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Re: [FYI] /.: Method POST patented



On 30 May 00, at 7:29, Kristian Köhntopp wrote:

> http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/05/27/2125222&mode=nested
> 
> http://164.195.100.11/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=/ne
> tahtml/search-adv.htm&r=5&f=G&l=50&d=CURR&p=1&S1=(allan+AND+Konrad)&OS
> =allan+and+Konrad&RS=(allan+AND+Konrad)
> 
> 
> Is the POST Method Patented?

[Decken die Ansprueche POST ab? Wann und in welchem RFC wurde POST 
standardisiert? Ab wann ist ueber das POST-Konzept vor dem RFC offen 
geredet worden?                                             --AHH]

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United States Patent 5,974,444 Konrad October 26, 1999  


Remote information service access system based on a client-server-
service model  

                          Abstract

A local host computing system, a remote host computing system as 
connected by a network, and service functionalities: a human 
interface service functionality, a starter service functionality, and 
a desired utility service functionality, and a Client-Server-Service 
(CSS) model is imposed on each service functionality. In one 
embodiment, this results in nine logical components and three 
physical components (a local host, a remote host, and an intervening 
network), where two of the logical components are integrated into one 
Remote Object Client component, and that Remote Object Client 
component and the other seven logical components are deployed among 
the local host and remote host in a manner which eases compatibility 
and upgrade problems, and provides an illusion to a user that a 
desired utility service supported on a remote host resides locally on 
the user's local host, thereby providing ease of use and minimal 
software maintenance for users of that remote service.  

Inventors: Konrad; Allan M. (P.O. Box 4023, Berkeley, CA 94704) 
Assignee: Konrad; Allan M. (Berkeley, CA) Appl. No.: 911590 Filed: 
August 14, 1997  

U.S. Class: 709/203; 709/202; 709/217 Intern'l Class: G06F 003/00; 
G06F 013/00 Field of Search: 709/201,203,217,224  

[...]

1. A remote access apparatus for providing end-user access through a 
human interface to a desired remote utility service on a remote host 
computer, comprising:  

a) a local host computer;  

b) a remote host computer;  

c) a network connection between said local host computer and said 
remote host computer allowing data transfer therebetween;  

wherein said local host computer further comprises:  

1) a human interface service means, for handling input from, and 
output to, an end-user;  

2) a human interface server, for mediating requests for human 
interface services, said requests from human interface clients 
resident on at least one of said remote host computer and said local 
host computer, said human interface server operative to process said 
requests from said human interface clients during normal operation 
and exception operation; and  

3) a starter client means, for issuing requests to a starter server 
means on said remote host computer, said requests for initiating 
interaction with the desired remote utility service on said remote 
host computer;  

wherein said remote host computer further comprises:  

1) said starter server means, for responding to requests from said 
starter client means;  

2) a desired remote utility service, resident on said remote host 
computer and platform-independent of said local host computer;  

3) a remote object client, for issuing requests for human interface 
services to said human interface server, for issuing requests for 
said desired remote utility service and for translating a response 
from said desired remote utility service into a request for human 
interface services issued to said human interface server; and  

4) a starter service means, for initiating a remote object client 
indicated by said starter server means.  

[...]  

7. A remote access apparatus for providing end-user access through a 
human interface to a desired remote utility service on a remote host 
computer, comprising:  

a) a local host computer;  

b) a remote host computer;  

c) a network connection between the local host computer and the 
remote host computer allowing data transfer therebetween;  

wherein the local host computer further comprises:  

1) a human interface service, for handling input from, and output to, 
an end-user;  

2) a human interface server, for mediating requests for human 
interface services, wherein the requests are from human interface 
clients resident on at least one of the remote host computer and the 
local host computer, and wherein the human interface server is 
operative to process the requests for the human interface clients 
during normal operation and exception operation; and  

3) a starter client which issues requests to a starter server on the 
remote host computer, wherein the issued requests are for initiating 
interaction with the desired remote utility service on the remote 
host computer;  

wherein the remote host computer further comprises:  

1) the starter server;  

2) a desired remote utility service, resident on the remote host 
computer and platform-independent of the local host computer;  

3) a remote object client, for issuing requests for human interface 
services to the human interface server, for issuing requests for the 
desired remote utility service and for translating a response from 
the desired remote utility service into a request for human interface 
services issued to the human interface server; and  

4) a starter service which initiates a remote object client indicated 
by the starter server.  

[...]  

13. A remote access apparatus for providing end-user access to a 
desired remote utility service on a remote host computer, comprising: 
 

a) a local host computer;  

b) a remote host computer;  

c) a network connection between said local host computer and said 
remote host computer allowing data transfer therebetween;  

wherein said local host computer further comprises a first processor 
and a storage device and:  

1) a human interface service comprising a display device, a keyboard 
and a mouse;  

2) program code for a process executing on said first processor 
comprising:  

(a) a human interface server that receives as input requests for 
access to said human interface service and outputs human interface 
commands; and  

(b) a starter client that receives input from said human interface 
service and outputs an access start request for initiating 
interaction with a desired remote utility service on a remote host 
computer, the access start request being a request transmitted to a 
starter server by way of said network connection;  

wherein said remote host computer further comprises a second 
processor, a second storage device and program code to be executed on 
said second processor for:  

(1) said starter server receiving as input said access start request 
and outputting an indication of a remote object client corresponding 
to said access start request;  

(2) a starter service that receives as input said indication received 
from said starter server and outputs a command to initiate the said 
remote object client corresponding to said access start request; and  

(3) said remote object client responding to said command from said 
starter service and outputting commands to said human interface 
service for interface to an end-user and commands to a desired remote 
utility service; and  

wherein said network connection further comprises a remote object 
connection for transferring said commands to said human interface 
service and to said desired remote utility and a starter connection 
for transferring said access start request.  

