JP2005196269A - Terminal unit, server device, server program, terminal program setting device, terminal program setting program, server program setting device, server program setting program and computer readable recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily perform updating work of a program on the terminal unit side. <P>SOLUTION: This terminal unit has a terminal communication part 106 capable of radio-communication with a server device 200, a terminal storage part 102 for storing a predetermined terminal program 110 downloadable from the server device 200, and a terminal control part 104 capable of executing the terminal program 110 and generating request data 140 to the server device 200. The terminal unit 100 side transmits the request data 140 to the server device 200 via the terminal communication part 106, and the server device 200 makes access to a connected database 400 when necessary. The terminal control part 104 generates the request data 140 so as to reply response data 240 corresponding to the request data 140. The request data 140 includes generation information of the terminal program 110, and can determine the necessity of the terminal program 110. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal device, a server device, a server program, a terminal program setting device, a terminal program setting program, and a server program in a wireless communication system using a rich client terminal device such as a portable terminal capable of wireless communication with the server device. The present invention relates to a setting device, a server program setting program, and a computer-readable recording medium.

  A system is used in which a portable terminal can communicate with a host side and data communication is performed between a host side parent device and a terminal side child device. For example, a handy terminal with a barcode scanner is used for collecting inventory management data in a warehouse, collecting merchandise data in a store, inputting shipping / collecting data in a home delivery system, and the like. As a method for data communication with a server device by a terminal device such as a handy terminal, there are a method in which a wireless communication function is built in the terminal device and a batch method in which the terminal device is set in a dedicated communication unit and transmitted collectively. The latter is a system in which data is sequentially input and held at a handy terminal, and then placed on a communication unit such as a cradle and the data is sent to the host in a batch. On the other hand, the wireless built-in type is communicable with the host side, and has the advantage that the input data can be sent from the terminal device to the server side in real time without being set in the communication unit.

  On the other hand, the terminal control method includes a thin client method and a rich client method. The thin client method is an application program that does not provide a terminal program on the terminal side, places applications and data on the host side such as a computer, only inputs data on the terminal side, and performs all necessary processing on the host side. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). On the other hand, the rich client method is also called a fat client, and a terminal program is placed on the terminal side to enable processing on the terminal side.

  The thin client method has the advantage that work such as system replacement, program maintenance, and update work can be performed only on the host side system, and it is suitable for use in an environment where constant communication is possible, such as wired terminals. it can. However, the thin client method has a drawback that no processing can be performed when wireless communication is not possible. When considering the application to handy terminals in particular, depending on the work location and conditions, communication may be out of range and communication may become impossible, and communication may become unstable. There was a problem that no work could be done on the terminal.

  On the other hand, when the rich client method is adopted, processing can be performed only by the terminal even if communication with the host side is not possible, but there is a problem that maintenance work of the application becomes troublesome. For example, in order to perform application replacement or update work, it is necessary to suspend the system operation and then perform it for each terminal. Especially when the number of terminals increases to several hundreds, the amount of work becomes enormous and not easy. There was a drawback.

  On the other hand, the user has to create necessary programs for the terminal side and the host side according to the purpose of use and usage. In order to reduce this effort, a terminal program for a terminal necessary for providing the system can be prepared in advance, and the user can create only the host-side program. However, in this case, when a problem occurs in the system, it is difficult to specify which part of the system has the problem. In particular, since the user has created a program, it is difficult to determine whether the user-created program has a problem or whether the problem has occurred due to the manufacturer of the system. There was a problem that became difficult.

Furthermore, the host-side application program used in the conventional thin client method can only handle data recorded on the host side, while the terminal-side terminal program used in the rich client method is recorded on the terminal side. Since only data can be handled, it was difficult to use mutual data on the host side and terminal side.
JP 2003-69474 A

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems. A first object of the present invention is to provide a terminal device, a server device, a server program, a terminal program setting device, a terminal program setting program, a server program setting device, and a server in a wireless communication system capable of facilitating program updating on the terminal device side. A program setting program and a computer-readable recording medium are provided. In addition, a second object of the present invention is to provide a terminal device in a wireless communication system that can easily identify a location where a failure occurs, by concentrating a location where a failure may occur in a system on a specific program created by the user, The object is to provide a server device, a server program, a terminal program setting device, a terminal program setting program, a server program setting device, a server program setting program, and a computer-readable recording medium. Furthermore, a third object of the present invention is to provide a terminal device, a server device, a server program, a terminal program setting device, and a terminal program setting program in a wireless communication system capable of handling server side data and terminal device side data in the same row. Another object of the present invention is to provide a server program setting device, a server program setting program, and a computer-readable recording medium.

