Computerized system and method for web enabling and/or web management of embedded applications

• US 7,275,096 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2002
• Issued: 09/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telelogic North America, Inc. (Ratos AB)
• Original Assignee: Telelogic North America, Inc. (Ratos AB)
• Inventors: Green, Doron
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, KENNY S
• Application Number:
  US10/247,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20030101255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,831 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

The invention provides a computer implemented method, system, and computer program device for web-enabling a device. An application for remote monitoring and controlling capabilities may be automatically generated, to enable easy development of embedded applications. The application may be loaded onto a device that is to be web-enabled. The application on the device may offer interaction capabilities from standard browsers. A software modeling tool, e.g., a UML-based tool, supplies mechanisms for annotating software elements, and generating and/or customizing code and/or the user interface and/or device elements to be exposed to the web, thereby providing a fast-prototyping and collaborative environment for research and development teams. The web-enabled device may store a copy of the user interface locally. Preferably, the web-enabled device provides real-time updates of device information while connected to the remote user.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for allowing a user to control and/or monitor a device of various types, where the user and a user interface are located remotely form the device, in a real-time manner, comprising:

identifying a plurality of elements of the device;

indicating at least one of the elements to be manageable over a network;

in response to the indicating step, identifying a model of the device, tagging an object in the model corresponding to the indicated element, and running the model to generate an application to be provided to the device, wherein said generating the application includes generating remote management code corresponding to the indicated elements;

providing the device with the application for running the application on the device; and

responsive to initiation of the user interface, associating the indicated element corresponding to the application provided to the device to the user interface, and establishing communication between the user interface and the device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, while the device is in communication with the user interface, responsive to a user request, communicating from the user interface to the application running on the device to obtain current information regarding the device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, while the device is in communication with the user interface, responsive to a user request, transmitting a control command from the user interface to the remote device application, and executing the control command at the remote device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, while the device is in communication with the user interface, receiving from the remote device application, information sent to the user interface.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the information received from the remote device application is responsive to a request from the user interface, or is responsive to a change in information at the device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicating is performed utilizing a graphical tag.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicating is performed utilizing UML stereotypes, and wherein the application is modeled with a UML model.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicated at least one element is tagged with a predefined stereotype.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the device includes an embedded processor running the application, or a host running the application that controls the device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is at least one of the Internet, an Intranet, a local area network, and a wide area network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface functions in connection with a pre-existing browser.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a visual modeling tool provides the indicating.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising extracting at least a portion of the information from the model of the device, and creating the remote management code, to be used in connection with the application, that enables the at least one element to be visible and/or controllable from the network.

14. The method of claim 13, including a step of deducing the topology of the elements, for use in creating a natural looking hierarchy of objects in the application, which are to be presented on the user interface.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes at least one user control, and including determining which of the at least one user controls to associate with the at least one element, whereby a user interface that is suitable for the application is defined.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, on the user interface, responsive to a user request, navigating and/or inspecting a plurality of objects in the application and a state thereof.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the navigating and/or inspecting includes an expandable and collapsible graphical user interface.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising customizing the user interface by associating, at a computer on which the user interface runs, responsive to a web page of a user interface on the computer being rendered, at least one control and/or monitor in the web page to the at least one element of the application on the device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one control is one of an operation or an event, and the at least one monitor is one of a state, data or value, corresponding to the device.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising revising a content and/or a layout and/or an association of the web page.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote management code includes a web server and one or more web pages corresponding to the indicated element that can be accessed by the web server.

22. A computer implemented method for allowing a device of various types to be controlled and/or monitored by a user, where the user and a user interface are located remotely form the device, in a real-time manner, comprising:

identifying a model of the device, the device having at least one indicated element among a plurality of elements of the device, the at least one element of the device being manageable over a network;

tagging an object in the model corresponding to the indicated element;

running the model to generate an application to be provided to the device, wherein said generating the application includes generating remote management code corresponding to the indicated elements;

providing the device with the application for running the application on the device; and

allowing communication between the device and a user interface, and allowing the at least one indicated element of the device corresponding to the application that was provided to the device to be managed.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising, while the device is in communication with the user interface, responsive to a request for current information, transmitting from the application, to the user interface, current information regarding the device.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising, while the device is in communication with the user interface, responsive to a control command, executing the control command at the device.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising, while the device is in communication with the user interface, transmitting from the application, current information regarding the device.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the information transmitted from the application is responsive to a request from the user interface, or is responsive to a change in information at the device.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the device includes an embedded processor running the application, or a host running the application that controls the device.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the network is at least one of the Internet, an Intranet, a local area network, and a wide area network.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the user interface functions in connection with a pre-existing browser.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the application includes the topology of the elements.

31. The method of claim 22, further comprising providing the real-time behavior of the application for use in presentation on the user interface, including reducing the load on the CPU and memory resource of the device, by transferring at least a portion of the load to the browser.

32. The method of claim 22, further comprising, responsive to a request from the user, inspecting the application and at least one of a plurality of objects in the application and inspecting a state thereof.

33. The method of claim 22, wherein the device has no peripheral storage device, further comprising a file system in the application, simulating at least one input/output device and/or storage device.

34. The method of claim 22, further comprising storing at least a portion of the user interface in the device.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the portion of the user interface stored in the device is selected from web resource files, pictures, and HTML files.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the user interface has been customized.

37. The method of claim 22, wherein the remote management element code includes a web server and one or more web pages corresponding to the indicated element that can be accessed by the web server.