first path in which said browser forwards a request to a server, said server passes information, responsive to said request, to said browser and said browser initiates forwarding of said information to said local application;

a second path in which said browser sends information to said local application based on a selection made at said browser; and

a third path in which said browser forwards a request to said server, said server passes one or more of at least one of interactive and programmatic controls for the local application back to said browser, at least one of said one or more controls is set at said browser and said browser provides information corresponding to the one or more controls to said local application.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising a new instance of said local application started by said browser, said new instance passing said information to said local application in said first path.

29. The system of claim 24, further comprising means for forwarding additional messages to said local application without terminating said local application, said means for forwarding comprising means for using said browser to select at least one communication path for use in forwarding said additional messages.

30. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer useable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing communicating with local applications, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect initiating a local application; and

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect coordinating a flow of information to said local application, said coordinating comprising using a separate, local browser application ("browser") to determine, at any given time, which of a plurality of communication paths is to be used to provide information to said local application.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 30, wherein said local application is an interactive application directly connected to said browser.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 30, wherein said plurality of communication paths comprise at least two of the following:

a first path in which said browser forwards a request to a server, said server passes information, responsive to said request, to said browser and said browser initiates forwarding of said information to said local application;

a second path in which said browser sends information to said local application based on a selection made at said browser; and

a third path in which said browser forwards a request to said server, said server passes one or more of at least one of interactive and programmatic controls for the local application back to said browser, at least one of said one or more controls is set at said browser and said browser provides information corresponding to the one or more controls to said local application.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein said first path comprises computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect passing said information to said local application via a new instance of said local application started by said browser.

34. The article of manufacture of claim 33, wherein said first path further comprises computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect providing to said browser a MIME type indicative of said new instance to be started.

35. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein said information sent to said local application in said second path comprises an action code and wherein said article of manufacture further comprises computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect decoding said action code, by said local application, to determine an action to be taken by said local application.

36. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein said third path comprises computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect using said first path or said second path to provide said information.

37. The article of manufacture of claim 30, further comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect providing a direct communication path between a remote server and said local application, said direct communication path being independent of said browser.

38. The article of manufacture of claim 30, wherein said computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect coordinating further comprises:

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect determining, by said browser, which information received from a plurality of servers is to be presented to said local application; and

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect providing said information, after it is determined, to said local application via a communication path selected by said browser.

39. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer useable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing communicating with local applications, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect initiating a local application;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect forwarding a first message from a separate, local browser application ("browser") to said local application, said forwarding comprising selecting, by said browser, a path of a plurality of communication paths for use in forwarding said first message;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect continuing processing of said local application subsequent to receipt of said first message from said browser; and

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect forwarding a second message from said browser to said local application during said continuing processing, said forwarding comprising selecting, by said browser a path of said plurality of communication paths for use in forwarding said second message.

40. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein said path for forwarding said first message and said path for forwarding said second message are different communication paths.

41. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein said path for forwarding said first message and said path for forwarding said second message are the same communication path.

42. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein said plurality of communication paths comprise at least two of the following:

a first path in which said browser forwards a request to a server, said server passes information, responsive to said request, to said browser and said browser initiates forwarding of said information to said local application;

a second path in which said browser sends information to said local application based on a selection made at said browser; and

a third path in which said browser forwards a request to said server, said server passes one or more of at least one of interactive and programmatic controls for the local application back to said browser, at least one of said one or more controls is set at said browser and said browser provides information corresponding to the one or more controls to said local application.

43. The article of manufacture of claim 42, wherein said first path comprises computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect passing said information to said local application via a new instance of said local application started by said browser.

44. The article of manufacture of claim 39, further comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect forwarding additional messages to said local application without terminating said local application, said forwarding comprising using said browser to select at least one communication path for use in forwarding said additional messages.