  In order to achieve the above object, the terminal device described in claim 1 of the present invention can be downloaded from the server device 200 via the terminal communication unit 106 and the terminal communication unit 106 capable of wireless communication with the server device 200. A terminal storage unit 102 for storing a predetermined terminal program 110, and a terminal control unit 104 capable of executing the predetermined terminal program 110 stored in the terminal storage unit 102 and generating request data 140 for the server device 200 And a rich client type terminal device configured such that the terminal communication unit 106 can perform data communication with the server device 200 by processing the terminal program 110 executed by the terminal control unit 104. By transmitting the request data 140 to the server device 200 via the terminal communication unit 106 on the side, The terminal device 104 generates the request data 140 so that the server apparatus 200 accesses the connected database 400 as necessary, and returns response data 240 corresponding to the request data 140. . With this configuration, a system led by the terminal device can be constructed. For example, the terminal side sends necessary data to the server device as request data, and the server device side calls a function corresponding to the request data and sends the processing result to the response data. Can be returned to the terminal.

  A terminal device according to claim 2 is the terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal control unit 104 includes a variable for accessing the database 400 in the request data 140 to be generated. Features. With this configuration, the request data can have a data structure in which the server device can easily access the database connected to the host device.

  Furthermore, the terminal device according to claim 3 is the terminal device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the terminal control unit 104 executes the request data 140 generated by the terminal control unit 104. When the generation information of the program 110 can be included and the server side checks the generation of the terminal program 110 based on the terminal program generation information 142 and determines that the terminal program 110 needs to be updated according to the system. The response data 240 is added with the terminal program update information 242 related to the update of the terminal program 110 and is sent back to the terminal device 100. With this configuration, the generation of the terminal program can be confirmed on the server device side, and when the update is necessary, the update can be performed by notifying the terminal program update information and the problem due to the difference in the generation of the terminal program can be solved.

  Furthermore, the terminal device according to claim 4 is the terminal device according to claim 3, wherein update data for the terminal device 100 to update the terminal program 110 according to the terminal program update information 242 is stored in the terminal device. It is configured to receive from the server device 200 via the terminal communication unit 106. With this configuration, the terminal device can download the update data necessary for the update operation of the terminal program when necessary according to the terminal program update information, so that it is possible to solve the problem caused by the difference in the generation of the terminal program.

  Furthermore, the terminal device according to claim 5 is the terminal device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the terminal program update information 242 includes a priority 244 regarding the update of the terminal program 110. It is characterized by. With this configuration, depending on the priority of terminal program update, priority is given to update work according to the degree of urgency, such as canceling work and moving to update work immediately, or performing terminal program update work after work is completed. Ranking can be determined.

  Furthermore, the terminal device according to claim 6 is the terminal device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the terminal program update information 242 is generation information of a program executed by the server device 200. It is characterized by including. With this configuration, the terminal device can compare the generation of the terminal program executed by the terminal device with the generation of the program executed by the server device, and can determine the necessity of the update work.

  Furthermore, the terminal device according to claim 7 is the terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the terminal program 110 and the server device 200 and the data are transmitted via the terminal communication unit 106. A library for communication is provided. With this configuration, the terminal program can easily perform data communication via the terminal communication unit 106 using a library prepared in advance.

  The server device described in claim 8 includes the server communication unit 206 capable of wireless communication with one or more rich client terminal devices 100, and the server communication unit 206 as a program executed by the server device 200. A server control unit 204 capable of executing a server basic program 220 for data communication with the terminal device 100, a server application program 230 that can be edited according to the use, the server basic program 220 and the server application program 230, And a server storage unit 202 for storing each. The server device performs data communication with the terminal device 100 by the server communication unit 206, and accesses the database 400 connected to the server device 200 as necessary according to the request data 140 transmitted from the terminal device 100, The server control unit 204 executes the server application program 230 to generate response data 240 corresponding to the request data 140, and returns the response data 240 from the server communication unit 206 to the terminal device 100 according to the server basic program 220. . With this configuration, a system led by the terminal device can be constructed. For example, the terminal side sends necessary data to the server device as request data, and the server device side calls a function corresponding to the request data and sends the processing result to the response data. Can be returned to the terminal. In addition, for example, the program executed on the server device is divided into a server basic program that performs basic operations such as communication and a server application program that can be edited by the user according to the application, and the server basic program and server By enabling inter-process communication with the application program, the system can be maintained even if a failure occurs in the server application program. In particular, it is possible to distinguish between a problem caused by a server application program created by a user and a problem caused by a server basic program prepared in advance, which is effective in identifying and solving a problem location.

