As the use of computers becomes more pervasive, an increasing number of people are turning to the World Wide Web to perform everyday functions. For example, today, computer users can order goods/services, pay bills, and obtain information from most computerized devices. To this extent, web applications have become a powerful tool in enhancing the on-line environment. In a typical scenario, the web application is loaded on a server. A user will interact with the web application using a browser loaded on his/her client.
Unfortunately, as efficient and convenient as web applications can be, there are drawbacks. For example, many current web application models are stateless. Specifically, under a stateless model, the progress of a user as he/she maneuvers through the workflow of a web application is not recorded or tracked. Thus, in the event of failure on the server side or the client side, work performed by the user can be lost. This is especially frustrating when the user is forced to start over at the beginning of the application workflow. Further, this could require the user to re-navigate through several pages of the web application to return to the spot he/she left off. It could also require the user to re-enter large amounts of data.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a method, system and program product for preserving a user state in an application. Specifically, a need exists for milestones to be provided at predetermined locations within a workflow of an application. A further need exists for a user to be associated with a particular milestone. Still yet, a need exists for the user to be brought/transported to the particular milestone upon logging into the application.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds