Automatically selecting application services for communicating data

• US 20030167299A1
• Filed: 11/01/2002
• Published: 09/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Heymann, Jurgen, Drittler, Bernhard, Kusterer, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 7,296,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]

Abstract

A client computer and a server computer communicate via a network; the server computer receives user identification via the client computer that is selectively a first device or a second device. The server computer stores at least first and second application services for a single predetermined application class, wherein the first and second application services are adapted to client computer type. Upon receiving user identification, the server computer further receives a device attribute from the client computer, compares the device attribute with reference attributes, and selectively sends a representation of the first application service or of the second application service to the client computer according to the device attribute.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining in a server for a single predetermined application class, and for at least a first device and a second device, at least a first application service and a second application service;

maintaining in the server a first assignment, wherein in the first assignment reference attributes are assigned to application services,

maintaining in the server a second assignment, wherein in the second assignment reference user identifications are assigned to roles;

maintaining in the server a third assignment, wherein in the third assignment application classes are assigned to roles;

receiving in the server over a network a user identification from a client;

receiving a device attribute from the client;

selecting the role and the application class according to the second and third assignments and the user identification, and selecting the application service according to the selected application class, the device attribute, and the first assignment; and

sending a representation of the selected application service from the server to the client.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising selectively executing the application service for the representation has been sent.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein executing is in response to receiving a service request from the client.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second application services provide different data for different visual presentations in the client.

5. The method of claim 1 characterized by receiving the device attribute through evaluating of physical signal transfer parameters in the network.

6. A client/server method comprising:

maintaining in a server system at least a first application service and a second application service for a single predetermined application class and a client system, the client system being a first device or a second device;

maintaining in the server system a first assignment store, the first assignment store relating reference attributes to application services;

maintaining in the server system a second assignment store, the second assignment store relating user identifications to roles;

maintaining in the server system a third assignment store, the third assignment store relating application classes to the roles;

receiving a user identification and device attribute from the client system;

selecting a role and the application class from the second assignment store and the third assignment store;

selecting the application service from the first assignment store; and

sending a representation of the selected application service to the client system.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising executing the selected application service in the server system.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein executing is in response to receiving a service request from the client system.

9. The method of claim 6 in which the received device attribute is represented by a tag attached to a message that the client system communicates to the server system.

10. The of claim 9 wherein the message is a unified resource locator (URL).

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the first and second application services provide different data for different visual presentations in the client system depending on the device of the client system.

12. The method of claim 6 wherein the device attribute describes properties of an output device of the client system.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the device attribute is a type identifier of the client system.

14. A computer program product, tangibly embodied on a carrier medium, for selecting application services in a server according to device attributes of a client, the product comprising instructions operable to cause a processor to:

maintain in a server for a single predetermined application class, and for at least a first device and a second device, at least a first application service and a second application service;

maintain in the server a first assignment, wherein in the first assignment reference attributes are assigned to application services,

maintain in the server computer a second assignment, wherein in the second assignment reference user identifications are assigned to roles;

maintain in the server computer a third assignment, wherein in the third assignment application classes are assigned to roles;

receive in the server over a network a user identification from a client;

receive a device attribute from the client;

select a role and the application class according to the second and third assignments and the user identification, and selecting the application service according to the selected application class, the device attribute, and the first assignment; and

send a representation of the selected application service from the server to the client.

15. The product of claim 14 further comprising instructions to:

selectively execute the application service for the representation.

16. A computer program product, tangibly embodied on a carrier medium, for selecting application services in a server system according to device attributes of a client system, the product comprising instructions operable to cause a processor to:

maintain in a server system at least a first application service and a second application service for a single predetermined application class and a client system, the client system being a first device or a second device;

maintain in the server system a first assignment store, the first assignment store relating reference attributes to application services;

maintain in the server system a second assignment store, the second assignment store relating user identifications to roles;

maintain in the server system a third assignment store, the third assignment store relating application classes to the roles;

receive a user identification and device attribute from the client system;

select a role and the application class from the second assignment store and the third assignment store;

select the application service from the first assignment store; and

send a representation or the selected application service to the client system.

17. The product of claim 16 further comprising instructions to:

execute the selected application service in the server system.