Web-based interaction with a local system

摘要

Systems, methods, and computer program products for facilitating web-based interaction with a local system are disclosed. Such systems, methods, and computer program products provide an approach that allows a web client within in a web browser environment to access local hardware and local software—via a web server contained in the local system—in a local computer system. In response to a user input, the web client directs local hardware and local software to perform actions (e.g., writing files and taking pictures). Information related to such actions is returned to the web client via the local web server. The local computer system may be remotely located from the web client and such returned information may be stored and/or executed at a remote site (e.g., cloud database). Security layers may be provided to authenticate the user as well as user permissions for accessing the local computer system.

主权项

1. At a computer system, the computer system including a local web client operating within a web browser environment at the computer system and including a local web server operating in association with an operating system of the computer system, the web browser environment in a sandbox, the sandbox permitting web based communication to components outside the sandbox and the sandbox preventing issuance of local resource commands to directly control any of a plurality of local resources at the computer system, a method for web-based acquisition of data from a local resource, from among the plurality of local resources, at the computer system, the method executing on at least one processor of the computer system, the method comprising:
receiving input at the web client, the input directed to a web-based service running within the web browser environment, the input instructing the web-based service to acquire data from the local resource by performing a specified action, the web-based service previously loaded from a remote server, the web-based service including a selected portion of an communication Application Programming Interface (API) targeted to interact with the local resource; the web client environment acquiring data from the local resource through web based communication not withstanding that the sandbox prevents the web client from issuing local resource commands to the local resource, including: a local system interface of the web client using the selected portion of the communication Application Programming Interface (API) to communicate a web protocol request signal to the local web server in response to receiving the input, the local web server including an interface for translating between web protocol signals and corresponding local resource commands, the local resource commands for controlling the local resource to acquire data in accordance with received web protocol request signals; and the local system interface receiving a web protocol response signal from the local web server, the web protocol response signal responsive to the web protocol request, the web protocol response signal containing acquired data that was acquired by the local web server, wherein the local web server acquired the acquired data by issuing the corresponding local resource commands to the local resource to control the local resource to perform the specified action at the local resource.