Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
  • G06F16/90—Details of database functions independent of the retrieved data types
  • G06F16/95—Retrieval from the web
  • G06F16/958—Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
  • G06F16/986—Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
  • G06F16/20—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor of structured data, e.g. relational data
  • G06F16/25—Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
  • G06F16/258—Data format conversion from or to a database
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
  • G06F16/20—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor of structured data, e.g. relational data
  • G06F16/25—Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
  • G06F16/252—Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems between a Database Management System and a front-end application

Definitions

• Multi - terminal publication system and corresponding implementation method.
• the field of the invention is that of communication networks, which are accessed by terminals of different types. More specifically, the invention relates to a multi-terminal publication system, making it possible to publish the same document in different formats, so as to make it searchable from different types of communication terminals.
• the invention applies in particular, but not exclusively, to the publication of information available on the global Internet network, or on any other internet type network, to terminals of various types, such as WAP type terminals (in "Wireless Application Protocol"), PDA type terminals (in English “Personal Digital Assistant”), Minitel type terminals, etc.
• WAP type terminals in "Wireless Application Protocol”
• PDA type terminals in English “Personal Digital Assistant”
• Minitel type terminals etc.
• the invention also applies, for example, to the publication of information contained in databases, files, or modules of the java type.
• a first solution making it possible to make a service accessible to different types of terminals, consists in developing as many versions of this service as there are types of terminals which can access it. Implementation of such a solution guarantees a presentation of the quality service, adapted to the type of terminal used.
• a disadvantage of this technique of the prior art is that it requires significant development time.
• Another drawback of this technique of the prior art is that maintenance work is made difficult by the high number of versions of the service, which increases with the number of types of target terminals.
• Another solution consists in carrying out an automatic conversion of the content of the services.
• a set of generic rules is used which make it possible, for example, to transform the HTML pages of websites into other formats, such as the WML format, or the "HTML light" format.
• Such generic rules can for example consist in degrading the quality of images, transforming HTML tags, etc.
• a drawback of this technique of the prior art is that the conversion tools used do not have the knowledge of the service processed, and the result obtained is therefore of poor quality. In particular, these tools are not capable of identifying the relevant information within the service to be converted.
• Another disadvantage of this technique of the prior art is that it is only suitable for the WML language, and therefore for the automatic conversion of a website, so as to make it accessible to mobile phones.
• Another drawback of such a technique is that it does not allow the information contained in the website to be filtered, depending on the recipient terminal.
• the "WebSphere Transcoding Publisher” module implements a transformation engine allowing, using a set of generic and specific rules, a direct transformation of the raw data extracted from information sources in HTML or XML formats, in XML format data, accessible by a plurality of terminals of different types.
• Such a module acts as a proxy.
• a disadvantage of this technique of the prior art is that the processor implemented within such a module has no intelligence and is therefore not capable of identifying the relevant information within the raw data to be transformed.
• Oracle's "Portai - To - Go” solution consists of a data extractor, composed of a plurality of extraction modules, and a transformation engine.
• Each extraction module is an API (in English "Application Program Interface") which allows respectively to extract raw data in HTML, XML format, or from databases for example, and convert them to XML format.
• an extractor performs a search for regular expressions, from a registered library, that is to say it implements a search for patterns (in English "patterns”), for example at within a given web page, based on a predetermined grammar.
• the converted data is then transformed so as to be accessible to different types of destination terminals.
• the "Portai - To - Go" transformation engine includes as many transformation modules as there are types of terminal - destination: each of these modules allows the presentation of the converted data in XML format to be adapted to the type of terminal - destination.
• This "Portai - To - Go” technique also has the disadvantage of providing the destination terminal with a presentation of the transformed data, which is dependent on the presentation of the original raw data.
• the "Portai -To -Go" technique also has the disadvantage of not making it possible to respect the tree structure of the Web page from which the information constituting the objects is extracted. Indeed, the search for regular expressions implemented does not take into account the tree structure of the page analyzed. We can then extract from the page a pattern belonging, in part, to a first branch, and, in part, to a second branch of the tree structure of the page. Thus, after extracting the raw data contained in a web page, we lose all notion of navigation within the objects contained in the analyzed page.
