Web server enabling attachment of HTML and non-HTML files to web pages

• US 6,401,131 B1
• Filed: 06/19/1998
• Issued: 06/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Estrada, Julio, Estrada, Miguel, Haverstock, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Geckil, Mehmet B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KANG, PAUL H
• Application Number:
  US09/100,121
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/206, 709/207, 709/218, 709/246, 709/217, 709/219, 707/513
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates

Abstract

A system for enabling access to non-HTML files from a web browser. The system includes a database for storing non-HTML files. A system user requests a non-HTML file from a database using a web browser. The web browser transmits the request to a server via a HTTP server and module. The server locates and retrieves the document requested. The module translates the document to a format supported by the web browser. The HTTP server communicates the translated file to the web browser over a network. The web browser then presents the translated file to the system user. The server also enables a browser to attach HTML and non-HTML documents to web pages.

Claims

1. A server system enabling a server to attach one or more non-markup language objects to one or more markup language objects, the system comprising:

a server capable of receiving a request for one or more non-markup language objects from a markup language enabled browser;

one or more databases, in communication with the server, storing the one or more non-markup language objects; and

an attachment module, provided at the server, that enables the one or more non-markup language objects to be attached to one or more first markup language objects, the one or more first markup language objects being web pages posted on a web site, wherein;

(i) the server retrieves the one or more non-markup language objects;

(ii) the attachment module attaches the one or more non-markup language objects to the one or more first markup language objects by storing the one or more non-markup language objects as at least a portion of the one or more first markup language objects without changing a format of the one or more non-markup language objects, thereby creating at least one second markup language object and wherein selection of a link opens the one or more non-markup language object in the format and the one or more non-markup language objects are retrieved with the one or more first markup language objects; and

(iii) the server transmits the at least one second markup language object to the browser.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a determining module that determines the format of the one or more non-markup language objects.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a retrieving module that retrieves the one or more non-markup language objects requested.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the server stores the one or more non-markup language objects requested.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the attachment module creates a link from the one or more markup language objects to the one or more non-markup language objects thereby attaching the one or more non-markup language objects to the one or more markup language objects.

6. A server system enabling a server to attach one or more non-markup language objects to one or more markup language objects, the system comprising:

server means for receiving a request for one or more non-markup language objects from a markup language enabled browser;

database means, associated with the server means, for storing the one or more non-markup language objects; and

attachment means, provided at the server means, for attaching the one or more non-markup language objects to one or more first markup language objects, the one or more first markup language objects being web pages posted on a web site, wherein;

(i) the server means retrieves the one or more non-markup language objects;

(ii) the attachment means attaches the non-markup language objects to the one or more first markup language objects by storing the one or more non-markup language objects as at least a portion of the one or more first markup language objects without changing a format of the one or more non-markup language objects, thereby creating at least one second markup language object and wherein selection of a link opens the one or more non-markup language objects in the format and the one or more non-markup language objects are retrieved with the one or more first markup language objects; and

(iii) the server transmits the at least one second markup language object to the browser.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising determining means for determining the format of the one or more non-markup language objects requested.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising retrieving means for retrieving the one or more non-markup language objects requested.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the server means stores the one or more non-markup language objects requested.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the server means creates a link from the one or more markup language objects to the one or more non-markup language objects thereby attaching the one or more non-markup language objects to the one or more markup language objects.

11. A method for enabling a server to attach one or more non-markup language objects to one or more markup language objects, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from a markup language enabled browser at a server to access one or more non-markup language objects;

retrieving the one or more non-markup language objects requested;

attaching the one or more non-markup language objects to one or more first markup language objects by storing the one or more non-markup language objects as at least a portion of the one or more first markup language objects without changing a format of the one or more non-markup language objects, the one or more first markup language objects being web pages posted on a website, thereby creating at least one second markup language object, the one or more first markup language objects being web pages posted on a web site, and wherein selection of a link opens the one or more non-markup language objects in the format and the one or more non-markup language objects are retrieved with the one or more first markup language objects; and

transmitting the at least one second markup language object to the browser.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of determining the format of the one or more non-markup language objects.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of retrieving the one or more non-markup language objects requested.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of storing the one or more non-markup language objects with the one or more markup language objects.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of creating a link from the one or more markup language objects to the one or more non-markup language objects thereby attaching the one or more non-markup language objects to the markup language objects.

16. An electronic storage medium having code embodied therein for enabling a server to attach one or more non-markup language objects to one or more markup language objects, the medium comprising:

request receiving code that causes a processor to receive a request at a server to access one or more non-markup language objects;

retrieving code that causes a processor to retrieve the one or more non-markup language objects;

attaching code that causes a processor to attach the one or more non-markup language objects to one or more first markup language objects by storing the one or more non-markup language objects as at least a portion of the one or more first markup language objects without changing a format of the one or more non-markup language objects, the one or more first markup language objects being web pages posted on a web site, thereby creating at least one second markup language object and wherein selection of a link opens the one or more non-markup language objects in the format and the one or more non-markup language objects are retrieved with the one or more first markup language objects; and

transmitting code that causes a processor to transmit the at least one second markup language object to the browser.

17. The medium of claim 16, further comprising determining code that determines the format of the one or more non-markup language objects.

18. The medium of claim 16, further comprising retrieving code that retrieves the one or more non-markup language objects requested.

19. The medium of claim 16, further comprising object storing code that causes a processor to store the one or more non-markup language objects with the one or more markup language objects.

20. The medium of claim 16, further comprising link creating code that causes a processor to create a link from the one or more markup language objects to the one or more non-markup language objects thereby attaching the one or more non-markup language objects to the one or more markup language objects.