System for connecting a client to a server with a protocol stack dynamically constructed by using top and bottom service descriptions as query parameters

• US 5,864,668 A
• Filed: 04/17/1996
• Issued: 01/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Object Technology Licensing Corporation (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Andert, Glenn P., Norman, George William
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Perveen, Rehana
• Application Number:
  US08/633,910
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.33, 395/831, 395/155, 395/682, 395/684, 395/200.69, 395/650, 395/200.57
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548

Abstract

A method and system for providing services in an object oriented system. The method and system are in the form of an interface reference framework of objects which create services in response to requests. Clients request services which are created in response to the requests. In response to the request the framework first develops a description of the service. The description is in the form of a stack of descriptions of services. From the stack descriptions the actual services are created by maker objects.

Claims

1. Apparatus for providing a service to a client upon a request by the client, the apparatus operating in a computer system having a processor, a memory, a locator means for dynamically locating service maker entities from within the computer system based on query parameters to create a service maker pool and a service device having a device protocol, and the apparatus comprising:

(a) means for creating a pool of service maker entities in the memorials with a predefined input communication protocol into output signals with another predefined output communication protocol;

(b) means responsive to the request for dynamically creating a stack description in the memory, including;

means for creating a top service description which receives the request having a request protocol and translates the request protocol into signals with a first intermediate protocol,

means for creating a bottom service description which receives signals with a second intermediate protocol and accesses the device according to the device protocol, and

means for constructing an ordered list of service maker entities for translating signals with the first intermediate protocol into signals with the second intermediate protocol by selecting one or more service maker entities from the cool using the top service

description and the bottom service description as query parameters to the locator means to dynamically locate service maker entities and matching the output communication protocol generated by a first selected service maker entity to the input communication protocol received by a second selected service maker entity;

(c) means for dynamically creating a service stack in the memory by using the stack description to sequentially instantiate service maker objects from the entities in the ordered list to form a chain of service maker objects that receives the request in one protocol and accesses the service in another protocol; and

(d) means responsive to the request for providing service to the client by accessing the device through the service stack.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the service maker object creating means constructs each service maker object from one of a plurality of interface maker class definitions in the memory, each interface maker class definition including a top interface definition specifying one of the communication protocols and a bottom interface definition specifying another of the communication protocols.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the means for constructing an ordered list of service maker objects matches the bottom interface definition of one service maker object with the top interface definition of another service maker object to construct the ordered list.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the bottom service definition is associated with a particular device so that the particular device can be connected to the client by a plurality of different service maker object chains.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the program logic in each of the plurality of service maker objects is responsive to a bottom interface definition for down casting the bottom interface definition to a top interface definition by generating program logic for translating a bottom interface definition to a top interface definition.

6. A method for providing a service to a client upon a request by the client, the method operating in a computer system having a processor, a memory, and a service device having a device protocol, and the method comprising the steps of:

(a) using a locator means in the computer system for dynamically locating service maker entities from within the computer system based on query parameters to create a service maker pool in the memory, each of the service maker entities having program logic for translating input signals with a predefined input communication protocol into output signals with another predefined output communication protocol,

(b) dynamically creating a stack description in the memory in response to the request, the stack description including;

a top service description which receives the request having a request protocol,

a bottom service description which receives signals with a second intermediate protocol and accesses the device according to the device protocol, and

an ordered list of service maker entities for translating signals with the first intermediate protocol into signals with the second intermediate protocol constructed by using the top service description and the bottom service description as query parameters to the locator means to dynamically locate and select one or more service maker entities from the pool and matching the output communication protocol generated by a first selected service maker entity to the input communication protocol received by a second selected service maker entity,

(c) dynamically creating a service stack in the memory by using the stack description to sequentially instantiate service maker objects from the entities in the ordered list to form a chain of service maker objects that receives the request in one protocol and accesses the service in another protocol; and

(d) providing service to the client by accessing the device through the service stack.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein step (a) comprises the step of:

(a1) constructing each service maker object from one of a plurality of interface maker class definitions in the memory, each interface maker class definition including a top interface definition specifying one of the communication protocols and a bottom interface definition specifying another of the communication protocols.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein step (b) comprises the step of:

(b2) constructing an ordered list of service maker objects by matching the bottom interface definition of one service maker with the top interface definition of another service maker object.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein step (b) comprises the step of:

(b3) associating the bottom service definition with a particular device so that the particular device can be connected to the client by a plurality of different service maker object chains.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein step (c) comprises the step of:

(c1) down casting the bottom interface definition to a top interface definition by generating program logic for translating a bottom interface definition to a top interface definition.

11. A computer program product for providing a service to a client upon a request by the client, the computer program product operating with a computer system having a processor, a memory, and a service device having a device protocol, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, including:

program code which uses locator code for dynamically locating service maker entities from within the computer system based on query parameters to create a service maker pool in the memory, each of the service maker entities having program logic for translating input signals with a predefined input communication protocol into output signals with another predefined output communication protocol;

program code for dynamically creating a stack description in the memory in response to the request, the stack description including;

a top service description which receives the request having a request protocol,

a bottom service description which receives signals with a second intermediate protocol and accesses the device according to the device protocol, and

an ordered list of service maker entities for translating signals with the first intermediate protocol into signals with the second intermediate protocol by using the top service description and the bottom service description as query parameters passed to the locator code to dynamically locate and select one or more service maker entities from the pool and matching the output communication protocol generated by a first selected service maker entity to the input communication protocol received by a second selected service maker entity;

program code for dynamically creating a service stack in the memory by using the stack description to sequentially instantiate service maker objects from the entities in the ordered list to form a chain of service maker objects that receives the request in one protocol and accesses the service in another protocol, wherein the client can access the device through the service stack to obtain the service.

12. The computer program method of claim 11 wherein the program code for creating a pool of service maker entities comprises a plurality of interface maker class definitions for constructing each service maker object, each interface maker class definition including a top interface definition specifying one of the communication protocols and a bottom interface definition specifying another of the communication protocols.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the dynamically creating a stack description comprises program code for constructing an ordered list of service maker objects by matching the bottom interface definition of one service maker with the top interface definition of another service maker object.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the program code for dynamically creating a stack description comprises program code for associating the bottom service definition with a particular device so that the particular device can be connected to the client by a plurality of different service maker object chains.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the program code for dynamically creating a service stack comprises program code for down casting the bottom interface definition to a top interface definition by generating program logic for translating a bottom interface definition to a top interface definition.