EP0841616A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Acquisition and operation of remotely loaded software using applet modification of browser software
Assignee: Sun Microsystems Inc
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Filing: 1997-10-20
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2017-10-20
Abstract
Abstract Methods, systems, and software for installing and operating selected software applications on a client computer that is in communication with a server computer on a computer network is described. In one aspect, a method for installing and operating a selected software application on a client computer that is in communication with a server computer across a computer network. In one embodiment, browser software is provided on the client computer that includes a browser user interface and is effective to identify and download selected software applications from the server onto the client computer for execution thereby. A data transfer communication link is established between the client and server computers across the network, a desired software application is selected using the browser, and the desired software application is transmitted across the network from the server to the client. The browser user interface is then transmuted into the user interface of the desired application to allow operation of the downloaded software application using the transmuted browser user interface. Using the methods, systems, and software described herein, software can be distributed to client computers without the installation and other management difficulties common with managing software on multiple computer systems. More importantly, the methods, systems, and apparatus provided by the present invention allow for the distribution of software that is platform-independent; thereby freeing network and system administrators-and users-from the frustrations and difficulties created by the need to manage various platform-dependent versions of software.
Inventors
- 👤 Mark R. Johnson
- 👤 Terry B. Cline
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 22:54
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F8/00; G06F8/60; G06F8/61; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/44; G06F9/451
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
90 words
A method for installing and operating a selected software application on a computer, said software application having a software application user interface, the method comprising the steps of: providing browser software on said computer, said browser software including a browser user interface and said browser software being effective to identify said selected software application for execution; selecting said selected software application using said browser; and transmuting said browser user interface into said application user interface to allow thereby operation of said selected software application using said transmuted browser user interface.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method as recited in claim 1 further including the steps of terminating said software application and restoring said browser user interface by transmuting said software application user interface into said browser user interface.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
103 words
The method as recited in any one of the preceding claims wherein said software application is located on a server computer that is coupled with said computer through a computer network, said method further including the steps of: establishing a data transfer link between said server and said computer; and loading into the memory of said computer a set of properties settings corresponding to said software application user interface that are effective to transmute said browser user interface into said application user interface when said set of properties settings are exchanged for a set of properties settings corresponding to said browser user interface.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method as recited in claim 3 further including the step of storing said second set of properties settings.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method as recited in claim 4 wherein said step of storing said second set of properties settings is performed by one of said software application and said browser software.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
39 words
The method as recited in any one of the preceding claims wherein said step of transmuting said browser user interface into said application user interface comprises the step of instructing said browser software to update said browser user interface.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
37 words
The method as recited in any one of the preceding claims wherein said browser user interface comprises a plurality of frames, at least one of said frames being effective to identify and select independently a software application.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method as recited in claim 7 wherein only one of said frames is active and said step of selecting is performed for the currently active frame.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method as recited in claim 7 wherein only one of said frames is active and said step of transmuting is performed for a software application selected using the currently active frame.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method as recited in claim 7 wherein a plurality of said frames is active simultaneously and said step of transmuting is performed for each frame in which a software application is executing.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
18 words
The method as recited in any one of the preceding claims wherein said software application comprises an applet.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method as recited in claim 11, wherein said applet is a Java™ applet.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
104 words
The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said software application comprises a Java™ applet and said step of transmitting said selected software application comprises loading a first set of properties settings corresponding to said browser user interface and a second set of properties settings that are effective to transmute said browser user interface into said software application user interface when said first set of properties settings are exchanged for said second set of properties settings, said first set of properties settings and said second set of properties settings each including a table of user interface attributes and attribute values corresponding to said attributes.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method as recited in claim 13, wherein said browser user interface comprises a plurality of frames including a base frame, at least one of said plurality of frames being effective to identify and select independently a software application from said server.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
150 words
A method for installing and operating a selected software application on a client computer, said software application having a software application user interface and said software application residing on a server computer that is coupled with said client computer through a computer network, the method comprising the steps of: providing browser software on said client computer, said browser software including a browser user interface and said browser software being effective to identify and download a selected applet onto said client computer for execution; establishing a data transfer communication link between said client computer and said server computer across said computer network; selecting said selected applet using said browser; transmitting said selected applet from said server computer to said client computer across said computer network; and transmuting said browser user interface into said application user interface to allow thereby operation of said selected software application using said transmuted browser user interface.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
