Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer conferencing – Cooperative computer processing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-02
2004-04-20
Thompson, Marc D. (Department: 2152)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer conferencing
Cooperative computer processing
C709S203000, C709S218000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06725254
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for controlling information exchange between at least one central computer and a subscriber via a control system. Following a request from the subscriber, the control system receives the data relevant to the subscriber from the central computer in a first control phase, prepares and transmits the data to the subscriber, and in a second control phase also processes information consequently received from the subscriber and transmits it to the central computer.
Nowadays exchanging information between computers no longer presents a problem, provided that the exchange is performed using a set of fixed rules. A set of rules of this type is also referred to as a “protocol”. An example of such a protocol is the “Internet Protocol”. However, a protocol such as this does not suffice if information is to be exchanged not between two computers, but between a user and a computer. The information must be presented to the user in such a way that it can be entered and also amended if necessary. In the prior art the so-called “client/server model” is used for this purpose. With this method a computer, the “server”, makes functions available that a user at a different computer, the “client”, can use.
The exchange of information with a database managed by a central computer may serve as an example of the application of such a method. If the user requires information from the database, a connection is established between the two computers, so that the information can be transported to the user's computer. The client must present the information to the user in such a way that the user can work with it. If necessary, information amended by the user must be transmitted back to the central computer again. The method assumes that compatible versions of the relevant programs are available on both computers. If the user wishes to access several databases, a separate program that prepares the information is required on the user's computer for each database.
This requirement can be satisfied if the central computer or central computers determine the presentation of the information and use the same method for it. One instruction set suitable for this purpose is HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language). The instruction set is a defined group of instructions that determine the appearance of screen pages. Using the instruction set, the central computer describes how the information is to appear to the user and transmits the instructions to the computer at which the user is working. A program on the computer must ensure the correct conversion of the instructions. If all central computers use the same instructions for presenting their information, the user also requires only one program to be able to exchange information with all central computers or databases.
The known solution has the following disadvantage: the central computer must perform two additional tasks when preparing the data and evaluating the inputs made by the user, for which the programs that run on the computer must be extended. Moreover, it has to make resources, such as computing capacity and memory space for example, available to process the tasks. This can be avoided if the user no longer establishes the connection directly to the central computer, but rather to a control system located between the user and the central computer. The control system controls the information exchange between the user and the central computer and performs the task of preparing the information.
The control system must therefore be able to communicate both with the user and with the central computer. In addition to the preparation of the information to be sent to the user, communication with the user necessitates the evaluation of information coming from the user. There must however be a way of describing the flow of such an information exchange that includes the above-mentioned aspects. It must be possible to program the control system with the aid of this description.
A method known as “server side scripting” is used for programming the control system. The method is characterized by the fact that, in a program with which the structure by the face a screen page is described, it is possible to define program sections which are executed by the control system before the page is transmitted to the user. Using the instructions, the program sections containing it is possible, for example, to send information to the central computer or for the latter to request information. Information sent to the central computer originates from inputs the user made in previously processed screen pages. The information requested by the central computer can be prepared in the new page to be displayed. The program for screen generation ends with the transmission of the page to the user.
The problem of the known method is that the instructions the control system executes are always processed before the screen page is sent to the user. The inputs of the user, however, only arrive at the control system at a time when the program that built the page has already terminated. With the prior art, therefore, the processing of user inputs in the control system must be handled by another program. The building of a screen page takes place in a first control phase, and the processing of the inputs from the user in a second control phase. With the method, the control system requires a separate program for each control phase. Accordingly, in the prior art it is necessary to provide and maintain a plurality of programs and load and start them at different times. This requires an increased outlay, in particular also a high outlay for program development and program maintenance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a method for controlling information exchange via the Internet that overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art methods of this general type, in which no additional programs are required for processing information.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, an improved method for controlling an information exchange between at least one central computer and a subscriber via a control system, the improvement which includes: transmitting data relevant to the subscriber from the at least one central computer to the control system during a first control phase following a request from the subscriber; preparing and transmitting the data to the subscriber from the control system; and processing, during a second control phase, information subsequently received from the subscriber in the control system, and transmitting the information from the control system to the at least one central computer, the first control phase and the second control phase defined by a single control program.
With the method according to the invention, both the first control phase and the second control phase are defined by a single control program for the control system. In the first control phase, following a request from a subscriber, for example a user at a terminal, the control system receives the data relevant to the subscriber from the computer, for example from a central computer, prepares the data and transmits it to the subscriber. In the second control phase, the control system processes the information received from the subscriber and transmits it to the central computer. Execution of the control program is halted for the time the subscriber requires to process the information sent to him.
As a result of the invention, once it has detected the request from the subscriber, the control system can select the associated control program required to process the request. This consequently dispenses with, for example, subsequent accesses to the storage medium on which all control programs are located. In the case of the invention, the control program selected in each case is relatively large, since the commands for generating the second control phase, which hitherto had to be held in an additional program, are now include
Ahn Michael
Schinkel Fritz
Blair Douglas
Fujitsu Siemens Computers GmbH
Greenberg Laurence A.
Mayback Gregory L.
Stemer Werner H.
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