System agnostic front end application for legacy systems

• US 10,558,508 B1
• Filed: 06/19/2019
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Airlines Incorporated (American Airlines Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: American Airlines Incorporated (American Airlines Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stripe, Harry E., Wander, Kyle Edward, Adams, Tedd Dale, Kerchal, Justin Eldon
• Primary Examiner(s): McPherson, James M
• Application Number:
  US16/445,677
• Time in Patent Office: 237 Days
• Field of Search: 701 296
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

A system and method for accessing data in one of a first legacy computer system that has a first operating system and a second legacy computer system that has a second operating system that is different from the first operating system. The method includes providing a front end application that is in communication with the first and second legacy computer systems, with the application being displayed on a user interface of a computer. Aircraft and maintenance data of a first legacy airline is associated with the first legacy computer system and aircraft and maintenance data of a second legacy airline is associated with the second legacy computer system.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first legacy computer system that has a first operating system;

a second legacy computer system that has a second operating system that is different from the first operating system;

a computer; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions that are executable by one or more processors, the plurality of instructions comprising;

instructions that cause the one or more processors to receive a plurality of inputs from the computer, the plurality of inputs comprising;

a generic command that is generic to the first operating system and the second operating system; and

an aircraft identifier;

instructions that cause the one or more processors to determine, based on the aircraft identifier, whether data related to the aircraft identifier is associated with the first legacy computer system or the second legacy computer system;

instructions that cause the one or more processors to transform the generic command to a first operating system command if the data related to the aircraft identifier is associated with the first legacy computer system; and

instructions that cause the one or more processors to transform the generic command to a second operating system command if the data related to the aircraft identifier is associated with the second legacy computer system;

wherein the first operating system command is different from the second operating system command, and thus the transformation of the generic command to either the first operating system command or the second operating system command reconciles differences in data schema associated with the first and the second legacy computer systems and allows for a single common front end application to be displayed on the computer and to access data within both the first and second legacy computer systems.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an application server adapted to be in communication with each of the computer, the first legacy computer system, and the second legacy computer system, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium is at least part of one, or both, of the computer and the application server, and wherein the one or more processors is at least part of one, or both, of the computer and the application server.

3. The system of claim 1,

wherein at least one of the first legacy computer system and the second legacy computer system is a non-web based system;

and

wherein the single common front end application is a web-based application configured to access the first legacy computer system and the second legacy computer system thereby allowing a user of the single common front end application to access the first legacy computer system and the second legacy computer system using a web browser.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein, when the data related to the aircraft identifier is associated with the first legacy computer system;

wherein the plurality of instructions further comprise instructions that cause the one or more processors to execute the first operating system command; and

wherein at least a portion of the data related to the aircraft identifier is displayed in a webpage on the computer using the single common front end application in response to the execution of the first operating system command.

5. The system of claim 1,

wherein the generic command is to search for the data related to the aircraft identifier and the first operating system command is to search for the data related to the aircraft identifier;

and

wherein at least a portion of the data related to the aircraft identifier includes maintenance history for the aircraft associated with the aircraft identifier.

6. The system of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of inputs further comprises a user identifier that is associated with a user of the single common front end application;

wherein the plurality of instructions further comprise instructions that cause the one or more processors to customize a third webpage to be displayed using the single common front end application based on the user identifier received; and

wherein customizing the third webpage based on the user identifier received prevents displaying work instructions to the user when the user is an unauthorized user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the single common front end application validates at least one input from the plurality of inputs.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions that cause the one or more processors to transform the generic command to the first operating system command if the data related to the aircraft identifier is associated with the first legacy computer system comprises:

instructions that cause the one or more processors to generate a JSON object that includes at least one input from the plurality of inputs;

instructions that cause the one or more processors to generate, using the JSON object, a first SOAP message comprising a header that includes a first legacy computer system identifier;

instructions that cause the one or more processors to identify, at a second application, the first legacy computer system identifier in the first SOAP message;

