Method and apparatus for partial updating of client interfaces

• US 7,805,523 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 3, LLC
• Original Assignee: David C. Mitchell
• Inventors: Mitchell, David C., Mitchell, Bruce P., Mitchell, Dale K., Hamilton, Scott E.
• Primary Examiner(s): BAROT, BHARAT
• Application Number:
  US11/067,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20050204047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,041 Days
• Field of Search: 709202-203, 709/250, 709220-221, 709227-228
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for partial updating of client interfaces in a client-server environment. The client updates the corresponding server-side through a middleware “engine.” Individual interface element change requests may be queued. Programmatically defined events may trigger processing of the change request queue on the client, resulting in partial updating of an interface container, such as a Web page or XML document, in the client interface context. Processing may occur on the server, where resultant client update requests are likewise queued. Alternative programmatically defined events may trigger the return of the server change queue to the client. Only those elements of the interface container affected by changes in the queue are updated. This partial updating method replaces the need for refreshing an entire interface, thus affording a more desktop-like look and feel.

Claims

1. A method for providing partial updating between a server and a client interface context, comprising:

providing a client interface context with an interface container from a server;

tracking a state of a plurality of interface elements in said interface container;

determining one or more client-based changes to one or more of said interface elements;

queuing the one or more client-based changes to the one or more interface elements in a client-side change queue;

communicating said one or more client-based changes in said client-side change queue to said server to change said server state; and

based on a server state, determining one or more server-based changes to one or more of said interface elements;

queuing the one or more server-based changes to the one or more interface elements in a server-side change queue; and

applying said one or more server-based changes from said server-side change queue to said one or more interface elements in said client interface context.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking said state comprises:

maintaining a reference to one or more of said plurality of interface elements.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein maintaining said reference comprises:

maintaining a client reference to a respective client interface context;

maintaining a container reference to a respective interface container loaded in said respective client interface context; and

maintaining an element reference to a respective interface element in said respective interface container.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein maintaining an element reference to a respective interface element comprises:

replacing a design-time identifier of said respective interface element with a dynamic identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

interfacing with one or more service applications to determine said server-based changes.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating a client proxy with said client interface context in response to a request for said interface container from said client interface context;

associating a container proxy with said interface container in said client interface context; and

associating one or more element proxies with one or more of said interface elements.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

placing a client proxy cookie in said client interface context;

placing a container proxy cookie in said client interface context; and

placing an element proxy cookie in said interface container.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein applying a server-based change to one of said interface elements comprises replacing a reference in said interface element.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein applying a server-based change to one of said interface elements comprises changing a container element.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein applying a server-based change to one of said interface elements comprises replacement of said interface element.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said replacement comprises updating an attribute of said interface element.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said attribute comprises a presentation attribute of said interface element.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said replacement comprises content replacement.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking the scope of said client-based changes to said interface elements through a context path reflecting said scope, wherein the item or items in said client-side change queue convey said client-based changes and said scope based on said context path.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said item or items in said client-side change queue comprise conveying said client-based changes and said scope based on said context path in varying levels of granularity ranging from whole page updates to updates at the sub tag level, depending on said scope of said changes.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking the scope of said server-based changes to said interface elements through a context path reflecting said scope, wherein the item or items in said server-side change queue convey said server-based changes and said scope based on said context path.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said item or items in said server-side change queue comprise conveying said server-based changes and said scope based on said context path in varying levels of granularity ranging from whole page updates to updates at the sub tag level, depending on said scope of said changes.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein providing said partial updating between a server and a client interface context further comprises embedding many partial pages within one another to create levels of granularity and state change responsiveness from whole pages down to the sub tag level.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein providing said partial updating between a server and a client interface context further comprises directly manipulating the HTML and the DOM on the client browser to apply said server-based changes to said interface elements.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more server-based changes comprises analyzing the one or more client-based changes.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a client interface context, said client interface context comprising an interface container having a plurality of interface elements, wherein said client interface context is configured to present an interface based on said interface container, and wherein said client interface context is configured to update a portion of said interface when a state of an associated interface element is changed;

a client-side change queue comprising one or more client-side changes of one or more of said interface elements for transmission to said server;

a server configured to serve said interface container, said server comprising a plurality of server element proxies respectively associated with said plurality of interface elements and a server-side change queue comprising one or more server-based changes to said plurality of interface elements for transmission to said client interface context; and

wherein each server element proxy is configured to track a respective interface element state, and wherein each server element proxy is configured to process server-side changes from the server-side change queue directed to said respective interface element state.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein at least one of said interface elements comprises a container element having one or more additional interface elements nested therein.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a user interface (UI) application providing said client interface context.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a web browser providing said client interface context;

and wherein said interface container comprises a web page, and said plurality of interface elements comprise one or more tags.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein at least one of said plurality of interface elements comprises a nested interface container.

26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said server further comprises:

a client proxy associated with said client interface context; and

a container proxy associated with said interface container.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the state of one or more of said interface elements is stored in said interface container.

28. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the state of one or more of said interface elements is stored in each respective interface element.

29. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a client module configured to receive said server-based changes, and cause said server-based changes to be applied to corresponding interface elements.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said client module is further configured to track client-based changes to said interface elements for transmission to said server.

31. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said server comprises a middleware module configured to interface with one or more back-end services.