Method and apparatus for streaming XML content

1. A method for receiving a streamed XML document, said XML document including content nodes and structure nodes, said method comprising the acts of:

determining if each received node of the streamed XML document is a content node, or an independent structure node associated with an independent sub-tree of said XML document;

processing the content nodes directly; and

recompiling at least some of independent sub-trees that comprise said XML document from said content nodes by using information contained in said structure node about a position of a particular sub-tree of the larger XML document relative to other sub-trees in at least one independent group;

continuing to process subsequent ones of the received nodes even if one of said received nodes is not properly received by an XML receiver, wherein each sub-tree from the XML document is parsed and validated by the XML receiver as though it were an independent tree.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said processing act further comprises the act of displaying content of said XML document.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said processing act further comprises the act of storing content of said XML document.

4. A method of decoding a received, streamed XML document, said XML document comprised of a plurality of nodes, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving independent groups of XML sub-trees that comprise said streamed XML document, each group of said sub-trees including at least one structure node independent of content nodes within the group and indicating how said group is positioned within said XML document relative to other groups of sub-trees; and

continuously positioning, using said received position indication, each independent group of sub-trees to reconstitute said XML document to its state before being streamed.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising the act of displaying content of the received XML document.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising the act of storing content of the received XML document.

7. An XML receiver for receiving a streamed XML document, said XML document including content nodes and structure nodes, comprising:

a memory for storing computer readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to:

determine if each received node is a content node or a structure node,

if said received node is a content node, determining whether said content node is associated with a particular structure node, and

if said received node is a structure node, determining a position of an independent sub-tree of the structure node relative to other independent sub-trees that are unassociated with the structure node;

process said content nodes directly; and

recompile by reconstructing in mid-transmission at least some of the independent sub-trees of the larger XML document tree at a receiving end without receipt of all of the nodes;

said XML document from said content nodes using information contained in said structure node.

8. An XML receiver for receiving a streamed XML document, said XML document including content nodes and structure nodes, comprising:

a memory for storing computer readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to:

receive a group of XML independent sub-trees, each group of said sub-trees including at least one structure node being independent of the content nodes and is associated with one or more content nodes, said structure node indicating how said sub-tree is positioned relative to other sub-trees within said larger XML document; and

position at least some groups of said sub-trees in a larger XML document tree using said position without receiving all of the nodes transmitted.