Distributed framework for intertask communication between workstation applications

• US 7,685,605 B1
• Filed: 02/11/1999
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Ahmed, Shamim, Dacic, Serge J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Van H
• Application Number:
  US09/250,027
• Time in Patent Office: 4,058 Days
• Field of Search: 709/310.332, 709/200, 709/203, 709/202, 719/310, 719/313, 719/316, 719/318
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/543 Local
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

In a workstation environment, several applications operate concurrently and it is desirable to communicate between applications. The present invention provides an apparatus for communicating between applications by using an extensible communication protocol with a graphical user interface. The user transmits an interest object associated with an event from a second application to a server, which forwards the interest object to a first application. When the first application practices the event, information concerning the practice of the event is transmitted from the first application to the second application without going through the server.

Claims

1. Apparatus including at least one processor for intercommunicating between a first client application and a second client application, comprising:

(a) setup means including predefinition storage means for selectively predefining and storing one or more events, one or more interest objects corresponding respectively to the one or more events, and one or more functions corresponding respectively to the one or more events, the one or more events including a particular event;

(b) input means for receiving an input from an operator corresponding to the practice of the particular event by the operator in the first client application and for presenting one or more functions to the operator in response to receipt of a second event; and

(c) transmission and reception means for;

(1) receiving an interest object corresponding to the particular event transmitted from the second client application via a server to be stored in the predefinition storage means;

(2) transmitting a set of information associated with the particular event stored in the predefinition storage means directly to the second client application without going through the server when the particular event is practiced by the first client application in response to the input provided by the operator via the input means;

(3) receiving a second particular event from the second client application; and

(4) transmitting a second interest object corresponding to the second particular event to the server, the server retransmitting the interest object to the second client application, the second client application transmitting information concerning the second particular event directly to the first client application without going through the server when a user practices the second particular event on the second client application.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the setup means including filter and session means, the filter and session means comparing the interest object received by the transmission and reception means with the one or more interest objects stored in the predefinition storage means and identifying the particular event when the received interest object corresponds to one of the one or more interest objects stored in the predefinition storage means,

the transmission and reception means transmitting information concerning the particular event stored in the predefinition storage means directly to the second client application without going through the server when the particular event is identified by the filter and session means and the particular event is practiced by the first client application in response to the input provided by the operator via the input means.

3. Client application apparatus, comprising:

storage means for storing a plurality of events, a plurality of functions associated, respectively, with the plurality of events, and a plurality of interest objects associated, respectively, with the plurality of events;

transmission and reception means for;

transmitting a first set of one or more of the plurality of interest objects to other client applications via a server;

receiving a second set of one or more of the plurality of interest objects from the other client applications via the server;

transmitting one or more of the plurality of events corresponding to the second set of interest objects directly to the other client applications, without going through a server, when a user of a client application practices one or more of the plurality of events; and

receiving one or more of the plurality of events, corresponding to the first set of interest objects, sent directly from the other client applications when an operator of one or more of the other client applications practices one or more of the plurality of events;

a workstation based system including a display screen; and

input means for making a events-to-be-transmitted selection for which of the plurality of events stored in the storage means will be transmitted to the other client applications and for making a events-to-be-received selection for which of the plurality of events stored in the storage means will be received from the other client applications and generating a signal in response thereto representative of the events-to-be-transmitted selection and of the events-to-be-received selection; and

the input means comprising a visual display on the display screen, the visual display including an open state status icon means for generating an open state status signal when the open state status icon means is clicked on by an operator, the open state status signal indicating that all of the plurality of events stored in the storage means can be transmitted by said transmission and reception means to the other client applications or can be received in the transmission and reception means from said other client applications when the open state status icon means is clicked on by the operator; and

wherein the transmission and reception means is responsive to the signal from the input means to transmit the events-to-be-transmitted selection of events and to receive the events-to-be-received selection of events.

4. The client application apparatus of claim 3, wherein the client application apparatus comprises a workstation based system including a display screen and wherein the input means comprises:

a visual display on the display screen, the visual display including a closed state status icon means for generating a closed state status signal when the closed state status icon means is clicked on by an operator, the closed state status signal indicating that none of the plurality of events stored in the storage means can be transmitted by said transmission and reception means to the other client applications or can be received in the transmission and reception means from said other client applications when the closed state status icon means is clicked on by the operator.

5. The client application apparatus of claim 3, wherein the client application apparatus comprises a workstation based system including a display screen and wherein the input means comprises:

a visual display on the display screen, the visual display including an event filter icon means for generating a subwindow on the display screen when the event filter icon means is clicked on by an operator, the subwindow including the plurality of events, the subwindow adapted to receive an input from the operator, the subwindow generating signals in response to the input from the operator indicating the events-to-be-transmitted selection and the events-to-be-received selection.

6. A workstation based system comprising:

a display screen for displaying one or more windows;

a plurality of client applications for presenting the one or more windows on the display screen for viewing by an operator, each of the client applications including;

icon generating means for generating an icon in the window on the display screen of each client application, the icon being operative responsive to a signal generated in response to input from the operator;

storage means for storing a plurality of events and a corresponding plurality of functions and a corresponding plurality of interest objects;

transmission and reception means for receiving one or more of the interest objects from one or more of the other client applications via a server;

comparison means responsive to the input signal from the icon for comparing the one or more interest objects received in the transmission and receptions means with the plurality of interest objects stored in the storage means and identifying one or more events stored in the storage means when the one or more interest objects received in the transmission and reception means corresponds to one or more of the plurality of interest objects storage in the storage means;

the comparison means selecting at least one of the one or more events stored in the storage means, identified by the comparison means, in response to the input signal from the icon;

framework means responsive to the selection of at least one of the one or more events by the comparison means for transmitting the at least one of the one or more events from the client application directly to the other client applications, without going through the server; and

the transmission and reception means further for;

transmitting a second interest object of the one or more interest objects corresponding to a second event of the one or more events to the one of the other client applications via the server; and

receiving the second event of the one or more events directly from the one of the other client applications without going through the server when the second event of the one or more events is practiced by the one of the other client applications in response to input provided by the other operator.

7. The workstation based system of 6, wherein the icon generating means generates an open state status icon, the comparison means selecting all of the one or more events stored in the storage means, the framework means transmitting all of the one or more events to the other client applications.

8. The workstation based system of 6, wherein the icon generating means generates a closed state status icon, the comparison means selecting none of the one or more events stored in the storage means, the framework means transmitting none of the one or more events to the other client applications.

9. The workstation based system of 6, wherein the icon generating means generates an event filter icon, the comparison means selecting either some or all of the one or more events stored in the storage means, the framework means transmitting the selected events to the other client applications.