Cisco Technology, Inc.

Charles D Cummings

Stephen R Quatrano

Andrew R Cleasby

Jeffrey Anuszczyk

Dana Russell

Brian S Gladstein

Mechanisms and techniques provide the system that allows the server computer system to capture the complete state of the browser process performing on a client computer system in a remote manner. The capture of such state information by a server computer system is useful, for example, to allow participants to a shared collaborative communications session to join such a session prior to initiation of such a session, or at any point in time during the lifetime of the collaboration session. In operation, the system of the invention can be initiated by browser process performing to the client computer system which obtains the capture process, for instance, as an applet. The capture process can extract from the browser process state information associated with the browser containing document contained within the browser. The capture process can store such state information in a content object on the client computer system and can format and transmit the content object from the capture process on the client computer system to a server computer system in order to maintain a state of the browser in the server computer system. By capturing the state of the browser on the client computer system via the capture process on the client computer system, the complete image of the state information of the browser, including any user supplied information, can be obtained and returns to the server computer system, thus allowing the server computer system, for example, to have participants to a collaboration session join the collaboration session prior to its existence or at any point during the lifetime of the collaboration session without having to navigate through the entire collaboration session.

Methods and apparatus for obtaining a state of a browser

Systems and methods for collaborating over the Internet (or an intranet) in which two or more parties, such as a user and an agent, can share dynamic content generated by a web site server. Collaboration can be accomplished on live, dynamic pages without imposing a proxy server between user browsers and the web servers. Mechanisms prevent multiple submissions, and filters can be provided to selectively filter versions of a page for different users.

Copy server for collaboration and electronic commerce

Mechanisms and techniques provide the system that allows a server computer system to capture the complete state of the browser process performing on a client computer system in a remote manner. In the server computer system, which may be a collaboration adapter computer system operating a dynamic content adapter, the invention provides a system and method, such as a servlet process, for initiating a collaboration adapter session with a client computer system. The system receives a content object from the client computer system and storing document content information such as HTML and frameset content, URL information, cookie information and the like contained within the content object for shared access by participants to the collaboration adapter session. The system also generates a collaboration adapter session identification information for the collaboration adapter session based on document location information contained within the content object. The system then returns the collaboration adapter session identification information to the client computer system such that the client computer system can participate in the collaboration adapter session.

Methods and apparatus for establishing collaboration using browser state information

The system of the invention provides a collaboration adapter which can be integrated into a web server or a web/application server to allow multiple computer user participants to access a single shared session to an application in a collaborative manner. The system of the invention allows a participant to create a shared session and to associate a participant identity to the shared session as the shared session owner. From thereon, participants can join the shared session and submit requests for application response information to the web server containing the collaboration adapter. In cases where the application response information must be obtained from the application, the invention substitutes participant session identification information in an original participant request with shared session identification information to create an altered request and then forwards the altered request to the application.

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Lowell, MA, United States of America

Charles D Cummings