Web document based graphical user interface

Abstract

A web document based GUI for use on a client computer that is networked with server computers. The GUI enables a user of the client computer to initiate specific operations that are performed on the client computer and that define a particular application. The GUI comprises GUI Web documents and a Web browser. Each GUI Web document is located at the client computer or one of the server computers and comprises one or more links and one or more applets. Each link provides a link to a corresponding GUI document when selected by the user with the client computer while being displayed on the client computer. Each respective applet generates, when executed on the client computer, an interactive image that is displayed on the client computer.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A Web document based GUI (graphical user interface) for use on a client computer that is networked with server computers, the GUI enabling a user of the client computer to initiate specific operations that are performed on the client computer and that define a particular application, the GUI comprising: 
 GUI Web documents, each of the GUI Web documents being located at the client computer or one of the server computers and comprising: 
 one or more links, each of the one or more links providing a link to a corresponding one of the GUI Web documents when selected by the user with the client computer while being displayed on the client computer;  
 one or more applets, each respective one of the one or more applets generating when executed on the client computer an interactive image that is displayed on the client computer so that the user can initiate a respective one of the specific operations by acting on the interactive image with the client computer to invoke the respective one of the one or more applets to perform the respective one of the specific operations on the client computer;  
   a Web browser that runs on the client computer and that, each time one of the displayed one or more links of a displayed one of the GUI Web documents has been selected by the user with the client computer, loads in, if not already loaded, and displays on the client computer the corresponding one of the GUI Web documents, the Web browser displaying the corresponding one of the GUI web documents by executing each the one or more applets of the corresponding one of the GUI Web documents and displaying on the client computer the corresponding one or more interactive images and by displaying on the client computer the one or more links of the corresponding one of the GUI Web documents.    
     
     
         2 . The GUI of    claim 1    wherein the Web browser comprises an editor that edits on the client computer certain ones of GUI Web Documents by adding and/or removing ones of the applets and ones of the links from the certain ones of the GUI Web documents so as to customize the GUI.  
     
     
         3 . The GUI of    claim 1    wherein the GUI Web documents are HTML Web documents and those of the GUI Web documents located at the sever computers are loaded to the client computer according to the HTTP.  
     
     
         4 . The GUI of    claim 1    wherein the one or more applets of each of the GUI Web documents are written in a platform independent programming language and the Web browser includes a virtual machine module that verifies the integrity of, interprets, and then executes on the client computer the one or more applets of the corresponding one of the GUI Web documents.  
     
     
         5 . The GUI of    claim 4    wherein the platform independent programming language is the Java programming language and the virtual machine module is a Java virtual machine module.  
     
     
         6 . A method of providing a Web document based GUI (graphical user interface) for use on a client computer that is networked with server computers, the GUI enabling a user of the client computer to initiate specific operations that are performed on the client computer and that define a particular application, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing GUI Web documents, each of the GUI Web documents being located at the client computer or one of the server computers and comprising: 
 one or more links, each of the one or more links providing a link to a corresponding one of the GUI documents when selected by the user with the client computer while being displayed on the client computer;  
 one or more applets, each respective one of the one or more applets generating when executed on the client computer an interactive image that is displayed on the client computer so that the user can initiate a respective one of the specific operations by acting on the interactive image with the client computer to invoke the respective one of the one or more applets to perform the respective one of the specific operations on the client computer;  
   each time one of the displayed one or more links of a displayed one of the GUI Web documents has been selected by the user with the client computer, loading in, if not already loaded, and displaying on the client computer the corresponding one of the GUI Web documents, the displaying step including: 
 executing the one or more applets of the corresponding one of the GUI Web documents and displaying on the client computer the corresponding one or more interactive images; and  
 displaying on the client computer the one or more links of the corresponding one of the GUI Web documents.  
   
     
     
         7 . The method of    claim 6    further comprising the step of editing certain ones of the GUI Web documents by adding and/or removing ones of the applets and ones of the links from the certain ones of the GUI Web documents so as to customize the GUI.  
     
     
         8 . The method of    claim 6    wherein the GUI Web documents are HTML Web documents and those of the GUI Web documents located at the sever computers are loaded to the client computer according to the HTTP.  
     
     
         9 . The method of    claim 6    wherein the one or more applets of each of the GUI Web documents are written in a platform independent programming language and the executing step includes, with a virtual machine module, verifying the integrity of, interpreting, and then executing on the client computer the one or more applets of the corresponding one of the GUI Web documents.  
     
     
         10 . The method of    claim 9    wherein the platform independent programming language is the Java programming language and the virtual machine module is a Java virtual machine module.  
     
     
         11 . In a computer network including server computers and a client computer that is networked with the server computers, a set of computer-readable modules suitable for transmission over network interconnections, the set of computer-readable modules providing a Web document based GUI (graphical user interface) for use on the client computer, the GUI enabling a user of the client computer to initiate specific operations that are performed on the client computer and that define a particular application, the set of computer-readable modules comprising: 
 GUI Web documents, each of the GUI Web documents being located at the client computer or one of the server computers, each of the GUI Web documents comprising: 
 one or more links, each of the one or more links providing a link to a corresponding one of the GUI Web documents when selected by the user with the client computer while being displayed on the client computer;  
 one or more applets, each respective one of the one or more applets generating when executed on the client computer an interactive image that is displayed on the client computer so that the user can initiate a respective one of the specific operations by acting on the interactive image with the client computer to invoke the respective one of the one or more applets to perform the respective one of the specific operations on the client computer; and  
   a Web browser that runs on the client computer and that, each time one of the displayed one or more links of a displayed one of the GUI Web documents has been selected by the user with the client computer, loads in, if not already loaded, and displays on the client computer the corresponding one of the GUI Web documents, the Web browser displaying the corresponding one of the GUI web documents by executing each the one or more applets of the corresponding one of the GUI Web documents and displaying on the client computer the corresponding one or more interactive images and by displaying on the client computer the one or more links of the corresponding one of the GUI Web documents.    
     
     
         12 . The set of computer-readable modules of    claim 11    wherein the Web browser comprises an editor that edits on the client computer certain ones of GUI Web Documents by adding and/or removing ones of the applets and ones of the links from the certain ones of the GUI Web documents so as to customize the GUI.  
     
     
         13 . The set of computer-readable modules of    claim 11    wherein the GUI Web documents are HTML Web documents and those of the GUI Web documents located at the sever computers are loaded to the client computer according to the HTTP.  
     
     
         14 . The set of computer-readable modules of    claim 11    wherein the one or more applets of each of the GUI Web documents are written in a platform independent programming language and the Web browser includes a virtual machine module that verifies the integrity of, interprets, and then executes on the client computer the one or more applets of the corresponding one of the GUI Web documents.  
     
     
         15 . The set of computer-readable modules of    claim 14    wherein the platform independent programming language is the Java programming language and the virtual machine module is a Java virtual machine module.