  Furthermore, the server device according to claim 9 is the server device according to claim 8, wherein the request data 140 from the terminal device 100 includes generation information of the terminal program 110 executed by the terminal device 100. In this case, the server apparatus 200 compares the generation of the terminal program 110 required by the system based on the terminal program generation information 142 and determines that the terminal program 110 needs to be updated. The terminal program update information 242 related to the update of the terminal is added and sent back to the terminal device 100. With this configuration, the generation of the terminal program can be confirmed on the server device side, and when the update is necessary, the update can be performed by notifying the terminal program update information and the problem due to the difference in the generation of the terminal program can be solved.

  Furthermore, the server device according to claim 10 is the server device according to claim 9, wherein the terminal device 100 updates the response data 240 in addition to the terminal program update information 242. Update data is transmitted from the server communication unit 206 to the terminal device 100. With this configuration, the server device can check the generation of the terminal program being executed on the terminal device according to the terminal program generation information, and can update the terminal program by sending update data to the terminal device when the terminal program needs to be updated. Can solve problems caused by differences in program generations.

  Furthermore, the server device according to claim 11 is the server device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the terminal program update information 242 includes a priority 244 regarding the update of the terminal program 110. It is characterized by. With this configuration, depending on the priority of terminal program update, priority is given to update work according to the degree of urgency, such as canceling work and moving to update work immediately, or performing terminal program update work after work is completed. Ranking can be determined.

  Furthermore, the server device according to claim 12 is the server device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the terminal program update information 242 is generation information of a program executed by the server device 200. It is characterized by being. With this configuration, the terminal device can compare the generation of the terminal program executed by the terminal device with the generation of the program executed by the server device, and can determine the necessity of the update work. Here, the program executed by the server device includes a server basic program and a server application program.

  A server program according to a thirteenth aspect is a server program executed in a server device 200 including a server communication unit 206 capable of wireless communication with one or more rich client terminal devices 100, the server communication A server basic program 220 for data communication with the terminal device 100 via the unit 206, and a server application program 230 that can be edited according to the usage, and the server basic program 220 passes through the server communication unit 206. The server application program 230 has a function of data communication with the host device 300 connected to the database 400 wirelessly or by wire, and the server basic program 220 and the server application. Program 230 and server device 00, characterized in that it comprises an internal function of each communication. With this configuration, for example, the server program executed on the server device is divided into a server basic program that performs basic operations such as communication and a server application program that can be edited by the user according to the application, and the server basic program By enabling communication between processes between the server application program and the server application program, the system can be maintained even if a failure occurs in the server application program. In particular, it is possible to distinguish between a problem caused by a server application program created by a user and a problem caused by a server basic program prepared in advance, which is effective in identifying and solving a problem location.

  A terminal program setting device according to claim 14 is a terminal program setting device for setting a terminal program 110 to be executed in a rich client terminal device 100 capable of wireless communication with the server device 200. The terminal side data held in the terminal storage unit 102 holding the data of the terminal device 100 and the server side data held in the server storage unit 202 holding the data of the server device 200 can be switched and read. The terminal program 110 can be edited and / or stored by referring to and processing these data. With this configuration, the terminal program setting device can unify data of different formats created by individual programs or data stored in different locations when editing the terminal program without being aware of such differences. Because it can be selected and used, you can work conveniently.

  The terminal program setting program according to claim 15 is a terminal program 110 setting program for setting the terminal program 110 executed in the rich client terminal device 100 capable of wireless communication with the server device 200. The terminal side data held in the terminal storage unit 102 holding the data of the terminal device 100 and the server side data held in the server storage unit 202 holding the data of the server device 200 are selected by the computer It is characterized by realizing a selection function for reading. With this configuration, the terminal program setting program can unify data of different formats created by individual programs when saved in different programs, data stored in different locations, etc. without being aware of such differences. Because it can be selected and used, you can work conveniently.

  Furthermore, the computer-readable recording medium described in claim 16 stores the program of claim 13 or 15. Recording media include CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, flexible disk, magnetic tape, MO, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD + R, DVD-RW, DVD + RW, Blu-ray disk, This includes a magnetic disk such as HD DVD (AOD), an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, and other media capable of storing programs. The above-mentioned program includes a form that can be downloaded via a network.

