Patent ID: 6222558
Filing Date: 2001-04-24
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method for transmitting at least one object in the form of recursively nested hierarchically defined object attributes between two or more networked computers, said method comprising the steps of:installing a computer program in each said networked computer, each of said computer programs containing instructions for manipulating and displaying said at least one object on a computer screen of one or said networked computers;defining a command protocol that is capable of representing said objects so that each said object is separately identifiable on any one of said networked computers and can be processed on any one of said networked computers independently from other ones of said objects; said command protocol being used to represent, store, transmit and receive each said object in a hierarchical form that is independent of the type of computer to which said object may be transmitted, on which said object may be stored. or of the display device on which said object may be rendered for viewing;said protocol including a plurality of command elements including structural command elements that describe the structure of objects to be displayed on said computer screen in terms of objects on said screen and operations performed on said objects and processing command elements that control each said networked computer to interpret information signals that are received by said networked computers from other of said networked computers, said structural command elements and said processing command elements being transmitted between and among said networked computers and locally operable on any of said networked computers;each said protocol command element having a length that is divided into a fixed length portion and a variable length portion, said fixed length portion including a processing command and the size of said variable length portion; andsaid variable length portion including information characterizing the particular object to which said processing command is directed.