• the invention particularly aims to overcome these drawbacks of the prior art.
• an objective of the invention is to provide a multi-terminal publication system, making it possible to publish the same document in different formats, so as to make it searchable from different types of communication terminals.
• Another objective of the invention is to implement a multi-terminal publication system which is inexpensive and not very complex to implement.
• the invention also aims to implement a multi-terminal publication system, which adapts to any type of data source as well as to any type of consultation terminal.
• the invention also aims to provide a scalable multi-terminal publication system, making it easy to adapt to the evolution of sources of information and documents.
• the invention also aims to provide a multi-terminal publication system suitable for all light terminals.
• such a system comprises: at least one object creation module, making it possible to provide at least one function for creating objects from raw data extracted from said at least one source of information and / or generated by said at least one object creation module; a response generation module in a generic presentation format, in response to a request made by a terminal and relating to a given application, said application being defined, within said response generation module, by a plurality of contexts and a navigation policy among said contexts, each context comprising at least one action and / or at least one object, created by said at least one module for creating objects, said response resulting from navigation according to said navigation policy within said plurality of contexts; a presentation module, making it possible to transform said response in a generic presentation format into a response in a presentation format specific to the type of said terminal having formulated said request.
• the invention is based on a completely new and inventive approach to multi-terminal publication, making it possible to make a document accessible to a plurality of terminals of different types. Indeed, it is based in particular on the new concept of separation of information and the presentation of information.
• the invention is also based on a new concept of navigation within a set of contexts, in which actions and / or objects created by the multi-terminal publication system are grouped.
• a response from such a system according to the invention to the request from a communication terminal is thus developed by a generic navigation technique, independent of the type of consultation terminal, which makes it possible to construct a tree structure of objects, created in whole or in part from the data contained in sites
• said response in a generic presentation format is an XML type or SGML type tree.
• the XML language in English “Extended Markup Language”
• SGML in English “Standard Generalized Markup Language”
• SGML in English “Standard Generalized Markup Language”
• such a system further comprises an interfacing module making it possible to intercept and analyze said request formulated by a terminal, so as to: identify the type of said terminal; create a new request, in a generic request format, intended for said response generation module.
• the system according to the invention can return a response, the content and presentation of which are perfectly suited to the terminal that issued the request.
• each object comprises at least one member relating to the structure of said object and at least one constructor, said at least one constructor enabling said at least one module for creating objects to inform the content of said at least one member.
• a "film” object consists of three members, namely a first member “film title”, a second member “film summary”, and a third member "director”.
• said at least one object creation module belongs to the group comprising: - an object creation module, called a Webbike module, making it possible to provide at least one function for creating objects from raw data extracted from at least one data source containing at least one document expressed in a "markup" type language; an object creation module, making it possible to provide at least one function for creating objects from raw data extracted from at least one database of the SQL type; (in English "Structured Query
• Such a system according to the invention thus makes it possible to publish on a terminal having issued a request, data coming from multiple sources of information, and in particular from websites, databases, XML-type files, as well as data generated or extracted by implementing a module java type.
• an object is entirely created from data extracted from a Web site. It is also conceivable that certain members of an object are informed from data extracted from a database, and that, for example, all of the other members of the object are informed from data generated by a java type module.
• the objects created by the object creation modules are preferably described using a language of the SIDL type (in English "Service Interface Definition Language”), but any other type of language adapted to the invention can also be used.
• said presentation module is constructed using a language of the XSL type (in English "Extended Stylesheet Language”).
• said at least one application is composed, according to a first specific language, of a service container, describing said service, and of at least one context container , each corresponding to a stage of said navigation.
• Each application is thus composed of a service container and one or more context containers.
• the service container is used to describe the instructions to be executed when the application is launched. It also makes it possible to declare entities (for example variables or procedures) usable in all the application considered.
• the context container makes it possible to describe a context, that is to say a stage of navigation within the application considered.
• the invention implements instructions allowing, during a session, to change service.
• the transmission of a request and the visualization of its response, during a single session can therefore be associated with a plurality of services.
• a container is composed of at least one component, making it possible to group together at least one instruction.
