Method of creating and using notes decision capsules

• US 6,094,655 A
• Filed: 09/18/1997
• Issued: 07/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, Douglas A., Rogers, Richard Michael, Schenkewitz, Lisa Norma, Rubin, Steven Brian, Lagarde, Konrad Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Von Buhr, Maria N.
• Application Number:
  US08/933,121
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/104, 707/200, 707/1, 395/200.3, 709/201-203, 709/213-219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A World Wide Web browser makes requests to web servers on a network which receives and fulfills requests as an agent of the browser client, organizing distributed sub-agents as distributed integration solution (DIS) or intelligent decision server (IDS) servers on an intranet network supporting the web server which also has access agent servers accessible over the Internet. DIS or IDS servers execute selected capsule objects which perform programmable functions upon a received command from a web server control program agent for retrieving, from a database gateway coupled to a plurality of database resources upon a single request made from a Hypertext document, requested information from multiple data bases located at different types of databases geographically dispersed, performing calculations, formatting, and other services prior to reporting to the web browser or to other locations, in a selected format. The system is now a group software environment such as Notes for assisting work in a group software environment. Executable capsules are strung together capsule elements which are objects like DIS capsules or Java Beans and these are stored in a Notes control database as an application which can process files created within said group software environment. Upon request processing an appropriate output for the request using these strung together executable capsules and information provided during the request process and stores the final output of the process as a form in a Notes database which will contain the information produced by the execution of the strung together capsule.

Claims

1. A method of fulfilling requests of a web browser client, comprising:

displaying a browser document to said web browser client of a web server in an internetworking environment;

said internetworking environment having stored therein joined data which has been retrieved from multiple content databases and stored as database data in a buffer of an intermediate server;

invoking a control program agent;

receiving data entered by the user from the browser document and passing said user entered data to said control program agent upon invocation as input parameters to said control program agent that were returned from said browser document as a request for information; and

using an API set for invoking executable commands accessible via an associated command file object to utilize said control program agent to provide, as a result of fulfillment of said request for information from information resources supplied from the World Wide Web and which has been stored in said buffer of said intermediate server, a document generated from said joined data which has been retrieved from multiple content databases and stored as database data in said buffer of said intermediate server or by displaying a stored file document generated from said joined data which has been retrieved from multiple content databases and stored on said intermediate server.

2. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 1 wherein

said result is determined by a command file agent comprising a series of linked objects having a specified flow sequence within a distributed data environment specified by said command file agent, including executing functions specified in said command file agent including data retrieval and processing of data on said intermediate server, and in the process storing the result of said processing on said intermediate server as said unique named result during execution of said command file agent.

3. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 1 wherein said step of receiving data entered by the user from the browser document and passing said user entered data to said control program agent upon invocation as input parameters to said control program agent that were returned from said browser document includes environment variables comprising an identification of a command file to call, the name of the file containing the statements to use when building a document that reports results requested by the request, and the type of document report file that is requested, as well as any query data from the browser document that referred to said control program agent.

4. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 1 wherein said step of passing data from the browser document that referred to said control program agent, includes passing variable information data which contains values selected by the user and/or default values selected by a document designer set in said command file prior to its execution, all of which variable information data is stored in a buffer environment, and accessible by said command file and/or said control program agent and used by said control program agent to set variables for said command file.

5. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 4 wherein the steps further comprise:

with the variable information now stored in a buffer, retrieving, with the control program agent from a store, command files and environment variables comprising an identification of a command file to call, the name of the file containing the statements to use when building a document that reports results requested by the request, and the type of document report file that is requested, as well as query data from the browser document that referred to said control program agent which a request has specified as associated with each command file for the Web request and loading from said buffer environment into memory associated with the control program agent the command file names available and the environment variables associated with each command file.

6. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 5 wherein the steps further comprise:

initiating with the control program agent a connection between said control program agent and said API.

7. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 6 wherein the steps further comprise

if required for control by a decision support system environment for said command file, logging onto a port or desktop for the assigned user by said control program agent.

8. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 7 wherein the steps further comprise:

once a command file is loaded into memory for said control program agent, the control program agent retrieves from its memory the command file environment variables associated with a command file passed to the control program agent once the control program agent is invoked.

9. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 8 wherein the steps further compromise:

subsequently, creating with said control program agent a data array stored in the control program memory containing the command file environment variables and said variable information data for them that were passed to the control program agent during initial data retrieval steps in order to match command file variable names of said environment variables with the data that was passed to the control program agent as variable information data values.

10. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 9 wherein the steps further comprise:

subsequently, in preparation for a document report, said program command agent creating creates a unique filename which may include data originated by the browser document'"'"'s variables stored in said buffer as a data array to pass to the command file as a command file environment variable for use in naming the report which will be created by the command file, which as a result the command file will create that file with the unique file name during its process.

11. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 10 wherein the steps further comprise:

subsequently, for a user query using the API to set the command file variable values in anticipation of command file execution, the values of environment variables used by the command file are obtained from said data array in the control program memory containing command file variable names of said environment variables as well as user defined values of said information variable data for said user query that were passed to the control program agent as parameters for query data from the browser document that referred to said control program agent which contains values selected by the user and/or default values selected by a document designer set in a command file program prior to its execution.

12. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 11 wherein the steps further comprise:

subsequently, using an API to query and determine the size of a queue of jobs being requested, and comparing whether the size has exceeded a predetermined threshold number of jobs being requested, and if so, then entering a wait state loop to wait and reiteratively comparing whether the size still has exceeded said predetermined threshold number of jobs being requested until the queue size is reduced to below said threshold level, and then at that point using said API submit a command file having said command file variable values for execution by a sub-agent.

13. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 12 wherein the steps further comprise:

after the API has submitted said command file having said command file variable values for execution by a sub-agent, said control program agent enters a state of awaiting execution of said command file by said sub-agent.

14. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 13 wherein the steps further comprise:

during a state of awaiting execution of said command file, processing other requests by the control program agent as a pipe so that the control program agent continually advances requests through the system.

15. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 14 wherein the steps further comprise:

during the state awaiting execution of a command file, using said API to looks for a completion signal of execution of said command file, and when that completion signal is received, said control program agent reads the file identified by the name passed to the control program agent in the preceding step that contains the statements which are to be presented with the command file document report of results.

16. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 15 wherein the steps further comprise:

while the control program agent reads the file identified by the name passed to the control program agent in the preceding step that contains the statements which are to be presented with the command file document report of results, it dynamically creates new statements for a document report of results according to a request of the web browser.

17. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 16 wherein the steps further comprise:

retrieving with said new statement information retrieved from the file identified by the name passed to the control program agent so that it can be provided with the results of a command file document report.

18. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 17 wherein the steps further comprise:

retrieving with said new statement information retrieved from said identified file so that it can be displayed as a header accompanying the requested document report to be displayed according to the user defined document report type, along with the filename of said unique filename.

19. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 1 wherein the input parameters include data entered by said user including variables identifying the type of file to create as a document report to be created as a result of said web request and user identified applicable output parameters as to where a result document report is to be directed, and said steps further comprise:

testing with said control program agent for the type of report file to be created by obtaining information from stored variables and said testing further identifies said user identified applicable output parameters, and branching to the sequence applicable to the type of report file to be created.

20. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 1 wherein the input parameters include data entered by said user including variables identifying the type of file to create as a document report to be created as a result of said web request and user identified applicable output parameters identifying where a document resort result is to be routed, and said steps further comprise:

if the output is to be routed to a user identified Web server, then routing said output to the user identified Web server.

21. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 1 wherein the said associated command file object is a capsule for creating a text file report, and said steps further comprise:

when a text file document report is created by the capsule, that determines that a text display is to be reported and the control program agent reads the file created by the capsule and dynamically creates statements to display the data lines to the Web browser as a text display according to a user desired form of presentation.

22. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 1 wherein the said associated command file object is a capsule for creating a graphics file document report, and said steps further comprise:

when a graphics file is created by the capsule, that determines that a graphics display is to be reported and the control program dynamically creates the statement to display the graphics file to the Web browser as a display with graphics included as a presentation of results according to a user specified form of presentation.

23. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 1 wherein the steps further comprise:

wherein the control program agent allows alternative output direction, and said input parameters include data entered by said user including variables identifying the type of file to create as a report to be created as a result of said web request and user identified applicable alternative output direction output parameters identifying where a result is to be routed as a requestor user selected alternative output destination, and upon receipt of said alternative output direction and a command file completion signal, the result is routed to said alternative output destination.

24. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 23 wherein the steps further comprise:

wherein an output is routed to a requestor user selected alternative output destination selected from a group of possible output units, comprising facsimile, printer, retail and banking installations, or provided as a series of full motion videos or still frames which are transmitted to display devices, including television units under control of end users with a set-top box cable control.

25. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 24 wherein the steps further comprise:

wherein an output is routed to a requester user selected alternative output destination via a server having a CPU, network I/F bus, disks, modems, and data switching controls providing hardware to route the output to a user selected alternative output destination selection from a variety of output devices, including a facsimile, printed, retail terminal, banking machines, TV or cable customers via the server, with full motion and still video supplied with MPEG 2 and MPEG 1 protocol images respectively to subscribers.

26. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 1 wherein the process of fulfilling said Web request creates an output, including a result file with a file name entered by the user from said browser document, and said steps further comprise:

coupling the output to an auxiliary function including back-up storage and accounting processes which allow for charging for system utilization and service charges for services and items requested.

27. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 26 wherein the process of fulfilling said Web request creates an output making use of user entered data, and of hidden variables associated with the request including authorization charge variables, including credit card numbers and passwords, and of a file name entered by the user from said browser document, and said steps further comprise:

passing said output and said hidden variables to auxiliary functions which make use of hidden variables associated with the request including authorization charge variables, including credit card numbers and passwords.

28. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 27 wherein the credit card number is encrypted with an encryption utility, and this encrypted credit card number along with access authorization variables, allows access to sensitive databases which reside behind firewalls.

29. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 1 wherein the steps further comprise:

if selected data according to the Web broswer request is permitted to be accessed by the request as an authorized user access at the location of said selected data inside or outside the Internet, the said selected data can be included in a combined report of results of said Web browser request including a combination of data selected for said user by said system as a result of data entered by said user as a combined report reported by the system to the Web browser user.

30. A method of fulfilling requests of a web browser client according to claim 1 including:

receiving data entered by the user from a browser document and a user denominated interpretive program or applet and passing said user entered data and program or applet to said control program agent upon invocation as input parameters to said control program agent that were returned from said browser document; and

storing said input parameters in a buffer;

retrieving with the control program agent from a store command files and the variable names associated with each command files and loading into memory associated with the control program the command file names available and the variable names associated with each command file;

initiating with the control program agent a connection between said control program agent and an API;

once a command file is loaded into memory for said control program agent, retrieving with said control program agent from its memory the command file variable names associated with a command file name passed to the control program agent once the control program agent is invoked;

subsequently, creating with said control program agent a data array stored in the control program memory containing the command file variable names and the values for them that were passed to the control program agent during initial data retrieval steps in order to match command file variable names with the data that was passed to the control program agent with said environment variables step;

subsequently, in preparation for a command file report, creating with said program command agent a unique filename which may include data originated by the browser document'"'"'s variables stored in said buffer to pass to the command file as a command file variable for use in naming the report which will be created by the command file, which as a result the command file will create that file with the unique file name during its process;

subsequently, using the API to set the command file variable values in anticipation of command file execution, obtaining the values of variables used by the command file from the data array in the control program memory containing the command file variable names and the values for them that were passed to the control program agent as input parameters to said control program agent as query data from the document that referred to said control program agent which contains values selected by the user and/or default values selected by a document designer set in a command file program prior to its execution, and

