Web server enabling browser access to HTML and Non-HTML documents

• US 6,701,376 B1
• Filed: 06/19/1998
• Issued: 03/02/2004
• 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, Miguel, Estrada, Julio, Haverstock, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): KANG, PAUL H
• Application Number:
  US09/100,131
• Time in Patent Office: 2,083 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/207, 709/218, 709/246, 709/217, 709/219, 707/513, 707/10, 348/14.12
• 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 client/server network enables access to non-HTML objects 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 requests to a server via a HTTP server and module. The server locates and retrieves the object requested. The module translates the object 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.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a user to access markup language and non-markup language objects through a web browser, the markup and non-markup language objects associated with at least one other object, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a URL-based request from the user using a markup language enabled browser for one or more non-markup language objects;

determining a location of the one or more non-markup language objects;

translating the URL-based request for the one or more non-markup language objects;

retrieving the one or more non-markup language objects requested using the translated URL-based request;

translating layout and content of the one or more non-markup language objects to one or more markup language objects according to instructions specified by the user, wherein a change in layout of one non-markup language object changes the layout of said at least one associated other object; and

passing the one or more markup language objects to the browser.

2. The method of claim 1 where the step of receiving receives the request using HTTP.

3. An electronic storage medium having processor readable code embodied therein for enabling a user to access non-markup language and markup language objects through a web browser, the markup and non-markup language objects associated with at least one other object, the electronic storage medium comprising:

processor readable code that causes a processor to store one or more non-markup language objects in one or more databases;

processor readable code that causes a processor to receive a URL-based request from the user using a markup language enabled browser for the one or more non-markup language objects;

processor readable code that causes a processor to determine a location of the one or more non-markup language objects;

processor readable code that causes a processor to translate the URL-based request for the one or more non-markup language objects;

processor readable code that causes a processor to retrieve the one or more non-markup language objects requested using the translated URL-based request;

processor readable code that causes a processor to translate layout and content of the one or more non-markup language objects to one or more markup language objects according to instructions specified by the user, wherein a change in layout of one non-markup language object changes the layout of said at least one associated other object; and

processor readable code that causes a processor to pass the one or more markup language objects to the browser.

4. A system for enabling a user to access markup language and non-markup language objects through a web browser, the markup and non-markup language objects associated with at least one other object, the system comprising:

receiving means that receives a URL-based request from the user using a markup language enabled browser for one or more non-markup language objects;

determining means that determines a location of the one or more non-markup language objects;

request translating means that translates the URL-based request for the one or more non-markup language objects;

retrieving means that retrieves the one or more non-markup language objects requested using the translated URL-based request;

markup language translating means that translates layout and content of the one or more non-markup language objects to one or more markup language objects according to instructions specified by the user, wherein a change in layout of one non-markup language object changes the layout of said at least one associated other object; and

passing means that passes the one or more markup language objects to the browser.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a markup language server and a non-markup language server.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the non-markup language server comprises a Notes server.

7. The system of claim 4, further comprising one or more non-markup language databases for storing non-markup language objects and one or more markup language databases for storing markup language objects.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more markup language and non-markup language databases comprise programmable object stores.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more markup language objects comprise one or more programmable markup language fields.

10. The system of claim 4, further comprising one or more Notes databases, wherein the system enables Notes functionality to be exposed to the web browser.

11. A system for enabling a user to access markup language and non-markup language objects through a web browser, the markup and non-markup language objects associated with at least one other object, the system comprising:

a receiving module that receives a URL-based request from the user using a markup language enabled browser for one or more non-markup language objects;

a determining module that determines a location of the one or more non-markup language objects;

a request translating module that translates the URL-based request for the one or more non-markup language objects;

a retrieving module that retrieves the one or more non-markup language objects requested using the translated URL-based request;

a markup language translating module that translates layout and content of the one or more non-markup language objects to one or more markup language objects according to instructions specified by the user, wherein a change in layout of one non-markup language object changes the layout of said at least one associated other object; and

a passing module that passes the one or more markup language objects to the browser.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a markup language server and a non-markup language server.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the non-markup language server comprises a Notes server.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising one or more non-markup language databases for storing non-markup language objects and one or more markup language databases for storing markup language objects.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more markup language and non-markup language databases comprise programmable object stores.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more markup language objects comprise one or more programmable markup language fields.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising one or more Notes databases, wherein the system enables Notes functionality to be exposed to the web browser.