• a system according to the invention implements six types of components: components of the "entry point" type, making it possible to describe a first plurality of operations that said response generation module must perform at launch.
• components of the “attributes” type making it possible to describe a plurality of variables usable in said current container
• components of the "method” type making it possible to group a plurality of said at least one instruction within a procedure
• components of the "imports” type making it possible to describe said at least one object necessary for said response generation module, to generate said response to said request relating to a given application
• components of the “processing” type making it possible to describe a second plurality of operations that said response generation module must perform in response to an action performed by a terminal
• components of the “content” type making it possible to describe said information supplied to a terminal within said response and / or to describe said at least one action that said terminal can perform at a stage of said given navigation. Examples of components of the types set out above are presented in Annex 1. This appendix, as well as the following, is of course part of the present description in its own right.
• an entry point component is characterized by its name, possibly parameters, and the set of instructions that the response generation module must perform when launching the execution of the container. service or the context container to which such an "entry point" type component belongs.
• An attribute type component is used to describe variables that can be used in all the components of the current container. Thus, if the attribute component belongs to a service container, the variables that it declares are accessible from all the contexts of the application considered.
• the set of instructions of a content type component allow, when executed, to generate an XML tree containing all the information that the multi-terminal publishing system according to the invention offers to the terminal having issued the request considered.
• such a system implements the following four types of instructions: “content” type instructions, making it possible to generate part of said response in a generic presentation format; - “variable manipulation” type instructions, making it possible to declare and / or manipulate at least one variable; “navigation” type instructions, making it possible to change the current context and / or the current application; “use” type instructions, which can be used by instructions and / or components.
• said “content” type instructions belong to the group comprising: a “content - literal” instruction, making it possible to describe a character string of said response in a generic format; - a "content - object” instruction, making it possible to describe an object; a “content - list” instruction, used to describe a list of objects; a “content - item” instruction, allowing to describe an element of a list; a “content - member” instruction, used to describe a member of an object; a “content - selection” instruction, making it possible to select an item from a list; a “content - selection - multiple” instruction, making it possible to select at least one item from a list; - a "content - entry” instruction, used to describe an item of type
• the instruction "content - literal”, which makes it possible to describe a character string to be inserted in the XML tree constituting the response, is characterized by the character string to be inserted and the name of the node of the XML tree generated.
• the "content - object” instruction makes it possible, for its part, to describe a SIDL object that the system according to the invention proposes to the terminal having sent the processed request.
• Such an object can be referenced by its name in all the components of the context to which the component of the "content” type belongs.
• the "content - object” In order for the "content” component which contains this instruction to be correctly executed, the "content - object” must be initialized before calling the instruction executing the "content” component.
• said instructions of “variable manipulation” type belong to the group comprising: an "object” instruction, used to declare a type variable
• object ; a “list” instruction, allowing to declare a “list” type variable; a “simple” instruction, making it possible to declare a variable of type “simple”, distinct from said type “object” and from said type “list”; a “create” instruction, making it possible to construct an object or a list of objects; an "establishment” instruction, making it possible to assign a value to a variable; - a “list - move” instruction, making it possible to move a current pointer from a list, by specifying a displacement step; a "list - move - to” instruction, making it possible to move a current pointer from a list, by specifying a new position of said pointer.
• the MDSP language makes it possible to declare and manipulate variables, which can be used to store information or to transmit parameters.
• the instruction "object” allows to declare a variable of type object.
• This object can be referenced by name in all components of the current container. Before being referenced, it must be initialized using a predetermined instruction.
• the "object" instruction is characterized by the name of the declared variable and by an SIDL class of the object.
• variable of simple type that is to say a variable that can contain a character string, an integer or a float. It is characterized by the name of the variable and by the value that this variable possibly takes on initialization.
• the "create” instruction is used to build an object or a list of SIDL objects declared in the current context or in the current service. It is characterized by the name of the variable to build, the SIDL constructor to use, and the values assigned to the constructor parameters. We present, in appendix 3, some examples of instructions of type "manipulation of variables".
