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EPA-Patent auf dynamische Webseiten (CGI u.ae.)



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