Method and apparatus for use of an application state storage system in interacting with on-line services

• US 6,535,913 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2001
• Issued: 03/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Determine, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Selectica Incorporated (Determine, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mittal, Sanjay, Gupta, Puneet Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/811,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20010027483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/225, 709/328, 709/329, 705/26, 705/27, 705/28, 705/29, 707/10, 707/100, 707/104
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A change and update system for network-based knowledgebase (KB) sales and service facilities has a user interface (UI) system for accessing the facility over the network, software at the facility for negotiating with the user interface, and a state component at the facility storing state data for a configured order or service at the facility, the state data including a summary of the order or service and information regarding allowable alterations and effects of alterations. A user communicates through the user interface with the software at the facility, which negotiates changes to an existing order or service configuration using data from the state component, and the software, as a result of the negotiation, updates the configured order or service configuration with the negotiated changes.

Claims

1. A change and update system for existing orders in a network-based knowledgebase (KB) sales and service facility, comprising:

a user interface (UI) system executing on a client-side communication device for accessing the facility over the network;

software at the facility for negotiating with the user interface; and

a state component at the facility storing state data for the existing order at the facility, the state data including a summary of the order and information regarding allowable alterations and effects of alterations;

characterized in that a user communicates through the user interface with the software at the facility, which negotiates changes to the existing order using data from the state component, and the software, as a result of the negotiation, updates the existing order at the facility with the negotiated changes, and further characterized in that the client-side user interface (UI) system contains only the appropriate control codes and display capabilities required for interaction with the facility for changing and updating the existing order at the facility.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the network is the Internet network.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interface operates on a light client and the software at the facility comprises an application interface (AI) enabled to recognize the light client, and to transmit selectable options to the user interface based on the characteristics of the light client.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the light client is one of a hand-held computer, a telephone device, or a personal digital assistant (PDA).

5. The system of claim 3 wherein, upon access by a light client, the software at the facility determines if the client has a usable UI, and if not, transmits UI software to the client prior to the negotiation.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the facility is dedicated to product sales.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the facility is dedicated to one or more services.

8. A software suite for network-based knowledgebase (KB) sales and service facilities, comprising:

a first component storing at least a summary of an original configuration for a product or service; and

a second component for interfacing with a user interface (UI) executing on a client device;

characterized in that the second component negotiates with the first component using input from the client device to effect a change in the configuration, and further characterized in that the user interface (UI) contains only the appropriate control codes and display capabilities required for interaction with the second component for changing and updating a configured order at the facility.

9. The software suite of claim 8 wherein the network is the Internet network.

10. The software suite of claim 8 further comprising a third component for using the negotiated change to update the configuration.

11. The software suite of claim 8 wherein the client device is a light client and the second component comprises a facility for recognizing the client and communicating information to the client based on characteristics of the client.

12. The software of claim 11 wherein the light client is one of a hand-held computer, a telephone device, or a personal digital assistant (PDA), and the second component provides compatible information for the particular device.

13. The software of claim 11 wherein, upon access by a light client, the second component determines if the client has a usable UI, and if not, transmits UI software to the client prior to the negotiation.

14. The software of claim 8 dedicated to product configuration and change.

15. The software of claim 8 dedicated to service configuration and change.

16. The software suite of claim 8 wherein the second component additionally stores information regarding allowable alterations and effects of alterations, and the additional information is used in negotiating changes.

17. A method for effecting changes and updates for product and service configurations at a network-based knowledgebase (KB) sales and service facility, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing at least a summary of a configuration separate from the configuration, in a state storage component;

(b) communicating with a user interface (UI) applet executing on a client device for update data to effect a change in a configuration at the sales and service facility; and

(c) negotiating the change with the state storage facility.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the network is the Internet network.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the client device is a light client and in step (b) the nature of the light client is determined, and the communication with the light client is conducted to be compatible with characteristics of the light client.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the light client is one of a hand-held computer, a telephone device, or a personal digital assistant (PDA).

21. The method of claim 19 wherein, upon access by a light client, the software at the facility determines if the client has a usable user interface software (UI), and if not, transmits UI software to the client prior to negotiation.