Computer-based presentation manager and method for individual user-device data representation

• US 20010009016A1
• Filed: 01/12/2001
• Published: 07/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Schulz, Torsten, Hofmann, Ralf, Pfohe, Thomas, Eilers, Bernd
• Granted Patent: US 7,281,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Access to external service providers is provided through portlets, where each portlet accessible by a user is represented on the display of the user device. Through use of a dynamic content channel, e.g., a portlet, a highly customizable content page may be produced for any individual client system. When a portlet is selected on a user device, the content associated with the portlet is retrieved and automatically transformed into data that can be displayed by that user device. Thus, a particular user device is not limited to accessing content in a format identical to that associated with the user interface in use on the user device. Consequently, the user'"'"'s ability to access a wide variety of content sources independent of the characteristics of the particular user device is further enhanced. An individual user can personalize the user device by specifying which service providers from among the ones the organization has made available via portlets, the user wants to use. Hence, prior art limitations on a single user system on a network accessing content on any desired external provider system that is coupled to the network are eliminated.

Claims

1. A method for presenting data on a user device comprising:

receiving a request from said user device for said data;

identifying presentation requirements of said user device; and

selecting a presentation scheme for said data in accordance with said presentation requirements wherein upon application of said presentation scheme to said data, new data presentable on said user device is generated.

2. The method of

claim 1

further comprising:

applying said presentation scheme to said data to create said new presentable data.

3. The method of

claim 2

, wherein said applying said presentation scheme to said data is performed by said user device.

4. The method of

claim 2

further comprising:

transmitting said new data to said user device to allow the presentation of said new data on said user device.

5. The method of

claim 1

further comprising retrieving said data.

6. The method of

claim 5

further comprising:

applying said presentation scheme to said retrieved data to create said new presentable data.

7. The method of

claim 1

wherein said request includes a command.

8. The method of

claim 7

wherein the command is selected from a group of commands consisting of load, save, article, and channel.

9. The method of

claim 7

wherein the command is a command article.

10. The method of

claim 7

wherein the command is a command channel.

11. A method for providing data to a user device comprising:

receiving a request from a user device generated by selection of a portlet identification object on the user device;

transferring said request to a portlet wherein said portlet retrieves data specified in said request over a network and further wherein said data has one format in a plurality of source data formats;

analyzing said request to determine a user data format that is supported by said user device;

selecting a presentation scheme to convert said data from said source data format to said user data format; and

converting said data from said source data format to said user data format using said presentation scheme.

12. The method of

claim 11

said selecting a presentation scheme comprises selecting an XSL-stylesheet.

13. The method of

claim 11

wherein said plurality of source data formats are MIME types.

14. The method of

claim 11

wherein said user data format is specified by a MIME type.

15. The method of

claim 11

wherein said receiving is performed by a web server.

16. The method of

claim 11

wherein said transferring said request is performed by a portlet manager.

17. The method of

claim 11

wherein said request includes a command.

18. The method of

claim 17

wherein the command is selected from a group of commands consisting of load, save, article, and channel.

19. The method of

claim 17

wherein the command is a command article.

20. The method of

claim 17

wherein the command is a command channel.

21. A method for providing data to a user device comprising:

receiving a request from a user device generated by selection of a portlet identification object on the user device by a web server;

analyzing said request by said web server to determine whether said request is for content associated with a portlet;

transferring said request to a presentation manager upon determining that said request is for said content associated with a portlet;

passing said request to said portlet by said presentation manager wherein said portlet retrieves data specified in said request over a network and further wherein said data has a source MIME type;

analyzing said request to identify a user MIME type;

selecting a presentation scheme from a plurality of presentation schemes based upon said user MIME type and said source MIME type; and

converting said data from said source MIME type to said user MIME type using said presentation scheme.

22. The method of

claim 21

said selecting a presentation scheme comprises selecting an XSL-stylesheet.

23. The method of

claim 21

wherein said request includes a command.

24. The method of

claim 23

wherein the command is selected from a group of commands consisting of load, save, article, and channel.

25. The method of

claim 21

wherein the command is a command article.

26. The method of

claim 21

wherein the command is a command channel.

27. A presentation manager server system comprising:

a web server;

a presentation manager coupled to said web server;

at least one portlet coupled to said presentation manager.

28. The presentation manager server system of

claim 27

wherein said at least one portlet comprises a mail portlet.

29. The presentation manager server system of

claim 27

wherein said at least one portlet comprises a resource description framework portlet.

30. The presentation manager server system of

claim 27

wherein said at least one portlet comprises an internal network information portlet.

31. The presentation manager server system of

claim 27

further comprising a storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of presentation schemes.

32. The presentation manager server system of

claim 27

wherein said web server comprises a servlet container.

33. The presentation manager server system of

claim 27

wherein said presentation manager comprises a servlet.

34. The presentation manager server system of

claim 27

further comprising a plurality of user devices coupled to said web server.

35. A computer program product having stored thereon computer instructions for a method comprising:

receiving a request from said user device for said data;

identifying presentation requirements of said user device; and

selecting a presentation scheme for said data in accordance with said presentation requirements wherein upon application of said presentation scheme to said data, new data presentable on said user device is generated.

36. A computer program product having stored thereon computer instructions for a method comprising:

receiving a request from a user device generated by selection of a portlet identification object on the user device;

transferring said request to a portlet wherein said portlet retrieves data specified in said request over a network and further wherein said data has one format in a plurality of source data formats;

analyzing said request to determine a user data format that is supported by said user device;

selecting a presentation scheme to convert said data from said source data format to said user data format; and

converting said data from said source data format to said user data format using said presentation scheme.

37. A computer program product having stored thereon computer instructions for a method comprising:

receiving a request from a user device generated by selection of a portlet identification object on the user device by a web server;

analyzing said request by said web server to determine whether said request is for content associated with a portlet;

transferring said request to a presentation manager upon determining that said request is for said content associated with a portlet;

passing said request to said portlet by said presentation manager wherein said portlet retrieves data specified in said request over a network and further wherein said data has a source MIME type;

analyzing said request to identify a user MIME type;

selecting a presentation scheme from a plurality of presentation schemes based upon said user MIME type and said source MIME type; and

converting said data from said source MIME type to said user MIME type using said presentation scheme.