subsequently, using an API to query and determine the size of a queue of jobs being requested, and comparing whether the size has exceeded a predetermined threshold number of jobs being requested, and if so, then entering a wait state loop to wait and reiteratively comparing whether the size still has exceeded said predetermined threshold number of jobs being requested until the queue size is reduced to below said threshold level, and then at that point using said API to submit a command file for execution by a sub-agent to create a resulting file identified by said unique filename;

after the API has submitted said command file for execution by a sub-agent, said control program agent enters a state of awaiting execution of said command file by said sub-agent;

and wherein after execution by said sub-agent, thereafter the control program agent reads the resulting file identified by said unique filename and dynamically creates new statements to report results according to a request of the web browser with said unique filename identified.

31. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 30 wherein the steps further comprise:

retrieving with said new statement information user requested data contained in said resulting file identified by said unique filename so that said user requested data can be provided with the results as a completed command file report.

32. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 31 wherein the steps further comprise:

testing with said control program agent for the kind of report to be created by obtaining information from stored variables and identifies output parameters, and branching to the sequence applicable to the type of report to be created in the process of completing said command file report.

33. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 1 wherein programs or applets are downloaded from the web server to the web browser client, and wherein said web browser when interpreting the programs will foster the execution of a program/applet program on the client machine.

34. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 1 including means for accessing multiple databases of different types using a single request from a client for Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) from a web browser.

35. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 1 wherein intrepretive language based programs or applets are downloaded from the web server to the client and executed on the client machine.

36. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 1 wherein a Web client accesses a web server and downloads documents and intrepretive language based programs or applets and the applet'"'"'s execution is initiated by a web browser that can interpret the intrepretive language based programs or applets.

37. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 1 wherein an applet communicates via TCP/IP sockets to said control program agent that executes on the web server.

38. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 37 wherein the control program agent provides the communication vehicle from the web browser client to a data interpretation system, via an Open DIS Access Server (ODAS) intermediate server providing a data interpretation system that allows programs to initiate data interpretation functions, such as invoking capsules on said data interpretation system which provides an intermediate server function.

39. A method of fulfilling requests according to claim 38 wherein requests for database data and/or database description data are invoked from an interpretive applet via a TCP/IP sockets interface to the control program agent and said Open DIS Access Server (ODAS) intermediate server.

40. A method of creating a document by an internet user in an open environment, comprising the steps of:

providing component software capsules on a web server system accessible and used by otherwise incompatible machines by access by a web browser in a world wide web environment to said web server for intermediary translations of data from one format to another,

said component software capsules including object applications directed to a specific purpose, and

using said web browser linking selected ones of said component software capsules including object applications directed to a specific purpose to combine them by selecting specific application objects and linking them together as strung together objects making a combined object in a web document for performing steps ordered by said selection as if they were custom written applications for transactions that take place between said incompatible systems in an open environment, and

and with a web browser accessing said web document containing said combined object and using said web document at said web server to cause said web server to execute said objects as strung together objects performing steps as if they were custom written applications for transactions that take place between said incompatible systems in an open environment with an internet user in which a new created document is created by the action of execution of said combined objects created in said web document for combining results from use of said strung together objects in said web document.

41. A method according to claim 40, wherein

said new created document created by the use and execution of said combined object web document is an update of a customer record housed on an incompatible machine.

42. A method according to claim 40, wherein said web document is a group software system document generated from the linking of capsule objects into a web document for execution.

43. A method according to claim 42, wherein by selection of capsule objects linked by a user to combine the capsule objects as linked components into a web document generated by user requests which are combined into said web document to function as a capsule agent object for applying business logic to relational data from many sources the capsule objects in said web document are executed as a group of said component software capsules on a web server system accessible and used by otherwise incompatible machines to create said created document which includes information selected from a group of identifiable formats including text, rich text, graphics, voice, spreadsheet formats.

44. A method according to claim 40, wherein

a group software server trigger causes said web server to execute a capsule object of said web document via a script command sent via an application program interface (API) of said web server to cause capsule object execution.

