US 2,003,206,192 · Filed 2001-10-27

The Patent That Let Websites Talk to You Without Freezing

Imagine a website that could send you a message without making your browser freeze up while it waits for a reply. This patent describes exactly that—a server can push new information to your browser asynchronously, meaning the page keeps working smoothly while updates arrive in the background.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a method where a web server sends an asynchronous message to a web browser without blocking the browser's operation, allowing the browser to continue presenting its user interface and then update that interface in response to the incoming message. What's protected here is the specific architecture of non-blocking server-to-browser communication—the ability to push data without the browser having to stop and wait.

Why it matters

This patent captures foundational technology for what became dynamic, responsive web applications. Before this approach was formalized, websites were largely static—you'd click a button, the page would freeze while waiting for the server, and then refresh. This patent protects the core mechanism that enables live notifications, real-time updates, chat boxes, and stock tickers that work smoothly without interrupting your browsing. It's a building block of the modern interactive web.

Real-world use

Every time you see a notification pop up on a website or a chat message arrive without the page reloading, that's this patent's technology at work keeping your experience smooth.

Original USPTO abstract

A method and system for controlling a user interface presented by a web browser. A web server pushes an asynchronous message to the web browser. The web browser is not blocked waiting for the asynchronous message. The web browser presents a user interface and presents a user interface change in response to receiving the asynchronous message.

Patent details

Publication number: US 2,003,206,192
Filing date: 2001-10-27
Grant date: Application — not yet granted
Assignee: Mingte Chen / Sing Yip / Yan Ma / Gilberto Arnaiz / Tirumalai Srikant Krishnapuram / David Tchankotadze / Kuang Huang / Annadata Anil Kumar
Inventor(s): CHEN MINGTE, YIP SING, MA YAN, ARNAIZ GILBERTO, TIRUMALAI SRIKANT KRISHNAPURAM, TCHANKOTADZE DAVID, HUANG KUANG, ANNADATA ANIL KUMAR
CPC class: H04M3/5191

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