Abstract:
The present disclosure is directed to a system and method of making a hypermedium page interactive. Responsive to a user selecting a hyperlink on a hypermedium page displayed on a client node, a client agent located on the client node establishes a communications link from the client agent to an application execution server agent on an application server using information located in a hyperlink configuration file, corresponding to the hyperlink displayed on the client node, obtained from the network server node. Responsive to the creation of the communications link between the application execution server agent and the client agent, the application executes on the application execution server and the user is capable of interactively using the application running on the application execution node from the client node. Data input and display occurs at the client node under the control of the client agent.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/054,987 filed on Mar. 25, 2008, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/689,824 filed on Oct. 20, 2003 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,359,953), which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/068,790 filed on Feb. 6, 2002 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,157), which is itself a continuation of application U.S. Ser. No. 09/247,220 filed on Feb. 10, 1999 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,570), which is itself a continuation of application U.S. Ser. No. 08/556,623 filed on Nov. 13, 1995 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,515), all of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates generally to the field of computer communications and more specifically to the field of remote application processing. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    A hypermedium is a graphical display which contains a series of graphic and textual images which are referred to as hyperlinks Each hyperlink typically corresponds to additional information which is available to a user of the hypermedium. For example a hypermedium display might be an encyclopedic article about flight. If the graphical display of the article includes a picture of a rocket, and if the user is able to obtain information about the engine of the rocket by selecting (typically by using a pointing device referred to as a computer mouse) a portion of the display showing the engine, the portion of the picture containing the rocket engine is referred to as a hyperlink. That is, the portion of the picture containing the engine is a link to information about the engine. The activation of a hyperlink causes the hypermedium to request a data file of the desired information from the program actually controlling the hypermedium. 
         [0004]    When a hypermedium is used in conjunction with a network, for example the world wide web or the internet, a user on a client node on the network first accesses what is termed a home page or a web page. This home page or web page is obtained from another node on the net, termed a network server, and is displayed on the client node by a program termed a network browser or web browser. In such a case, when the user selects the hyperlink (in the previous example, the portion of the display showing the rocket engine) a request is made to the network browser for the data file containing the requested information. The network browser on the user&#39;s node establishes communication with the network node, the data server, having data corresponding to the requested hyperlink. In this case the node having information about the rocket engine contains the information required by the hyperlink. 
         [0005]    Although hypermedium has been used to transfer information to a user in the manner just discussed, it is desirable to be able to use a hypermedium display to interactively execute applications such as database programs located on another computer, an application execution server, on the network. The present invention relates to a method and apparatus to accomplish this task. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The invention relates to a system of making a hypermedium page interactive to thereby permit an application to be executed on one node and the results displayed and data entered on another node. In one embodiment the system includes a client node, a network server node and an application execution server node interconnected by a communication link. A hyperlink on the hypermedium page is displayed on the client node and a hyperlink configuration file (corresponding to the hyperlink on the client node) is located on the network server node. In one embodiment, a client agent is located on the client node and a server agent is located on the application execution server node. A communication link is created by the client agent between the client agent on the client node and the server agent on the application execution server node in response to data in the hyperlink configuration file. The system also includes an application on the application execution server node which executed on the application execution server node in response to the communications link between the client agent and the server agent. The application running on the application execution node then communicates with the client agent through the server agent. The client agent on the client node is responsible for receiving data input from the user and transferring the data to the application on the application execution node and receiving data from the application on the application execution node and displaying data output to the user on the client node. 