45. A method according to claim 44, wherein said trigger is a scheduled agent.

46. A method according to claim 44, wherein said trigger is a group software form entry by an end user.

47. A method according to claim 44, wherein

said capsule objects are matched with group software forms and fields via a group software administration database.

48. A method of creating an executable object, comprising

receiving at a command file agent a submit command from a web server routine control program agent in preparation for providing a resulting executable object to pass to said command file agent as a command file variable for use in naming said resulting executable object which will be created by said command file agent with a unique result filename during execution of said command file agent,

during the process of creating said resulting executable object combining various capsules with said command file agent to create an executable object out of the capsule components wherein a component is selected from one or more object elements as a capsule that can be combined to create an executable object out of the capsule components and stringing said components together with a selection operation to form a capsule executable program as the resulting executable object with said unique result filename.

49. A method according to claim 48 wherein said resulting executable object forms an intelligent decision server capsule for processing a request for a report document, and triggering via a group software command an intelligent decision server to execute said server capsule for creating a capsule output result by capsule execution and taking the capsule output for a group software notes document in a group software notes database accessible to various users on a network.

50. A method according to claim 48 wherein with output files placed on the system in a notes database an intelligent decision server command file agent of an intelligent decision server database coordinates all of the connectivity for users'"'"' desired work.

51. A method for assisting work in a group software environment, comprising

creating an executable capsule for storage in a control database as an application which can process files created within said group software environment by processing a request for a report by combining component based elements and producing said report as said executable capsule, said report providing for execution of said executable capsule therein which may be stored in a group software environment control database, and storing said executable capsule as a report in a group software environment control database as a form for assisting work in a group software environment when said capsule is executed after access to said report in said database in said group software environment.

52. A method for assisting work in a group software environment according to claim 51 further comprising,

upon request for a report processing an appropriate output for the request using said component based elements to form an executable capsule and information provided during the request process to create said report and storing the final output of the process of creating said report as a form in a group software database which will contain the information produced by the execution of said executable capsule used as a form and created during the process of executing said executable capsule contained in said form.

53. A method for assisting work according to claim 51 wherein

during the process of creating said resulting executable capsule contained in said form various component capsules are combined by a command file agent to create an executable object out of capsule components wherein a component is selected from one or more of elements forms as a script file, a spreadsheet, a java bean or other capsule that can be combined to create an executable object out of the capsule components and stringing said components together with a selection operation to form a capsule executable program as the resulting report stored as a form with an executable capsule object with said unique result filename.

54. A method for assisting work according to claim 51 wherein the creation of said executable capsule can be invoked in a Lotus Notes environment.

55. A method for assisting work according to claim 53 wherein

said executable capsule is created when a scheduled agent runs on a group software server as a push mechanism for initiation of the creation of a document on another server'"'"'s database(s) which initiates creation of said executable capsule for storage in a control database as an application which can process files created within said group software environment.

56. A method for assisting work according to claim 53 wherein said group software server uses its connection record to determine location of a server having said command file agent for creating said report stored as a form, and it uses its activity record to determine how to pass parameters to said server having said command file agent, and it also uses its activity record to determine how to take the output of a capsule created or executed by said command file agent to create a document and in what server and database to place the document.

57. A method for assisting work according to claim 55 wherein

said executable capsule is created when a scheduled agent runs on a server which provides a push mechanism for initiation of the creation of document on another server'"'"'s database(s) by creating a document without a client request, and this server uses its activity record to determine how to take an output and create a document and in what server and database to place the document.

58. A method for assisting work according to claim 51 wherein

said executable capsule is created using a Notes client which will enable a user to request execution of an execution capsule and the user can view the resulting report as a document.

59. A method for assisting work according to claim 51 wherein

said executable capsule is created using a Web browser client where a user can request execution of an execution capsule and the user can view the resulting report as a document.

60. A method according to claim 51 wherein said executable capsule is formed of component based elements to form an executable capsule and information provided during the request process used to create said report to provide software components that will allow customers to tap into existing databases, payroll systems and information repositories and encapsulate this data in the components that are used to build a new program as an executable capsule.