Data processing: software development – installation – and managem – Software program development tool – Translation of code
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-05
2001-06-05
Powell, Mark R. (Department: 2122)
Data processing: software development, installation, and managem
Software program development tool
Translation of code
C717S152000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243861
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tool for developing programs executed in a parallel, real time processor, and particularly to an object-oriented visual program development system for handling program entity, including pre-processing, function and post-processing sections for developing program sequences using graphical user interface (GUI) on an object-oriented basis, and to a method thereof.
2. Description of the Background Art
Here, the term “parallel, real time processing” refers to a process that handles a plurality of events in parallel to achieve one objective. A typical example of this is an automatic teller machine (ATM) of a financial institution that carries out deposits and withdrawals by performing in parallel such processes as communications with a host computer, reading of magnetic stripes on a card and a passbook, and printing in the passbook or on a receipt.
Although a common type ATM installed in a financial institution such as a bank reads either a cash card or a passbook, a new type of machine can read both of them in parallel. Although the former does not carry out parallel, real time processing, the latter does.
In developing application program sequences without requiring parallel, real time processings, a visual programming development environment has been conventionally provided using an object-oriented scheme that can be loaded into a personal computer or workstation. The visual programming development environment refers herein to an environment for developing program sequences using graphics such as a GUI (Graphical User Interface). As presently-available visual programming development environment, there are “Visual Basic” (trade name) and “Visual C++” (trade name) developed by Microsoft Corporation.
In developing programs for parallel, real time processors, however, it has been considered to be difficult to implement the visual programming development environment based on the object-oriented scheme because of difficulty of modeling the coordination between objects that execute the parallel processes. Here, an “object” in the object-oriented programming refers to a combination of a data item (such as variables, characters, numbers, and the like, which are also called property) with procedures (also called methods, a set of commands that can be executed on the object) associated with the data item.
Accordingly, in developing programs for parallel, real time processors, a conventional program development scheme has been generally employed in which manual coding using a programming language such as C language or PL/1 is required in its final stage. Thus, the coding using the existing programming language is common in developing application program sequences for the parallel, real time processors. This, however, does not always lead to high quality programs though it requires a large amount of effort and time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an object-oriented, visual program development system for handling program entities including pre-processing, function and post-processing sections suitable for developing application program sequences for parallel, real time processors, and a method thereof.
Specifically, in the object-oriented, visual program development system in accordance with the present invention for developing program sequences using graphical user interface on the object-oriented basis, each program entity, which is symbolized by an icon used in generating a diagram, has the following structural components:
(1) a pre-processing section coded in a programming language for performing a first operation such as determining parameters of a message sent to the object associated with the program entity;
(2) a function section for storing information indicating a method or procedure in the object in an object library; and
(3) a post-processing section coded in a programming language for performing a second operation such as interpreting a message sent back from the object.
In an aspect of the present invention, a parallel, real time processor comprises: an object library including objects; a diagram storage for storing a program obtained from a diagram composed of a combination of icons, each of which symbolizing a program entity which includes a pre-processing section coded in a programming language for performing a first operation, a function section for storing information about a linkage between the program entity and a procedure in one of the objects in the object library, and a post-processing section coded in a programming language for performing a second operation; an icon storage for storing program entities associated with the icons used in generating the diagram; and an interpreter for interpreting the program stored in the diagram storage using the program entities associated with the icons stored in the icon storage, whereby the parallel, real time processor interprets the program with the interpreter when executing the program, and executes the program by making correspondence of each program entity to the procedure in the object in the object library.
In another aspect of the present invention, an automatic transaction machine comprises: an object library including card objects and passbook objects; a diagram storage for storing a program obtained from a diagram composed of a combination of icons, each of which symbolizing a program entity which includes a pre-processing section coded in a programming language for performing a first operation, a function section for storing information about a linkage between the program entity and a procedure in one of objects in the object library including the card objects and the passbook objects, and a post-processing section coded in a programming language for performing a second operation; an icon storage for storing program entities associated with the icons used in generating the diagram; and an interpreter for interpreting the program stored in the diagram storage using the program entities associated with the icons stored in the icon storage, whereby the automatic transaction machine interprets the program with the interpreter when executing the program, and executes the program by making correspondence of each program entity to the procedures in the card object and the passbook object in the object library.
Thus structuring the program entities symbolized by icons and allowing coding of the pre-processing and post-processing sections during generation of the diagram, makes it possible to facilitate the system modeling based on the object-oriented scheme, serving to improve reusability of the objects.
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Hashimoto Koji
Nitta Tetsuji
Yamanaka Kiyoshi
Nguyen-Ba Hoang-Vu Antony
OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
Powell Mark R.
Rabin & Champagne, P.C.
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