  According to the terminal device, the server device, the server program, the terminal program setting device, the terminal program setting program, the server program setting device, the server program setting program, and the computer-readable recording medium of the present invention, the terminal can be used in a wireless communication system. The work efficiency between the apparatus and the server apparatus can be improved. For example, even in a situation where wireless communication is not possible, in addition to the advantage that work can be continued on the terminal side by adopting the rich client method, it is possible to easily update the terminal program, which has been troublesome conventionally. For example, it is possible to recognize the necessity of updating the terminal program on the terminal device side, and it is possible to automate the downloading and updating of necessary files to be automatically updated. Furthermore, when setting a terminal program or a server program, they can be handled in the same line regardless of the data format or storage location, and work efficiency can be improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment shown below is a terminal device, a server device, a server program, a terminal program setting device, a terminal program setting program, a server program setting device, a server program setting program, and the like for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, The present invention exemplifies a computer-readable recording medium, and the present invention relates to a terminal device, a server device, a server program, a terminal program setting device, a terminal program setting program, a server program setting device, a server program setting program, and a computer reading The possible recording media are not specified as follows.

  Further, the present specification by no means specifies the members shown in the claims to the members of the embodiments. In particular, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the component parts described in the embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified, and are merely explanations. It's just an example. Note that the size, positional relationship, and the like of the members shown in each drawing may be exaggerated for clarity of explanation. Furthermore, in the following description, the same name and symbol indicate the same or the same members, and detailed description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, each element constituting the present invention may be configured such that a plurality of elements are constituted by the same member and the plurality of elements are shared by one member, and conversely, the function of one member is constituted by a plurality of members. It can also be realized by sharing.

  In the present specification, wireless connection and wired connection can be mixed. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a system that uses a wired connection handy terminal in addition to a wireless connection handy terminal. The connection method between the server device and the host device may be wireless or wired. For example, as a connection method by physical electrical connection through an electrical contact or a connector, serial connection such as IEEE1394, RS-232x, RS-422, USB, parallel connection, or 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE- Communication can be performed by electrical connection via a network such as T. Examples of wireless connection groups include wireless LANs such as IEEE802.1x and OFDM, radio waves such as Bluetooth, infrared such as IrDA, optical communication, and the like. Further, these communications can be added with processing such as encryption and compression as required. Or transmission and reception of signal data using electromagnetism, pressure, sound waves, radio waves, heat, etc. as a medium, such as transmission and reception of data and energy using electro-optical elements such as OEIC (Optoelectronic Integrated Circuit). In addition, the state of being “connected” so as to be able to transmit and receive various kinds of energy is also referred to as the connection in the present specification, and direct connection or indirect connection is not limited. Furthermore, it is not necessary to be always connected, and the switch circuit or the switching circuit is configured to be connected only when necessary (for example, only when charge, electricity, or current passes) according to the driving state of the drive circuit. Also good. Alternatively, the application program created by the computer can be transmitted to the terminal device via a recording medium. Examples of such a recording medium include a PC card, compact flash (registered trademark), smart media, and SD card. A memory card such as a memory stick, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or the like can be used.

  In this specification, a terminal program setting device, a terminal program setting program, a server program setting device, and a server program setting program are a system itself for creating and setting a program, and input / output and display related to program creation and setting, The present invention is not limited to an apparatus or method that performs computation, communication, or other processing in hardware. An apparatus and method for realizing processing by software are also included in the scope of the present invention. For example, software, programs, plug-ins, objects, libraries, applets, compilers, modules, macros that run on specific programs, etc. can be incorporated into general-purpose circuits and computers, and application creation, setting itself, or related processing can be performed. General-purpose or dedicated computer, workstation, terminal, portable electronic device, PDC, CDMA, W-CDMA, FOMA (registered trademark), GSM, IMT2000, fourth generation mobile phones, PHS, PDA, pager, smartphone Other electronic devices are also included in at least one of the terminal program setting device, terminal program setting program, server program setting device, and server program setting program of the present invention. In this specification, the program itself is also included in the program setting device. In addition, this program is not limited to the one used alone, but is provided as a service in an environment that functions as a part of a specific computer program, software, service, etc., an aspect that is called and functions when necessary, and an environment such as an OS. It can also be used as a mode, a mode that operates resident in the environment, a mode that operates in the background, and other support programs.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of a system in which a terminal device is connected to a system in which a server device, a host device, and the like are connected to a network so that wireless communication is possible. In this example, a handy terminal provided with a barcode scanner is used for the terminal device 100 which is a slave in the inventory management system, the barcode attached to the stock is scanned and wirelessly transmitted to the server device which is the parent device, and the server The example which performs inventory management with an apparatus is shown. Server apparatus 200 is connected to a plurality of terminal apparatuses 100 via access point 500, hub 700, and the like. In the example of the figure, only one access point 500, server device 200, host device 300, etc. are shown, but it goes without saying that a plurality of devices can be connected via a network. In such a network connection, an existing or future developed communication protocol such as a TCP / IP protocol using Ethernet (registered trademark) can be appropriately employed. In the example of FIG. 1, the communication method for wireless connection between the terminal device 100 and the server device 200 uses IEEE 802.11b in this embodiment. However, it goes without saying that in addition to IEEE802.11a, g, h, etc., other systems capable of wireless communication such as Bluetooth, IrDA, etc. can be used. Such a network such as a LAN can be connected to another network via a router.

