System and method for transparently registering and updating information over the internet

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A system for interfacing an application program in a computer with a selected one of a plurality of ISPs on the Internet, comprising:

a memory in the computer storing a client application in the OSI Application Layer, said application providing a generic ISP accessing method as a native token format;

a plurality of ISP-specific dynamic link libraries of code in said memory, each storing details for accessing a respective one of a plurality of ISPs on the Internet; and

an interface program in said memory in the OSI Session Layer transforming a token from said application in said native format into a URL-encoded object request token by taking details of a selected ISP from one of said plurality of ISP-specific dynamic link libraries, and passing said URL-encoded object request token to an output program in the OSI Transport Layer.

2. A system comprising:

a memory storing application instructions, the application instructions including a client application in the OSI Application Layer, said application providing a generic ISP accessing method as a native token format;

a plurality of ISP-specific dynamic link libraries of code in said memory, each storing details for accessing a respective one of a plurality of ISPs on the Internet;

an interface program in said memory in the OSI Session Layer transforming a token from said application in said native format into a URL-encoded object request token by taking details of a selected ISP from one of said plurality of ISP-specific dynamic link libraries, and passing said URL-encoded object request token to an output program in the OSI Transport Layer;

a processor connected to the memory and being responsive to the application instructions establishing a connection with an online database through said selected ISP.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the memory includes at least one of a storage device and a CD-ROM.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the online database is stored and accessed via a server that is coupled to the Internet.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the online database is coupled to the Internet through an IP-based computer network.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the processor is further responsive to the application instructions by converting the URL-encoded format token into a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein the processor is further responsive to the application instructions by converting the URL-encoded format token into a token formatted in a protocol selected from a group consisting of File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Mail, Telnet, Gopher, Network News Transport Protocol (NNTP), Chat, and Forums.

8. The system according to claim 2, further comprising a display showing status of the information retrieved from the online database.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the display displays the status graphically.

10. A system comprising:

an IP-based computer network;

a server computer coupled to the IP-based computer network and receiving a token from the IP-based computer network, the server computer including,

a server memory storing token handler instructions for the token, and

a server processor responsive to the token and the token handler instructions by processing the token; and

a client computer including,

a client memory storing client application instructions, the client application instructions including a set of dynamic link libraries of code and information for each of a plurality of IP-based computer network service providers, and

an interface program in said memory in the OSI Session Layer transforming a token from said application in said native format into a URL-encoded object request token by taking details of a selected ISP from one of said plurality of ISP-specific dynamic link libraries, and passing said URL-encoded object request token to an output program in the OSI Transport Layer;

a client processor connected to the client memory, and being responsive to the client application instructions, establishing a connection with the server computer over the IP-based computer network through a selected IP-based computer network service provider.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the IP-based computer network is the Internet, and the selected IP-based computer network service provider is an Internet Service Provider.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the server computer is coupled to the Internet through another IP-based computer network.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the server computer further includes at least one database connected to the server processor, and

wherein the token requests an object stored in one of the databases,

the server processor being responsive to the token by accessing one of the databases for the object and sending the object to the client computer.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the client computer further includes a display showing a status of the object sent to the client computer.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the display displays the status graphically.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the client memory includes at least one of a storage device and a CD-ROM.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein the client processor is further responsive to the client application instructions by converting the URL-encoded format token into the token sent to the server computer, the token sent to the server computer being a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request.

18. The system according to claim 10, wherein the client processor is further responsive to the client application instructions by converting the URL-encoded format token into the token sent to the server computer, the token sent to the server computer being formatted in a protocol selected from a group consisting of File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Mail, Telnet, Gopher, Network News Transport Protocol (NNTP), Chat, and Forums.

19. A method of accessing online data comprising the steps of:

storing application instructions in a memory, the application instructions including a a client application in the OSI Application Layer, said application providing a generic ISP accessing method as a native token format;

storing a plurality of dynamic link libraries of code in said memory, each storing details for accessing a respective one of a plurality of ISPs on the Internet;

selecting an Internet service provider from the plurality of Internet service providers;

converting a native format token of the application into a URL-encoded object request token by taking details of a selected ISP from one of said plurality of ISP-specific dynamic link libraries, and passing said URL-encoded object request token to an output program in the OSI Transport Layer; data;

establishing a connection with an online database through the selected Internet service provider; and

retrieving information from the online database.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the memory includes at least one of a storage device and CD-ROM.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the online database is a node on the Internet.

22. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of converting the URL-encoded format token into a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request.

23. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of converting a URL-encoded format token into a token formatted in a protocol selected from the group consisting of File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Mail, Telnet, Gopher, Network News Transport Protocol (NNTP), Chat, and Forums.

24. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of displaying a status of the information retrieved from the online database.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the step of displaying the status displays the status graphically.

26. A method for accessing online information comprising the steps of:

storing token handler instructions in a server memory of a server computer coupled to an IP-based computer network;

storing application instructions in a client memory at a client computer, the application instructions including a client application in the OSI Application Layer, said application providing a generic ISP accessing method as a native token format;

storing a plurality of dynamic link libraries of code in said memory, each storing details for accessing a respective one of a plurality of plurality of IP-based computer network service providers on the Internet;

selecting an IP-based computer network service provider from the plurality of IP-based computer network service providers;

converting a native format token of the application into a URL-encoded object request token by taking details of a selected ISP from one of said plurality of ISP-specific dynamic link libraries, and passing said URL-encoded object request token to an output program in the OSI Transport Layer; data;

establishing a connection with the server computer over the IP-based computer network through the selected IP-based computer network service provider;

sending a token to the server computer over the IP-based computer network;

receiving the token at the server computer; and

processing the token based on the token handler instructions stored in the server memory.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the IP-based computer network is the Internet, and the selected IP-based computer network is an Internet service provider.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the server computer is coupled to the Internet through another IP-based computer network.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein the token requests an object stored in a database connected to the server computer, the method further comprising the steps of:

accessing the database for the object in response to the token; and

sending the object to the client computer over the Internet.

30. The method according to claim 27, wherein the token contains at least one of user registration information, identification information, or other information, and

the method further comprises the step of modifying a state of the server based on the information contained in the token.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the token further contains a request for an object stored in the database,

the method further comprising the steps of:

accessing the database for the object in response to the token; and

sending the object to the client computer.

32. The method according to claim 31, further comprising the step of displaying a status of the object sent to the client computer.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein the status is displayed graphically.

34. The method according to claim 26, wherein the client memory includes at least one of a storage device and a CD-ROM.

35. The method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of converting the URL-encoded format token into the token sent to the server computer, the token sent to the server computer being a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request.

36. The method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of converting the URL-encoded format token into the token sent to the server computer, the token sent to a server computer being formatted in a protocol selected from the group consisting of File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Mail, Telnet, Gopher, Network News Transport Protocol (NNTP), Chat, and Forums.

37. A program storage device comprising:

a storage area; and

information stored in the storage area, the information being readable by a machine, and tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine for performing method steps comprising:

storing application instructions in a memory, the application instructions including a client application in the OSI Application Layer, said application providing a generic ISP accessing method as a native token format;

storing a plurality of dynamic link libraries of code in said memory, each storing details for accessing a respective one of a plurality of ISPs on the Internet;

selecting an Internet service provider from the plurality of Internet service providers;

converting a native format token of the application into a URL-encoded object request token by taking details of a selected ISP from one of said plurality of ISP-specific dynamic link libraries, and passing said URL-encoded object request token to an output program in the OSI Transport Layer; data;

establishing a connection with an online database through the selected Internet service provider; and

retrieving information from the online database.

38. The program storage device according to claim 37, wherein the memory includes at least one of a storage device and a CD-ROM.

39. The program storage device according to claim 38, wherein the online database is a node on the Internet.

40. The program storage device according to claim 37, wherein the method steps further comprise the step of converting the URL-encoded format token into a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request.

41. The program storage device according to claim 37, wherein the method further comprises the step of converting the URL-encoded format token into a token formatted in a protocol selected from a group consisting of File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Mail, Telnet, Gopher, Network News Transport Protocol (NNTP), Chat, and Forums.

