Meta-application architecture for integrating photo-service websites for browser-enabled devices

A system for integrating web photo-services for a browser-enabled device comprising:

• means for providing a server that communicates with the device over a network;
• means for associating images stored on at least one photo-service site with a user account;
• means for receiving from the device an inventory of images stored on the device;
• means for providing an image-related web application to the device over the network, the web application requiring access to the user's images;
• and
• means for providing a list of the images associated with a user's account to the web application, wherein the list of images includes an image reference for each image and an indication of whether each image is stored on the device or on the photo-service site, such that the web application may perform at least one function on the users images regardless of where the images are stored.

An online system comprising:

• a client device having user files stored thereon;
• a server in communication with the client device over a network, the server for associating files uploaded from the client device with a particular user and for transmitting the user files to a remote server for storage, the server further for supplying a web application to the client device;
• and
• a browser running on the client device for interacting with the web application, wherein the browser is customized to report the user files stored on the client device to the server,
• wherein when requested, the server provides the web application with a list identifying the user's files that are stored on both the client device and the remote server, such that the web application may operate on all of the user's files regardless of the files' storage location.

A method for allowing a web application to access image files stored on both a client device and distributed across remote locations, the method comprising:

• providing a gateway server that communicates with the client device and associates images from the client device with a user account;
• providing the client device with a customized browser that is capable of reporting the image contents of the device to the gateway server;
• connecting the client device with a web application;
• receiving a request by the gateway server from the web application asking what images are available for the user;
• and
• sending to the web application from the gateway server a list of image references corresponding to the user's images, wherein each image reference identifies one of the user's images and whether the image is stored on the client device or on a remote server, such that the image references allow the web application to sort and select the images to carry out a predefined function even though the web application is not given access directly to the user's images.