SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OBJECT SIMULATION IN AN INTERMITTENTLY CONNECTED MOBILE APPLICATION

• US 20090075643A1
• Filed: 09/18/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Lock, Hendrik, Smilek, Janusz, Netzel, Jutta, Kothandaraman, Ramprasadh, Schletz, Bernard
• Granted Patent: US 8,073,434 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable

Abstract

The generation and comparison of a first time stamp and a second time stamp allows for the active operation of a mobile device that is intermittently connected to a middleware system. A document is created with a first stamp, where this document relates to a particular activity associated with one or more objects. Affected object fields are also created to include a second time stamp. The first time stamp is updated to reflect a data request object and the second time stamp reflects when the affected object is adjusted on the back-end system. Until the second time stamp is later in time than the first time stamp, indicating successful processing of the data request object, the mobile device simulates the successful processing of the data request object to reflect the adjustment in a data object

Claims

1. A method for using adjusted data on an intermittently connected mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a user request to modify a data object;

creating a data request object to update a data field on a local document from an original value to an updated value, wherein the data request object references the data object to be modified and does not change the original value of the data object to be modified;

transmitting a data message including the data request object to a back-end system;

determining a first time stamp relating to the start of the processing of the data request object;

comparing the first time stamp with a second time stamp, where the second time stamp relates to a modified data object referenced by the data field on the local document as maintained on the business logic server system; and

if the first time stamp is an initial time stamp or later in time than the second time stamp, referencing a simulated data field for the local document, where the simulated data field represents the updated value of data field.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

resetting the first time stamp of the local document upon creation of the data request object;

receiving an update time stamp for the first time stamp, where the update time stamp references the business logic server system processing the data request object; and

updating the first time stamp based on the update time stamp.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein when the data object to be modified is updated on the business logic server system, the second time stamp is adjusted, the method further comprising:

updating the second time stamp based on the second time stamp on the business logic server system.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

receiving an updated time stamp for the second time stamp when the mobile device is in communication with the business logic server system.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the local document is referenced with the modified data object using a key.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the second time stamp is adjusted when the modified data object is processed by the business logic server system, the method comprising:

updating the second time stamp based on the time stamp on the business logic server system.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if the second time stamp is later in time than the first time stamp, referencing the data field instead of the simulated data field.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile device communicates with the business logic server system through intermittent communication with a middleware system.

9. A mobile system using adjusted data, where the mobile system is in intermittent communication with a back-end processing system, the mobile system comprising:

an input device;

a receiving device and a transmitting device operative for communication with the back-end processing system;

a memory device having executable instructions stored therein; and

a processing device, in response to the executable instructions, operative to;

receive a user request to modify a data object;

create a data request object to update a data field on a local document from an original value to an updated value, wherein the data request object references the data object to be modified without directly changing the value;

transmit a data message including the data request object to a back-end processing system through the transmitting device;

determine a first time stamp relating to start of the processing of the data request object;

comparing the first time stamp with a second time stamp, where the second time stamp relates to a modified data object referenced by the data field on the local document as maintained on the back-end processing system; and

if the first time stamp is an initial time stamp or later in time than the second time stamp, referencing a simulated data field for the local document, where the simulated data field represents the updated value of data field.

10. The mobile system of claim 9, wherein the processing device, in response to executable instructions, is further operative to:

reset the first time stamp of the local document upon creation of the data request object;

receive an update time stamp for the first time stamp through the receiving device, where the update time stamp references the back-end processing system processing the data request object; and

update the first time stamp based on the update time stamp.

11. The mobile system of claim 9 wherein when the data object to be modified is updated on the back-end processing system, the second time stamp is adjusted, the processing device, in response to executable instructions, is further operative to:

update the second time stamp based on the second time stamp on the back-end processing system.

12. The mobile system of claim 11 wherein the processing device is further operative to:

receive an updated time stamp for the second time stamp through the receiving device when the mobile device is in communication with the back-end processing system.

13. The mobile system of claim 11 wherein the local document is referenced with the modified data object using a key.

14. The mobile system of claim 11 wherein the second time stamp is adjusted when the modified data object is processed by the back-end processing system, the processing device further operative to:

update second time stamp based on the time stamp on the back-end processing system.

15. The mobile system of claim 9, wherein the processing device, in response to executable instructions, is further operative to:

if the second time stamp is later in time than the first time stamp, reference the data field instead of the simulated data field.

16. The mobile system of claim 9, wherein the mobile device communicates with the back-end processing system through a middleware system.

17. A method for using adjusted data on a mobile device being intermittently connected to a back-end processing device, the method comprising:

receiving a user request to modify a data object;

creating a data request object to update a data field on a local document from an original value to an updated value based on the user request to modify the data object, wherein the data request object references the data object to be modified without directly changing the value;

resetting the first time stamp of the local document upon receipt of the data request object;

transmitting a data message including the data request object to a back-end system;

begin processing the data request object;

updating the first time stamp relating to the beginning of processing the data request object;

providing the updated first time stamp to the mobile device;

adjusting a second time stamp, where the second time stamp relates to a modified data object referenced by the data field on the local document as maintained on the back-end system;

comparing the first time stamp with the second time stamp; and

if the first time stamp is an initial time stamp or is later in time than the second time stamp, referencing a simulated data field for the local document, where the simulated data field represents the updated value of data field.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the mobile device communicates with the back-end system through intermittent communication with a middleware system.

19. A computer-readable medium including instructions adapted to execute a method for using adjusted data on an intermittently connected mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a user request to modify a data object;

creating a data request object to update a data field on a local document from an original value to an updated value based on the user request to modify the data object, wherein the data request object references the data object to be modified and does not change the original value of the data object to be modified;

transmitting a data message including the data request object to a business logic server system;

determining a first time stamp relating to the start of the processing of the data request object;

comparing the first time stamp with a second time stamp, where the second time stamp relates to a modified data object referenced by the data field on the local document as maintained on the business logic server system; and

if the first time stamp is an initial time stamp or later in time than the second time stamp, referencing a simulated data field for the local document, where the simulated data field represents the updated value of data field.