Running state migration of platform specific graphical user interface widgets between heterogeneous device platforms

• US 7,934,162 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2002
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Song, Yu, Wong, Hoi Lee Candy, Kurakake, Shoji, Katagiri, Masaji, Chu, Hao-hua
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William L
• Assistant Examiner(s): NUNEZ, JORDANY
• Application Number:
  US10/271,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20030067485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,115 Days
• Field of Search: 715 1-999, 707 1-999, 717 1-999
• US Class Current: 715/747
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A scaleable graphical user interface system for migrating the running state of graphical user interface widgets between heterogeneous device platforms includes a platform independent presentation model. The current running state of a first platform specific presentation operating on a first heterogeneous device platform may update the running state of the platform independent presentation model. The platform independent presentation model may be customized to generate a second platform specific presentation for a second heterogeneous device platform. The running state of the platform independent presentation module may be applied to the second platform specific presentation module to implement the current running state from the first heterogeneous device platform on the second heterogeneous device platform.

Claims

1. A method of migrating the running state of an application graphical user interface from one heterogeneous device platform to another heterogeneous device platform, the method comprising:

a) instantiating a first platform independent presentation model of an application in response to determining to migrate the application, including updating the running state of the first platform independent presentation model with a current running state of a platform specific presentation operable on a first heterogeneous device platform, wherein the running state of the first platform independent presentation model is received in serialized form over a network;

b) generating a second platform specific presentation capable of operation on a second heterogeneous device platform by dynamically customizing the first platform independent presentation model based on graphical user interface capabilities of the second heterogeneous device platform; and

c) implementing the current running state from the first heterogeneous device platform in the second platform specific presentation to migrate the application from the first heterogeneous device platform to the second heterogeneous platform.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a) comprises synchronizing the current running state of a platform specific graphical user interface widget included in the first platform specific presentation to the running state of a corresponding platform independent graphical user interface widget included in the first platform independent presentation model.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein b) comprises passing the running state from the platform independent graphical user interface widget to a platform specific graphical user interlace widget included in the second platform specific presentation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein b) comprises transforming the running state of a platform independent graphical user interface widget included in the first platform independent presentation model when the platform independent graphical user interface widget is transformed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein c) comprises maintaining at least one of appearance, state changes and entered data displayed in the first platform specific presentation for display in the second platform specific presentation.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the application comprises a scalable application, and further comprising the scalable application generating the platform independent presentation model.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein implementing the current running state in the second platform specific presentation comprises displaying the current running state on a display screen of the second heterogeneous device platform.

6. A method of migrating the running state of an application graphical user interface from one heterogeneous device platform to another heterogeneous device platform, the method comprising:

a) obtaining the current running state of a first platform specific graphical user interface widget included in a first platform specific presentation operable on a first heterogeneous device platform, wherein a) comprises receiving the running state of the first platform specific graphical user interface widget in serialized form over a network;

b) synchronizing the running state of the first platform specific graphical user interface widget with the running state of a corresponding platform independent graphical user interface widget in a platform independent presentation model;

c) after synchronizing the running state of the first platform specific graphical user interface, then customizing the platform independent presentation model to generate a second platform specific presentation for operation on a second heterogeneous device platform; and

d) applying the running state from the platform independent graphical user interface widget to a corresponding second platform specific graphical user interface widget included in the second platform specific presentation to migrate the application from the first heterogeneous device platform to the second heterogeneous device platform.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising c) displaying the running state on a display screen of the second heterogeneous device platform.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a) comprises capturing at least one of state changes, appearance and data from the first platform specific graphical user interface widget.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein b) comprises updating the running state of the platform independent graphical user interface widget with the running state of the first platform specific graphical user interface widget.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein c) comprises dynamically rearranging the layout of the platform independent graphical user interface widget within a page to develop the second platform specific graphical user interface widget, the layout dynamically rearranged to fit within a display screen of the second heterogeneous device platform.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein c) comprises transforming the platform independent graphical user interface widget to another graphical user interface widget to develop the second platform specific graphical user interface widget when the platform independent graphical user interface widget does not fit within a display screen of the second heterogeneous device platform.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein transforming comprises converting the running state of the platform independent graphical user interface widget according to the widget types of the platform independent graphical user interface widget and the another graphical user interface widget.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein c) comprises:

dynamically arranging the layout of the platform independent graphical user interface widget; and

transforming the platform independent graphical user interface widget.

14. The method of claim 6, further comprising e) transmitting the second platform specific presentation to the second heterogeneous device platform over a network.

21. The method of claim 6 wherein the application comprises a scalable application, and further comprising the scalable application generating the platform independent presentation model.

15. A scalable graphical user interface system for migrating the running state of an application graphical user interface from one heterogeneous device platform to another heterogeneous device platform, the scalable graphical user interface system comprising:

a first platform specific presentation that includes a first platform specific graphical user interface widget, wherein the first platform specific presentation is operable on a first heterogeneous device platform; and

a server operable to receive the current running state of the first platform specific graphical user interface widget in serialized form over a network; and

a platform independent presentation model accessible by the server, the server operable to synchronize the current running state of the first platform specific graphical user interface widget with the running state of a corresponding platform independent graphical user interface widget included in the platform independent presentation model,

wherein the platform independent presentation model is customizable by the server to generate a second platform specific presentation capable of operation on a second heterogeneous device platform, and is customized by the server after the server synchronizes the current running state of the first platform specific graphical user interface widget with the running state of the corresponding platform independent graphical user interface widget,

wherein the server is operable to apply the running state from the platform independent graphical user interface widget to a corresponding second platform specific graphical user interface widget included in the second platform specific presentation to migrate the application from the first heterogeneous device platform to the second heterogeneous device platform.

16. The scalable graphical user interface system of claim 15, wherein the running state comprises at least one of a state change of the platform specific graphical user interface widget, appearance of the first platform specific graphical user interface widget and data selectively included in the first platform specific graphical user interlace widget.

17. The scalable graphical user interlace system of claim 15, wherein the server is operable to transform the platform independent graphical user interface widget and the corresponding running state with a transformation rule as part of the customization.

18. The scalable graphical user interface system of claim 15, wherein the server is operable to change the layout of the platform independent graphical user interface widget while maintaining the running state as part of the customization.

19. The scalable graphical user interface system of claim 15, further comprising a network, wherein the server is operable to send and receive the running state over the network.

22. The scalable graphical user interface system of claim 15 wherein the application comprises a scalable application, and further comprising the scalable application generates the platform independent presentation model.

24. The scalable graphical user interface system of claim 15, further comprising a display screen of the second heterogeneous device platform.