WebTx gateway preprocessing hook

• US 6,643,679 B1
• Filed: 05/12/1999
• Issued: 11/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Freed, Jeremy A., Erickson, Joey L., Rappa, Scott L.
• Primary Examiner(s): COURTENAY III, ST JOHN
• Application Number:
  US09/310,578
• Time in Patent Office: 1,637 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/310-320, 709/328-332, 709/101
• US Class Current: 718/101
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/542 Intercept
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/548 Object oriented; Remote method invocation [RMI] non-remote method invocation G06F9/449

Abstract

A preprocessing DLL which may be appended to a service request for transfer to a gateway that runs within a Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) environment, and is capable of receiving requests from one or more different types of DCOM clients for service by an On-Line Transaction Processing (OLTP) style application running on an enterprise server. The services on the OLTP system are designed to accomplish a specific task, for example, update a user'"'"'s bank account balance following a debit or credit. In a preferred embodiment, the OLTP system is X/Open compliant. The DCOM Client can be any type of client, including a Visual Basic client, C++ client, or a Web Browser with Active Server Pages (ASP). The preprocessing DLL permits the efficient web server side preprocessing of data associated with the service request before the service request is transferred to and honored by the enterprise OLTP system.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a. an OLTP server which processes a service request;

b. a client server responsively coupled to said OLTP server;

c. a user terminal responsively coupled to said client server, whereby said service request generated by said user terminal is transferred to said OLTP server via said client server for processing; and

d. a preprocessing DLL appended to said service request whereby said client server preprocesses said service request before transfer to said OLTP server.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said OLTP server is responsively coupled to said client server via the world wide web.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said user terminal is an industry standard personal computer.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 further comprising a commercially available browser resident within said industry standard personal computer.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said OLTP server further comprises a Unisys 2200 system.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a. means for providing OLTP of a service request;

b. user terminal means for generating said service request;

c. means responsively coupled to said providing means and said user terminal means for serving said user terminal and for transferring said service request from said user terminal to said providing means; and

d. means responsively coupled to said service request for notifying said serving and transferring means of the efficacy of preprocessing said service request.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said providing means and said serving and transferring means are responsively coupled via the internet.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said user terminal means comprises an industry standard personal computer.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said user terminal means further comprises a browser.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said providing means comprises a Unisys 2200 system.

11. A method comprising:

a. generating a service request within a user terminal;

b. appending a preprocessing DLL to said service request;

c. transferring said service request and said appended preprocessing DLL to a client server;

d. preprocessing said service request within said client server in accordance with said preprocessing DLL; and

e. transferring said preprocessed service request from said client server to an OLTP server.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein said client server is coupled to said OLTP server via the world wide web.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein said OLTP server comprises a Unisys 2200 system.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein said user terminal comprises an industry standard personal computer.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein said user terminal further comprises an internet browser.