JP2006178887A - User terminal device and method for inheriting data between web applications - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily inherit processing results of a preceding stage to a web application of a subsequent stage by using a generous purpose web browser in executing a plurality of web applications. <P>SOLUTION: This user terminal device 1 is provided with a storing part 12 for storing a state transition model that defines a data inheritance relation between the plurality of web applications, a web browser 15 for acquiring output data of a first web application when the first web application between the plurality of web applications is executed, and an execution control part 14 for specifying a second web application by referring to the state transition model storing part 12 to transfer output data of the first web application to the second web application. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for improving convenience when using a Web application, and more particularly to a technique for simplifying a user's input operation when using a Web application continuously.

  2. Description of the Related Art Network systems in which a plurality of servers and clients are connected via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet, and clients receive various services from each server have been widely put into practical use. The server provides a service by executing a predetermined Web application in response to a request from the client.

  Here, HTTP (Hyper Text Markup Language) is often used for communication between the server and the client. In HTTP, even when the same client makes a plurality of requests, each request is independent. Therefore, HTTP has a property of not recording a context (application state).

Therefore, as in Patent Document 1, a history reproducing device that records an access history of a Web browser and accesses dynamic content based on the access history has been proposed.
JP 2001-60179 A

  When the result obtained by using the Web application of a certain server is to be handed over to the Web application of another server, the processing result of the previous stage must be input again to the subsequent Web application. An automatic add-on (plug-in) to a Web browser is required to perform advanced processing by automatically recording a context on a client. Alternatively, it is necessary to use a dedicated Web browser having these functions. Here, an add-on indicates an additional function that can extend the standard specification of the software.

  Further, even the history reproducing apparatus of Patent Document 1 cannot transfer the recorded history as it is to the subsequent Web application.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to enable a general-purpose Web browser to easily take over the processing result of the previous stage to the subsequent Web application when executing a plurality of Web applications.

  Another object of the present invention is to allow a user to freely associate the execution order and succeeding data when a plurality of Web applications are continuously executed.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, a user terminal device stores a Web application related definition that defines a data inheritance relationship between a plurality of Web applications, and is executed by a first Web application of the plurality of Web applications. Then, means for acquiring output data of the first Web application, means for specifying the second Web application that inherits the output data of the first Web application with reference to the storage means, Means for causing the Web application to inherit and execute the output data of the first Web application acquired by the acquisition means.

  In a preferred embodiment, the web application related definition associates the first web application with the second web application, and includes an output data item of the first web application and an input data item of the second web application. You may make it match | combine.

  In a preferred embodiment, the information processing apparatus may further include a generation unit that provides an input screen to a user and generates the web application related definition based on an input on the input screen.

  In a preferred embodiment, there may be a plurality of first Web applications. In this case, the second Web application can display the output data of the plurality of first Web applications in contrast.

  Hereinafter, user terminal device 1 concerning one embodiment of the present invention is explained using a drawing. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a client / server system including a user terminal device 1 according to the present embodiment.

  The user terminal device 1 of the present embodiment is connected to various servers 2 (2a to 2d) via a network 9 such as the Internet or a LAN to constitute a client / server system. Then, the user terminal device 1 receives various services provided by the Web application 20 (20a to 20d) operating on each server 2.

  The user terminal device 1 is configured by a general-purpose computer system including a processor and a memory, for example, and individual components or functions in the user terminal device 1 described below are executed by executing a computer program, for example. Realized.

  The user terminal device 1 includes a performance data storage unit 11, a state transition model storage unit 12, an item correspondence processing unit 13, an execution control unit 14, a web browser 15, and a comparison unit 16.

  The record data storage unit 11 stores data related to the execution result of the Web application. Every time the user terminal device 1 accesses the server 2 and uses the Web application 20, the output data of the Web application 20 is accumulated. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which a user registers a schedule related to a business trip and then performs a train search to the business trip destination, a search for an accommodation destination, and a reservation. Therefore, in the following description, the schedule data 111, the route data 112, the hotel search data (1) 113, and the hotel search data (2) 114 are sequentially accumulated in the result data storage unit 12.

  Here, the schedule data 111 is data relating to a business trip schedule accepted by a schedule input described later. The route data 112 is data relating to a moving route and transportation means obtained by route search to be described later. Hotel search data (1) 113 and (2) 114 are data of search results of hotels at lodging destinations by different search engines.

  The state transition model storage unit 12 stores a state transition model set by the user of the Web application. State transition refers to a phenomenon in which a Web application receives an HTTP request such as transmission of Web form data from a user and a message indicating that the request has been received is displayed on a Web browser. This phenomenon means that on the server side where the Web application operates, a transaction for generating, updating, and deleting a data record occurs in the Web application server or a database server linked with the Web application server. For example, in the state transition of the Web application, the form data of the Web browser is sent from the user terminal device 1 to the server, and the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) changes.