• said “navigation” type instructions belong to the group comprising: - a “change - context” instruction, making it possible to instantiate a new context; a "change - service” instruction, allowing to instantiate a new service; a "context - previous” instruction, allowing to return to the previous context in the current service; a "service - previous” instruction, making it possible to return to the previous context with the last context of said service.
• a "context-previous" instruction makes it possible to return to a previous context in the current service.
• the current context then becomes this context, in the state in which it was left the last time.
• the presentation returned to the terminal that issued the request therefore corresponds to that described by the last component of the "content" type executed on this context.
• said “use” type instructions belong to the group comprising: a “call” instruction, making it possible to call a “method” component in the current context or service; an "if” instruction, making it possible to establish a condition on a set of instructions; an “otherwise” instruction, following an “if” instruction and making it possible to establish a condition on a set of instructions; an “otherwise - if” instruction, following a "if” instruction and making it possible to establish at least one other condition on said set of instructions; an "execute - content” instruction, making it possible to generate a presentation of said information described in a "content”component; a "SIDL - import” instruction, used to specify an object to be used in the current service; - a "parameter - list” instruction, used to group parameter declarations; a "parameter” instruction, used to specify the value of a parameter; a “do” instruction, making
• a "call” instruction makes it possible to call a method (that is to say a component of the "method” type) declared in the current context or in the current service. It is characterized by the name of the method called and by the values assigned to the parameters of the method.
• An "execute - content” instruction is used to trigger the generation of the presentation of the information described by a content component. It is characterized by the name of the content whose presentation we want to generate and the name of the XSL model that we want to use, if we do not want to use that of the content.
• said at least one object creation function further comprises a sub-function for comparing said at least one object to which said request relates with a list of objects previously at least partially created, so as not to put implements said at least one extraction sub-function only for the creation of objects not previously created and / or to complete objects previously partially created.
• each extraction sub-function is composed, according to a second specific language, of at least one Webbike page comprising at least one Webbike node, and said at least one Webbike page is synchronized with at least a document expressed in a “markup” type language from at least one data source, said at least one document itself comprising at least one node of a “markup” type language, said synchronization allowing a Webbike node to position itself on a node of a "markup” type language in order to extract raw data therefrom with a view to said creation of objects.
• the Webbike language makes it possible to create SIDL objects and to initialize the value of their attributes, from information contained in a data source of a "markup" type language
• the Webbike language is used to describe a complete service. Consequently, a given Webbike page can contain the description of several documents expressed in a type of language. associated "markup", for example of several HTML pages whatever the address of the server which provides them.
• Webbike module The principle of such a Webbike language is to tell the object creation module called Webbike module, how to search for information in HTML pages, or in XML documents, for example.
• Webbike nodes also called Webbike tags
• Synchronization allows the Webbike module to position itself on a node of a markup type language, and to extract information from it, such as the value of its attributes, for example, in order to assign them to the members of objects. SIDL.
• said extraction sub-function on receipt of a request for at least one first object, also makes it possible to inform the content of at least one member of at least one second object, distinct from said at least one first object, when raw data making it possible to fill in said content are present within said document with which said at least one Webbike page is synchronized.
• the object creation module accesses, for example, a web page, it creates, at least partially, all the objects capable of being created from the information contained in this web page.
• the extraction sub-function therefore extracts all the raw data making it possible to inform the content of the members of objects, including objects on which the processed request does not relate.
• the object creation module optimizes access to the data sources, by browsing and analyzing only once each of the web pages, or of the XML documents contained in the data sources. For example, the object creation module accesses a given Web page to create a "film” object: it then also extracts the raw data contained in the page and makes it possible to inform at least some of the members of the objects " director "and” film festival ".
• Webbike nodes of synchronization type making it possible to search for a node of a "markup" type language or a "frame" of a node of a "markup” type language in said at least one document expressed in a "markup" type language, in order to position itself on said node of a "markup” type language or on said "frame”
• structure type Webbike nodes making it possible to define at least one execution condition for said synchronization type Webbike nodes
• - Webbike command type nodes making it possible to implement at least one predetermined operation after being positioned on said node of a "markup” type language or on said "frame”.
• the set of Webbike nodes constitutes a Webbike instruction tree commanding an interpreter to allow "browsing" within the analyzed data source. Such navigation is triggered by the reception, by the Webbike module, of a request to create objects.
