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EPA-Patent auf dynamische Webseiten (CGI u.ae.)
- To: swpat@ffii.org
- Subject: EPA-Patent auf dynamische Webseiten (CGI u.ae.)
- From: PILCH Hartmut <phm@a2e.de>
- Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2000 00:04:18 +0100 (CET)
- cc: debate@fitug.de
- Comment: This message comes from the debate mailing list.
- Sender: owner-debate@fitug.de
EP0747840
A method for fulfilling requests of a web browser
IBM (US)
Claims
1. A service agent for fulfilling requests of a web browser client
coupled to a network; comprising: a control program agent tangibly
embodying a program of instructions executable by a supporting machine
environment for performing method steps for receiving a request
initiated at said web browser client and fulfilling the request by a
providing a result, said method steps comprising:
displaying an HTML document to said web browser;
invoking a control program agent;
receiving data entered by the user from the HTML document and passing
said user entered data to said control program agent upon invocation
as input parameters to said control program agent that were returned
from said HTML document;
using an API set for invoking executable command files and programs
accessible via a associated command file object.
Hierunter duerfte jeder Webserver fallen, der HTML-Formulare abarbeitet
und dabei Befehle ueber eine Schnittstelle wie CGI weitergibt. Die
folgenden Ansprueche sind nur Varianten des Hauptanspruchs fuer besondere
Anwendungen.
2. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein said input parameters
contain data from the HTML document that referred to said control
program agent.
3. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein said step of receiving
data entered by the user from the HTML document and passing said user
entered data to said control program agent upon invocation as input
parameters to said control program agent that were returned from said
HTML document includes an identification of a command file to call,
the name of the file containing the HTML statements to use when
building an HTML document that reports results requested by the
request, and and the type of file that is requested, as well as query
data from the HTML document that referred to said control program
agent.
4. A service agent according to claim 3 wherein said step of passing
data from the HTML document that referred to said control program
agent, includes passing data which contains values selected by the
user and / or default values selected by a HTML document designer set
in a command file program prior to its execution, all of which data is
stored in a buffer environment, and accessible by said command file
program and/ or said control program agent and used to to set
variables for said command file program.
5. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise:
during processing by said control program agent providing setups for
API calls which occur.
6. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise:
with the variable information now stored in a buffer, retrieving with
the control program agent from a store command files and the variable
names associated with each command files and loading into memory
associated with the control program the command file names available
and the variable names associated with each command file.
7. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise: initiating with the control program agent a
connection between said control program agent and an API.
8. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise: once a command file is loaded into memory for said
control program agent, the control program agent retrieves from its
memory the command file variable names associated with a command file
name passed to the control program agent once the control program
agent is invoked.
9. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise: subsequently, creating with said control program
agent a a data array stored in the control program memory containing
the command file variable names and the values for them that were
passed to the control program agent during initial data retrieval
steps in order to match command file variable names with the data that
was passed to the control program agent with said environment
variables step.
10. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise: subsequently, in preparation for a report, said
program command agent creating creates a unique filename which may
include data originated by the HTML document's variables stored in a
previous step (step 112) to pass to the command file as a command file
variable for use in naming the report which will be created by the
command file, which as a result the command file will create that file
with the unique file name during its process.
11. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise: subsequently, in anticipation of command file
execution, the values of variables used by the command file are
obtained from the data array in the control program memory containing
the command file variable names and the values for them that were
passed to the control program agent in the step providing parameters
for query data from the HTML document that referred to said control
program agent which contains values selected by the user and/or
default values selected by a HTML document designer set in a command
file program prior to its execution, doing this using the API to set
the command file variable values.
12. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise: subsequently, using an API to query and determine
the size of a queue of jobs being requested, and comparing whether the
size has exceeded a predetermined threshold number of jobs being
requested, and if so, then entering a wait state loop to wait and
reiteratively comparing whether the size still has exceeded said
predetermined threshold number of jobs being requested until the queue
size is reduced to below said threshold level, and then at that point
using said API submit a command file for execution.
13. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise: after the API has submitted said command file for
execution by a sub- agent, said control program agent enters a state
of awaiting execution of said command file by said sub-agent.
14. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise: during a said state of awaiting execution of said
command file, processing other requests by the control program agent
as a pipe so that the control program agent continually advances
requests through the system.
15. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise: during the state awaiting execution of a command
file, using said API to looks for a completion signal of execution of
said command file, and when that completion signal is received, said
control program agent reads the file identified by the name passed to
the control program in the preceding step that contains the HTML
statements which are to be presented with the command file report of
results.
16. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise: testing with said control program agent for the kind
of report to be created by obtaining information from stored variables
and identifies output parameters, and branching to the sequence
applicable to the kind of report to be created.
17. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise: wherein an output is routed to a requestor selected
resulting output destination selected from a group of possible output
units, comprising fax, printer, retail and banking installations, or
provided as a series of full motion videos or still frames which are
transmitted to display devices, including television units under
control of of end users with a set-top box cable control.
18. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise: wherein an output is routed to a requestor selected
resulting output destination server having a CPU, network I/F bus,
disks, modems, and X.25 data switching providing hardware to route the
output to a variety of output devices, including a facsimile, printer,
retail terminal, banking machines, TV or cable customers via the
server, with full motion and still video supplied with MPEG 2 and MPEG
1 protocol images respectively to subscribers.
19. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise: coupling the output to an auxiliary function
including back-up storage and accounting processes which allow for
charging for system utilization and service charges for services and
items requested.
20. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise: The auxiliary functions make use of hidden variables
associated with the request including authorization charge variables,
including credit card numbers and passwords.
21. A service agent according to claim 1 wherein the method steps
further comprise: credit card number, is preferably encrypted, with a
DES or RSA encryption utility, and this along with access
authorization variables, allows access to sensitive databases which
reside behind firewalls.
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Data supplied from the esp@cenet database - l2