  The state transition model storage unit 12 stores information indicating the state transition. In the state transition model of the present embodiment, information indicating data inheritance relationships between a plurality of Web applications is defined. For example, in the present embodiment, the correspondence table 121 associates the schedule registration Web application 20a and the route search Web application 20b with respective URLs. Furthermore, data inherited between these Web applications is also defined. Similarly, the correspondence table 122 corresponds to the route search web application 20b and the hotel search (1) web application 20c, and the correspondence table 123 corresponds to the route search web application 20b and the hotel search (2) web application 20d. And data defined between them are defined. The correspondence table 124 is associated in order to compare the output data of the Web application 20c for hotel search (1) and the Web application 20d for hotel search (2).

  The correspondence tables 121 to 124 are generated based on user input operations as will be described later, and are stored in the state transition model storage unit 12 each time they are generated.

  The item association processing unit 13 associates Web applications and defines a state transition model. For example, a transition from one Web application to another Web application is defined. At this time, the correspondence relationship between the data item output by the preceding web application before the transition and the input data item of the succeeding web application after the transition is defined. The process for this association will be described later.

  The execution control unit 14 refers to the state transition model, determines a Web application to be called next, and notifies the Web browser 15 of the URL of the Web application. At that time, desired data is acquired from the record data storage unit 11 and inherited by the Web application to be called here. As a result, it is not necessary for the associated Web applications to manually input the processing result of the preceding Web application again in the subsequent Web application, and the processing result can be automatically taken over.

  Next, a procedure for creating and registering a state transition model in the present embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, as described above, after registering a business trip schedule, a train search and an accommodation destination search are performed to reserve an accommodation destination.

  First, the user terminal device 1 accesses the server 2a that accepts schedule registration, and activates the Web application 20a for schedule registration. Then, a schedule input screen 100 as shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on the display device 18, and the user inputs a business trip schedule on the input screen 100. When the schedule registration is completed, the Web browser 15 stores the item-specific schedule data 111 input to the input screen 100 in the result data storage unit 11. Here, since an item name is assigned to each item in advance, each input value is stored in the schedule data 111 for each item.

  Next, the execution control unit 14 causes the display device 18 to display a link screen 200 as shown in FIG. Using this link screen 200, a web application (web application that has already been executed) 201 that has already been processed is associated with a web application 202 that is desired to be linked. In the present embodiment, the Web application executed immediately before and another Web application are linked, but it is not always necessary to execute the application immediately before, and the result data is stored in the past. Anything is acceptable.

  When the Web applications are associated with each other, the execution control unit 14 causes the display device 18 to display an item correspondence screen 300 as illustrated in FIG. Then, the output items and input items of the associated Web application are associated. In the item correspondence screen 300, the output item 310 of the preceding Web application and the input item 320 of the subsequent Web application are associated with each other. The input item 320 of the subsequent Web application may be acquired by the Web browser 15 accessing the server 2b.

  The output item 310 of the preceding Web application includes a display area for each output item name 311 of the preceding Web application (only one symbol is added in the figure). The input item 320 of the Web application in the subsequent stage includes a display area for each input item name 321 (only one symbol is attached in the figure). The display area of the output item name 311 can select an output item name, and the user selects an output item name corresponding to the input item name 321. Here, when there is no corresponding item, “no takeover” is selected.

  The input item 320 is further provided with a setting area 322 for values to be input to the respective items (in the figure, only one place is given a reference numeral). In the setting area 322, the output value of the output item name 311 associated with each input item name 321 is automatically set. The value set in the setting area 322 can be corrected by the user on this screen 300. In addition, since there is no data to be inherited from the previous stage Web application, the item “no takeover” is set manually by the user.

  The web application defined on the link screen 200 and the item correspondence screen 300, the correspondence between input / output items, and the input value for the subsequent web application are stored in the correspondence table 121.

  In the item correspondence screen 300, the input item setting area 322 may be omitted. In this case, the item correspondence screen 300 defines the correspondence between items.

  Here, when the Web application call button 330 is pressed, storage in the correspondence table 121 is performed and a route search Web application, which is a subsequent Web application, is called. That is, the execution control unit 14 instructs the Web browser 15 to access the route search server 2b.

  Here, the value set on the item correspondence screen 300 is input to each input item of the route search Web application 20b. That is, when the user terminal device 1 starts the route search Web application 20b, the display device 18 displays a route search screen 400 in which a value is already set in the input area as shown in FIG. Thereby, the data transfer between the Web applications is automatically performed, and the user's trouble of data input can be saved.

  When the input item setting area 322 is not provided in the item correspondence screen 300, the value of each associated item may be acquired from the schedule data 111 with reference to the record data storage unit 11. In this case, the item “no takeover” is a state in which an input value is not set when the route search screen 400 is displayed, and the user inputs to the route search screen 400.

  When a value is set in each input item on the route search screen 400 and the user instructs execution of the search, the result is stored in the result data storage unit 11 as route data 112.

  Next, as in the above case, the Web application to be linked next to the route search is determined on the link screen 210 shown in FIG. The screen 210 displays the state transition model 211 generated so far. In the example of FIG. 6, the hotel search (1) is selected. When the subsequent web application is defined, the execution control unit 14 displays an item correspondence screen 300 for associating the route search and the hotel search (1) items on the display device 18, and allows the user to perform the same as described above. Define links between items. Here, although a specific description using the drawings is omitted, the association is performed in the same manner as in FIG. 4, and the result is stored in the state transition model storage unit 12 as the correspondence table 122.

  Then, the web application 20c for hotel search (1) of the server 2c is activated, and the data is taken over from the route search to the input screen. For example, the data handed over here is the date (January 29) and the area of accommodation (Kyoto). These data are all obtained from the route data 111 by the route search. That is, the data handed over to the linked web application does not necessarily have to be data newly obtained by the preceding web application.

  When the hotel search (1) is executed, the search result is stored in the result data storage unit 11 as hotel search data (1) 113.

  Next, in order to perform the hotel search again using another search engine, the route search and the hotel search (2) are linked on the link screen 220 shown in FIG. Thereafter, the hotel search (2) is performed in the same manner as described above, and the search result is stored in the result data storage unit 11 as the hotel search data (2) 114. In FIG. 7, the state transition model 221 generated so far is also displayed.

  Then, in order to compare the results of the hotel search (1) and (2), a comparison table is selected on the link screen 230 shown in FIG. The comparison table may be a Web application provided by another server or an application performed by the user terminal device 1 itself. In the present embodiment, the comparison unit 16 performs the following comparison process.

  First, the comparison unit 16 causes the display device 18 to display a selection screen 500 for selecting data to be compared as shown in FIG. Then, the user is made to select performance data to be compared. Here, the hotel searches (1) and (2) are selected.

  Then, in order to compare the plurality of results data selected here, an item name definition screen 600 as shown in FIG. 10 is displayed to define the correspondence between the item names of each result data. That is, in this embodiment, the output item 610 of the hotel search (1) and the output item 620 of the hotel search (2) are associated with each other as the canonical name 630 designated by the user.

  When the items are associated with each other by the canonical name 630, the comparison unit 16 acquires the hotel search data (1) 113 and (2) 114 from the result data storage unit 11, and displays the comparison screen 700 shown in FIG. Let By referring to this screen 700, the user can easily compare the search results of the hotel searches (1) and (2). When a user presses a decision button 701 for a hotel to be selected (indicated by a reference numeral in the figure), the web application of the server 2 that has searched for the hotel is started, and a reservation screen 800 as shown in FIG. Is displayed on the display device 18. The user can confirm this screen 800 and execute a reservation.

  With the above processing, the state transition model shown in FIG. 13 is completed. When this state transition model is completed, the convenience of the user after the next time increases. That is, when the schedule is registered, the subsequent Web application is started in accordance with this state transition model, and the data is automatically taken over. Thereby, the effort of a user's input is reduced significantly.

  The above-described embodiments of the present invention are examples for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those embodiments. Those skilled in the art can implement the present invention in various other modes without departing from the gist of the present invention.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the client server system containing the user terminal device 1 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the schedule input screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the link screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the item corresponding | compatible screen 300. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a route search screen 400. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the link screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the link screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the link screen. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a selection screen 500. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an item name definition screen 600. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a comparison screen 700. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the reservation screen. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a selection screen 500. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... User terminal device, 2 ... Server, 11 ... Performance data storage part, 12 ... State transition model storage part, 14 ... Execution control part, 15 ... Web browser, 100 ... Schedule input screen, 200 ... Link screen, 300 ... Item Corresponding screen, 400 ... route search screen, 500 ... selection screen, 600 ... item name definition screen, 700 ... comparison screen, 800 ... reservation screen.

Claims (6)

Means for storing a web application related definition defining a data inheritance relationship between a plurality of web applications;
Means for acquiring output data of the first Web application when a first Web application of the plurality of Web applications is executed;
Means for referring to the storage means and identifying a second Web application that inherits output data of the first Web application;
A user terminal device comprising: means for causing a second Web application to inherit and execute output data of the first Web application acquired by the acquisition unit.   The web application related definition associates the first web application with the second web application, and associates the output data item of the first web application with the input data item of the second web application. The user terminal device according to claim 1.   The user terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising a generation unit that provides an input screen to a user and generates the Web application related definition based on an input to the input screen. There are multiple first web applications,
The user terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the second Web application displays the output data of the plurality of first Web applications in contrast. Storing a web application related definition defining a data inheritance relationship between a plurality of web applications in a storage unit;
When a first Web application of the plurality of Web applications is executed, obtaining output data of the first Web application;
Referring to the storage means and identifying a second Web application that inherits output data of the first Web application;
And causing the second Web application to inherit and execute the acquired output data of the first Web application. When executed on a computer,
Storing a web application related definition defining a data inheritance relationship between a plurality of web applications in a storage unit;
When a first Web application of the plurality of Web applications is executed, obtaining output data of the first Web application;
Referring to the storage means and identifying a second Web application that inherits output data of the first Web application;
And causing the second Web application to inherit and execute the acquired output data of the first Web application.

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