Methods for User Interface Generation and Application Modification

• US 20160321044A1
• Filed: 07/07/2016
• Published: 11/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Versata FZ-LLC (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Versata FZ-LLC (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Inventors: Valtchev, Plamen Ivanov
• Granted Patent: US 10,922,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/541 Client-server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/33 Intelligent editors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/54 Link editing before load time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45508 Runtime interpretation or emulation, e g. emulator loops, bytecode interpretation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45516 Runtime code conversion or optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A method of generating a user interface for presentation to a user. The method comprises executing a first application computer program to provide a user interface, executing agent computer program code to interrogate and modify said user interface during execution of said first application computer program, and presenting said modified user interface. The first application computer program may be run on a server, while the modified user interface may be presented to a user at a client connected to said server.

Claims

1-75. -75. (canceled)

76. A method of modifying behavior of a user interface comprising a plurality of user interface elements, the method comprising:

performing by a computer system programmed with code stored in a memory and executing by a processor of the computer system to configure the computer system into a machine for;

detecting an event representing activity with the user interface at one of a plurality of communicating objects, wherein a model of the user interface is defined using the plurality of communicating objects;

receiving, via a message bus, with an object of the model a notification of occurrence of the detected event that indicates the activity associated with the event;

processing the notification at the one of the objects IQ determine a modification of behavior of the user interface in response to the event from a first behavior to a second behavior; and

modifying the behavior of the user interface from the first behavior to the second behavior in accordance with the processed notification.

77. The method of claim 76 wherein receiving, via a message bus, with an object of the model a notification of occurrence of the detected event further comprises:

transmitting a message from the one of the objects to at least one further object in response to the event.

78. The method of claim 76, wherein at least some of the plurality of communicating objects have associated action objects, the action objects defining modification behavior of the model in response to the events.

79. The method of claim 76, further comprising:

performing by the computer system programmed with code stored in the memory and executing by the processor of the computer system to configure the computer system into the machine further for;

generating the user interface using the communicating objects.

80. The method of claim 79 further comprising:

performing by the computer system programmed with code stored in the memory and executing by the processor of the computer system to configure the computer system into the machine further for;

calling a predetermined function with the communicating object to generate the notification.

81. The method according to claim 80, wherein the predetermined function is called when a function associated with a predetermined user interface manipulation is called.

82. The method of claim 80, further comprising:

performing by the computer system programmed with code stored in the memory and executing by the processor of the computer system to configure the computer system into the machine further for;

modifying the object executing to provide the user interface to insert the function call to the predetermined function.

83. The method claim 76, wherein the objects are implemented in an object orientated interpreted programming language running within an interpreter.

84. The method according to claim 83, further comprising:

establishing a link between the user interface and the interpreter.

85. The method according to claim 83 or 84 as dependent on any of claims 80 to 82, wherein the predetermined function call calls a function provided by code running in the interpreter.

86. A data carrier carrying computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to carry out a method according to claim 76.

87. Computer apparatus for affecting behavior of a user interface, the apparatus comprising:

a program memory storing processor readable instructions; and

a processor configured to read and execute instructions stored in the program memory to configure the computer apparatus into a machine;

wherein the processor readable instructions comprise instructions controlling the processor to carry out the method of claim 76.

88-93. -93. (canceled)

94. Apparatus for affecting behavior of a user interface comprising plurality of user interface elements, the apparatus comprising:

means for defining a model of the user interface using a plurality of communicating objects, each object representing one of the user interface elements;

means for receiving a notification of an event base on activity within the user interface at one of the objects;

means for processing the notification at the one of the objects, the processing causing behavior of the user interface to be modified.