Single applet to communicate with multiple HTML elements contained inside of multiple categories on a page

• US 7,107,543 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2002
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cloud Software Group
• Original Assignee: TIBCO Software Incorporated (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Berry, David, Neumann, Larry
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Application Number:
  US10/058,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20030145042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,691 Days
• Field of Search: 345/748, 345/744, 345/749, 345/760, 709/230, 709/238, 709/203, 709/246, 715/744, 715/746, 715/748, 715/749
• US Class Current: 715/749
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and a system for communicating with multiple user interface elements contained in multiple categories on a web page with a single client application program at the client computer. Messages are communicated both to and from users interface elements through callback function scripts that communicate through a single client application program that is connected over a point-to-point connection to an agent process on a server.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate the update of a plurality of user interface categories utilizing a single client application program, the method including:

at a first computer system, generating a user interface data message wherein the user interface data message includes the plurality of user interface categories and the single client application program, wherein the single client application program executes at a second computer system, wherein each user interface category includes a user interface element, and wherein each user interface element comprises a dynamic element that defines the appearance of information displayed by the second computer system;

communicating the user interface data message from the first computer system to the second computer system;

receiving a user interface update message, at the first computer system wherein the user interface update message includes an update to the plurality of user interface categories; and

communicating the user interface update message from the first computer system to the second computer system to enable the single client application program, at the second computer system, to update the plurality of user interface categories, by communicating the update to a script and the script, in turn, updating the respective user interface elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computer system comprises a server and the second computer system comprises a client.

3. The method of claim 1, including, at the second computer system, generating a user interface element table wherein the user interface element table includes a call back function script and subscription subjects for each user interface element.

4. The method of claim 3, including, at the second computer system, reading the user interface element table and invoking the appropriate call back function script.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the call back function script updates the user interface element with a display object model method.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the single client application program populates a browser array with a name value pair for the user interface element.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the single client application program communicates the user interface update message to the script, and the script in turn updates the user interface element, wherein the script reads a name value pair from the browser array.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each user interface element is constructed from a text embedded with tags.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the text embedded with tags is implemented as a Special Generalized Markup Language (SGML).

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the SGML is a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the SGML is Extensible Markup Language (XML).

12. The method of claim 9, wherein a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) defines a messaging framework for transferring the user interface data message.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface data message further comprises an at least one of a plurality of Style Sheets.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one of a plurality of style sheets is a Cascading Style Sheet.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the single client application program operates under a browser.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the single client application program is a Java applet.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the script executes under a browser at the second computer system.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the single client application program updates at least one of a plurality of user interface categories.

19. A method to facilitate updating a plurality of user interface categories utilizing a single client application program, the method including:

at a first computer system, receiving a user interface data message from a second computer system, wherein the user interface data message includes the plurality of user interface categories and the single client application program, wherein the single client application program executes at the first computer system, wherein each user interface category includes a user interface element, and wherein each user interface element comprises a dynamic element that defines the appearance of information displayed by the first computer system;

sending a subscription subject message from the first computer system to the second computer system, the subscription subject message including a list of subscription subjects subscribed to by each user interface element of each category;

at the first computer system, the single client application program receiving a user interface update message, for subjects that have been subscribed to, from the second computer system; and

the single client application program updating the plurality of user interface categories, by communicating the update to a script and the script, in turn, communicating the update to the plurality of user interface categories to update the respective user interface elements.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the single client application program is an MS Com object.

21. A method to facilitate receiving a user interface update from a plurality of user interface categories utilizing a single client application program, the method including:

at a first computer system, generating a user interface data message wherein the user interface data message includes the plurality of user interface categories and the single client application program, wherein the single client application program executes at a second computer system, wherein each user interface category includes a user interface element, and wherein each user interface element comprises a dynamic element that defines the appearance of information displayed by the second computer system;

communicating the user interface data message from the first computer system to the second computer system;

at the first computer system, receiving a subscription subject message, the subscription subject message including a list of subscription subjects subscribed to by the user interface elements;

at the first computer system, receiving a user interface update message from the second computer system, wherein the user interface update message is generated at the second computer system by the user interface element that communicates a user interface update to a script and the script, in turn, communicating the update to the single client application program, the single client application program communicating the user interface update message to the first computer system.

22. A method to facilitate communication of a user interface update from a plurality of user interface categories, utilizing a single client application program, the method including:

at a first computer system, receiving a user interface data message from a second computer system, wherein the user interface data message includes the plurality of user interface categories and the single client application program, wherein the single client application program executes at the first computer system, wherein each user interface category includes a user interface element, and wherein each user interface element comprises a dynamic element that defines the appearance of information displayed by the first computer system;

sending a subscription subject message to the second computer system, the subscription subject message including a list of subscription subjects subscribed to by each user interface element of each category;

at the first computer system, a user interface element communicating the user interface update to a script and the script, in turn, communicating the update to the single client application program, and the single client application, in turn, communicating the user interface update message to the second computer system.

23. A system to facilitate an update to a plurality of user interface categories utilizing a single client application program, the system comprising:

a first computer system; and

a second computer system communicatively connected to the first computer system;

wherein the first computer system comprises an agent process that communicates a user interface data message to the second computer system;

wherein the user interface data message includes the single client application program and the plurality of user interface categories;

wherein the single client application program executes at the second computer system;

wherein each user interface category includes a user interface element;

wherein each user interface element comprises a dynamic element that defines the appearance of information displayed by the second computer system;

wherein the first computer system further comprises a communication process that communicates a user interface update message to the agent process;

wherein the user interface update message includes an update for the plurality of user interface categories;

wherein the agent process, in turn, is adapted to communicate the user interface update message to the single client application program, at the second computer system, if the interface update message includes a subject that the single client application has subscribed to; and

wherein the single client application program is adapted to update the plurality of user interface categories by updating a script, which, in turn, updates the plurality of user interface categories to update the respective user interface elements.

