Patent ID: 6438559
Filing Date: 2002-08-20
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
In a system comprising a computer network having a database server and a client, an improved method for allowing a client to retrieve an object stored in a database table residing on a database server, the method comprising:providing a streaming protocol for transferring objects from the database server to the client; receiving from the client a request for serialization of a particular object for transferring the particular object from the database server to the client, wherein said particular object is a Java object comprising at least one class, and wherein said particular object is stored in a relational database table at the database server; in response to the request, creating a class identifier for uniquely identifying each class from which the particular object is derived that is already known to the system, thereby supporting conversion of the particular object to and from a binary representation without transmitting class descriptor information; creating a serialization comprising a binary representation of the particular object suitable for streaming transmission, said serialization including a table of said class identifiers for the particular object; streaming the binary representation of the particular object from the database server to the client; and upon receipt of the streamed binary representation at the client, recreating at the client a copy of said particular object.