• synchronization type nodes making it possible to synchronize on a node of a "markup" type language of the page or document analyzed by the object creation module.
• This synchronization condition can notably consist in carrying out a search for regular expressions within the content of said node of a "markup" type language. It should be noted that such a search for regular expressions is also used, within a web page, in the multi-terminal publishing system "Portai - To - Go", but for a completely different purpose
• Webbike nodes of the type allowing the definition of an extraction sub-function
• Webbike tag Webbike nodes of the type allowing the indication of the object (s) used (s) in an extraction sub-function
• tag implements
• Webbike (action tag) - Webbike nodes of the type allowing the definition of a dynamic URL for an HTML page; (dynamic-url tag) of Webbike nodes of the type allowing to assign a value to a parameter; (param tag) Webbike nodes of the type allowing a sequence of at least one Webbike node to be repeated; (multiple tag) of Webbike nodes of the type allowing to include at least one command in a normally unauthorized location of a sequence of at least one Webbike node; (tag block) Webbike nodes of the type allowing to define at least two ways of synchronizing according to the content of a document; (tag switch) Webbike nodes of the type making it possible to conditionally interpret a sequence of at least one Webbike node.
• said command type Webbike nodes belong to the group comprising: Webbike nodes of the type making it possible to define a block of at least one command associated with a node (Webbike tag) of the type allowing the definition of a sub-function extraction; (tag command) - Webbike nodes of the type allowing the extraction of the textual content of a node of a "markup" type language; (tag body) of Webbike nodes of the type allowing the extraction of at least one attribute of the node from a current "markup" type language; (tag attributes) of Webbike nodes of the type allowing to designate a constant value; (constant tag) of Webbike nodes of the type allowing to assure functions of transformation of information extracted from a file expressed according to a language of type "markup".
• said at least one command, of a block defined by a Webbike node belongs to the group comprising: commands for creating objects; commands to modify at least one member of an object. There is thus, in particular, a command for creating a new object
• SIDL a command for updating the members of a SIDL object, and a command for adding text to a member of a SIDL object.
• Webbike page there are at least the following two types of Webbike page: static Webbike pages, analyzed at the launch of said extraction sub-function; dynamic Webbike pages, accessible from another Webbike page by a Webbike node of a particular type, known as a Webbike link.
• static pages have a fixed URL, specified in a node
• a dynamic page can define parameters allowing objects to be passed from page to page.
• a parameter can be a simple object, such as a character string, or a SIDL object.
• there is at least one specific synchronization type Webbike node making it possible to search for a node of a predetermined "markup" type language, in order to position itself on said node of a predetermined "markup” type language, and , in addition, a generic synchronization type Webbike node making it possible to search for a node of a language of type "markup" not - predetermined but specified in parameter, in order to position itself on said node of a language of type "markup" not - predetermined.
• markup type languages such as XML, WML or HTML are too rich to be able to provide a Webbike synchronization node for each node of an existing markup type language.
• a Webbike node of the generic synchronization type which makes it possible to synchronize on any node of a "markup" type language, provided that specify the name of the element on which we want to synchronize.
• the synchronization type nodes take into account extraction conditions relating to attributes and / or textual content and / or at least one child node of a node of a markup type language. find. If several nested nodes meet the criteria established in the extraction conditions, the first node encountered is generally retained.
• said Webbike module implements a cookie management function.
• cookies sent by an HTTP server when retrieving an HTML page are stored at the Webbike module level. They are automatically returned by the Webbike module when it accesses pages that correspond to the domain of the cookie.
• Some websites depend on the management of cookies, it is important to identify the resource that causes the emission of the cookie, in order to access it from the Webbike module at the appropriate time.
• At least one of said first and second specific languages is constructed using a language of the XML type.
