CONTEXT-AWARE MIDDLEWARE PLATFORM FOR CLIENT DEVICES

• US 20070208686A1
• Filed: 02/02/2007
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infosys Technologies Limited (Infosys Limited)
• Original Assignee: Infosys Technologies Limited (Infosys Limited)
• Inventors: Gupta, Puneet, Damodhiran, Kavitha, G. V., Karthik
• Granted Patent: US 7,783,613 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data

Abstract

Middleware can accept transaction requests from a client device and tailor the request to a backend transaction server. The server'"'"'s response can be tailored to the client device. For example, characteristics of the client device such as screen real estate and supported functionality can be taken into account when generating a tailored response. Features such as caching can avoid repeatedly contacting the backend server. Pagination and column truncation can be supported. A transaction model can represent a transaction as device independent configuration information. The transaction model can be added or changed without coding. Useful for implementing an application across a wide range of devices transparently to the backend server.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of a transaction type from a client device;

responsive to receiving the indication of the transaction type, based on a transaction model of the transaction type, sending information for rendering a transaction request user interface for the transaction type to the client device;

receiving a request for transaction processing from the client device, wherein the request comprises one or more transaction parameters as submitted via the transaction form;

transforming the request into a format supported by a backend transaction server, thereby generating a transformed request;

sending the transformed request to the backend transaction server, wherein the transformed request comprises at least one of the one or more transaction parameters;

receiving a response from the backend transaction server;

tailoring the response according to a context for the client device, thereby generating a tailored response, wherein the tailored response comprises user interface elements to be rendered as a user interface presentation on the client device; and

sending the tailored response to the client device for rendering as a user interface presentation on the client device.

2. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions causing a computer to perform the method of claim 1.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

logging an indication that a transaction of the transaction type was performed.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

transforming the request comprises adding a uniform resource locator indicated by the transaction model to the transformed request.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the transaction model comprises one or more definitions of one or more respective transaction input parameters for transactions of the transaction type.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein at least one of the definitions indicates whether at least one of the parameters is required for transactions of the transaction type.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

via the context for the client device, determining that a compact display mode is to be used; and

formatting the information for rendering the transaction request user interface for the compact display mode, wherein the formatting comprises omitting parameters indicated as not required.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the information for rendering the transaction request user interface comprises:

tailoring the information for rendering the transaction request user interface according to a context for the client device, thereby generating tailored information for rendering the transaction request user interface, wherein the tailored information for rendering the transaction request user interface comprises user interface elements to be rendered as a user interface presentation on the client device; and

sending the tailored information for rendering the transaction request user interface to the client device for rendering as a user interface presentation on the client device.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein tailoring the information for rendering the transaction request user interface comprises:

selecting a user interface mechanism for receiving a date parameter according to the context for the client device.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the user interface mechanism for receiving the date parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

a popup user interface element;

a dropdown user interface element; and

a text user interface element.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein tailoring the information for rendering the transaction request user interface comprises:

determining that at least one of the transaction parameters is not required; and

omitting a user interface mechanism for obtaining the at least one of the transaction parameters from the tailored information for rendering the transaction request user interface.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the information for rendering the transaction request user interface for the transaction type to the client device is performed via the transaction model without communicating with the back end transaction server.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a device type name of the client device via communication with the client device;

retrieving device capabilities for the client device from a configuration repository via the device type name; and

integrating the device capabilities into the context.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the context comprises a user interface context, and the tailoring further comprises:

tailoring the response according to the user interface context for the client device.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the context comprises device capabilities for the client device; and

the device capabilities are retrieved via a service oriented architecture model.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the context comprises device capabilities for the client device; and

the device capabilities are retrieved from a web service.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein tailoring the response according to the context for the device comprises:

omitting display of one or more columns in the response; and

placing at least one hyperlink in the response, wherein the hyperlink is configured to display content from at least one of the omitted columns when activated.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the hyperlink is superimposed on response data appearing in a displayed column.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

at a middleware service configured to communicate with the client device, receiving an indication of an ambient conditions setting;

at the middleware service, responsive to receiving the indication of the ambient conditions setting, tailoring user interface presentations for the client device to colors associated with the ambient conditions setting.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

at a middleware service configured to communicate with the client device, receiving an indication of a security protocol supported by the client device; and

at the middleware service, responsive to receiving the indication of the security protocol supported by the client device, sending content to the client device via the security protocol.

21. A method comprising:

receiving a first request from a client device, wherein the first request comprises an indication of a transaction type;

responsive to receiving the first request, sending a first response to the client device, wherein the first response comprises information for rendering the transaction request user interface generated via a transaction model of the transaction type;

receiving a second request from the client device, wherein the second request specifies one or more transaction parameters for completing a transaction of the transaction type;

via the transaction model of the transaction type, transforming the second request into a transformed request of a format accepted by a backend transaction server;

sending the transformed request to the backend transaction server;

receiving a response from the backend transaction server;

constructing a second response to the client device based on the response from the backend transaction server; and

sending the second response to the client device.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

tailoring at least one of the first response and the second response to the client device via a client device context for the client device.

