Content Rendering on a Computer

Abstract

Portions of content are transformed into portions of rendered content. While the portions of the content are being transformed into portions of the rendered content, each discrete portion of the rendered content can be provided to the application program after that portion is completed.

1 . A method for rendering content on a computer, the method comprising:
 receiving a request to view the content from a web browser;   in response to receiving the request to view the content, transforming a first portion of the content into a second portion of rendered content, wherein the rendered content is adapted to provide a representation of the content capable of being viewed in the web browser; and   sending the second portion of the rendered content to the web browser.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the content is capable of being viewed by an application program adapted to create the content, and wherein the content is incapable of being viewed by the web browser. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , the method further comprising:
 while sending the second portion of the rendered content to the web browser, transforming a third portion of the content into a fourth portion of the rendered content; and   sending the fourth portion of the rendered content to the web browser.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the representation comprises a full-fidelity representation of the content. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein in response to receiving the request to view the content, transforming the first portion of the content into the second portion of rendered content comprises:
 determining whether the rendered content is available in a content store;   in response to determining that the rendered content is available in the content store, retrieving the rendered content from the content store and sending the rendered content to the web browser; and   in response determining that the rendered content is not available in the content store, transforming the first portion of the content into the second portion of rendered content.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the request to view the content from the web browser comprises receiving the request to view the content from the web browser over a communications network; and
 wherein sending the second portion of the rendered content to the web browser comprises sending the second portion of the rendered content to the web browser over the communications network.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , the method further comprising determining whether a user operating the web browser has permission to view the content; and
 wherein in response to receiving the request to view the content, transforming the first portion of the content into the second portion of rendered content comprises in response to receiving the request to view the content and determining that the user has permission to view the content, transforming the first portion of the content into the second portion of the rendered content.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the request to view content from the web browser comprises receiving a first request to view first content from a first web browser and receiving a second request to view second content from a second web browser;
 wherein in response to receiving the request to view the content, transforming the first portion of the content into the second portion of rendered content comprises in response to receiving the first request to view the first content and the second request to view the second content, transforming a third portion of the first content into a fourth portion of first rendered content and transforming a fifth portion of the second content into a sixth portion of second rendered content; and   wherein sending the second portion of the rendered content to the web browser comprises sending the fourth portion of the first rendered content to the first web browser and sending the sixth portion of the second rendered content to the second web browser.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the rendered content comprises Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the content comprises a document. 
     
     
         11 . A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:
 receive a request to view content from a web browser;   when the request to view the content has been received, transform a first portion of the content into a second portion of rendered content, wherein the rendered content is adapted to provide a representation of the content capable of being viewed in the web browser; and   send the second portion of the rendered content to the web browser.   
     
     
         12 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the computer-readable storage medium comprises further computer-executable instructions stored therein which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to:
 while the second portion of the rendered content is sent to the web browser, transform a third portion of the content into a fourth portion of the rendered content; and   send the fourth portion of the rendered content to the web browser.   
     
     
         13 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein to receive the request to view content from the web browser, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to receive a first request to view first content from a first web browser and receive a second request to view second content from a second web browser;
 wherein to when the request to view the content is received, transform the first portion of the content into the second portion of rendered content, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to when the first request to view the first content and the second request to view the second content are received, transform a third portion of the first content into a fourth portion of first rendered content and transform a fifth portion of the second content into a sixth portion of second rendered content; and   wherein to send the second portion of the rendered content to the web browser, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to send the fourth portion of the first rendered content to the first web browser and send the sixth portion of the second rendered content to the second web browser.   
     
     
         14 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the representation comprises a full-fidelity representation of the content. 
     
     
         15 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the content is capable of being viewed by an application program adapted to create the content, and wherein the content is incapable of being viewed by the web browser. 
     
     
         16 . A rendering computer system comprising:
 a processor;   a memory communicatively coupled to the processor; and   a program module which executes in the processor from the memory and which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to
 receive, via a communications network, a request to view content from a web browser, 
 when the request to view the content has been received, transform a first portion of the content into a second portion of rendered content, wherein the rendered content is adapted to provide a representation of the content capable of being viewed in the web browser, and 
 send, via the communications network, the second portion of the rendered content to the web browser. 
   
     
     
         17 . The rendering computer system of  claim 16 , wherein the program module, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to:
 while the second portion of the rendered content is sent to the web browser, transform a third portion of the content into a fourth portion of the rendered content; and   send, via the communications network, the fourth portion of the rendered content to the web browser.   
     
     
         18 . The rendering computer system of  claim 16 , wherein to receive the request to view content from the web browser, the program module, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to receive a first request to view first content from a first web browser and receive a second request to view second content from a second web browser;
 wherein to when the request to view the content is received, transform the first portion of the content into the second portion of rendered content, the program module, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to when the first request to view the first content and the second request to view the second content are received, transform a third portion of the first content into a fourth portion of first rendered content and transform a fifth portion of the second content into a sixth portion of second rendered content; and   wherein to send the second portion of the rendered content to the web browser, the program module, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to send the fourth portion of the first rendered content to the first web browser and send the sixth portion of the second rendered content to the second web browser.   
     
     
         19 . The rendering computer system of  claim 16 , wherein the representation comprises a full-fidelity representation of the content. 
     
     
         20 . The rendering computer system of  claim 16 , wherein the content is capable of being viewed by an application program adapted to create the content, and wherein the content is incapable of being viewed by the web browser.