42. The program storage device according to claim 37, wherein the method further comprises the step of displaying a status of the in format ion retrieved from the online database.

43. The program storage device according to claim 42, wherein the step of the method of displaying the status displays the status graphically.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of computing. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and a method for accessing and downloading information from an online database.

2. Description of the Related Art

With the multitude of Internet service providers (ISPs) available to a user, it is difficult to create an Internet hybrid application (a client/server application that accesses information located on the Internet, or an IP-based computer network) that allows convenient and transparent access to data that is located at an Internet web site through any one of the multitude of ISPs so that data used by the application can be updated or augmented. Previously, this difficulty has been overcome by one of two approaches. First, update data for an application has been hosted at a selected service provider site and has been offered to subscribers of that particular Internet service. The hybrid application using the update data is then designed to interface with only that specific service provider. This approach has the drawback that users of the application are forced to be subscribers of the specific Internet service, thus limiting the number of users for which the application is suitable. The other approach has been to allow an application user to manually retrieve update data off the Internet. This approach has serious drawbacks because there are a number of ways errors can be made when the update data is downloaded, including downloading the data into an incorrect directory and downloading undesired data.

Creating Internet hybrid applications that access the Internet, or any other IP-based computer network, can also be a complex task for an application developer. Since Internet service providers each have a proprietary way of interfacing with their software, there is no standard interface available to deal with multiple Internet service providers. Specific steps are required for connecting to the Internet, disconnecting from the Internet, verifying online status, downloading files, etc.

What is needed is a client/server application interface that allows application programmers to easily create Internet hybrid applications that allow users to use their preferred Internet service provider with a standard application programmer's interface (API) for obtaining a convenient seamless connection to the Internet for communicating with an online site, such as for registering with the online server site and receiving data for augmenting static information provided with the media of the client application with online resources.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a client/server application an interface that allows programmers to easily create applications that allow users to use their preferred Internet service provider for obtaining a convenient seamless connection to the Internet for communication with an online site. The access methods provided to the application programmer are consistent for each supported Internet service provider, and allow for immediate expansion to include new service providers at any time. The present invention also provides a transparent information exchange processes to handle the exchange of data, such as registration, identification, or any other desired information, with the online server site, in addition to transparently receiving data from the online server site for augmenting static information provided with the media of the client application. In this regard, the present invention includes a server computer connected to an IP-based computer network, such as the Internet. The server computer includes a server memory that stores token handler instructions, and a server processor that is connected to the server memory and is responsive to the token handler instructions. A client computer that communicates with the server computer includes a client memory and a client processor. The client memory, which can include a storage device and/or CD-ROM, stores client application instructions that include a set of dynamic link libraries of code and information for each of a plurality of Internet service providers. The client processor is connected to the client memory and is responsive to the client application instructions by establishing a connection with the server computer over the Internet through a selected Internet service provider and sending the token to the server computer. According to the invention, the connection to the Internet through the selected Internet service provider is based on a set of dynamic link libraries of code and information for the selected Internet service provider. The dynamic link libraries contain a detailed set of commands and information designed to allow applications to be created and maintained across a multitude of Internet service providers. The design of the dynamic link libraries allow for expansion to support new service providers by simply adding additional support dynamic link libraries for any Internet service provider.

The present invention also provides a method for accessing online information. According to the invention, token handler instructions are stored in a server memory of a server computer connected to the Internet, while client application instructions used to create, transmit, and receive tokens are stored in a client memory at a client computer. The client application instructions include a set of dynamic link libraries of code and information for each of a plurality of Internet service providers. An Internet service provider is selected from the plurality of Internet service providers and a connection with the server computer is established over the Internet through the selected Internet service provider. The connection through the selected Internet service provider is based on a set of dynamic link libraries of code and information for the selected Internet service provider. A token is sent to the server computer over the Internet and received at the server computer. The server computer then processes the token based on the token handler instructions stored in the server memory.

The token sent to the server computer contains data relating to user registration information, user identification information, object request information, and/or actions to be executed by the server. The server computer responds to user registration information by entering the user registration information into a user database. When the token contains user identification information, the server processor validates the user identification information, and when the token contains object request information, the server processor accesses a database for the object and sends the object to the client computer. Preferably, the client computer graphically displays the status of the object requested while the object is being sent from the host computer to the client computer.

According to the invention, a native format token of the client application is converted into a URL-encoded format token and the URL-encoded format token is preferably converted into a request in hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) that is sent to the server computer. Alternatively, the URL-encoded format token can be converted into a request that is formatted in another protocol such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Mail, Telnet, Gopher, Network News Transport Protocol (NNTP), Chat, and Forums.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 shows an Open System Interconnection (OSI) architectural hierarchy diagram of a client/server application incorporating the present invention;

FIG. 2A shows a diagram of the relationship between a client/server application incorporating the present invention and online server resources connected to the Internet;

FIG. 2B is a schematic block diagram of a client computer running a client application according to the present invention connected to a server site on the Internet;

FIG. 2C shows an exemplary graphical display of status of an object request;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an overview of information flow for an object request operation according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram for an online object request operation according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows intermediate steps of a process for generating an exemplary registration token according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram for an online registration operation showing client and server interaction according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a flow diagram for a preferred communication process flow according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows a flow diagram for an alternative communication process flow according to the present invention;

FIG. 9 shows a flow diagram for an online update operation according to the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is an architectural hierarchy diagram showing details a nd location of the layers, as related to the client system components, of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To facilitate a common interface for allowing a client/server application access to information on the Internet, regardless of the Internet service provider (ISP) used, the present invention provides an interface permitting Transparent Registration, Update and Exchange of data features using the Internet Protocol (TRUE/IP). That is, the present invention provides a standard interface for a client/server application, such as a CD-ROM/Internet hybrid application, for connecting to an online server site for augmenting static client application material with dynamic online information contained at the online server site. The transparent interface protocol of the present invention permits convenient interaction with an online server site, such as for receiving requested information, receiving any new information necessary for operation of the application, for logging any information transfer, and for closing the connection when desired.

The Internet service providers for which the present invention is compatible have the ability to launch their ISP access software with minimal user interaction, such as a password being entered once or once per session, to operate with a browser that can be opened to a specific uniform resource locator (URL), and/or to operate with any tunneling application or protocol for allowing access to a web site via a URL and for downloading files in response to client application requests. Examples of currently available Internet service providers providing these abilities are the IBM.TM. Global Network, America Online.TM., CompuServe.TM. and direct Internet connections. A generic Internet dialer can also be used for supporting unlisted ISPs, but this type of ISP forces a user to manually establish a connection with the ISP.

A standard architecture for any computer-to-computer communication is illustrated by the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model that has been standardized by the International Standardization Organization (ISO). FIG. 1 shows an OSI architectural hierarchy of layers mapped onto corresponding functional implementations of a client/server application incorporating the present invention.

Layer 1 of the OSI hierarchy is the physical layer. In relationship to a user, this layer corresponds to client and server hardware, and an operating system, and relates to electrical, mechanical and functional controls of data circuits. Layer 2 of the OSI model, the data link layer, deals with procedures and protocols for operating communication lines, and detecting and correcting message errors. For the present invention, this layer preferably conforms to the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). Layer 3, the network layer, corresponds to a communication stack of an Internet service provider for the present invention. In relationship to a user, this particular layer is concerned with how data is transferred between computers and deals with routing within and between individual networks.

Layer 4, the OSI transport layer, is concerned with definition of rules for information exchange and management of end-to-end delivery of information within and between networks, including error recovery and flow control. For the present invention, this layer of the model preferably conforms to the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). The TRUE/IP protocol of the present invention also supports any other IP-based protocol, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Mail, Telnet, Gopher, Network News Transport Protocol (NNTP), Chat, Forums, etc. Layer 5, the session layer, handles dialog management and controls use of the basic communications provided by the transport layer. Layer 5 is the layer in which the present invention is preferably implemented by providing a code layer between an application and the code running an Internet service provider network.

Layer 6 is the presentation layer of the OSI model and is concerned with masking differences between varying data formats, such as character codes, for providing transparent communications. For the present invention, this layer preferably uses a web server and common gateway interface (CGI) scripts. Layer 7 is