  The terminal device 100 is a handy terminal having one or more functions such as a card reader, a barcode scanner, and a printer, and a portable electronic terminal such as a PDA and a mobile phone. These terminal devices 100 are provided with a terminal program execution function in a so-called rich client method or fat client method, and can perform processing even when communication with the host device 300 is not established. In the following example, a case where the rich client type handy terminal with a barcode scanner shown in FIG. 2A is a front view of the handy terminal, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view. This handy terminal is provided with a terminal operation unit 108 such as a liquid crystal display and operation keys as a terminal display unit 107 capable of displaying communication results and the like. In addition, a microprocessor is mounted as the terminal control unit 104 for executing control of the wireless communication unit, the barcode scanner 109 provided on the back, the terminal display unit 107, the terminal operation unit 108, and the like.

  As the server device 200 and the host device 300, a computer, a main frame, or the like is used. In the illustrated example, general-purpose personal computers are used for the server device 200 and the host device 300. The computer of the server apparatus 200 and the host apparatus 300 may be configured such that no monitor or input / output device is connected. The host device 300 is connected to a database 400 necessary for the system. The database 400 may be a built-in type by being used together with a secondary storage device such as a hard disk of a computer constituting the host device 300 in addition to an external device. In the example shown in the figure, the host device 300 and the server device 200 are prepared separately. However, in this specification, as shown in FIG. 3, the host device is integrated as a server device 200B, and the database 400 is connected to the host device 200B. A mode for functioning as an apparatus is also included. In this specification, the database is not limited to a data file in a dedicated format created by a database management program, but means a file including data including general-purpose file formats, and includes, for example, data related to tables and formats.

  FIG. 4 shows a state in which the terminal device 100, the server device 200, and the host device 300 exchange data. As shown in this figure, a terminal program 110 is executed in the terminal device 100, and a server program 210 is executed in the server device 200. In FIG. 4, the hatched portion indicates a portion that can be set by the user.

[Terminal Device 100]
The terminal device 100 communicates with a terminal storage unit 102 for holding a terminal program 110 and data, a terminal control unit 104 that reads necessary data from the terminal storage unit 102 and executes the terminal program 110, and the server device 200. Terminal communication unit 106.

[Terminal program 110]
The terminal program 110 is stored in the terminal storage unit 102 and is called and executed by the terminal control unit 104. The terminal storage unit 102 is a readable / writable storage element, and a secondary storage medium such as a memory such as an E ² PROM or a hard disk can be used. As a result, the updated / changed terminal program 110 can be downloaded and rewritten and saved as will be described later. The terminal program 110 is created using a terminal program setting device or a terminal program setting program. Typically, it is created on a computer in which a terminal program setting program is installed. In the terminal program, a plurality of terminal libraries 112 are prepared in advance according to the specifications and applications of the terminal device and server device to be used, and necessary functions are executed by calling them. By providing a library that performs predetermined operations on the terminal device in advance, it is possible to easily create and edit programs using these, and the user can use all functions of the terminal program using the terminal program setting device, etc. The programming work to create and specify is reduced. In addition, a terminal program having a predetermined function can be provided in advance, and the user can use it without performing a programming operation. The user can also customize the terminal program according to the purpose of use. The terminal library 112 includes a library for communication. The terminal program 110 uses the terminal library 112 to perform data communication with the server device 200 via the terminal communication unit 106.

[Server apparatus 200]
On the other hand, the server device 200 similarly has a server storage unit 202 for holding the server program 210 and data, a server control unit 204 that reads necessary data from the server recording unit and executes the server program 210, and the terminal device 100. A server communication unit 206 for communication and a server display unit 207 including a monitor capable of displaying a communication result and the like are provided. The server control unit 204 is realized by a calculation unit such as an MPU of a computer.

