Proxy-Based GUI Merging for Cross-Application Resource Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Integrating features of one computer application into another is computationally expensive, time-consuming, and often results in inferior functionality, especially when the applications are developed independently and have different user bases.
Innovation Solution
A unified frontend is provided by a primary application that communicates with a secondary application through proxy servers, adding authentication and managing user credentials to access secondary resources, allowing unregistered users access via dummy accounts, and intercepting requests to ensure seamless integration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If features of one computer application are integrated into another computer application through traditional methods, then functionality is improved, but development time and computational cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a portal server as an intermediary component that sits between the primary application and secondary applications. This portal server handles authentication, credential management, and resource access coordination, allowing features to be integrated without direct modification of the secondary applications. The intermediary abstracts the integration complexity, enabling functionality sharing while keeping development time minimal since no code changes are needed in the secondary applications themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The system architecture is segmented into distinct independent components: the primary application, the portal server, and secondary applications. Each component remains independently deployable and maintainable. The portal server is further segmented into specific functional modules including authentication module, credential management module, and resource access module. This segmentation allows selective integration of features without affecting the entire system, reducing development time and computational cost.
2Adaptability or versatility
If features of one computer application are integrated into another computer application through traditional methods, then functionality is improved, but computational resources are consumed excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The portal server acts as a computational intermediary that manages resource access efficiently. Instead of replicating entire secondary applications or their backend systems, the portal server selectively accesses specific resources from secondary applications through controlled interfaces. This intermediary approach reduces computational cost by avoiding redundant processing and data duplication while still providing integrated functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates lightweight virtual representations of secondary application resources rather than full copies. The portal server generates virtual URLs and proxy references that point to actual secondary application resources, allowing the primary application to access these resources without duplicating the underlying computational infrastructure. This copying strategy minimizes computational overhead while enabling feature integration.
3Device complexity
If independent backend systems are maintained for separate applications, then system complexity is reduced, but user experience cohesion deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The portal server serves as a unifying intermediary layer that presents a cohesive user interface to users while maintaining independent backend systems. It handles user authentication, manages credentials across applications, and coordinates resource access in a unified manner. This intermediary abstracts the complexity of multiple independent backends, providing users with a seamless experience as if accessing a single integrated system, while the backends remain independently managed.
Solution Approach 2:
The portal server is designed as a universal platform that can interface with multiple different secondary applications through standardized mechanisms. It provides multi-functional capabilities including authentication, credential management, resource access control, and URL generation that work across different application types. This universality allows the system to maintain simple independent backends while achieving cohesive user experience through a single multi-functional portal interface.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and non-transitory computer readable medium to access a resource. The method includes: receiving at the primary product platform associated with a primary client, a request for accessing a resource hosted by a secondary product platform independent from the primary product platform, the request received from the primary client; generating and forwarding a uniform resource locator (URL) pointing to a proxy servlet of the primary product platform to the primary client, the URL generated based on an identifier of the requested resource; receiving, from the primary client, at the proxy servlet, a request for HyperText Markup Language (HTML) data of the requested resource, retrieving, by the proxy servlet, from the secondary product platform, the HTML data of the requested resource; rewriting the HTML data; and communicating the rewritten HTML data to the primary client for rendering in a user interface.