×

Automatic software production system

  • US 6,681,383 B1
  • Filed: 04/04/2000
  • Issued: 01/20/2004
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2000
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
Patent Images

1. An automated software production tool, comprising:

  • a CASE tool for controlling a computer to provide a user interface that provides tools which a user can invoke to create a conceptual model comprised of an object model, a dynamic model, a functional model and a presentation model, said conceptual model being an abstract graphical representation of a solution to a problem wherein said conceptual model will be automatically translated into a computer program which will be able to control a computer to provide said solution of said problem said user is trying to solve, said object model being a graphical model of the objects to be employed in said computer program and defining classes of said objects, said dynamic model specifying valid object life cycles for each objects defined in said object model and inter-object communications between objects in response to services, triggers and global transactions, said functional model specifying valuations of objects which means how every event changes an object'"'"'s state depending upon the arguments of the involved event and the object'"'"'s current state, and said presentation model being built using tools or icons representing basic patterns in user interfaces and defining a desired user interface behavior for said computer program, and said CASE tool for automatically converting said conceptual model into a formal language specification written in an unambiguous, object-oriented, formal language having predetermined precise rules of grammar, syntax and semantics which are such that said formal specification can be validated to ensure that said formal language specification is an unambiguous, correct and complete statement of said solution of said problem said user is trying to solve;

    a computer-readable medium for storing said formal specification;

    a validator for validating said formal language specification to ensure that said formal language specification is complete and correct, “

    complete”

    meaning all the required properties of said conceptual model are defined and have a value, and “

    correct”

    meaning the information introduced in the conceptual model by the user complies with said rules of syntax of said formal language and is semantically consistent and not ambiguous, said validator outputting a validated formal language specification of said solution to said problem prior to automatic translation of said validated formal language specification into computer program code; and

    a translator for automatically generating computer program code that can either control a computer to solve said problem or which can be compiled into an executable form which can control a computer to solve said problem, said computer program code being a complete, automatically generated computer program implementation in a predetermined, user chosen computer program language of said validated formal language specification, and wherein said computer program code includes instructions for handling said user interface in accordance with said patterns specified in said presentation model.

View all claims
  • 1 Assignment
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×