Extensible information system
First Claim
1. An extensible framework for use in a computer system that supports an object oriented programming environment and includes a memory in which data objects can be stored, the framework comprising a set of object classes that can be extended using object oriented principles to define an information handling application with data objects comprising a class of data source objects and a class of data consumer objects, and a mediation layer that defines an interface between the data source objects and the data consumer objects to permit data communications between the two data object classes, such that the class configuration of the data source objects can be specified independently of the class configuration of the data consumer objects.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A framework enables data source components to be developed independently of data consumer components. A mediation layer, typically implemented as a group of APIs (application programming interface), handles and defines the mediation and interface between the source and data components. The framework, called XIS (extensible information system), is especially suited for development of information-handling systems and applications. Data source components and data consumer components are typically designed to communicate with each other via several interfaces. Domain, relationship, attribute/metadata, and change event interfaces are defined within the mediation layer. Other interfaces may also be defined. Data source components that are written for non-XIS aware environments or frameworks may still be used with XIS by “wrapping” such source components with code to conform to the interface requirements. Java objects are examples of data source components. Data consumer components thus are able to use or consume various source components regardless of the data types and the data source. Thus, once a data consumer component is developed within the XIS framework, any data source components within the XIS framework may be consumed by a data consumer component.
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Citations
80 Claims
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1. An extensible framework for use in a computer system that supports an object oriented programming environment and includes a memory in which data objects can be stored, the framework comprising a set of object classes that can be extended using object oriented principles to define an information handling application with data objects comprising a class of data source objects and a class of data consumer objects, and a mediation layer that defines an interface between the data source objects and the data consumer objects to permit data communications between the two data object classes, such that the class configuration of the data source objects can be specified independently of the class configuration of the data consumer objects.
- 2. A computer system that supports an object oriented programming environment and includes access to data storage containing specifications for a set of object classes that can be extended using object oriented principles to define an information handling application with data objects comprising a class of data source objects and a class of data consumer objects, and a mediation layer that defines an interface between the data source objects and the data consumer objects to permit data information exchange between the two data object classes, such that the class configuration of the data source objects can be specified independently of the class configuration of the data consumer objects.
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36. A method of communicating data in a computer system that supports an object oriented programming environment and includes data storage or access to data storage containing data objects and specifications for a set of object classes that can be extended using object oriented principles to define an information handling application, the method comprising:
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receiving one or more data objects comprising a class of data source objects;
representing the data source objects in accordance with an Information Model class of objects of a mediation layer that defines a data interface between the data source objects and a class of data consumer objects;
wherein the Information Model objects include methods that permit data communications or information exchange between the two data object classes, such that the class configuration of the data source objects can be specified independently of the class configuration of the data consumer objects.
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69. A computer system that supports an object oriented programming environment, the system comprising:
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a processor that executes program instructions to provide the object oriented programming environment; and
data store means for providing program instructions containing specifications for a set of object classes that can be extended using object oriented principles to define an information handling application with data objects comprising a class of data source objects and a class of data consumer objects, and a mediation layer that defines an interface between the data source objects and the data consumer objects to permit data information exchange between the two data object classes, such that the class configuration of the data source objects can be specified independently of the class configuration of the data consumer objects.
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75. A program product for use in a computer system that executes program instructions recorded in a computer-readable media to perform a method for information exchange in a computer system that supports an object oriented programming environment and includes access to data storage containing data objects, the program product comprising:
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a recordable media; and
a program product of computer-readable instructions executable by the computer system to perform a method comprising;
receiving data specifications for a set of object classes that can be extended using object oriented principles to define an information handling application, wherein the extended objects provide an information handling application that can receive one or more data objects comprising a class of data source objects, and represent the data source objects in accordance with an Information Model class of objects of a mediation layer that defines a data interface between the data source objects and a class of data consumer objects;
wherein the Information Model objects include methods that permit data communications or information exchange between the two data object classes, such that the class configuration of the data source objects can be specified independently of the class configuration of the data consumer objects. - View Dependent Claims (76, 77, 78, 79)
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80. A method of operating a computer system to execute an information handling application in an object oriented programming environment and to receive data from a class of data source objects and provide a class of data consumer objects with data, the method comprising:
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selecting available attributes and methods of a data source object for characterization;
determining attributes or methods to be added to the data source object during application execution; and
receiving the data source object and determining whether to expose or hide available attributes and methods of the object from data consumer objects, wherein data communications between the two data object classes is supported, such that the class configuration of the data source objects can be specified independently of the class configuration of the data consumer objects.
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Specification