Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-20
2001-04-03
Bayerl, Raymond J. (Department: 2773)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06211877
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to Web browsers and more particularly to Web browser based applications. Even more particularly, the invention relates to Web browser based applications displaying multiple frames within the same Web browser window.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Since the advent of the World Wide Web, many advances have been made in the appearance and sophistication of Web pages that may be viewed by a user utilizing Web browser software from a computer. Initially, Web browsers could show only one Web page at a time. Today's newer Web browsers, such as Netscape Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer, allow the screen to be divided up into separate frames. Each frame can show the contents of a different Web page from the same Web site or Web pages from different Web sites.
Software applications are now available that are designed to be accessed by one or more users through a Web browser. The application normally resides on a Web server or other computers within a network that is accessible by the user's Web browser software over the network. In such applications, after a user has requested the URL of the Web site for the application, it is quite typical for the user to be presented with a screen having multiple frames. The user may interact in one frame, such as clicking on a hyperlink, and have the resulting Web page returned in the same or one of the other frames. For example, selecting the URL for such a Web browser based application may return to the browser window a Web page that has a logo in a narrow frame across the top of the screen that never changes while the user is connected to the application's Web site. A narrow frame down the left side of the browser window may have a table of contents that lists hyperlinks to all of the additional Web pages available within the site or Web pages to other Web sites. The rest of the screen may be devoted to a main frame that has an initial Web page displayed. When the user clicks on a hyperlink listed in the table of contents frame, the Web page corresponding to the hyperlink is returned and can be displayed in the main frame of the browser window. Hyperlinks may also be present within the Web page currently displayed in the main frame. The user may also click on one of these hyperlinks, causing the Web server to return a new page for display within the main frame.
Many Web browser based applications are designed for multiple users to be logged into the application's Web site at the same time through computer network connections. Each user may have the ability to affect changes in the application through their Web browsers. These changes may have an immediate affect within the application. For example, the application may involve a data base. Each user may be able to add to or delete records from the data base through their Web browser. This however poses a problem. If user A adds or deletes records from the data base, user B has no way of knowing about the changes at the time the changes are made. User B has to update or refresh the browser window in order to become aware of the changes that user A has made. However, since user B does not know that user A has made changes, user B does not know that the browser window being viewed needs to be updated.
Also, some applications that present multiple frames have different processes that control and run within the frames. Some frames may be driven and controlled by C, C++, Java, or some other programming language. Other frames may simply be static HTML driven. Still others may be driven by dynamic CGI/HTML scripts. For example, an application may allow the user to launch a function or task from a frame that is programming language driven. This function or task may alter or change a data base associated with the application. That change may be reflected in a Web page returned to the Web browser in the HTML or CGI/HTML driven frame. A message about that change, in some cases, should also be reflected back in the programming language driven frame. Present methods do not allow for automatically communicating to the programming language driven frame as a result of changes instigated from the HTML or CGI/HTML or programming language driven frames.
Thus there is a need in the art for a method of notifying a Web browser user of a Web browser based application that the information displayed in a frame in the Web browser window needs to be updated due to changes made by that user or other users of the Web browser based application. There is also a need in the art for a Web browser user of a Web browser based application to be able to see automatically within all the frames displayed on the user's Web browser, changes instigated from within a programming language driven frame, a HTML driven frame, or a CGI/HTML driven frame.
It is thus apparent that there is a need in the art for an improved method or apparatus which solves the objects of the invention. The present invention meets these and other needs in the art.
This application is related to application Ser. No. 09/065/262 of Douglas William Steele, Craig William Bryant, Todd M. Goin, and Thomas J. Moos filed Apr. 23, 1998 entitled Method for Tracking Configuration Changes in Networks of Computer Systems Through Historical Monitoring of Configuration Status of Devices on the Network, which is incorporated herein by reference for all that is disclosed and taught therein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an aspect of the present invention to communicate between frames within the same Web browser window where the frames are controlled by different processes.
It is another aspect of the invention to initiate an action in a HTML or CGI/HTML controlled frame in a Web browser window where the result is displayed in a programming language controlled frame in the same Web browser window.
Yet another aspect of the invention is to initiate an action in a programming language controlled frame in a Web browser window where the result is displayed both in a HTML or CGI/HTML controlled frame and in the in the programming language controlled frame in the same Web browser window.
A further aspect of the invention is to initiate an action in a programming language controlled frame or in a HTML or CGI/HTML controlled frame in a Web browser window whose result is communicated and displayed to the same or a different frame within the same Web browser window, as well as to a programming language controlled frame in a Web browser window in any other Web browsers currently logged onto the same Web browser based application.
The above and other aspects of the invention are accomplished in a Web browser based application that allows communication processes between programming language driven frames and HTML or CGI/HTML driven frames. The Web browser based application is a tracking system for managing and troubleshooting computer system networks. The application can identify what has changed within system configurations for computers or interconnect devices between two points in time in a quick and efficient manner and make those changes readily available to the system administrator for troubleshooting and managing purposes. The application uses a revision control system and configuration information gathering to track and store configuration changes on a historical basis for computers and interconnect devices to aid in managing and troubleshooting networks of computer systems. The configuration data of monitored computers and interconnect devices on a network is gathered on a periodic basis and stored in a data storehouse within a computer, referred to as a remote support node, which is connected to the network. The data storehouse is made up of a data base and the revision control system. The configuration information may be displayed on a graphics display of the remote support node directly, but more typically is accessed through another computer, having a Web browser, that accesses the application on the remote support node over the network.
For monitored computers, the system collects configura
Bryant Craig W.
Goin Todd M.
Steele Douglas W.
Bayerl Raymond J.
Hewlett-Packard Co
Nguyen Cao H.
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