• said "markup" type language belongs to the group comprising: XML type languages (in English “Extended Markup Language”); HTML-type languages (in English “HyperText Markup Language”); SGML type languages (in English “Standard Generalized Markup
• the invention also relates to a method of implementing a system according to any one of claims 1 to 26, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: a terminal sends a request relating to a given application to said said system; to develop a response to said request, said response generation module sends a request for at least one object to said at least one object creation module, so as to inform the plurality of contexts of said application; said at least one object creation module creates said at least one object and sends it back to said response generation module; said response generation module generates a response in a generic presentation format, implementing said navigation according to said navigation policy within said plurality of contexts; said presentation module receives from said response generation module said response in a generic presentation format and transforms it into a response in a presentation format specific to the type of said terminal having formulated said request; - said system sends said response in a specific presentation format to said terminal.
• FIG. 1 presents a block diagram of the different types of terminals that can benefit from a multi-terminal publication system according to the invention
• FIG. 2 illustrates the general architecture of a multi-terminal publication system towards the terminals presented in FIG. 1
• FIG. 3 presents a block diagram of the various modules implemented in a multi-terminal publication system according to the invention
• FIG. 4 describes more precisely the architecture of the multi-terminal publishing system illustrated in FIG.
• FIG. 5 presents the different steps implemented during the processing of a request sent by a client of the multi-terminal publishing system of FIG. 3.
• the general principle of the invention is based on the implementation of a multi-terminal publication system, based on the processing of a generic service, regardless of its format in a data source and its final presentation in the terminal. target.
• FIG. 1 a block diagram of the different types of terminals that can access a service, extracted for example from a website 1, from a multi-terminal publication system 2 according to the invention.
• terminals of various types such as a terminal of PDA type (in English "Personal Digital Assistant") 3 or 4, a mobile telephone of WAP type (in English "Wireless Application Protocol”) 5, a fixed telephony terminal 6, a Minitel 7 type terminal, or any other type of terminal, and in particular the light terminals 8, 9 and 10.
• FIG. 2 The general architecture of a multi-terminal publication system is presented in FIG. 2.
• the terminals 3, 4 and 5, already illustrated in FIG. 1, and a terminal 20 of the personal computer type access via a protocol of the HTTP type to the data. 21 extracted and disseminated on the global Internet network or on any other internet-type network by the web server 22.
• the WAP terminal 5 does not support the HTTP type protocol, a WAP gateway 23 is implemented, so as to provide an interface between the HTTP type protocol and the WTP type protocol used on the mobile network.
• a WAP gateway 23 is implemented, so as to provide an interface between the HTTP type protocol and the WTP type protocol used on the mobile network.
• the different modules implemented in a multi-terminal publishing system according to the invention in the particular case where the data sources implemented are websites composed of a or several HTML page (s).
• Such a multi-terminal publication system is then composed of three main modules: a module 30 for creating objects; a response generation module 31 in a generic format, using the language called MDSP; - a presentation module 32.
• the object creation module 30 implements a sub-function for extracting data contained in the HTML pages, by performing synchronization on the HTML nodes. It creates objects using the SIDL language
• the response generation module 31 in a generic format implements a computer language based on an XML type language. It retrieves the SIDL objects created by the module 30 for creating objects
• the presentation module 32 uses style sheets, specific to each type of consultation terminal, to format the data originating from the response generation module 31, that is to say the intermediate XML tree provided by the module referenced 31, in a format readable by the terminal - destination.
• FIG. 4 of the architecture of the multi-terminal publishing system, the various modules of which are illustrated in FIG. 3.
• Certain data, contained in a data source 40 are extracted by an object creation module 30, to inform the members of certain objects, necessary for the construction of a response to a consultation terminal 5.
• the module 30 implements a specific language, which allows the creation of objects of type SID1 (in English "Service Interface Definition Language").
• the SIDL objects are then transmitted to the response generation module 31 in a generic presentation format, which elaborates a response in the form of an XML type tree.
• Such an XML tree is then processed by a presentation module, which implements a set of style sheets 32.
• Each style sheet is associated with a type of consultation terminal, and makes it possible to define the presentation criteria specific to each type of terminal.
• the presentation module uses a style sheet characteristic of the terminals of WAP type, a style sheet characteristic of Minitel type terminals, a style sheet characteristic of PAD type terminals, etc.
• the presentation module 32 can then supply, to the terminal 5 having issued a request intended for the multi-terminal publication system ' according to the invention, a response whose content and presentation are adapted to the type of the consultation terminal 5 (here , a WAP terminal).
