Method and system for interacting with devices having different capabilities

• US 7,380,250 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2001
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Schechter, Greg D., Niyogi, Shanku S., Kurlander, David J., Nye, Kris N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): WU, QING YUAN
• Application Number:
  US09/934,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20020133635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,472 Days
• Field of Search: 707/6, 707/513, 709/246, 719/310, 719/328, 715/513, 715/517, 715/760
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

A method and system for interacting with devices having different capabilities is described. Intelligent server-side objects (referred to as adapters) are used to translate information and commands to and from various formats depending on the requirements and capabilities of the target device. Using an interface to the adapters, a software developer may create a form without knowing the exact details or features of the device upon which the form will be displayed. Adapters are logically grouped together in adapter sets wherein a set of adapters may be used to transform information to and from a set of devices with common capabilities. An adapter may inherit attributes and methods from another adapter in the same or another adapter set. An adapter set may inherit adapter associations, i.e., which server objects should be mapped to which adapters, from another adapter set. To make a new or existing device compatible with existing server applications, a device developer may relatively quickly create one or more adapters.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for selecting an adapter to transform information sent from a server object to a device and information sent from the device to the server object, comprising:

determining a capability of the device;

retrieving information about an adapter set based on the capability;

using the information to determine if the adapter set is applicable to the capability, wherein using the information step, comprises;

selecting each adapter in the adapter set;

determining if the selected adapter maps to a control identified by the information;

indicating that the adapter set is applicable if the selected adapter maps to the control;

if the selected adapter does not map to the control, determining if an ancestor of the selected adapter maps to the control;

indicating that the adapter set is applicable if an ancestor of the selected adapter maps to the control;

if an ancestor of the selected adapter does not map to the control, indicating that the adapter set is not applicable; and

in response to an indication that the adapter set is applicable, selecting the adapter set, wherein the adapter is selected from the adapter set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the capability of the device includes querying the device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the capability of the device includes looking up the capability in a database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein using the information to determine whether the adapter set is applicable, further comprises:

for each adapter set that is an ancestor of the adapter set, performing steps, comprising;

selecting each adapter in the ancestor adapter set;

determining if the selected adapter in the ancestor adapter set or any of its ancestors map to the control;

if the selected adapter in the ancestor adapter set or any of its ancestors map to the control, indicating that the ancestor adapter set is applicable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving information is performed by double dispatching.

6. A computer program product stored on a computer storage medium comprising instructions executed by a computer for transforming data sent from a server to a device and for transforming data sent from the device to the server, the instructions comprising:

determining a capability of the device;

retrieving information about an adapter set;

using the information to determine if the adapter set is applicable to the capability wherein using the information step, comprises;

selecting each adapter in the adapter set;

determining if the selected adapter maps to a control identified by the information;

indicating that the adapter set is applicable if the selected adapter maps to the control;

if the selected adapter does not map to the control, determining if an ancestor of the selected adapter maps to the control;

indicating that the adapter set is applicable if an ancestor of the selected adapter maps to the control;

if an ancestor of the selected adapter does not map to the control, indicating that the adapter set is not applicable; and

in response to an indication that the adapter set is applicable, selecting the adapter set and using it to transform the data.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the device transmits its capability.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the capability is included in a database.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein an adapter set is applicable when an adapter within the adapter set, an ancestor adapter set of the adapter set, or one of the adapters in the ancestor adapter set maps to the control.

10. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein determining whether the adapter set is applicable includes performing double dispatching.

11. A system for transforming data sent from a server to a device and for transforming data sent from the device to the server, comprising:

a device capabilities component that determines capabilities of the device;

a receiving component that receives data sent from the device and directs it to an adapter;

a sending component that receives data from the adapter and sends it to the device;

an adapter selector component that determines whether an adapter set is applicable to a capability of a device, wherein the adapter selector component performs the steps of;

selecting each adapter in an adapter set;

determining if the selected adapter maps to a control;

indicating that the adapter set is applicable if the selected adapter maps to the control;

if the selected adapter does not map to the control, determining if an ancestor of the selected adapter maps to the control;

indicating that the adapter set is applicable if an ancestor of the selected adapter maps to the control;

if an ancestor of the selected adapter does not map to the control, indicating that the adapter set is not applicable; and

a device interaction component coupled to the device capabilities component, the receiving component, the adapter selector component and the sending component, wherein the device interaction component coordinates communication between the device and an application executing on the server.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the device capabilities component determines the capabilities of the device by querying the device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the device capabilities component determines the capabilities of the device by using a database.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the adapter is selected from an adapter set that is applicable to the device as determined by the adapter selector component.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the adapter is selected using double dispatching.

16. A system for transforming data sent between a device and a server, comprising:

means for determining a capability of the device;

means for receiving data sent from the device and directing the data to an adapter;

means for sending data received from the adapter to the device;

means for determining whether an adapter set is applicable to the capability of the device, wherein the means for determining performs the steps of;

selecting each adapter in an adapter set;

determining if the selected adapter maps to a control;

indicating that the adapter set is applicable if the selected adapter maps to the control;

if the selected adapter does not map to the control, determining if an ancestor of the selected adapter maps to the control;

indicating that the adapter set is applicable if an ancestor of the selected adapter maps to the control;

if an ancestor of the selected adapter does not map to the control, indicating that the adapter set is not applicable; and

means for coordinating communication between the device and an application executing on the server, the means for coordinating being coupled to the means for determining a capability, the means for receiving, the means for sending, and the means for determining whether an adapter set is applicable.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for determining a capability determines the capabilities of the device by querying the device.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for determining a capability determines the capabilities of the device by using a database.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the adapter is selected from an adapter set that is applicable to the device as determined by the means for determining whether an adapter set is applicable.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the adapter is selected using double dispatching.