24. A system to facilitate updating a plurality of user interface categories, utilizing a single client application program, the system comprising:

a first computer system to receive a user interface data message from a second computer system, wherein the user interface data message includes the single client application program and the plurality of user interface categories, wherein each user interface category includes a user interface element, and wherein each user interface element comprises a dynamic element that defines the appearance of information displayed by the first computer system;

the single client application program, at the first computer system, to send a subscription subject message to the second computer system, the subscription subject message including a list of subscription subjects subscribed to by each user interface element of each category;

the single client application program, at the first computer system, to receive an interface update message from the second computer system if the interface update message includes a subject that a user interface element has subscribed to; and

the single client application to update the plurality of user interface categories, wherein the single client application program updates a script and the script, in turn, updates the plurality of user interface categories to update the respective user interface elements.

25. A system to facilitate reception of an update from a plurality of user interface categories, the system comprising:

a first computer system; and

a second computer system communicatively connected to the first computer system;

wherein the first computer system comprises an agent process to communicate a user interface data message to the second computer system;

wherein the user interface data message includes a first client application program and the plurality of user interface categories;

wherein each user interface category includes a user interface element;

wherein each user interface element comprises a dynamic element that defines the appearance of information displayed by the second computer system;

wherein the agent process, in turn, is adapted to receive a user interface update message from the first client application program;

wherein the user interface update message is identified with a subject and generated, at the second computer system, by a user interface element adapted to communicate an update to the first client application program; and

wherein the agent process is to communicate the user interface update message to a communication process at the first computer system, and the communication process is to multicast the user interface update message to any computer system executing a client application program that has subscribed, with the first computer system, to receive user interface update messages identified with the subject.

26. A system to facilitate communication of an update from a plurality of user interface categories, the system comprising:

a first computer system to receive a user interface data message from a second computer system wherein the user interface data message includes a first client application program and the plurality of user interface categories, wherein each user interface category includes a user interface element, and wherein each user interface element comprises a dynamic element that defines the appearance of information displayed by the first computer system;

the user interface element to communicate an update to the first client application program; and

the first client application program to communicate a user interface update message identified with a subject to the second computer system, the second computer system to multicast the interface update message to any computer system executing a client application program that has subscribed, with the second computer system, to receive interface update messages identified with the subject.

27. A method to facilitate communication of an update to a plurality of user interface categories utilizing a single client application program, the method comprising:

at a primary computer system, multicasting a user interface update message wherein the user interface update message is identified with a subject;

at a secondary computer system, receiving the user interface update message;

communicating the user interface update message to a tertiary computer system wherein the tertiary computer system is listening for the user interface update message wherein the user interface update message is identified by the said subject;

at the tertiary computer system, a single client application program receiving the user interface update message; and

the single client application program in turn updating the plurality of user interface categories, wherein the plurality of user interface categories listens to the subject, wherein each category includes a user interface element, and wherein each user interface element comprises a dynamic element that defines the appearance of information displayed by the tertiary computer system, the single client application program updating a script and the script, in turn, updating the plurality of user interface categories to update the respective user interface elements.

28. A method to facilitate communication of an update from a plurality of user interface categories utilizing a single client application program, the method comprising:

at a source computer system, a user interface element comprising dynamic element that defines the appearance of information displayed by the source computer system, the user interface element in a category and communicating an update to the single client application program wherein the update is identified with a subject;

the single client application program, in turn, communicating the user interface update message to an intermediary computer system;

at the intermediary computer system, receiving the user interface update message;

multicasting the user interface update message to a destination computer system; and

at the destination computer system, receiving a user interface update message, communicating the update to the single client application and, in turn, communicating the update to a script and the script, in turn, communicating the update to a user interface element.

29. A system to facilitate the update of a plurality of user interface categories utilizing a single client application program, the system comprising:

a first computer system; and

a second computer system communicatively connected to the first computer system;

wherein the first computer system comprises a first means for communicating a user interface data message to the second computer system;

wherein the user interface data message includes the single client application program and the plurality of user interface categories;

wherein the single client application program executes at the second computer system;

wherein each user interface category includes a user interface element;

wherein each user interface element comprises a dynamic element that defines the appearance of information displayed by the second computer system;

wherein the first computer system further comprises a second means for communicating a user interface update message to the first means;

wherein the user interface update message includes an update for the plurality of categories; and

wherein the first means is further adapted for communicating the user interface update message to the single client application program, at the second computer system, the single client application program for updating the plurality of categories, the single client application program to update a script and the script, in turn, to update the plurality of categories to update the respective user interface elements.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the single client application program is a Java applet.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein each user interface element is constructed from a text embedded with tags.

32. The system of claim 29, including generating a user interface element table that includes a call back function script and subscription subjects for each user interface element.

33. A tangible, machine readable medium storing a sequence of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

generate a user interface data message wherein the user interface data message includes a plurality of user interface categories and a client application program, wherein the client application program executes at a second computer system, wherein each user interface category includes a user interface element, and wherein each user interface element comprises a dynamic element that defines the appearance of information displayed by the second computer system;

communicate the user interface data message to the second computer system;

receive a user interface update message, wherein the user interface update message includes a subject and an update to the plurality of user interface categories; and

communicate the user interface update message to any computer system executing a client application program that has subscribed to receive interface update messages identified with the subject.