         [0007]    The invention also relates to a method of making a hypermedium page interactive. The method includes the steps of selecting a hyperlink on the hypermedium page displayed on a client node; retrieving (from a server node to the client node) a hyperlink configuration file corresponding to the hyperlink and starting a client agent on the client node. The method further includes the steps of creating a communications link between a server agent on an application execution server and the client agent; starting the application on the application execution server in response to the connection; communicating data between the client agent on the client node and application on the application execution node; and managing the display and input of data on the client node. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    Other features and benefits of the invention can be more clearly understood with reference to the specification and the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an embodiment of the system of the invention; and 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a flow chart of the operation of system of the invention shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , and in brief overview, an embodiment of an interactive hypermedium system of the invention includes a client node  10 , a network server node  18  and an application execution server node  24  interconnected by a communications link  32 , herein referred to without any loss of generality as a network or web. Although only one client node  10 , network server node  18  and application execution server node  24 , are shown in  FIG. 1  for clarity, an actual network may include many such nodes. Alternatively, the services provided by each of the nodes listed may be combined in one or more nodes. For example, the application execution server and the network server may in fact be the same node. In the extreme it is possible for all functions to be performed by the same node, although such would not typically be the case. In addition, although only one application  36  is shown on the application execution server  24 , in reality, an application execution server node  24  typically includes many applications  36 . Each node on the network or web  32  includes a processor, which may vary significantly from other processors on the web  32  in terms of computing power and associated hardware. Further, the applications  36  available for execution on each node may be different. 
         [0012]    A user on a client node wishing to run the application program  36  which is located on the application execution server  24  on the web  32  does so through a graphical user interface  40 , which is herein referred to without any loss of generality as a hypermedium, located on the client node  10 . The graphical interface is displayed on a graphical display device  42 . Data is entered by the users through a mouse  46  and a keyboard  50  located on the client node  10 . The graphical display or page  44  which the user first views on the hypermedium  40  is referred to herein without any loss of generality as the home page or web page of the application  36 . A page  44  or home page of the hypermedium  40  includes a graphic link  48  or textual link  56  herein referred to without any loss of generality as a hyperlink. The web page is displayed by a process  64  referred to herein without any loss of generality as a network browser  64  executing on the client node  10 . 
         [0013]    The network browser  64  obtains the first page or web page  44  from a network server node  18  and displays the web page  44  on the hypermedium  40  for the user to view on the graphical display device  42 . When the user selects an application program  36  to execute (by selecting a graphical  48  or textual  56  hyperlink using the mouse  46  or keyboard  50 ) the network browser  64  obtains a network configuration file  68  corresponding to the selected application  36  from a predetermined network server  18  and starts a client agent  72  which will communicate with the selected application  36 . This will be discussed in more detail below. 
         [0014]    The client agent  72  reads the configuration file  68  and establishes a communications link to a server agent  80  on the application execution server  24  specified by the configuration file  68 . In one embodiment, the configuration file  68  includes the name of the application and the node location of the application  36  corresponding to the hyperlink  48 ,  56 . The configuration file may also contain optional information such as authentication or authorized user information. Server agent  80  performs the operations necessary (such as authentication) to permit the client agent  72  access to the application  36 , and once access is permitted, starts the application  36  requested by the user. Once the application  36  is executing on the application execution server, the application  36  communicates through the server agent  80  directly with the client agent  72  without intervention by the network browser  64 . The client agent  72  is then responsible for receiving data from the user through the mouse  46  and keyboard  50  and transmitting it to the application program  36  the application execution server  24 . Similarly, the client agent  72  is responsible for receiving data from the application  36  on the application execution server  24  and displaying the data in an application display window  74  on the graphical display device  42  on the client node  10 . It should be noted that the application display window  74  may be located within the boundaries or outside the boundaries of the hypermedium  40 . When the application  36  is completed the server agent  80  instructs the client agent  72  to disconnect the communication link  32  between the client agent  72  and the server agent  80  and the server agent waits for the next connection. 
         [0015]      FIG. 2  depicts the operation of the system in more detail. Initially, the client agent  72  is registered (Step  1 ) with the network browser  64  of the client node  10  and an entry is made in the network browser&#39;s registration file  88  ( FIG. 1 ). This entry permits the network browser  64  to start the client agent  72  whenever a given file type is requested by the hyperlink  48 ,  56  of the hypermedium  40 . In this case the client agent  72  is designed to permit a user on the client node  10  to execute and interact with a remote application  36  on an application execution server node  24 . The client agent  72  would be registered with the network browser  64  such that whenever a hyperlink  48 ,  56  requested the given file type (for example .RMT for remote execution) from the network browser  64 , the network browser  64  would start the client agent  72  which would permit remote execution and interaction with an application  36  resident on an application execution server  24 . The invoking of the client agent  72  is discussed in more detail below. 
