Universal information appliance with parser

• US 6,292,186 B1
• Filed: 11/06/1998
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Eustice, Kevin Francis, Morales, Armando Gil, Lehman, Tobin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US09/187,377
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326, 345/329, 345/333, 345/335, 345/339, 709/201, 709/213, 709/312, 709/323, 709/328
• US Class Current: 715/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A universal information appliance (UIA) such as can be embodied by a personal digital assistant (PDA) can receive an application written in a new “MoDAL” language, parse the application to divide it into binary-formatted GUI elements, and then dynamically render a GUI interface on the display of the UIA based on the GUI elements parsed out of the application. The user can further modify the GUI and save it. With this combination, a GUI can be easily and dynamically tailored for a wide range of user needs, including the needs of handicapped users. The UIA communicates data in an onboard data cache with globally shared, associatively addressed memory spaces such as “TSpaces”.

Claims

1. An information appliance including a display and at least one input device, comprising:

an application source;

a parser receiving applications from the application source, the input device being manipulable to cause an application from the source to be sent to the parser, the parser transforming the application into at least a list of graphical user interface (GUI) elements associated with the application and a list of elements associated with the application, such that the list of GUI elements is made dynamically; and

a universal information appliance (UIA) engine accessing the lists to execute the application.

2. The information appliance of claim 1, wherein the UIA engine includes a UIA processor for executing the application and a UIA communication manager communicating data between the UIA processor and one or more globally shared, associatively addressed memory spaces.

3. The information appliance of claim 2, further comprising a local data cache, wherein the UIA communication manager communicates with the local data cache when the information appliance is not communicating with a globally shared, associatively addressed memory space.

4. A computer-implemented method for executing an application, comprising:

receiving the application;

processing the application to identify graphical user interface (GUI) establishing instructions therein and to separate application instructions therefrom; and

dynamically rendering a graphical user interface (GUI) based on the GUI establishing instructions and executing the application based on the application instructions.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the processing is undertaken by a parser in an information appliance, the rendering is undertaken by a universal information application (UIA) engine in the information appliance, and the GUI is rendered on a display associated with the information appliance.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the parser transforms the application into at least a list of graphical user interface (GUI) elements associated with the application and a list of elements associated with the application, such that the list of GUI elements is made dynamically, wherein the UIA engine accesses the lists to execute the application.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the UIA engine includes a UIA processor for executing the application and a UIA communication manager communicating data between the UIA processor and one or more globally shared, associatively addressed memory spaces.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the information appliance includes a local data cache, and wherein the UIA communication manager communicates with the local data cache when the information appliance is not communicating with a globally shared, associatively addressed memory space.

9. An information appliance including a display and at least one input device, comprising:

an application source;

a parser receiving applications from the application source, the input device being manipulable to cause an application from the source to be sent to the parser, the parser transforming the application into at least a list of graphical user interface (GUI) elements associated with the application and a list of elements associated with the application, such that the list of GUI elements is made dynamically;

a universal information appliance (UIA) engine accessing the lists to execute the application, wherein the UIA engine includes a UIA processor for executing the application and a UIA communication manager communicating data between the UIA processor and one or more globally shared, associatively addressed memory spaces, the communication manager communicating with a proxy for converting data from the UIA processor to tuples for use of the tuples by one or more of the globally shared, associatively addressed memory spaces, the proxy converting tuples from the globally shared, associatively addressed memory spaces to data usable by the UIA processor.

10. An information appliance including a display and at least one input device, comprising:

an application source;

a parser receiving applications from the application source, the input device being manipulable to cause an application from the source to be sent to the parser, the parser transforming the application into at least a list of graphical user interface (GUI) elements associated with the application and a list of elements associated with the application, such that the list of GUI elements is made dynamically;

a universal information appliance (UIA) engine accessing the lists to execute the application, wherein the application is written in MoDAL language, and the parser converts the MoDAL language of the application to binary language.

11. The information appliance of claim 10, wherein the MoDAL language includes plural language elements for establishing:

GUI elements, action elements at least some of which can be associated with respective GUI elements, and MoDAL elements at least some of which can be associated with respective action elements and respective GUI elements.

12. The information appliance of claim 11, wherein the GUI elements are selected from the group of elements including one or more of forms, buttons, fields, lists, pop up triggers, menus, help strings, and tables.

13. The information appliance of claim 11, wherein the action elements are selected from the group of elements including one or more of database read, database write, database delete, tuple send, tuple query, formgoto, appstop, set, get, condition, and date.

14. A computer-implemented method for executing an application, comprising:

receiving the application at a processor;

processing the application to identify graphical user interface (GUI) establishing instructions therein;

communicating with a proxy for converting data to tuples;

sending the tuples to one or more of the globally shared, associatively addressed memory spaces;

converting tuples from the globally shared, associatively addressed memory spaces to data usable by the processor; and

dynamically rendering a graphical user interface (GUI) based on the GUI establishing instructions.

15. A computer-implemented method for executing a MoDAL application, comprising:

receiving the application at a processor;

converting the MoDAL language of the application to binary language;

processing the application to identify graphical user interface (GUI) establishing instructions therein; and

dynamically rendering a graphical user interface (GUI) based on the GUI establishing instructions.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the MoDAL language includes plural language elements for establishing:

GUI elements, action elements at least some of which can be associated with respective GUI elements, and MoDAL elements at least some of which can be associated with respective action elements and respective GUI elements.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the GUI elements are selected from the group of elements including one or more of forms, buttons, fields, lists, pop up triggers, menus, help strings, and tables.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the action elements are selected from the group of elements including one or more of database read, database write, database delete, tuple send, tuple query, formgoto, appstop, set, get, condition, and date.

19. A computer program product comprising:

a computer program storage device readable by an information appliance; and

a program means on the program storage device and including program code elements embodying instructions executable by the information appliance for performing method steps for dynamically rendering a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display associated with the information appliance, the method steps comprising;

converting at least one application written in MoDAL language to a binary format for executing the application;

rendering the GUI on the display based on the binary format.

20. A computer program product comprising:

a computer program storage device readable by an information appliance; and

a program means on the program storage device and including program code elements embodying instructions executable by the information appliance for performing method steps for dynamically rendering a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display associated with the information appliance, the method steps comprising;

converting at least one application written in a language to a binary format for executing the application;

rendering the GUI on the display based on the binary format, wherein the language includes plural language elements for establishing;

GUI elements, action elements at least some of which can be associated with respective GUI elements, and MoDAL elements at least some of which can be associated with respective action elements and respective GUI elements.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the GUI elements are selected from the group of elements including one or more of forms, buttons, fields, lists, pop up triggers, menus, help strings, and tables.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the action elements are selected from the group of elements including one or more of database read, database write, database delete, tuple send, tuple query, formgoto, appstop, set, get, condition, and date.