Systems and methods for developing and using real-time data applications

• US 10,338,896 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PTC Inc.
• Original Assignee: PTC Inc.
• Inventors: Huber, Philip J., Fan, Lawrence, Malapas, Samuel T., Hahr, Brandon, Bullotta, Rick
• Primary Examiner(s): Aponte, Francisco J
• Application Number:
  US15/303,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20170039038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 717109
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3072 where the reporting involves data filtering, e.g. pattern matching, time or event triggered, adaptive or policy-based reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing

Abstract

Methods and systems herein employ graphical elements as a coding basis within a development platform to develop Web applications that access and aggregate real-time data of connected devices. The development platform includes testing and development functions to simplify the development of mashup web applications. In one aspect, the platform causes updates of the client-side applications, and the real-time data to be received at each test device with a save action of the development workspace. In another aspect, the platform inserts code to enable caching operations at the client-side applications, based on associative linking of the graphical objects during development. In another aspect, the platform employs multiple-level hierarchical real-time data to enable the client-side applications to maintain client-side cursors of the last presentation state of the data upon an update of the applications.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for operating a real-time Web application, the computer-implemented method comprising:

providing, at a client-side application executing on a computing device, a graphical user interface comprising one or more rendering widgets for presentation of data associated with a plurality of second computing devices,

wherein the client-side application is defined by a plurality of application definition files having instructions to invoke a plurality of Web service objects, and

wherein the instructions, during runtime, cause retrieval of data from one or more storage computing devices for presentation on the one or more rendering widgets;

receiving, by the client-side application, from the one or more storage computing devices, one or more datasets corresponding to the invoked Web service objects;

responsive to receipt of the one or more datasets, caching, by the client-side application, each of the received one or more datasets;

responsive to the received one or more datasets being cached, presenting, by the client-side application, data of the cached one or more datasets via the one or more rendering widgets;

receiving, by the client-side application, a manifest file listing one or more updated application definition files having second instructions to invoke a second plurality of plurality of Web service objects;

responsive to receipt of the manifest file, retrieving, by the client-side application, the one or more updated application definition files listed in the manifest file;

responsive to receipt of the one or more updated application definition files, caching, by the client-side application, each of the received one or more updated application definition files; and

responsive to the received one or more updated application definition files being cached, updating, by the client-side application, the plurality of application definition files with the cached one or more updated application definition files.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the received one or more datasets comprise one or more multi-level datasets, wherein each multi-level dataset of the one or more multi-level datasets is organized in a hierarchical structure, wherein one or more levels of the multi-level dataset are organized based on members selected from the group consisting of a geographic area, a geographic site, a geographic region, a company subdivision, and a company.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein a multi-level dataset of the one or more multi-level datasets is received in two or more data streams.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface comprises an input widget for selection of data for the presentation via the one or more rendering widgets, wherein the input widget comprises a plurality of selectable elements, and wherein a first set of selectable elements of the input widget is associated with individual monitored assets of the plurality of second computing devices and a second set of selectable elements of the input widget is associated with groups of monitored assets.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the input widget is presented as a tree diagram.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising:

storing, by the client-side application, the data of the one or more rendering widgets in persistent memory.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the step of updating comprises storing the cached one or more updated application definition files in persistent memory.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the step of updating is performed in a transactional manner.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the client-side application is configured to continue to present data of the cached one or more datasets via the one or more rendering widgets when connectivity to the one or more storage computing devices is intermittent and/or sporadic.

10. A system comprising:

a processor and a memory having instructions stored therein, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

provide a graphical user interface of a client-side application, the graphical user interface comprising one or more rendering widgets for presentation of data associated with a plurality of monitored assets,

wherein the client-side application is defined by a plurality of application definition files having a set of instructions to invoke a plurality of Web service objects, and

wherein the set of instructions, during runtime, cause retrieval of data from one or more storage computing devices for presentation on the one or more rendering widgets;

receive one or more datasets corresponding to the invoked Web service objects;

responsive to receipt of the one or more datasets, caching each of the received one or more datasets; and

responsive to the received one or more datasets being cached, present data of the cached one or more datasets via the one or more rendering widgets;

receive a manifest file listing one or more updated application definition files having second instructions to invoke a second plurality of plurality of Web service objects;

responsive to receipt of the one or more manifest file, retrieve the one or more updated application definition files listed in the manifest file;

responsive to receipt of the one or more updated application definition files, cache each of the received one or more updated application definition files; and

responsive to the received one or more updated application definition files being cached, update the plurality of application definition files with the cached one or more updated application definition files.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the received one or more datasets comprise one or more multi-level datasets, wherein each multi-level dataset of the one or more multi-level datasets is organized in a hierarchical structure, wherein one or more levels of the multi-level dataset are organized based on members selected from the group consisting of a geographic area, a geographic site, a geographic region, a company subdivision, and a company.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein a multi-level dataset of the one or more multi-level datasets is received in two or more data streams.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the graphical user interface comprises an input widget for selection of data for the presentation via the one or more rendering widgets, wherein the input widget comprises a plurality of inputs, and wherein a first set of inputs of the input widget is associated with individual computing devices of the plurality of computing devices and a second set of inputs of the input widget is associated with groups of computing devices of the plurality of computing devices.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the input widget is presented as a tree diagram.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

store the data of the one or more rendering widgets in persistent memory.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to store the updated application definition files in persistent memory following the update of the plurality of application files.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the client-side application is configured to continue to present data of the cached one or more datasets via the one or more rendering widgets when connectivity to the one or more storage computing devices is intermittent and/or sporadic.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

provide a graphical user interface of a client-side application, the graphical user interface comprising one or more rendering widgets for presentation of data associated with a plurality of computing devices,

wherein the client-side application is defined by a plurality of application definition files having a set of instructions to invoke a plurality of Web service objects, and wherein the set of instructions, during runtime, cause retrieval of data from one or more storage computing devices for presentation on the one or more rendering widgets;

receive one or more datasets corresponding to the invoked Web service objects;

responsive to receipt of the one or more datasets, caching each of the received one or more datasets;

responsive to the received one or more datasets being cached, present data of the cached one or more datasets via the one or more rendering widgets;

receive a manifest file listing one or more updated application definition files having second instructions to invoke a second plurality of plurality of Web service objects;

responsive to receipt of the one or more manifest file, retrieve the one or more updated application definition files listed in the manifest file;

responsive to receipt of the one or more updated application definition files, cache each of the received one or more updated application definition files; and

responsive to the received one or more updated application definition files being cached, update the plurality of application definition files with the cached one or more updated application definition files.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the received one or more datasets comprise one or more multi-level datasets, wherein each multi-level dataset of the one or more multi-level datasets is organized in a hierarchical structure, wherein one or more levels of the multi-level dataset are organized based on members selected from the group consisting of a geographic area, a geographic site, a geographic region, a company subdivision, and a company.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the client-side application is configured to continue to present data of the cached one or more datasets via the one or more rendering widgets when connectivity to the one or more storage computing devices is intermittent and/or sporadic.