Arrangement and a method relating to session management in a portal structure

• US 20040049589A1
• Filed: 07/18/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Akerfeldt, Jan, Papanikolaou, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 6,941,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• 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 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The present invention relates to a portal structure providing end user stations (5) with access to services/applications (26), comprising a portal core (1) and a number of services/applications (26). The portal core comprises a presentation arrangement, portal session managing means (13) generating session related information, e.g. session identifications and portal storing means (51) for storing session related information. At least some of the services/applications (26) are external with external session identifications. Session unifying means (50) are provided for mapping between portal session identifications and external session identifications. For communication between the portal core (1) and external services/applications (26), the external identification is used, whereas, in communication between an end user station (5) and the portal core (1), only the portal session identification is used.

Claims

1. A portal structure providing end user stations with access to services/applications, comprising a portal core, (service enabling means, connectivity means via which end user access is provided) and a number of services/applications, said portal core comprising a presentation arrangement, portal session managing means generating session related information, e.g. session identifications, portal storing means for storing session related information (and subscriber managing means), wherein at least some of the services/applications comprise external services/applications, or are provided by external systems, implementing external session managing means generating external session identifications, characterized in

that the portal structure further comprises session unifying means for mapping between portal session identifications and external session identifications and in that for communication between the portal core and external services/applications the external service/application external identification is used as session identification, whereas, in communication between an end user station and the portal core, only the portal session identification is used as session identification.

2. A portal structure according to claim 1, characterized in

that the services/applications generate a generic markup language.

3. A portal structure according to claim 2, characterized in

that the generic markup language is XML.

4. A portal structure according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in

that external service/application proprietary external session identification information for all external services/ applications active in a session is stored in the corresponding portal session in the portal storing means for a defined time period, e.g. throughout the duration of the respective session.

5. A portal structure at least according to claim 2, characterized in

that the presentation arrangement comprises rendering means for translating service/ application data in the generic markup language into a different markup language used by an end user station.

6. A portal service according to claim 5, characterized in

that it is mobile, i.e. it supports access by mobile end user stations, e.g. WAP-devices, in addition to fixed end user stations.

7. A portal structure at least according to claim 2, characterized in

that data representing services/applications in the generic markup language are defined in a Document Type Definition (DTD) language with an URL-attribute.

8. A portal structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in

that an external system with an external proprietary session managing means comprises another portal.

9. A portal structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in

that the portal session managing means operate according to the servlet session API or the session EJB:

s specifications defining basic session management operations.

10. A portal structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in

that the portal session managing means stores information relating to end user initiated actions such as end user entering the portal, end user authentication, end user access of a service/application etc. into the portal storing means.

11. A portal structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in

that upon reception of an end user request for a service/application, a portal session with a session identification is created by the portal session managing means, and when the request is forwarded to the service/application the service/application uses the portal session identification information if it is an internal service/ application whereas the service/application is provided with an external (proprietary) session identification if it is managed by an external session managing means.

12. A portal structure according to claim 11, characterized in

that for a service/application managed by external session managing means, the external session managing means stores the external, session identification information generated for a requesting end user for a defined time period, e.g. throughout the duration of the session, and in that when a subsequent call request is received from the portal during the session, service application data is generated and a reply is returned to the portal core comprising the service/application data and the external session identification, by the unifying means is converted/mapped to the portal session identification such that the service/application data can be forwarded to the end user by using the portal session identification only.

13. A portal structure according to claim 12, characterized in

that a namespace is created within the portal session for each accessed service/application and in that the external session information data at least including external session identification is stored within the namespace.

14. A portal structure according to claim 2, 11 or 12, characterized in

that an external service/application creates an external proprietary session with an external service/application external (proprietary) id for an end user requesting access to the external service/application via the portal and introduces a metainformation tag containing at least the external (proprietary) session identification into the service/ application data in the generic markup language, to be returned to the portal core.

15. A portal structure according to claim 14, characterized in

that all data of the metainformation tag is stored in the corresponding portal session for the requesting end user.

16. A portal structure according to claim 15, characterized in

that the portal core comprises first translating means for processing possible metalinks included in the service/ application data in the generic markup language to which the portal session identification is added as a parameter and in that the portal core further comprises rendering means with second translating means for transforming the data in the generic markup language to a markup language understandable by the requesting end user station.

17. A portal structure according to claim 16, characterized in

that for a subsequent access of the same service/application by the same end user in the same session, the stored metainformation containing the external session identification is forwarded from the portal session unifying means) to the external service/application such that the external service/application is able to find the external session as indicated by the external, session identification.

18. An arrangement in a portal structure comprising a portal core with a presentation arrangement, portal session managing means generating session related information, at least portal session identifications and portal storing means for storing portal session related information, characterized in

that it comprises session unifying means for unifying management of portal sessions and external sessions generated by external session managing means managing external services/applications, that only the portal session identification is used in communication between the portal and an accessing end user station and in that the external session identification is used in communication between the portal core and the external service/application, and in that the unifying means are used for mapping/transforming between portal session identifications and external, session identifications of external services/applications.

19. An arrangement according to claim 18, characterized in

that external service/application proprietary, external session identification information is stored in the portal session to which it is mapped for a defined time period, e.g. throughout a session.

20. An arrangement according to claim 18, characterized in

that the presentation arrangement comprises rendering means for translating service/application data in a generic markup language into other markup languages depending on the type of a requesting end user station for rendering service/application data output to end user stations having requested access to a(n) service/application into a markup language understandable by the end user station.

21. An arrangement according to claim 20, characterized in

that the generic markup language is XML.

22. An arrangement according to any one of claims 18-21, characterized in

that external session identification information is provided in a metainformation tag introduced into the external service/ application data and in that the metainformation data is stored in the corresponding portal session in the portal storing means storing portal session-information, and in that the portal session identification is added to the external application/ service data as a parameter in communication with the end user station, replacing the external session identification.

23. An arrangement according to claim 22, characterized in

that for a subsequent request to the portal for the same external service/application by an end user during a session, the metainformation is included into the request when forwarded from the portal core to the external service/ application.

24. A method of session management in a portal structure comprising a portal core comprising a presentation arrangement, portal session managing means handling session related information and portal storing means for storing session related information, comprising the steps of:

creating a portal session with a portal session identification when an end user requests access to a service/ application, unless a portal session already exists;

forwarding the request to the requested external service/ application if the requested service/application is externally session managed;

creating in the external session managing means an external service/application proprietary session identification for the requesting end user unless a session already exists;

generating service/application data in the service/ application;

introducing information about the external session identification into the service/application data;

returning service/application data including external session identification to the portal;

mapping the external session identification to the portal session identification;

storing the external session identification in the corresponding portal session means;

sending the service/application data to the requesting end user using only the portal session identification.

25. A method according to claim 24, characterized in

that it comprises the steps of:

in the portal;

looking up the portal session in the storing means at a subsequent request by an end user for an external service/ application during the session;

establishing if the portal session related information contains an external session identification, if yes;

forwarding the request including the external session identification to the requested external service/application;

in the external session managing means or in the external service/application;

looking up the external service/application session;

generating service/application data;

adding the external session identification to the service/ application data;

returning the service/application data with the external session identification to the portal session managing means;

in the portal;

replacing the external session identification by the corresponding portal session identification;

sending the service/application data to the end user station using the portal session identification only.

26. A method according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in

that the external service/application generates a generic markup language, e.g. XML.

27. A method according to claim 26, characterized in

that the step of adding external session identification comprises generation of and introduction of a metainformation tag containing at least external session identification to the service/application data.