Information processing method and apparatus for preparing a GUI on a client by utilizing an electronic mail message or an agent

• US 6,219,054 B1
• Filed: 06/04/1998
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Komoda, Chifuyu, Ueno, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUNNINGHAM, GREGORY F
• Application Number:
  US09/090,507
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 345/352-354, 345/326, 345/340, 345/346, 345/333, 345/334, 345/335, 345/353, 395/650, 395/683, 395/700, 395/200.3, 395/200.43, 395/346-349, 395/326, 395/684
• US Class Current: 715/841
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A system for preparing a graphical user interface (GUI) on a client by utilizing an electronic mail message or an agent is provided. In one embodiment, a client (300) includes a client agent manager (330), a script interpretation part (320) and a client application (310), while a server includes a server agent manager (360) and a network service. The client (300), upon receiving an input request, retrieves a script corresponding to the same input request stored in a storage device (322) in the client (300). When the corresponding script is found on the storage device (322) as a result of the retrieval, the corresponding script is utilized to display a GUI containing the content requested by a user.

Claims

1. A method of updating a Graphical User Interface (GUI) on a computer, comprising the steps of:

acquiring an input for a menu request selected by a user;

retrieving a result script relating to the acquired input for the menu request on the computer; and

wherein when the result script is not found on the computer as a result of the retrieval, the method including the further steps of;

preparing an electronic mail message containing the acquired input for the menu request for sending the electronic mail message to another computer;

receiving at the computer an electronic mail message containing a process result sent from the another computer;

extracting the result script from the mail message received from the another computer; and

interpreting the extracted result script according to a predetermined rule and displaying a GUI based on the result of the interpretation.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of extracting the result script from the received electronic mail message further includes a step of storing the extracted result script in correlation to the input for the menu request.

3. A method of updating a GUI on a computer, comprising the steps of:

acquiring an input for a menu request selected by a user;

retrieving a result script relating to the acquired input for the menu request on the computer; and

wherein when the result script is not found on the computer as a result of the retrieval, the method including the further steps of;

preparing an agent containing the acquired input for the menu request for sending the agent to another computer;

receiving at the computer an agent containing a process result sent from the another computer;

extracting the result script from the agent received from the another computer; and

interpreting the extracted result script according to a predetermined rule and displaying a GUI based on the result of the interpretation.

4. A method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the step of extracting the result script from the received agent further includes a step of storing the extracted result script in correlation to the input for the menu request.

5. A method of preparing a GUI on a client computer, comprising the steps of:

acquiring a menu request selected by a user;

retrieving a request script relating to the selected menu request;

preparing an electronic mail message containing the retrieved request script for sending the electronic mail message to a server computer;

receiving at the client computer an electronic mail message containing a reply to the electronic mail message from the server computer;

extracting a result script from the electronic mail message received from the server computer; and

interpreting the extracted result script according to a predetermined rule to display a GUI based on the result of the interpretation.

6. A method of preparing a GUI on a client computer, comprising the steps of:

acquiring a menu request selected by a user;

retrieving a request script relating to the selected menu request;

preparing an electronic mail message by using the retrieved request script for sending the electronic mail message to a server computer when the request script is not found on the client computer as a result of the retrieval;

preparing a new request script from the selected menu request and preparing an electronic mail message containing the prepared request script for sending the electronic mail message to a server computer when the request script is not found on the client computer as a result of the retrieval;

receiving at the client computer an electronic mail message containing a reply to the electronic mail message from the server computer;

extracting a result script from the electronic mail message received from the server computer; and

interpreting the extracted result script according to a predetermined rule to display a GUI based on the result of the interpretation.

7. A method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the step of preparing the new request script further comprises a step of storing the new request script.

8. A method of preparing a GUI on a client computer, comprising the steps of:

acquiring a menu request selected by a user;

retrieving a result script relating to the selected menu request;

preparing a request script by using the retrieved data;

preparing an agent containing the prepared request script for sending the agent to a server computer;

receiving at the client computer an agent containing a reply to the agent from the server computer;

extracting the result script from the result agent received from the server computer; and

interpreting the extracted result script according to a predetermined rule and displaying a GUI based on the result of the interpretation.

9. A method of preparing a GUI on a client computer, comprising the steps of:

acquiring a menu request selected by a user;

retrieving a request script relating to the selected menu request;

preparing an agent by using the retrieved request script for sending the agent to a server computer when the request script is found on the client computer as a result of the retrieval;

preparing a new request script from the selected menu request and preparing an agent containing the prepared request script for sending the agent to a server computer when the request script is not found on the client computer as a result of the retrieval;

receiving at the client computer an agent containing a reply to the said agent from said server computer;

extracting a result script from the agent received from said server computer; and

interpreting the extracted result script according to a predetermined rule to display a GUI based on the result of the interpretation.

10. A method as set forth in claim 9, wherein the step of preparing the new request further comprises a step of storing the new script.

11. An apparatus for updating a GUI on a computer, comprising:

means for acquiring an input for a menu request selected by a user;

means for retrieving a result script relating to said acquired input for said menu request on said computer; and

means, responsive to a condition where said result script is not found on said computer as a result of said retrieval, for;

preparing a file containing said acquired input for said menu request for sending said file to another computer;

receiving at said computer a file containing a process result sent from said another computer;

extracting said result script from said file received from said another computer; and

for interpreting said extracted result script according to a predetermined rule and display a GUI based on the result of said interpretation.

12. An apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said means operative to prepare, receive, extract and interpret further comprises means operative to store said extracted result script in correlation to said input for said menu request.

13. A computer readable recording medium recording therein a program for updating a GUI on a computer, the program executing the steps of:

acquiring an input for a menu request selected by a user;

retrieving a result script relating to the acquired input for the menu request on the computer; and

wherein when the result script is not found on the computer as a result of the retrieval, the program further executing steps of;

preparing an electronic mail message containing the acquired input for the menu request for sending the electronic mail message to another computer;

receiving at the computer an electronic mail message containing a process result sent from the another computer;

extracting the result script from the mail message received from the another computer; and

interpreting the extracted result script according to a predetermined rule and displaying a GUI based on the result of the interpretation.

14. A computer readable recording medium recording therein a program for updating a GUI on a computer, the program executing the steps of:

acquiring an input for a menu request selected by a user;

retrieving a result script relating to the acquired input for menu request on the computer; and

wherein when the result script is not found on the computer as a result of the retrieval, the program further executing the steps of;

preparing an agent containing the acquired input for a menu request for sending the agent to another computer;

receiving at the computer an agent containing a process result sent from the another computer;

extracting the result script from the agent received from the another computer; and

interpreting the extracted result script according to a predetermined rule and displaying a GUI based on the result of the interpretation.