103 words
The method as recited in claim 15 wherein said applet is a Java™ applet, and said step of transmitting said selected software application comprises loading a first set of properties settings corresponding to said browser user interface and a second set of properties settings that are effective to transmute said browser user interface into said software application user interface when said first set of properties settings are exchanged for said second set of properties settings, said first set of properties settings and said second set of properties settings each including a table of user interface attributes and attribute values corresponding to said attributes.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
113 words
The method as recited in claim 16 wherein said first set of properties settings and said second set of properties settings each comprise software objects such that the software object defining said second set of properties settings has an inheritance relationship with the software object defining said first set of properties settings, wherein the default values of said second set of properties settings are the properties settings of said first set of properties setting parameters, and said step of transmuting said browser software user interface into said software application user interface includes substituting selected default values of said first set of properties settings with properties settings corresponding to said software application user interface.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method as recited in claim 17 further including the step of storing said second set of properties settings, wherein said step of storing said second set of properties settings is performed by one of said applet and said browser software.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
60 words
The method as recited in claim 17 wherein said step of transmuting said browser user interface into said software application user interface comprises the step of instructing said browser software to update said browser user interface such that said browser user interface is reconstructed using said first set of properties setting values to produce thereby said software application user interface.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
102 words
A computer system for executing a selected software application on a computer, said software application having a software application user interface, said computer system comprising: a computer coupled with at least one memory device which holds therein browser software including a browser user interface, said browser software being effective to identify a selected software application for execution by said computer, said selected software application being effective to transmute said browser user interface into said software application user interface to allow thereby operation of said selected software application using said transmuted browser user interface when said software application is executed by said computer.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
118 words
The computer system as recited in claim 20 wherein said software application is stored on a second memory device coupled with said computer, said memory device coupled with said computer includes a first set of properties settings corresponding to said browser user interface, and said second memory device holds a second set of properties settings that are effective to transmute said browser user interface into said software application user interface when said second set of properties settings are exchanged for said first set of properties settings, wherein each of said first set of properties settings and said second set of properties settings include a table of user interface attributes and attribute values corresponding to said user interface attributes.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
The computer system as recited in either claim 20 or claim 21 wherein said software application comprises an applet a Java™ applet.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
126 words
The computer system as recited in either claim 21 or claim 22 wherein said first set of properties settings and said second set of properties settings each comprise software objects such that the software object defining said second set of properties settings has an inheritance relationship with the software object defining said first set of properties settings, wherein the default values of said second set of properties settings are the properties settings of said first set of properties setting parameters, and said selected software application is configured to substitute selected default values of said second set of properties settings with properties settings corresponding to said selected software application user interface when said selected software application transmutes said browser user interface into said software application user interface.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
40 words
The computer system as recited in any one of claims 20-23 wherein said browser user interface comprises a plurality of frames, at least one of said frames being effective to identify and select independently a software application from said server.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
26 words
The computer system of claim 24, wherein only one of said frames is active and said step of selecting is performed for the currently active frame.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
31 words
The computer system of claim 24, wherein only one of said frames is active and said step of transmuting is performed for a software application selected using the currently active frame.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
127 words
A computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to: display a browser user interface, said browser user interface being effective to control browser software operating on said computer; display at least one software application stored on memory coupled with said computer using said browser user interface, said software application having an application user interface; identify a selected software application from memory for transfer to said computer; and cause the transfer of said selected software application from said memory to said computer such that said transferred selected software application causes a transmuting of said browser user interface into said application user interface whereby said application can be controlled from said transmuted browser user interface when said application is being executed by said computer.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
97 words
The computer readable medium as recited in claim 27 including computer-readable program code devices defining: a first set of properties settings corresponding to said browser user interface; and a second set of properties settings that are effective to transmute said browser user interface into said software application user interface when said second set of properties settings are exchanged for said first set of properties settings; wherein each of said first set of properties settings and said second set of properties settings include a table of user interface attributes and attribute values corresponding to said user interface attributes.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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