Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer conferencing – Cooperative computer processing
Reexamination Certificate
1996-09-27
2001-05-29
Dinh, Dung C. (Department: 2153)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer conferencing
Cooperative computer processing
C709S241000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06240444
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of network data sharing. More specifically, the invention relates to multiple users sharing the same HTML page on the internet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The Internet comprise multiple interconnected computer networks so that any computer on a given network can communicate with one or more computers on any other given network. A gateway computer is a computer which interconnects two networks and passes data from one network to the other(s).
All the computers on the Internet communicate through certain communication protocols, i.e., Internet Protocol (IP). Most applications use Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) along with the Internet Protocol. Therefore the Internet is also referred as a TCP/IP network. Any computer connected to Internet is identified by a unique Internet address.
The Internet uses a well known packet-switch technology to route information. On the Internet, the data is transferred through packets (also called IP packets) with an address. The speed and reliability of transmission of the IP packets rely on the data traffic and routing. For an example of internetworking communications, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,852 to Attanasio et al. entitled “Method and Apparatus for Making a Cluster of Computers Appear as a Single Host on a Network” issued Dec. 6, 1994 which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Some common Internet applications include Electronic Mail, FTP, Telnet and Network news among others. Internet communication protocols and applications are well known.
The World Wide Web (i.e., WWW or Web) is an information service system which is based on the Internet. The WWW uses Hypertext and client/server technology.
Hypertext is a method of organizing and presenting information such that any data object in a hypertext file can have links to other hypertext files or data objects. For example, while viewing a hypertext page, a user can select a word which has links. This may bring the user to another hypertext file which contains more text and picture explaining this word. (The new file may also have more links to other hypertext files and so forth.)
Currently the hypertext file is organized using a HyperText Markup Language (HTML). A hypertext data object can be almost any information medium such as text, image, sound, movie or even a piece of an executable computer program. Any hypertext file on the Web is uniquely identified by its Universal Resource Locator (URL).
The Web client or client (commonly a computer executing a program called a browser) is essentially a hypertext reader which communicates with a Web server through certain data transfer protocols, such as a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). The client can request a hypertext file with its URL and display the file on a graphical user interface (GUI). This display is called a web page. The client can also pass certain data back to the server and can invoke the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) programs on the server computer to conduct certain tasks. Browsers are commonly known. One popular Browser is Netscape Navigator. “Netscape Navigator” is a trademark of the Netscape Communications Corporation.
Using the world wide connections of the Internet, the WWW allows a user, being anywhere on the Internet, to post any hypertext file on the WWW and fetch any hypertext file from all over the world as conveniently as using a local hard disk. This gives the user a tremendous power to acquire information and also turns the Internet into a hypermedia global database, i.e., the information superhighway.
The Internet and the WWW have been growing explosively over the past few years. Businesses have also seen the great potential of using the Internet and WWW as the new generation of world-wide communication infrastructure to approach a massive consumer market.
Even though the Web technology gives a user great ability to access/send all kinds of information anywhere in the world, currently users basically have to “travel alone,” i.e., users can not present the same information on their web page as other users who are concurrently browsing.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS WITH THE PRIOR ART
Individual users can run a browser to view web pages. The web pages are in the form on an HTML format. However, the browser used by each individual can not control other browsers in terms of what page another browser is seeing.
Currently, if a first person wants to share a web page with a second user, i.e. “collaborate,” the first and second users have to use another communication means, e.g. a telephone, to coordinate their collaboration. For example, they must coordinate the sharing of the page by sharing the address of the page, selecting entries of the page, communicating movement on the page, communicating movements to an from other locations, etc. This coordination requires that the first and second user exchange a great deal of information often with one another over the other communication means in order to coordinate the browsing.
The prior art does not permit any automatic communication and/or control directly between two or more browsers used by two or more respective users on the internet. Any collaboration, e.g., page sharing, done by the prior art, requires the users to communicate through a communication line other than through the browser. Collaboration requires the facility and the expense of a second communication means. The prior art collaborations often require repeated, and error prone, exchanges of information over the second communication means.
Further, the users can not have “simultaneous collaborations” on a given page. For example, the first user can move to a different location on the page or more to a different page without the second user knowing it. Unless the first and second users communicate over a separate communication link, the first user will not be aware of what the second user is seeing/doing on their respective pages, and visa versa. For example, a bank customer looking at a bank HTML home page can not ask a question and/or receive an answer of (from) a bank clerk or agent unless the communication between the customer and the bank agent is done by another communication method, e.g. phone. The agent (customer) does not have control over what page the customer (agent) sees.
The prior art does not permit users to collaborate and/or share information on a common web page simultaneously. That is, multiple users do not automatically see the same page (and changes to the page) at the same time. Multiple users, also do not share control of the information on the web. For example, they do not see changes at the same time and/or do not see transfers to other pages at the same time.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is a system and method that allows two or more users of the internet to simultaneously collaborate (view, move on, and/or change) a HTML page.
An object of this invention is a system and method that allows one or more browsers used on the internet to simultaneously control one or more other browsers used on the internet.
An object of this invention is a system and method that allows one or more standard browsers used on the internet to simultaneously control one or more other standard browsers used on the internet without modifying the browsers or computer operating systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One or more client computer systems have a memory, one or more central processing units (CPU), an interface to a network, and a browser. A network, e.g. the Internet, provides a communication link between the one or more first (e.g. source) clients and one or more second (e.g. receiving) client computer systems using one or more Web servers. The second client(s) also has (have) a memory, a CPU(s), a network interface and a browser. In the first and second clients, the browser is capable of accessing one or more HTML pages from one or more of the Web servers by sending one or more browser requests to any one of the Web servers.
The sharing clients are one or more first and one or more second client computer system
Fin Tong-haing
Fujisaki Tetsunosuke
Kobayashi Makoto
Shinozaki Masahide
Dinh Dung C.
International Business Machines - Corporation
McGuireWoods LLP
Percello, Esq. Louis J.
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