Computer-based presentation manager and method for individual user-device data representation

• US 7,281,060 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2001
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Schulz, Torsten, Hofmann, Ralf, Pfohe, Thomas, Eilers, Bernd
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess; Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barqadle; Yasin M
• Application Number:
  US09/759,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20010009016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,461 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-203, 709217-220, 709227-231, 709/238, 709/246, 709/250, 709/24, 709/236, 715/513
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• 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: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Access to external service providers is provided through portlets, where each portlet accessible by a user is represented on the display of the user device. Through use of a dynamic content channel, e.g., a portlet, a highly customizable content page may be produced for any individual client system. When a portlet is selected on a user device, the content associated with the portlet is retrieved and automatically transformed into data that can be displayed by that user device. Thus, a particular user device is not limited to accessing content in a format identical to that associated with the user interface in use on the user device. Consequently, the user'"'"'s ability to access a wide variety of content sources independent of the characteristics of the particular user device is further enhanced.

Claims

1. A method for providing data to a user device comprising:

receiving a request from a user device generated by selection of a portlet identification object on the user device by a web server, wherein said request includes at least a description of said data, a command for acting on said data, and information identifying presentation requirements of said user device;

analyzing said request by said web server determine whether said request is for content associated with a portlet;

transferring said request to a presentation manager upon determining that said request is for said content associated with a portlet;

passing said request to said portlet by said presentation manager wherein said portlet retrieves data specified in said request over a network and further wherein said data has a source MIME type;

analyzing said information present in said request to identify a preferred user MIME type;

selecting a presentation scheme specific to said user device from a plurality of presentation schemes based upon said preferred user MIME type and said source MIME type, wherein each presentation scheme in said plurality of presentation schemes is for a user device and is the totality of the configuration information needed to extract said data from a first format and transform said data into new data for presentation of a user device associated with said each presentation scheme; and

converting said data from said source MIME type to said preferred user MIME type using said presentation scheme; and

transmitting said data converted from said source MIME type to said preferred user MIME type to said user device to allow the presentation of said data converted from said source MIME type to said preferred user MIME type on said user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting a presentation scheme comprises selecting an XSL-stylesheet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said command is selected from a group of commands consisting of load, save, article, and channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said command is a command article.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said command is a command channel.

6. A storage medium having stored thereon computer instructions for a method comprising:

receiving a request from a user device generated by selection of a portlet identification object on the user device by a web server, wherein said request includes at least a description of said data, a command for acting on said data, and information identifying presentation requirements of said user device;

analyzing said request by said web server to determine whether said request is for content associated with a portlet;

transferring said request to a presentation manager upon determining that said request is for said content associated with a portlet;

passing said request to said portlet by said presentation manager wherein said portlet retrieves data specified in said request over a network and further wherein said data has a source MIME type;

analyzing said information present in said request to identify a preferred user MIME type;

selecting a presentation scheme specific to said user device from a plurality of presentation schemes based upon said preferred user MIME type and said source MIME type, wherein each presentation scheme in said plurality of presentation schemes is for a user device and is the totality of the configuration information needed to extract said data from a first format and transform said data into new data for presentation on a user device associated with said each presentation scheme; and

converting said data from said source MIME type to said preferred user MIME type using said presentation scheme; and

transmitting said data converted from said source MIME type to said preferred user MIME type to said user device to allow the presentation of said data converted from said source MIME type to said preferred user MIME type on said user device.