[Server program 210]
The server program 210 is similarly stored in the server storage unit 202 and is called and executed by the server control unit 204. The server storage unit 202 is also a readable / writable storage element, and a memory such as E ² PROM or a secondary storage medium such as a hard disk can be used. As a result, the server program 210 can also be rewritten. The server program 210 is created using a server program setting device or a server program setting program. In addition to the server program, these setting devices and programs can also create and edit terminal programs, or create terminal programs and server programs using individual devices and equipment, It can also be designed to be edited. In the example of FIG. 4, a server program 210 is created / edited by a server program setting program installed in a computer constituting the server device 200 and stored in the server storage unit 202. The server program 210 includes a server basic program 220 for data communication with the terminal device 100 via the server communication unit 206, and a server application program 230 that is created according to the purpose as a program independent of the server basic program 220. The server application program 230 is created as a text file in which a user describes a program code using an editor or the like. However, the server application program 230 can be created and edited using a server program setting program that supports user program design. Communication between the server application program 230 and the server basic program 220 is performed inside the server apparatus 200. Specifically, the request manager 222 included in the server basic program 220 and the request handler 232 included in the server application program 230 perform communication between processes of each program. The request handler 232 and the request manager 222 communicate using means such as a shared memory, a mail slot, a pipe, and socket communication. Similarly to the terminal program 110, the server basic program 220 includes a library for communication, thereby controlling the hardware of the server communication unit 206, and communication between the server device 200 and the terminal device 100 is performed. With this configuration, the server application program 230 performs data communication with the terminal device 100 via the server basic program 220. As described above, the terminal program 110 is implemented in a form including a terminal communication library. On the other hand, in the server program 210, the server application program 230 is made independent of the server basic program 220 including the server communication library 224. ing.

  In this way, the program is multi-layered, and the program created by the user and the program responsible for communication between other devices are separated, so that the operation can be maintained and the problem can be identified when a problem occurs. That is, the server basic program portion provided on the system side is less likely to cause problems because the manufacturer generally performs various tests and confirms the operation. On the other hand, the server application program portion created by the user may be insufficiently confirmed for such operation, and is likely to cause a malfunction. Therefore, even if a failure occurs in the server application program part, the server basic program 220 takes charge of minimum operations such as communication with the terminal device 100, and the system other than the server device in which the failure has occurred without bringing down the entire system. Can be maintained. In addition, by making the program multi-layered, it becomes easy to identify the problem occurrence location. That is, since it is considered that there is a high possibility that a failure will occur in any of the server application program parts, the possibility of identifying the problem is increased by performing the verification of only this part, which can contribute to shortening the work time.

[Request data 140]
In the wireless communication system shown in FIG. 4, data communication is started by transmitting a request from the terminal device 100 to the server device 200. The request data 140 is generated by the terminal control unit 104 loaded with the terminal program 110 and transmitted to the server device 200. The request data 140 is generated in a format as shown in FIG. The request data 140 shown in this figure includes header information 141 indicating the data type, terminal program generation information 142, and actual data 143 at the head. When the request data 140 includes a request that requires access to the database, for example, a search result based on a specified search expression, it is preferable that the actual data 143 include a structure that facilitates access to the database. As such a structure, a data structure in which a condition necessary for accessing the database is used as a variable can be preferably used. An example of variables is shown in Table 1. The actual data 143 is obtained by converting data of a structure as shown in Table 1 into binary or text data suitable for communication.

  In the example of Table 1 above, as a variable included in the request data 140, a database name to be accessed (up to 127 characters can be specified), a table name (up to 127 characters can be specified), and a search condition are specified. Here, the number of valid field data relating to the search data, the field index number, the arithmetic expression, the search key, etc. are used as the keydata indicating the contents. In addition, a variable field related to the field to be acquired as newdata can be added as appropriate. In this way, by describing the items necessary for processing such as searching in the database as a variable for each field, the processing contents can be easily analyzed, and the server device 200 that has received the request data 140 obtains access information for the database. Thus, processing can be performed smoothly.

[Response data 240]
When the server basic program 220 receives the request data 140 including such variables, it transmits it to the server application program 230. The server application program 230 analyzes the command of the received request data 140, performs an appropriate process such as accessing the database 400 connected to the host device 300, creates the process result as the response data 240, and generates the server basic It transmits to the program 220 and returns to the terminal device 100 side. After receiving the response data 240, the terminal device 100 performs post-processing specified by the terminal program 110, and returns to a state where the next request data can be transmitted. The server apparatus 200 executes the function prepared in the server communication library 224, thereby transmitting the response data 240 to the terminal apparatus 100 and enters the next request data waiting state. Thus, by interposing the server basic program 220 between the terminal program 110 and the server application program 230, the server basic program 220 receives a request from the terminal device even if the server application program stops operating. Therefore, it is possible to return an error response to the terminal device, and to collect the request and transmit the request data at once after the server application program is recovered.

