Vault controller context manager and methods of operation for securely maintaining state information between successive browser connections in an electronic business system

Apparatus for use in establishing a secure exchange of information between an end user and a server in a distributed network environment, the apparatus comprising:

• a context manager, manageable within a vault process, wherein the context manager maintains state information between successive user browser sessions with multiple application domains containing various applications, operative to:
• (i) access data stored on a global level that spans applications and is available to multiple vault applications in different domains;
• (ii) access data stored on an application level and common to a given application domain for a given sequence of operations within the vault application;
• and (iii) access data stored on an instance level for a given sequence of operations within a given application domain;
• and (iv) open the global level data, application level data, and instance level data for non-null values where a scoping level is not identified when performing a retrieval operation.

An article of manufacture for use in establishing a secure exchange of information between an end user and a server in a distributed network environment, comprising a machine readable medium containing one or more programs which when executed implement the steps of:

• in accordance with a context manager, manageable within a vault process, wherein the context manager maintains state information between successive user browser sessions with multiple application domains containing various applications, the context manager:
• accessing data stored on a global level that spans applications and is available to multiple vault applications in different domains;
• accessing data stored on an application level and common to a given application domain for a given sequence of operations within the vault application;
• accessing data stored on an instance level for a given sequence of operations within a given application domain;
• and
• opening the global level data, application level data, and instance level data for non-null values where a scoping level is not identified when performing a retrieval operation.