The present invention relates to a system, method and program for creating markup language documents, the contents of which are obtained from multiple sources from computer networks, such as the World Wide Web (Web) or Internet.
Background of Related Art
The past decade has been marked by a technological revolution driven by the convergence of the data processing industry with the consumer electronics industry. The effect has driven technologies that have been known and available and relatively quiescent over the years. Two of these technologies are the Internet related distribution and object oriented programming systems. Both of these technologies are embodied in the use of object oriented technology and the Java programming system, in particular, for a wide variety of consumer and business purposes over the Internet or Web or like private networks. For details and background with respect to the Java system, reference may be made to a typical text, Just Java, 2nd Edition, Peter van der Linden, Sun Microsystems, 1997. With the development and rapid expansion of the Web and other like networks, hypertext markup languages became the primary vehicle for distribution of data over such networks. A basic hypertext language, HTML, is described in detail in the above-entitled Just Java text, particularly at Chapter 7, pp. 249-268, dealing with the handling of Web pages; and also in the text, Mastering the Internet, G. H. Cady et al., published by Sybex Inc., Alameda, CA, 1996, particularly at pp. 637-642, on HTML in the formation of Web pages. The Web pages are implemented so as to be used for the distribution of Web documents containing text, images, both still and moving, and sound, as well as programs.
The rapid expansion of people, businesses and organizations with Web or Internet (used interchangeably) access, has resulted in the widespread use of the Web for business, e.g. e-business and like electronic business, educational, medical and legal transactions. The complexity of the interrelationships involved in these transactions has made it common to handle and distribute Web or like private network documents having multiple contents respectively from multiple sources on the network. Such sources may be individual users at network display stations, as well as network databases that provide already developed and stored content. With the greater reliance on the impersonal network communication, there is less personal contact between the contributors of the content of these network documents. This makes it much harder for a participating user in a network transaction to recognize who contributed what to the document. There is also the issue of security. Since the participating users cannot directly recognize who made the content contributions, there is a need for an easy to use means for defining the specific contributors for each content in a multiple content document, as well as the security status of each of the multiple contents.
The present invention offers an implementation for a user at a network display station who is reviewing or developing a network, e.g. Web document, that will easily indicate the source of each content in a multiple content displayed document. In accordance with another aspect, the invention will provide an indication of the security level of the content source through the visual indicator.
Accordingly, there is provided a system for creating markup language, e.g. hypertext documents having multiple contents, respectively, from multiple sources comprising means for providing multiple contents for a created hypertext markup language document from a plurality of sources including said interactive display stations, and means for tracking the source of each of said multiple contents in said created HTML markup language document. Then, there are means for displaying said created HTML document at an interactive network display station, combined with means for showing the source of each of said multiple contents in said displayed HTML document by a non-alphanumeric visual indicator, which may be a preselected color.
The color indicator may be indicative of the security type and level of the content source and, thus, the content. As will be described hereafter in greater detail, the security level may be determined by the electronic signature of the source content. According to a specific aspect of the invention, the electronic signature of the HTML document is created with XML protocols and the electronic signature is an XML signature that will hereinafter be described in greater detail.
The present invention will be better understood and its numerous objects and advantages will become more apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following drawings, in conjunction with the accompanying specification, in which:
Referring to
Display adapter 36 includes a frame buffer 39 that is a storage device that holds a representation of each pixel on the display screen 38. Images may be stored in frame buffer 39 for display on monitor 38 through various components, such as a digital to analog converter (not shown) and the like. By using the aforementioned I/O devices, a user is capable of inputting information to the system through the keyboard 24 or mouse 26 and receiving output information from the system via display 38.
A generalized example of the practice of the present invention involving the use of visual indicators, e.g. colors, to distinguish the respective multiple contents in displayed network documents formed from corresponding multiple sources will be considered with respect to
The Internet or Web is a global network of a heterogeneous mix of computer technologies and operating systems. Higher level objects are linked to lower level objects in the hierarchy through a variety of network server computers. These network servers are the key to network distribution, such as the distribution of Web pages and related documentation.
Web documents are conventionally implemented in HTML language, which is described in detail in the text, Just Java, 2nd Edition, Peter van der Linden, Sun Microsystems, 1997, particularly at Chapter 7, pp. 249-268, dealing with the handling of Web pages; and also in the text, Mastering the Internet, particularly at pp. 637-642, on HTML in the formation of Web pages. In addition, aspects of this description will refer to Web browsers. A general and comprehensive description of browsers may be found in the above-mentioned Mastering the Internet text at pp. 291-313. More detailed browser descriptions may be found in the text, Internet: The Complete Reference, Millennium Edition, M. L. Young et al., Osborne/McGraw-Hill, Berkeley Calif., 1999, Chapter 19, pp. 419-454, on the Netscape Navigator; Chapter 20, pp. 455-494, on the Microsoft Internet Explorer; and Chapter 21, pp. 495-512, covering Lynx, Opera and other browsers.
Within this environment, Web Services distribution has evolved in recent years. Web Services are based on both suppliers of the data in the form of XML based messages and documents and applications consuming such data conforming to several industry standards developed by the W3C. The primary standard is XML (Extended Markup Language) for defining data and creating markup languages in the form of XML tags. The resulting XML documents are text based and, thus, may be processed on any platform in the distribution of the Web Services. In light of this background, reference is made to
It will also be understood that instead of any conventional Web server, system 51 may replaced by a server system of a service provider 47 that will conventionally perform this Web server function along with other Web service provider functions. Thus, the composite Web document with content contributions from the multiple display stations 56, 45, 46 and 48 or associated databases 55, 57 and 58 is to be displayed at display station 56 in the format shown in
With reference to
However, by way of background, electronic signatures are one accepted way of determining security status. Electronic signatures are used in the transmission and opening of markup language, e.g. HTML documents to indicate the security of the content. The current standard electronic HTML security signature is the XML (Extended Markup Language) signature that is defined by W3C standard for XML signatures. Some defined requirements for XML signatures are: The signature must be based on an RDF (Resource Description Framework) Model; the signature must apply to any resource addressable by a locator—including non-XML content; references are identified with XML indicators; the signatures must be applicable to a part or the totality of the XML document; multiple XML signatures must be able to exist over the static content of a Web resource given varied keys, content transformations and algorithm specifications; XML signatures are first class objects themselves and consequently must be able to be referenced and signed; the specification must permit the use of varied digital signature and message authentication codes, such as symmetric and asymmetric authentication schemes, as well as dynamic agreement of keying material.
Now, with reference to
In a Web network with a plurality of interactive display stations for receiving and transmitting Web document content, provision is made for the display at an appropriate requesting station of a composite Web document having content contributed from multiple Web sources including databases and other display stations, step 70. There is a set up using standard XML protocols for identifying each contributing source via its electronic security signature: its XML signature, step 71. Provision is made for the tracking of the source of each of the multiple contents at the requesting receiving display station based upon the XML signature, step 72. Provision is made for the display, in association with the displayed Web document at the requesting station, of an indicator, such as a distinct color, to indicate the source of each of the multiple contents, step 73. Provision may be made so that a color indicator may be scaled so that the color also indicates the security level, step 74. Also, provision is made for the situation wherein the user at the receiving station may be concerned and want to verify the basis for a security color designation. In such a case, an implementation is provided whereby the receiving user interactively selects to have further details, e.g. the user may use a mouse pointer to click on the color frame enclosing a content segment. This will result in the display of details such as how the security status of the content was determined, step 75.
An illustrative run of the process set up in
Although certain preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and intent of the appended claims.