instructions that cause the one or more processors to generate, using the first SOAP message, a second SOAP message at a third application, the second SOAP message comprising a first command stack; and

instructions that cause the one or more processors to generate, at a fourth application, a second command stack using the second SOAP message, wherein the second command stack is used to generate the first operating system command.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions that cause the one or more processors to transform the generic command to the second operating system command if the data related to the aircraft identifier is associated with the second legacy computer system comprises:

instructions that cause the one or more processors to generate a JSON object that includes at least one input from the plurality of inputs;

instructions that cause the one or more processors to generate, using the JSON object, a third SOAP message comprising a header that includes a second legacy computer system identifier;

instructions that cause the one or more processors to identify, at a fifth application, the second legacy computer system identifier in the third SOAP message; and

instructions that cause the one or more processors to generate, at a sixth application, a fourth SOAP message using the third SOAP message, wherein the fourth SOAP message is used to generate the second operating system command.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first operating system is a SABRE system and the second operating system is a SCEPTRE system.

11. A system comprising:

a first legacy computer system that has a first operating system;

a second legacy computer system that has a second operating system that is different from the first operating system;

one or more computers configured to;

receive a plurality of inputs, the plurality of inputs comprising a generic command that is generic to the first operating system and the second operating system, and an aircraft identifier;

determine, based on the aircraft identifier, whether data related to the aircraft identifier is associated with the first legacy computer system or the second legacy computer system;

transform the generic command to a first operating system command if the data related to the aircraft identifier is associated with the first legacy computer system; and

transform the generic command to a second operating system command if the data related to the aircraft identifier is associated with the second legacy computer system;

wherein the first operating system command is different from the second operating system command, and thus the transformation of the generic command to either the first operating system command or the second operating system command reconciles differences in data schema associated with the first and the second legacy computer systems and allows data to be accessed data within both the first and second legacy computer systems;

wherein the system further comprises a single common front end application configured to be displayed on at least one of the one or more computers and access the data within the first and second legacy computer systems;

wherein the reconciliation of the differences in data schema associated with the first and the second legacy computer systems allows for the single common front end application to be displayed on the at least one of the one or more computers, and access the data within the first and second legacy computer systems;

wherein at least one of the first legacy computer system and the second legacy computer system is a non-web based system; and

wherein the single common front end application is a web-based application configured to access the first legacy computer system and the second legacy computer system thereby allowing a user of the single common front end application to access the first legacy computer system and the second legacy computer system using a web browser.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the single common front end application validates at least one input from the plurality of inputs.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first operating system is a SABRE system and the second operating system is a SCEPTRE system.

14. A system comprising:

a first legacy computer system that has a first operating system;

a second legacy computer system that has a second operating system that is different from the first operating system;

one or more computers configured to;

receive a plurality of inputs, the plurality of inputs comprising a generic command that is generic to the first operating system and the second operating system, and an identifier;

determine, based on the identifier, whether data related to the identifier is associated with the first legacy computer system or the second legacy computer system;

transform the generic command to a first operating system command if the data related to the identifier is associated with the first legacy computer system; and

transform the generic command to a second operating system command if the data related to the identifier is associated with the second legacy computer system;

wherein the first operating system command is different from the second operating system command, and thus the transformation of the generic command to either the first operating system command or the second operating system command reconciles differences in data schema associated with the first and the second legacy computer systems and allows data to be accessed data within both the first and second legacy computer systems.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a single common front end application configured to be displayed on at least one of the one or more computers and access the data within the first and second legacy computer systems.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the reconciliation of the differences in data schema associated with the first and the second legacy computer systems allows for the single common front end application to be displayed on the at least one of the one or more computers, and access the data within the first and second legacy computer systems.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the first legacy computer system and the second legacy computer system is a non-web based system.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the single common front end application is a web-based application configured to access the first legacy computer system and the second legacy computer system thereby allowing a user of the single common front end application to access the first legacy computer system and the second legacy computer system using a web browser.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the identifier is an aircraft identifier.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the first operating system is a SABRE system, and the second operating system is a SCEPTRE system.