System for development, management and operation of distributed clients and servers

• US 7,529,767 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2005
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Patricia Ida Musolino
• Original Assignee: Zeosoft Technology Group Inc.
• Inventors: DeAnna, Robert, Freeland, Bryan, Huestis, Erik, McFeely, Dan, Huestis, Michael, Gockeler, Bill
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US11/176,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,398 Days
• Field of Search: 707/4, 707/10, 707/100, 707/102, 707/103.R, 706/61, 709/219, 709/203, 709/217, 717/120
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A lightweight application server for use on portable or embedded devices includes an application manager and services containers. Each of these is managed by an admin server allowing for remote and rapid deployment and maintenance of applications, objects and features associated with the server-enabled portable or embedded devices. This permits portable devices like PDAs to provide server functionality to each other, in a fully portable network if desired. A system including such server-enabled portable or embedded devices may include, among other things, a decision flow server for facilitating distributed decision flow processing.

Claims

1. A system of client and server devices comprising:

at least one mobile wireless device, each mobile wireless device comprising an application server including an application in a services container, and a client in a services container, the application server being responsive to inputs from at least one other device, the services container of each of the application and the client controlling at least one of security, application life cycle or a persistence requirement, the services container including the application comprising a database application and an object operable to access a data storage;

a network for providing communications between the devices;

a device operable for managing the application server on the at least one mobile wireless device; and

wherein

the application in a services container is operable for processing communications sent via the network from another device and the client in the services container is operable for transmitting, via the network, communications to another device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the services container including the application comprises an administrative object operable for controlling at least one application operating on at least one of the at least one mobile wireless client device.

3. The system of claim 2, comprising an application manager including a deployment engine for changing functionality of the application server in response to remote control.

4. The system of claim 3, comprising an application manager including an administrative tool operable to poll status of the at least one mobile wireless device.

5. The system of claim 2, comprising an application manager including an administrative tool operable to poll status of the at least one mobile wireless device.

6. The system of claim 2, comprising plural service containers each including an application, each services container including an application comprising a Java application, wherein the application manager runs on a Java virtual machine and is operable to deploy, initiate or stop Java applications in the plural service containers without closing the Java virtual machine.

7. The system of claim 1, comprising an application manager including a database access manager.

8. The system of claim 7, comprising a database access manager including an encryption module using one of a group of a private key operable to decrypt data accessed from the data store, a shared private key operable to encrypt the business object, and a public key of the client operable to encrypt the business object.

9. The system of claim 8, comprising an application manager including a deployment engine for changing functionality of the application server in response to remote control.

10. The system of claim 9, comprising an application manager including an administrative tool operable to poll status of the at least one mobile wireless device.

11. The system of claim 8, comprising an application manager including an administrative tool operable to poll status of the at least one mobile wireless device.

12. The system of claim 7, comprising an application manager including a deployment engine for changing functionality of the application server in response to remote control.

13. The system of claim 12, comprising an application manager including an administrative tool operable to poll status of the at least one mobile wireless device.

14. The system of claim 7, comprising an application manager including an administrative tool operable to poll status of the at least one mobile wireless device.

15. The system of claim 1, comprising an access manager including an API operable for receiving a client database request, accessing the data storage on the at least one mobile wireless device, populating a business object with returned data, and sending the populated business object to a calling method of the client in the services container on the at least one mobile wireless device.

16. The system of claim 15, comprising an application manager including a deployment engine for changing functionality of the application server in response to remote control.

17. The system of claim 16, comprising an application manager including an administrative tool operable to poll status of the at least one mobile wireless device.

18. The system of claim 15, comprising an application manager including an administrative tool operable to poll status of the at least one mobile wireless device.

19. The system of claim 1, comprising an application manager including a graphical user interface.

20. The system of claim 19, comprising an application manager including a deployment engine for changing functionality of the application server in response to remote control.

21. The system of claim 20, comprising an application manager including an administrative tool operable to poll status of the at least one mobile wireless device.

22. The system of claim 19, comprising an application manager including an administrative tool operable to poll status of the at least one mobile wireless device.

23. The system of claim 19 wherein the graphical user interface is operable to provide users of the at least one mobile device with secure management.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the graphical user interface is operable to provide users of the at least one mobile wireless device with secure management to control the application manager and the application in a services container.

25. The system of claim 1, comprising an application manager including a deployment engine for changing functionality of the application server in response to remote control.

26. The system of claim 25, comprising an application manager including an administrative tool operable to poll status of the at least one mobile wireless device.

27. The system of claim 1, comprising an application manager including an administrative tool operable to poll status of the at least one mobile wireless device.

28. The system of claim 1, comprising an application manager including a security manager.

29. The system of claim 1, comprising an application manager and wherein the application in a services container comprises plural service containers each comprising a Java application.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the application manager runs as a JAVA application.

31. The system of claim 29 wherein the application manager is operable to deploy, initiate or stop JAVA applications in the plural services containers.

32. The system of claim 1 comprising an application manager operable to manage an application object and wherein the application server in a services container comprises at least one services container and an application object.

33. The system of claim 32, comprising a security service, the application object is an application and the application manager is operable to set a parameter for limiting access to the application unless a security requirement is satisfied for responding to requests from remote objects.

34. the system of claim 1, comprising plural embedded devices comprising program logic.

35. The system of claim 1, comprising an API operable for receiving a client database request, accessing a data storage on each wireless device, populating a business object with returned data, and sending the populated business object to a calling method of the client in the services container, the services container containing the application being operable to access the data storage even if the client in the services container is using a different database application.

36. The system of claim 1 wherein the security manager is operable to verify that communications with the application server are with trusted sources.

37. The system of claim 1 wherein the security manager is operable to enable encrypted communications.

38. The system of claim 1 wherein a user interface is provided by the at least one mobile wireless device.

39. The system of claim 38 wherein the user interface is a web interface.

40. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication between the devices is provided over TCP/IP.

41. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication between the devices is provided by SOAP.

42. The system of claim 1 wherein the data storage comprises a database.

43. The system of claim 42 wherein the database comprises a micro-database.

44. The system of claim 1 wherein the services container including the application synchronizes data with an enterprise system.

45. The system for claim 1 wherein the device operable for managing the application server on the at least one mobile wireless device deploys an application to the at least one mobile wireless device.

46. The system of claim 1 wherein the device operable for managing the application server on the at least one mobile wireless device deploys a software component.

47. The system of claim 46 wherein the software component comprises an application.

48. The system of claim 46 wherein the software component is deployed within the services container including the application.

49. The system of claim 46 wherein the software component is deployed outside the services container including the application.

50. The system of claim 1 wherein the object operable to access a data storage accesses the data storage through JDBC.

51. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication between the devices supports SSL.