System and method for communication information using the internet that receives and maintains information concerning the client and generates and conveys the session data to the client

A session server for communicating information with a client using the Internet, comprising:

• a common gateway interface operable to receive a data request from the client during an interactive communications session, the interactive communications session initiated in response to a first connection to the session server using the Internet, the session server operable to assign a unique session identifier to the interactive communications session corresponding to the client, the common gateway interface further operable to communicate the data request;
• a session manager coupled to the common gateway interface and operable to receive the data request from the common gateway interface, the session manager further operable to receive information from a data source and to generate session data using the received information, the session data generated according to the data request, the session manager operable to store session data for the interactive communications session according to the unique session identifier, the session data being arranged in a state hierarchy comprising a plurality of states, each state associated with a particular page that has been conveyed to the client associated with the data request during the interactive communications session, the plurality of states comprising an ancestor state associated with a first page and a child state associated with a second page and generated according to inputs from the ancestor states, the session manager operable to maintain the session data for the ancestor state and the child state after termination of the first connection and for the duration of the interactive communications session, the session manager operable to convey at least some of the session data maintained after termination of the first connection to the client using the Internet in response to the client establishing a second connection to the session server using the Internet during the interactive communications session and in response to the session manager identifying the stored session data for the client's interactive communications session using the unique session identifier, the session data conveyed in response to the second connection comprising the session data for the child state, the session data for the child state being conveyed to the client in response to the second connection independent of whether the session data for the ancestor state is conveyed to the client in response to the second connection.

A method for communicating information using the Internet, the method comprising:

• establishing a first connection with a client using the Internet to initiate an interactive communications session;
• assigning a unique session identifier to the interactive communications session corresponding to the client;
• receiving information associated with the client from a data source;
• generating session data according to the received information;
• conveying at least some of the session data to the client in response to the first connection;
• storing the session data for the interactive communications session according to the unique session identifier, the session data being arranged in a state hierarchy comprising a plurality of states, each state associated with a particular page that has been conveyed to the client associated with the request during the interactive communication session, the plurality of states comprising an ancestor state associated with a first page and a child state associated with a second page and generated according to inputs from the ancestor state;
• terminating the first connection;
• maintaining the session data for the ancestor state and the child state after termination of the first connection and for the duration of the interactive communications session;
• establishing a second connection with the client during the interactive communications session;
• identifying the stored session data for the client's interactive communications session using the unique session identifier;
• and
• conveying to the client, after termination of the first connection and during the interactive communications session for the client in response to the second connection, at least some of the session data maintained after termination of the first connection, the session data conveyed in response to the second connection comprising the session data for the child state, the session data for the child state being conveyed to the client in response to the second connection independent of whether the session data for the ancestor state is conveyed to the client in responses to the second connection.