Cross-domain communication in domain-restricted communication environments

• US 7,984,170 B1
• Filed: 01/29/2009
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Giordano, Nicholas J. Jr., Shalla, Zachary M., Korsky, Ross V.
• Primary Examiner(s): LUU, LE HIEN
• Application Number:
  US12/362,377
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/228, 709/229, 709/225, 709/206, 709/217, 709/218, 713/185, 370/389, 380/270
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues

Abstract

A messaging frame can be used to allow different domains to communicate in an electronic environment that are otherwise prevented from directly communicating. A messaging frame or other communication element can be configured to receive messages or communications from any frame, object, or element in the same domain as the messaging frame. The messaging frame then can switch to a target domain in order to provide the message or communication to a frame, object, or element in the target domain. The messaging frame can include an interface definition that allows only approved messages to be passed between domains, such that the risk of malicious attack is minimized.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of communicating between frames of a page having content from different domains, comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions,

receiving indication of a change in state of content for a first frame of the page, the content for the first frame corresponding to a first domain;

sending a message to a messaging frame of the page corresponding to the first domain, the message including information about the change in state and including a target destination for a second domain;

switching the messaging frame to correspond to the target destination of the second domain;

updating a state of a second frame of the page corresponding to the second domain in response to the information about the change in state of the content for the first frame; and

specifying a set of messages that are able to be sent between the first and second domains using the messaging frame,

wherein the first and second frames of the page corresponding to the respective first and second domains are restricted from direct communication and messages outside the specified set are not able to be sent between the first and second domains using the messaging frame.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the message received from the first frame indicating the change in state is generated in response to a user action with respect to the first frame.

3. A computer-implemented method of providing cross-domain communications, comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions,

receiving a message from a first domain to a messaging element in the first domain, the message including state information for the first domain and a target destination in a second domain;

transitioning the messaging element to the second domain; and

providing the state information to the target destination in the second domain; and

when a message is received from a domain other than a current domain of the messaging element, storing the message to a message queue until the messaging element is in the same domain as the message and is able to receive the message,

wherein the first and second domains are restricted from direct communication in the environment of the messaging element.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the second domain is configured to perform an action in response to receiving the state information.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a response message from the second domain to the messaging element in the second domain;

transitioning the messaging element to the first domain; and

providing the response message for the first domain.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a message from one of the first and second domains to the messaging element when in the same domain, the message including state information and a target destination in a third domain;

transitioning the messaging element to the third domain; and

providing the state information to the target destination in the third domain.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

transitioning the messaging element to a specified domain after a period of inactivity in a current domain of the messaging element.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the environment of the messaging element comprises a page having a frameset, the frameset including a frame for at least one messaging element and at least one frame for each of the first and second domains.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the messaging element is a hidden frame of the frameset.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the message further includes a return location indicating a domain to which the messaging window should return after the state information is provided to the target destination in the second domain.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the message received from the first domain is generated in response to a user action with respect to the first domain.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

specifying a set of messages that are able to be sent between the first and second domains using the messaging element,

wherein messages outside the set are not able to be sent between the first and second domains using the messaging element.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

specifying at least one retry interval wherein one of the first or second domains is operable to keep sending a message to the messaging window at the retry interval until the messaging window is in the same domain and able to receive the message.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

checking the message queue for messages when the messaging window transitions to a different domain.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the messaging queue is operable to send the stored message to the messaging element when the messaging element is in the same domain, the messaging queue being operable to modify the message to communicate with the second domain and provide the messaging window with a return location in the first domain.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein at least one component of the first and second domains is configured to periodically poll the message element to determine when the messaging element is in the respective domain and holds a message for the respective domain.

17. A system for providing cross-domain communications, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to, at least;

specify a set of messages that are able to be sent between a first domain and a second domain using a messaging element;

receive a message from the first domain to the messaging element in the first domain, the message including state information for the first domain and a target destination in the second domain;

transition the messaging element to the second domain; and

provide the state information to the target destination in the second domain,

wherein the first and second domains are restricted from direct communication in the environment of the messaging element and messages outside the specified set are not able to be sent between the first and second domains using the messaging element.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

receive a subsequent message from one of the first and second domains to the messaging element when the messaging element is in the same domain;

transition the messaging element to a domain specified by the subsequent message; and

provide the subsequent message for the specified domain.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the message received from the first domain is generated in response to a user action with respect to the first domain.

20. One or more computer-readable storage media having collectively thereon computer-executable instructions that configure one or more computers to collectively, at least:

specify a set of messages that are able to be sent between a first domain and a second domain using a messaging element;

receive a message from the first domain to the messaging element in the first domain, the message including state information for the first domain and a target destination in the second domain;

transition the messaging element to the second domain; and

provide the state information to the target destination in the second domain,

wherein the first and second domains are restricted from direct communication in the environment of the messaging element and messages outside the specified set are not able to be sent between the first and second domains using the messaging element.

21. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 20, wherein the message received from the first domain is generated in response to a user action with respect to the first domain.