  The format of the response data 240 includes, for example, header information 241 indicating the data type, terminal program update information 242, priority 244, and actual data 243 as shown in FIG. 5B. An example of variables included in the actual data 243 is shown in Table 2.

  In the example of Table 2 above, the variable included in the response data 240 is a result indicating whether the processing is successful or unsuccessful, the result data indicating the processing result is field_num indicating the number of valid field data, and the index indicating the number of field indexes , And data indicating search result data (up to 127 characters can be specified). The operation variable indicating the operator is not used in the response data 240. With such variables, the result for the request data 140 is returned to the terminal device 100 side.

  In addition, the calculation result variables are included in advance when the request data 140 is created, and the values are temporarily transmitted to the server apparatus 200 as 0, null, etc., and the calculation results are sent to the variables when the server apparatus 200 creates the response data 240. By substituting it as a value of and returning it to the terminal device 100 side, it is possible to appropriately obtain necessary data on the terminal device 100 side.

[Terminal program generation information 142]
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, terminal program generation information 142 can be added to the request data 140. The terminal program generation information 142 is terminal program generation information such as a program version number, revision number, and program name. Generally, in a terminal device of a rich client system, since a terminal program is installed on the terminal device side, it is necessary to perform system replacement and upgrade (version upgrade) individually for each terminal device. Especially, the number of terminal devices is large. It took time and effort. Therefore, in this embodiment, generation information of the terminal program 110 is included in the request data 140 in order to facilitate this work. Since the server apparatus 200 can grasp the version of the terminal program 110 installed in the communication destination terminal apparatus 100 from the terminal program generation information 142, it is necessary to determine whether the program version required for the current system is provided. In such a case, appropriate processing can be performed by, for example, requesting a program update operation first. For example, if normal operation is difficult with the current terminal program, the work is interrupted and the program update or replacement work is forcibly performed, or the differences in programs that do not hinder the work are ignored. It is also possible to notify the user that the operation is to be continued or to update the program, and the user can manually instruct the update operation. In particular, this method is not limited to a simple program update, and the program itself can be replaced. Alternatively, these operations may be performed without notifying the user. For example, the program may be automatically transferred to the program update operation after the current operation is completed, or the update operation or the like may be performed in the background in parallel with the processing. Note that data necessary for program update or replacement is registered in the hard disk of the server device 200 or the database 400 of the host device 300 in the example of FIG. 1, for example, and the terminal device 100 downloads necessary files from these. Etc. can be adopted. Accordingly, since the validity of the terminal program can be confirmed in advance prior to the requested processing, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the terminal program does not operate properly due to a version difference or the like, and to notify the terminal device 100 of the necessity for update work. As a result, the system can be properly operated without forgetting to update.

[Terminal program update information 242]
In the above example, the server device 200 instructs the terminal device 100 on program update information and the like based on the terminal program generation information 142 included in the request data 140. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, the terminal program update information 242 can be included in the response data 240 returned from the server apparatus 200 to the terminal apparatus 100. The terminal program update information 242 is information for instructing an update operation or the like of the terminal program 110 as described above. For example, by including the version information, revision number, program name, etc. of the server program 210 in the terminal program update information 242, the terminal device 100 can acquire the version information, etc. of the program running on the communication destination server device 200. This is compared with its own terminal program, and if it does not match or needs to be updated, the server apparatus can be requested to download an appropriate program file. Note that version mismatch means that the version information of each program matches by setting the version number so that correct operation is possible when the version number of the terminal program and the version number of the server program match. You can check whether you need to update. As described above, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the necessity of update work or the like is determined on the terminal device side and the work required for the server device is worked. Or it cannot be overemphasized that it is good also as a structure which judges the necessity for the update of a terminal program in both a terminal device and a server apparatus.

