Asynchronous response processing in a web based request-response computing system

An asynchronous request-response data processing system comprising:

• a requesting client communicatively coupled to a processing server over a computer communications network;
• a response server intermediately disposed between the requesting client and the processing server;
• and,
• an asynchronous response handler coupled to the requesting client, the response handler comprising program code enabled to
• receive in the requesting client an HTTP request directed to a target processing server;
• insert in the HTTP request by the requesting client a return web address for the response server in replacement of a return address of the requesting client, the web address being a uniform resource locator (URL) specifying a network address for the response server,
• transmit by the requesting client the HTTP request to the processing server and then disconnect from the target processing server,
• incur a delay subsequent to the transmitting and then divert resource consumption resulting from polling of the processing server by polling by the response handler of the requesting client instead of the response server to determine if a response has been received in the intermediate response server to the HTTP request transmitted to the target processing server rather than the requesting client polling the processing server directly for a response to the request, and
• on condition that the response is detected in a queue of the intermediate response server, receive the response to the HTTP request in the requesting client from the response server instead of the target processing server, but on condition that the response is not detected in the queue of the intermediate response server, incurring a delay and repeating the polling of the intermediate response server for the response to the request transmitted to the target processing server.

A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having stored thereon computer usable program code for asynchronous response handling in a request-response computing system, the computer usable program code, when executed on a client computer device, causing the client computer device to perform the operations of:

• receiving in a client computer an HTTP request directed to a target processing server;
• inserting in the request by the client computer, a return address of an intermediate response server different than the target processing server in replacement of a return address of the client computer, the address being a uniform resource locator (URL) specifying a network address for the intermediate response server;
• transmitting by the client computer the request to the target processing server and then disconnecting from the target processing server;
• incurring a delay subsequent to the transmitting and then diverting resource consumption resulting from polling of the target processing server by polling by the client computer device of the intermediate response server to determine if a response has been received in the intermediate response server to the request transmitted to the target processing server rather than the client computer device polling the target processing server directly for a response to the request;
• and,
• on condition that the response is detected in a queue of the intermediate response server, receiving the response to the request in the client computer from the intermediate response server instead of the target processing server, but on condition that the response is not detected in the queue of the intermediate response server, incurring a delay and repeating the polling of the intermediate response server for the response to the request transmitted to the target processing server.