Name of the inventor: Steven Feiner
Computer Systems with Distributed User Interfaces
Methods and systems for computer systems having distributed user interfaces are described. Interface toolkits are provided for interfacing with the computer system.
Remote-Capable User Interface Toolkit
A remote-capable user interface toolkit resides on a server and has a remote-capable component which interfaces with the application. The toolkit is configured to generate a message to perform a function in response to an invocation by the application. A component in the user interface toolkit is configured to render a graphical item. The remote-capable component may be configured to generate a command to render the graphical item.
The method and system provide a distributed user interface that runs the application logic on the server computer but allows the server computer to asynchronously generate events and transmit them to the server. The method provides relatively sophisticated graphics without requiring high-bandwidth connections without the need for the creation of a new protocol of communication.