• the modules 30 for creating objects, 31 for generating responses, and 32 for presentation therefore operate independently, on the one hand, of the nature of the data source 40, and on the other hand, of the type of consultation terminal. 5.
• the modules 30 for creating objects, 31 for generating responses, and 32 for presentation therefore operate independently, on the one hand, of the nature of the data source 40, and on the other hand, of the type of consultation terminal. 5.
• a client 50 having a terminal adapted to the multi-terminal publishing system according to the invention issues a request 51 for access to a set of information.
• the client 50 may request access to a given website, or to a set of information contained in a particular database.
• the client 50 can also request information that the multi-terminal publishing system according to the invention must, for example, partially extract from a website, partially extract from a database, and partially generate by implementing a java type module.
• the client 50 wishes, for example, to know the list of cultural events which will take place in a given city in the coming months.
• the multi-terminal publication system comprises, in addition to the modules presented in FIGS. 3 and 4, an interfacing module 59, making it possible to intercept and analyze the request 51.
• the interfacing module 59 determines the type of terminal used by the client 50 to send the request 51, so that the multi-terminal publication system according to the invention can transmit to the client 50 a response whose content and presentation are adapted to the type of consultation terminal.
• the interfacing module 59 then transmits its request to the response generation module in a generic format 31, during a step referenced 52.
• the response generation module 31 transmits to its turn a request to the set of object creation modules 30, so as to require the creation of the objects necessary for the construction of a response to the client 50.
• the set of object creation modules 30 interrogates a set of data sources, in order to extract the information requested by the response generation module 31.
• a java type module 302 generates certain SIDL objects
• an object creation module 301 called a Webbike
• an object creation module 302 creates SIDL objects from the raw data contained in one or more databases.
• the set of object creation modules 30 transmits to the response generation module in a generic format 31 the SIDL objects created in response to the request 53, as well as necessary SIDL objects when generating a response to the request 51 from the client 50, previously created by all of the modules for creating objects 30.
• the set of object creation modules 30 transmits to the response generation module 31 the objects already created previously, for example by extraction from a website and / or from a database and / or of a java module.
• the set of object creation modules 30 upon receipt of a request 53, implements a comparison of the objects necessary for the response generation module 31 with a list of previously created objects, so to implement the functions of extraction or generation of objects only for objects not previously created.
• the response generation module in a generic format 31 then implements navigation within the plurality of contexts relating to the service required by the client 50 during step 51. Such navigation within the contexts, in which the SIDL objects provided by the object creation modules 30 are grouped together, allows the response generation module in a generic format 31 to develop, during a step referenced 55, an XML type tree.
• the presentation module 32 then processes this XML intermediate tree, so as to present the response sent to the client 50 in a format adapted to the type of consultation terminal.
• the presentation module 32 uses a set of style sheets presented in FIG. 4, and grouping together the presentation characteristics specific to each type of consultation terminal.
• the presentation module 32 sends the response, in a presentation format specific to the type of terminal having formulated the request 51, to the response generation module 31.
• the module 31 then returns the final response to the interfacing module 59 during a step referenced 57.
• the final response in a presentation format adapted to the type of terminal used by the client 50, is then forwarded to the consultation terminal, during a step referenced 58.
• Webbike nodes of the type making it possible to conditionally interpret a sequence of at least one Webbike node:
• Parameter name of the request (parameter of an SIDL Object constructor) - -> ⁇ ! - - list of parameters to pass to the CGI (list of ⁇ url-param>).
• CGI list of ⁇ url-param>.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Databases & Information Systems (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Data Mining & Analysis (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Information Transfer Between Computers (AREA)
• Information Retrieval, Db Structures And Fs Structures Therefor (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8850897

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Families Citing this family (19)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 2000
  • 2000-05-31 FR FR0007073A patent/FR2809844B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2001
  • 2001-05-16 WO PCT/FR2001/001500 patent/WO2001093094A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2001-05-16 EP EP01936548A patent/EP1285361A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2001-05-16 AU AU2001262431A patent/AU2001262431A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-05-16 US US10/297,221 patent/US20030158894A1/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events