Application instantiation based upon attributes and values stored in a meta data repository, including tiering of application layers, objects, and components

• US 20030120675A1
• Filed: 02/06/2003
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Stauber, Christopher, Rothwein, Thomas M., Ambrose, Jesse
• Granted Patent: US 7,630,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/944 Business related
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

Instantiation of tiered software applications running on an Internet or Intranet computer system, including a method of instantiation and a program product for instantiation. The method, and program product are particularly useful in instantiation of multi-tiered applications having a user interface tier on the client, browser, or remote computer, from a meta data repository containing attributes and values of the attributes.

Claims

1. A method of instantiation of an application running on a plurality of computers, said application having multiple layers, at least one of said layers residing on one of said computers, said layers containing objects, said layers further having interfaces whereby to pass data and commands between layers, said method comprising extracting attribute-value data from a metadatabase repository and instantiating the layer residing on one of said computers.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said layer residing on one of said computers is a user interface layer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said layer residing on one of said computers is a thin layer having a user interface applet.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein data manager and object manager layers reside on another of said computers.

5. A program product having machine readable program code for establishing a multi-layer application, said layers containing objects and interfaces to pass data and commands between layers, and a metadata repository for storing attribute-value pairs for said application;

and machine readable program code for extracting attribute-value pairs from the metadata repository and instantiating a layer of the application, and wherein one of said layers resides on one computer of at least a pair of computers, and others of said layers reside on another computer of the pair of computers.

6. The program product of claim 5 wherein said machine readable program code comprises program code for instantiating the one of said layers residing on one computer of at least a pair of computers.

7. The program product of claim 6 wherein the one of said layers residing on one computer of the at least pair of computers comprises program code for providing a user interface.

8. A database management system for serving multiple remote users at remote terminals, said system comprising:

(i) an application program having multiple layers, at least one of said layers residing on a server and at least one of said layers residing on one of said remote terminals, said layers containing objects, said layers further having interfaces whereby to pass data and commands between layers;

(ii) said application program further having a metadata repository containing attribute-value data and an executable file to extract attribute-value data from the metadata repository and instantiate a layer residing said remote terminal.

9. The database management system of claim 8 wherein a user interface layer resides on the remote terminal.

10. The database management system of claim 9 wherein the user interface layer comprises at least one user interface applet.

11. The database management system of claim 9 wherein an object manager layer resides on the server.

12. The database management system of claim 9 wherein a data manager layer resides on the server.