23. A method comprising:

during communications with a client device, determining one or more characteristics of the client device;

choosing a context for the client device based on the characteristics of the client device, wherein the context comprises a user interface context, a security context, a browser context, a custom device-specific context, and user-specific settings;

storing an indication of the context as associated with a communications session;

receiving an indication of a transaction type from the client device;

responsive to receiving the indication of the transaction type, based on a transaction model of the transaction type, sending information for rendering the transaction request user interface for the transaction type to the client device;

receiving a request for transaction processing from the client device, wherein the request includes one or more transaction parameters indicated in the transaction model of the transaction type;

via XML specifying a format supported by a backend transaction server, transforming the request into the format supported by the backend transaction server, thereby generating a transformed request;

sending the transformed request to the backend transaction server, wherein the transformed request comprises at least one of the one or more transaction parameters;

receiving a response from the backend transaction server;

tailoring the response according to the user interface context for the client device stored as associated with the communications session, thereby generating a tailored response, wherein the tailored response is renderable as a user interface on the client device and complies with the user interface context; and

sending the tailored response to the client device for rendering as a user interface on the client device.

24. A middleware service comprising:

means for indicating a plurality of client device contexts;

means for storing a plurality of means for modeling transactions for respective transaction types;

means for sending means for requesting a transaction to a client device, wherein the means for requesting is constructed via at least one of the means for modeling transactions;

means for receiving a request for a transaction, wherein the request comprises a plurality of transaction parameters submitted via the means for requesting the transaction;

means for relaying the request to a backend server in a format supported by the backend server; and

means for presenting results at a client device in a format tailored to the client device based on the means for indicating the plurality of client device contexts.

25. A middleware service comprising:

a client device capabilities repository indicative of capabilities of a plurality of different client device types;

a plurality of transaction models indicative of how to process communications for a plurality of transaction types;

a backend-directed tailoring engine operable to transform communications from a client device into a format desired by a backend transaction server based on information in the transaction models; and

a client-directed tailoring engine operable to transform communications to the client device into a format appropriate for capabilities of the client device according to information in the client device capabilities repository.

26. One or more tangible computer readable media comprising encoded thereon a data structure comprising:

one or more definitions of one or more transaction input parameters for a transaction of a transaction type;

a uniform resource locator indicating a backend server to which a request for processing the transaction of the transaction type can be submitted; and

a definition of one or more parameter mappings for presenting the transaction of the transaction type to the backend server in a format supported by the backend server.

27. The one or more tangible computer readable media of claim 26 wherein at least one of the definitions of the transaction input parameters comprises an indication of whether at least one of the transaction input parameters is mandatory.

28. A method of adding an application to a middleware service, the method comprising:

creating a plurality of transaction models modeling respective transaction types of transactions for the application;

adding the transaction models to a configuration repository of the middleware service; and

customizing appearance of the application.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

designating at least one of the transaction types as unavailable to one or more device types.

30. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

designating at least one of the transaction types as unavailable to one or more users.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein the transaction models comprise no executable code.

32. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

defining a compound transaction model as a combination of a plurality of the transaction models of different transaction types, wherein the compound transaction model incorporates at least one output parameter from one of the transaction models and at least one output parameter from another of the transaction models.

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising:

in the configuration repository of the middleware service, specifying a value for at least one input parameter for the transaction model, thereby specifying the at least one input parameter as an implied input parameter.

34. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

defining a compound transaction model as a combination of a plurality of the transaction models of different transaction types, wherein the compound transaction model incorporates at least one input parameter from one of the transaction models and at least one input parameter from another of the transaction models.

35. A method of tailoring a response to a client device, the method comprising:

determining a context for the client device, wherein the context for the client device comprises an indication of capabilities of the client device, wherein the capabilities indicated by the context for the client device comprise a screen size of the device, a font size of the device, execution engines available at the device, markup languages supported by the device, and a browser type of the device;

based on the context, for the response to the client device, tailoring one or more out of the group consisting of the following;

structure of a table sent in the response to the client device;

a scroll bar sent in the response to the client device;

a type of user interface element sent in the response to the client device;

whether a mechanism for obtaining a non-mandatory parameter is sent in a response to the client device;

whether pagination functionality is implemented in the response sent to the client device;

whether user interface elements in the response sent to the client device are pre-filled;

an image resolution of an image in the response sent to the client device;

a color depth of an image in the response sent to the client device;

whether content directed to a particular execution engine is sent in the response to the client device; and

a type of markup language sent in the response to the client device.