The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 11, 1999
Filed:
May. 05, 1997
Luigi Semenzato, Oakland, CA (US);
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA (US);
Abstract
A plug-in executes as a separate computer process from a platform process in which the plug-in is installed and which invokes execution of the plug-in. The plug-in therefore has a context which is independent of the context of the platform process. Specifically, the plug-in is separated into a plug-in controller and a plug-in body. The plug-in body is a collection of computer instructions execution of which perform the substantive task of the plug-in, i.e., the task by which the plug-in extends the functionality of the platform process. The plug-in controller is installed in the platform process as a plug-in using the plug-in installation mechanism of the platform process. Once invoked by the platform process, typically in response to user-generated signals received by the platform process, the plug-in controller invokes execution of the plug-in body as a separate computer process from the platform process. The platform process creates a window into which the plug-in can display images and information and passes to the plug-in controller a window identifier of the window to thereby grant the plug-in controller access to the window. The plug-in controller passes the window identifier to the plug-in body through an argument list in execution of the exec( ) system call. The plug-in body avoids deletion of the window by creating a sub-window of the window and manipulating the window hierarchy to prevent deletion of the sub-window as a consequence of deletion of the window provided by the platform process.