         [0016]    Next, when a user wishes to execute an application from a hypermedium environment, for example a database program, the hypermedium  40  is displayed in a manner that is well known to those skilled in the art. When the user selects a hyperlink  48 ,  56  on the page  44  of the hypermedium (Step  2 ) by using the mouse  46  or keyboard  50  on the client node  10 , a request is made to the network browser  64  for the corresponding data file (Step  3 ). In this example, the filetype (.RMT) is requested. 
         [0017]    The network browser  64  obtains the corresponding configuration file  68  from the network server  18  which is specified in the file request made by the hyperlink  48 ,  56  to the network browser  64  (Step  4 ). The network browser  64  then compares the obtained configuration file  68  with the registration file  88  of client agent names which it maintains (Step  5 ). If the client agent  72  specified by the configuration file  68  is found in the registration file  88 , the client agent  72  is started (Step  6 ). 
         [0018]    The invoked client agent  72  reads the configuration file  68  (Step  7 ), and based upon the information in the configuration file  68 , begins to establish a communication link with the server agent  80  on the application execution server  24  (Step  8 ), in this case the sales database application execution server (generally  24 ). 
         [0019]    Considering the process of beginning the communications link of step  8  ( FIG. 2 ) in more detail, communication begins with the server agent  80  monitoring communication activity on the network  32 . At this point, no protocol assumptions are made by the server agent  80  beyond those necessary for the transport layer. Similarly, the client agent  72  also makes no assumption of the communications protocol beyond that required by the transport layer. Once the server agent  80  determines that a client agent  72  is attempting to communicate with it, the server agent  80  transmits a message to the client agent  72  indicating that service is available. 
         [0020]    Once the client agent  72  determines that service is available on the application execution server node  24 , the client agent  72  transmits a message to the server agent  80  indicating that it is ready to proceed with the communication protocol. Once the server agent  80  has responded that it is ready to continue the communication protocol, the client agent  72  enables the protocol necessary for it to run the application  36 . In response to the message from the client agent  72 , the server agent  80  also enables the required protocol. The server agent  80  then transmits a message using the required protocol indicating that the client agent&#39;s request has been received and accepted. 
         [0021]    In response the client agent  72  and the server agent  80  exchange a set of messages which negotiate the parameters under which communications will occur. Once negotiations are complete, the client agent  72  and the server agent  80  are able to communicate as necessary for the application  36  to be run by the user. 
         [0022]    Once the communications protocol has been established and the server agent  80  has authenticated the client agent  72  (Step  9 ) (for example determining that the user has permission to read and write to the database) the application  36  (Step  10 ) is run on the application execution server  24 . At this point application  36  running on the application execution server  24  is communicating via the server agent  80  with the client agent  72  on the client node  10 . The client agent  72  is now responsible for transmitting data input by the user using the mouse  46  and keyboard  50  to the application  36  running on the application execution server  24 . Further, the client agent  72  is responsible for receiving data for display from the application  36  and displaying that data in the application window  74  on the graphical display device  42  of the client node  10 . 
         [0023]    It should be noted that the underlying presentation protocol which passes data to a transport layer such as TCP/IP must be capable of transferring graphical information. Examples of such protocols which may be used for interactive hypermedia communication include public domain X-WINDOWS protocol and the proprietary ICA protocol of Citrix Systems Inc. 
         [0024]    Thus the above described system permits a user on a client node  10 , which may have very limited resources, to start and interact with an application program  36  located on another application execution server node  24 . The application  36  then runs on the application execution server node  24  and the data is input and the results displayed on the client node  10 . 
         [0025]    These and other examples of the concept of the invention illustrated above are intended by way of example and the actual scope of the invention is to be determined solely from the following claims.