Dynamic user interfaces for network services

• US 7,028,310 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2001
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hertling, William E., Obradovic, Petar
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/943,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20040205117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 709201- 3, 709/213, 709/223, 709227-230, 709/246, 709/250, 719/328, 719/329, 719/320
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In order to assure that services in an network and applications or users in the network are able to communicate and interact with one another a framework is provided that registers the service. The service provides the necessary information, in particular configuration files that are processed by the framework. The framework directly interfaces to a user by way of application or applications used by the users. An interface is established between the application and the framework allowing the user to indirectly communicate to the service by way of the framework. This allows the interface to the service and to the application to be handled by the framework.

Claims

1. A method of establishing an interface between a service and an application, wherein the interface is a computer interface, the service is provided through a network, and the application operates on the computer, the method comprising:

configuring a computer implemented framework manaaement module that creates a graphical user interface that directly interfaces the service through the network to a user operating the application of the computer; and

using the framework to register the service, generate a unique reauest identification, append the unique reauest identification to a content file, return the content file to the service, and provide service information from the framework to the computer application through the user interface, wherein the framework facilitates the creation and processing of user interfaces that are oresented to the user.

2. The method of establishing an interface between a service and an application of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a configuration file from the service to the framework.

3. The method of establishing an interface between a service and an application of claim 2 wherein the configuration file is written in an extensible markup language.

4. The method of establishing an interface between a service and an application of claim 2 wherein the framework processes the configuration file as part of the registering of the service.

5. The method of establishing an interface between a service and an application of claim 2 wherein the configuration file is further comprised of extensible style-sheet markup language transformation files.

6. The method of establishing an interface between a service and an application of claim 2 wherein the configuration file further comprises:

predefined user interfaces;

a list of target applications that are supported;

a list of transformations that are supported; and

a list of application specific handlers.

7. The method of establishing an interface between a service and an application of claim 6 wherein the configuration file is written in an extensible markup language.

8. The method of establishing an interface between a service and an application of claim 6 wherein the configuration file is further comprised of extensible style-sheet markup language transformation files.

9. A system of establishing an interface between a service and an application, wherein the interface is a computer interface, the service is provided through a network, and the application operates on the computer, the system being comprised of:

a computer implemented framework configured to create a graphical user interface that directly interfaces the service through the network to a user operating the application of the computer, wherein the framework

registers the service,

generates a unique request identification;

appends the unique request identification to a content file;

returns the content file to the service; and

provides service information to the application.

10. The system of establishing an interface between a service and an application of claim 9 wherein the service provides a configuration file to the framework.

11. The system of establishing an interface between a service and an application of claim 10 wherein the configuration file is written in an extensible markup language.

12. The system of establishing an interface between a service and an application of claim 10 wherein the configuration file is further comprised of extensible style-sheet markup language transformation files.

13. The system of establishing an interface between a service and an application of claim 10 wherein the framework processes the configuration file as part of the registering of the service.

14. The system of establishing an interface between a service and an application of claim 10 wherein the service provides a configuration file to the framework, wherein the configuration file further comprises of:

predefined user interfaces;

a list of target applications that are supported;

a list of transformations that are supported; and

a list of application specific handlers.

15. The system of establishing an interface between a service and an application of claim 14 wherein the configuration file is written in an extensible markup language.

16. The system of establishing an interface between a service and an application of claim 14 wherein the configuration file is further comprised of extensible style-sheet markup language transformation files.

17. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

a computer running an application;

computer readable medium coupled to the processor; and

computer code encoded in the computer readable medium, configured to cause the processor to use a framework that creates a graphical user interface that directly interfaces an Internet service to a user operating the application of the comouter and wherein the framework registers the service, generates a unique request identification, appends the unique request identification to a content file, returns the content file to the service, and provides service information from the framework to the computer application through the user interface, wherein the mework facilitates the creation and rocessin of user interfaces that are presented to the user.

18. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the computer code is further configured to cause the processor to:

provide a configuration file from the service to the framework.

19. The computer system of claim 18 wherein the configuration file is written in an extensible markup language.

20. The computer system of claim 18 wherein the framework process the configuration file as part of registering the service.

21. The computer system of claim 18 wherein the configuration file is further comprised of extensible style-sheet markup language transformation files.

22. The computer system of claim 18 wherein the configuration file further comprises:

predefined user interfaces;

a list of target applications that are supported;

a list of transformations that are supported; and

a list of application specific handlers.

23. The computer system of claim 18 wherein the configuration file is written in an extensible markup language.

24. The computer system of claim 18 wherein the configuration file is further comprised of extensible style-sheet markup language transformation files.

25. An apparatus implemented in a computer environment for establishing a user interface between an Internet service and an application running on a comouter comprising:

means for providing a computer implemented framework, the framework interfacing directly to the service and the framework directly interfacing to the application, wherein the framework facilitates the creation and processing of user interfaces that are operable in the computer environment by a user;

means for registering the service with the framework;

means for generating a unique request identification;

means for appending the unique request identification to a content file;

means for returning the content file to the service; and

means for providing service information from the framework to the application.

26. The apparatusof claim 25 further comprising:

means for providing a configuration file from the service to the framework.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the configuration file is written in an extensible markup language.

28. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the framework processes the configuration file as part of the means for registering the service with the framework.

29. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the configuration file is further comprised of extensible style-sheet markup language transformation files.

30. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the configuration file further comprises:

predefined user interfaces;

a list of target applications that are supported;

a list of transformations that are supported; and

a list of application specific handlers.

31. The apparatus or claim 26 wherein the configuration file is written in an extensible markup language.

32. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the configuration file is further comprised of extensible style-sheet markup language transformation files.

33. A computer program product encoded in computer readable media and implemented in a computer environment, the computer program product comprising:

a first set of instructions, executable on a computer system, configured to provide a framework implemented in the computer environment, the framework interfacing directly to an Internet service and the framework directly interfacing to a computer application;

a second set of instructions, executable on the computer system, configured to register the service with the framework for creating a graphical user interface that directly interfaces the Internet service to a user operating the application of the computer, wherein the second set of instructions further generates a unique request identification, appends the unique request identification to a content file, returns the content file to the service; and

a third set of instructions, executable on the computer system, configured to provide service information from the framework to the application.

34. The computer program product of claim 33 further comprising:

a fourth set of instructions, executable on the computer system, configured to provide a configuration file from the service to the framework.

35. The computer program product of claim 34 wherein the configuration file is written in an extensible markup language.

36. The computer program product of claim 34 wherein the framework processes the configuration file as part of the second set of instructions.

37. The computer program product of claim 34 wherein the configuration file is further comprised of extensible style-sheet markup language transformation files.

38. The computer program product of claim 34 wherein the configuration file further comprises of:

predefined user interfaces;

a list of target applications that are supported;

a list of transformations that are supported; and

a list of application specific handlers.

39. The computer program product of claim 38 wherein the configuration file is written in an extensible markup language.

40. The computer program product of claim 38 wherein the configuration file is further comprised of:

extensible style-sheet markup language transformation files.