US 7,069,562 B2Granted

Application programming interface for connecting a platform independent plug-in to a web browser

AssigneeSun Microsystems, Inc.

InventorsIgor Davidovich Kushnirskiy, Sergi Pikalev

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Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to the implementation of an Application Programming Interface (API) that enables platform independent plug-ins to work with browser applications. In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the API allows platform independent plug-ins to use XPCOM (Cross Platform Component Object Model), a technology that allows software components of different various programming languages to communicate. In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the API enables platform independent plug-ins to take advantage of existing BlackConnect and Scriptable Plug-In API technologies to integrate with the native plug-in API. Embodiments of the present invention ensures backward code compatibility by allowing the current platform independent plug-in API and browser API to remain unchanged. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention enables platform independent plug-ins to communicate and use components created in native programming languages such as C++. This promotes component reuse and eases the development effort.

Claims3

Dependent claims

An Application Programming Interface (API), executing in a computer system comprising:

a platform-independent plug-in API including a wrapper;
a browser plug-in API;
and
an intermediary between said platform-independent plug-in API and said browser plug-in API wherein said wrapper is used to connect said platform independent plug-in API to said intermediary, wherein said wrapper further comprises:
an interface connecting an input stream interface of said platform independent API to said intermediary;
an interface connecting an output stream interface of said platform independent API to said intermediary;
an interface connecting a pluglet interface of said platform independent API to said intermediary;
an interface connecting a pluglet factory interface of said platform independent API to said intermediary;
an interface connecting a pluglet peer interface of said platform independent API to said intermediary;
an interface connecting a first pluglet manager interface of said platform independent API to said intermediary;
an interface connecting a second pluglet manager interface of said platform independent API to said intermediary;
an interface connecting a pluglet stream information interface of said platform independent API to said intermediary;
an interface connecting a pluglet stream listener interface of said platform independent API to said intermediary;
an interface connecting a first pluglet tag information interface of said platform independent API to said intermediary;
and an interface connecting a second pluglet tag information interface of said platform independent API to said intermediary.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/021,915Filed 12 Dec 2001
Published: US 2003/0126311 A13 Jul 2003
Granted: 27 Jun 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G06F 9/547
Interprogram communication: remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
G06F 9/44526
Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading: plug-ins; Add-ons
G06F 9/449
Object-oriented: object-oriented method invocation or resolution
G06F 9/541
Interprogram communication: via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications