System and method for making function calls from a web browser to a local application

A method of making a local function call from a Web browser running on computer of a user, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) displaying a Web document to the user via the Web browser, the Web document including embedded function-calling information with HTML (hypertext markup language) tags of a markup language which does not support function calls, the function-calling information being embedded within the document such that a user can initiate a corresponding function call to a local program module running on the local computer by selecting a content item of the document from within the Web browser;
• (b) in response to user selection of the content item from within the Web browser, generating a function-call request message with the Web browser and sending the function-call request message as an HTTP (hypertext transport protocol) message from the Web browser to the program module running on the local computer by passing the HTTP message from a TCP/IP stack of the local computer to the program module;
• and
• (c) in response to the function-call request message, making the function call with the program module.

A World Wide Web document stored on a computer-readable medium, comprising:

• user-viewable informational content;
• a plurality of HTML (hypertext markup language) tags of a markup language which does not support function calls, the HTML tags provided in association with the informational content;
• and
• function-calling information linked to a user-selectable portion of the informational content with the HTML tags, the functional-calling information embedded within the document such that user selection of the user-selectable portion from within a Web browser program running on a user computer causes a function-call request message to be sent as an HTTP (hypertext transport protocol) message from the Web browser to an application on the user computer by passing the HTTP message from a TCP/IP stack of the user computer to the application.

A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for allowing a World Wide Web user to conduct electronic commerce over the Internet from a computer of the user, comprising:

• a Web browser application configured to run on the computer;
• an electronic commerce client application configured to run on the computer in conjunction with the Web browser, the electronic commerce client application comprising a function library which includes a plurality of callable functions;
• at least one Web document which includes embedded function-calling information that corresponds to at least one of the callable functions of the electronic commerce client application, the function-calling information embedded within the Web document such that the user can selectively initiate a call to at least one function while viewing the Web document with the Web browsers;
• and
• wherein response to user initiation of the call, the Web browser generating a function-call request message and sending the function-call request message as an HTTP (hypertext transport protocol) message from the Web browser to the electronic commerce client application by passing the HTTP message from a TCP/IP stack of the local computer to the electronic commerce client application.