Patent ID: 6052732
Filing Date: 2000-04-18
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A computer for use in conjunction with other computers, comprising:a memory for storing viewer programs, each viewer program enabling a user of the computer to view objects of an associated data type;a user interface control program for enabling the user to select references to objects, including objects stored in the other computers; andan inter-computer link control program for responding to user selection of one of the object references that references one of the objects stored in the other computers by establishing a first communication link to one of the other computers, the one computer being identified in accordance with information in the selected object reference, and initiating retrieval of the object referenced by the selected object reference from the one computer including retrieving data type information associated with the referenced object;the user interface control program including viewer search instructions for determining whether the viewer programs stored in the computer include a viewer program associated with the retrieved data type, and when the determination is negative, for attempting to locate a viewer program associated with the retrieved data type in the one computer; anda class loader that includes downloading instructions for loading a copy of the viewer program associated with the retrieved data type into the memory of the computer when the viewer search instructions locate in the one computer the viewer program associated with the retrieved data type.