WebSplitter: a unified XML framework for multi-device collaborative web browsing

WebSplitter symbolizes the union of pervasive multi-device computing and collaborative multi-user computing. WebSplitter provides a unified XML framework that enables multi-device and multi-user Web browsing. WebSplitter splits a requested Web page and delivers the appropriate partial view of each page to each user, or more accurately to each user's set of devices. Multiple users can participate in the same browsing session, as in traditional conferencing groupware. Depending on the access privileges of the user to the different components of content on each page, WebSplitter generates a personalized partial view. WebSplitter further splits the partial view among the devices available to each user, e.g. laptop, wireless PDA, projection display, stereo speakers, orchestrating a composite presentation across the devices. A wireless PDA can browse while remotely controlling the multimedia capabilities of nearby devices. The architecture consists of an XML metadata policy file defining access privileges to XML tags on a Web page, a middleware proxy that splits XML Web content to create partial views, and a client-side component, e.g. applet, enabling user login and reception of pushed browsing data. Service discovery finds and registers proxies, browsing sessions, and device capabilities. We demonstrate the feasibility of splitting the different tags in an XML Web page to different end users' browsers, and of pushing updates from the browsing session to heterogeneous devices, including a laptop and a PDA.