[...]  

19. Computer readable media containing program code for implementing 
a method of providing end-user access via a human interface server 
located at a local host computer to a desired remote utility service 
on a remote host computer, the local host computer being 
characterized as local with respect to a network location of an end 
user and separated from the remote host computer by a network 
connection, the computer readable media comprising:  

a) program code for initiating a remote host program on the remote 
host computer;  

b) program code for initiating a local host program on the local host 
computer;  

b) program code for presenting the end user with an interface for 
inputting an indication of a desire to access the desired remote 
utility service;  

c) program code for initiating a starter client process controlled by 
the local host program in response to the indication;  

d) starter client program code for issuing an access start request 
over the network connection to a starter server process controlled by 
the remote host program, wherein the method of issuing the access 
start request is independent of a platform of the remote host 
computer;  

e) starter server program code for implementing a starter server 
process controlled by the remote host process to initiate a remote 
object client on the remote host computer in response to receipt of 
the access start request at the remote host computer;  

f) program code for establishing programmatic connectivity over the 
network connection between the remote object client and the desired 
remote utility service and between the remote object client and the 
human interface server;  

g) program code for issuing a human interface server request from the 
remote object client to the human interface server requesting 
interface to the end user; and  

h) program code for translating received responses to the human 
interface server request into a format understandable by the desired 
remote utility service.  

20. A method for providing end-user access via a human interface 
server located at a local host computer to a desired remote utility 
service on a remote host computer over a network, the method 
comprising the steps of:  

a) initiating the human interface server on the local host computer 
and a starter server on the remote host computer, wherein the local 
host computer is characterized as local with respect to a network 
location of an end user;  

b) presenting the end user with an interface for indicating a desire 
to access the desired remote utility service;  

c) initiating a starter client in response to an indication by the 
end user of a desire to access the desired remote utility service;  

d) using the starter client to issue an access start request to a 
starter server over the network, wherein the method of issuing the 
access start request is independent of a platform of the remote host 
computer;  

e) using the starter server and a starter service to initiate a 
remote object client on the remote host computer;  

f) issuing a human interface server request from the remote object 
client to the human interface server requesting interface to the end 
user;  

g) translating received responses to the human interface server 
request into a format understandable by the desired remote utility 
service;  

h) issuing the translated received responses as a desired utility 
service request from the remote object client to the desired remote 
utility service;  

i) returning a desired utility service response to the desired 
utility service request from the desired remote utility service to 
the remote object client;  

j) translating the desired utility service responses into a second 
interface request; and  

k) issuing the second interface request from the remote object client 
to the human interface server.  

21. A method for providing end-user access via a human interface 
server located at a local host computer to a desired remote utility 
service on a remote host computer, the local host computer being 
characterized as local with respect to a network location of an end 
user and separated from the remote host computer by a network 
connection, the method comprising the steps of:  

a) initiating a remote host program on the remote host computer and a 
local host program on the local host computer;  

b) presenting the end user with an interface for inputting an 
indication of a desire to access the desired remote utility service;  

c) initiating a starter client process controlled by the local host 
program in response to the indication;  

d) using the starter client process to issue an access start request 
over the network connection to a starter server process controlled by 
the remote host program, wherein the method of issuing the access 
start request is independent of a platform of the remote host 
computer;  

e) using a starter server process controlled by the remote host 
program to initiate a remote object client on the remote host 
computer in response to receipt of the access start request at the 
remote host computer;  

f) issuing a human interface server request from the remote object 
client to the human interface server requesting interface to the end 
user; and  

g) translating received responses to the human interface server 
request into a format understandable by the desired remote utility 
service.  

22. A method for providing end-user access to a database service on a 
remote host comprising:  

a) initiating a starter client on a local host in response to an 
indication by an end user of a desire to access the database service; 
 

b) sending an access start request from the starter client on the 
local host to a remote host;  

c) receiving the access start request at the remote host;  

d) activating a remote object client at the remote host in response 
to the access start request, wherein the remote object client:  

1) translates query information received from the local host in a 
first format from the first format into a database request format;  

2) issues the database request to a database service;  

3) receives from the database service a response to the database 
request;  

4) formats the response into a human interface request; and  

5) issues the human interface request to a human interface server on 
the local host; and  

e) presenting the human interface from the human interface server to 
the end user on the local host.  

23. A computer network for providing end user access to a database, 
the computer network comprising:  

a plurality of computers, each computer including a user input that 
includes a keyboard and a pointing device and access input from an 
end user and includes a user output that includes a display that 
presents output to the end user, the user input and the user output 
forming a graphical user interface, each computer executing software 
to issue a request to initiate communication with a remote computer 
and executing software to generate commands to the graphical user 
interface;  

a database located remotely from the plurality of computers and 
platform independent of each of the plurality of computers, the 
database including a plurality of database entries; and  

a server remotely coupled to the plurality of computers, the server 
executing software to receive a request to initiate communication 
from one of the computers and, after the communication is initiated, 
to receive an access request from one of the computers for access to 
the database and, in response to the access request, translating the 
access request into a format understandable by the database and 
querying the database for at least one of the database entries 
software executing at the server providing the at least one database 
entry to the user output of the one of the computers.  

[...]  

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