Patent ID: 7188178

Claim:
Method for transferring data from a server to a client using a HTTP connection, said method comprising the steps of: 1) sending only one HTTP request by a client to a server for a certain information entity in the server, where the one HTTP request is sent using HTTP data transfer protocol, the one HTTP request establishes a HTTP connection and the one HTTP request specifies the certain information entity in the server, after sending the one HTTP request to the server, the client does not send any further request to the server that specifies said certain information entity, said certain information entity being at least partly updated continuously after sending said one HTTP request, 2) sending, using said HTTP connection, at a first time instant from the server to said client a first response portion comprising a first information fragment relating to said information entity according to said HTTP data transfer protocol, said first response portion further comprising all header information of the whole response encompassing said first response portion and subsequent second response portions, and a body of a web page showing said certain information entity, and said client after receipt of said first response portion being arranged to accept further at least one subsequent second response portion, 3) sending, using said HTTP connection, at sequential second time instants from the server to said client a plurality of second response portions in response to said one HTTP request, each of said second portions comprising only an information fragment of an updated part of said information entity and a script for processing said information fragment of the updated part of said information entity, each second portion free of all HTTP header information, wherein the time period between the first time instant and the earliest second time instant is at maximum a certain first predetermined time period, a time period between two sequential second time instants is at maximum a certain second predetermined time period, and the HTTP data transfer protocol is situated in the application layer on the top of the OSI model, and 4) sending, using said HTTP connection, at sequential third time instants from the server to said client a plurality of third response portions, said third portions containing no information fragments specific to said information entity, wherein at least one of said third portions contains only computer language instructions without the information fragment.