[Priority 244]
Further, such update work can be given priority 244. In other words, if the terminal program update operation is highly urgent, it may be necessary to immediately update it even if the current operation is interrupted. Conversely, if the terminal program is less urgent, it is necessary to perform the operation immediately. Instead, it can be performed automatically after the work is completed, or can be performed at a time specified by the user. In the example of FIG. 5B, the priority 244 is included in the response data 240, and the operation when the terminal device 100 detects a version mismatch can be defined. For example, the priority 244 is divided into A, B, and C in descending order of priority, and if the priority is A, the update is forced by interrupting the work of the terminal device 100. For example, a message or dialog indicating that the program needs to be updated is displayed on the display screen during the operation of the terminal device 100, the operation is interrupted, and the operation immediately shifts to the terminal program update operation. In the case of B, which has a lower priority than this, a dialog indicating that the terminal program needs to be updated interrupts the display screen of the terminal device 100 that is currently working, but no actual updating work is performed. In this state, the user can start the program update work by selecting a program update menu or the like when the current work is divided. In the case of C, which has the lowest priority, information indicating that the program needs to be updated is notified to the terminal device 100 and recorded in the terminal storage unit 102 or the like. Is not explicitly announced. The user can confirm the necessity of the update by a method such as selecting a program update menu. For example, at a stage where work is divided, the user voluntarily selects a program update menu at a desired timing and executes the program update. Not limited to this example, for example, by emphasizing display messages according to priority and urgency, for example, changing the font size, highlight display, voice guidance, warning sound, lighting / flashing of indicator lights, vibration combinations, etc. Also good. Alternatively, notification to the user can use a method of opening a message window, display in a message area, pop-up, balloon display such as a tooltip, or the like. Furthermore, various forms such as setting to automatically shift to the program update work without performing a specific operation or setting not to shift to the update work unless the user approves can be adopted as appropriate. As described above, according to the urgency of the update work, the message display method for prompting the update work and the automatic / manual update can be changed to enable an operation that balances the importance of the update work and the work efficiency. .

[Switch data]
The terminal program 110 and the server application program 230 as described above are created / edited / customized by an individual or integrated setting program as described above. This setting program is installed and executed in computers constituting the server device 200 and the host device 300, and functions as a setting device. An example of the user interface of such a setting program is shown in FIG. The setting program shown in this figure is a setting program for creating the terminal program 110, and the user defines the behavior of an application operating on the handy terminal as the terminal device on the setting screen as shown in the figure. Specifically, the workflow and work flow are defined in the upper part of FIG. 6, and the display contents displayed on the display screen of the handy terminal are created in the “screen layout” tab at the lower part. Jobs and tasks can be added by pressing the upper right button. Furthermore, the value of each item (property) can be confirmed in the right column of FIG.

  The setting program can refer to an already created data file. In the conventional setting program, only data stored in a predetermined location, that is, locally, can be referred to. For example, in the setting program of the terminal program 110, only the data file held in the terminal storage unit 102 of the terminal device can be referred to, and the data file of the server device cannot be referred to. On the other hand, in the setting program of the server application program 230, only data held in the server storage unit of the server device can be referred to, and data held in the terminal device cannot be referred to. Since these data have different storage locations and different data file formats, they have generally been handled by dedicated programs. In other words, there is a problem that they are difficult to handle in the same row. However, it may be useful to be able to refer to these data when setting up the program. For example, when setting a terminal program, there is a case where it is desired to refer to data in a table or database held in the server device. In such a case, it is convenient for the user if the data can be handled in the same line regardless of the data storage location and data format. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a function for handling the reference data in the same row is provided without making the user aware of the difference in data format. For example, the data reference destination can be switched on the screen shown in FIG. In the example of this figure, when setting the terminal program 110, the ROM that is the drive 1 as the data reference destination, the RAM that is the drive 2 (all of which are part of the terminal storage unit 102 of the terminal device 100), or on the server, that is, the server Any one of the server storage units 202 of the apparatus 200 can be selected and switched. These data are designed so that they can be handled by the same user interface regardless of the data format on the program screen while performing processing corresponding to each data format inside the program. As a result, a smooth working environment can be provided just by switching the data target without making the user aware of the difference in data. Further, the referenced target data can be edited and updated as well as browsing. As a result, different data stored in different locations can be handled on the same setting program, and the program setting operation can be performed efficiently by improving the usability of the setting program. In addition, as in the case of data reference, the data position can be switched as described above when the data is opened or saved, which can be used more conveniently.

  POS (sales point management system), inventory management, warehousing / shipping management, shipping inspection, process progress management, which is a combination of a terminal device of a handy terminal and a host device which is a computer, using the terminal device or server device according to the present invention. It can be suitably used for systems such as order management.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example which comprises the terminal device which concerns on one embodiment of this invention, a server apparatus, and a host device so that communication is possible, and comprises a radio | wireless communications system. It is the front view and perspective view which show the handy terminal with a barcode scanner which comprises the terminal device of FIG. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example which comprises the terminal device which concerns on other embodiment of this invention, a server apparatus and host apparatus so that communication is possible, and comprises a radio | wireless communications system. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the state in which a terminal device, a server apparatus, and a host apparatus exchange data. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of request data and response data. It is an image figure which shows an example of the user interface of a setting program. It is an image figure which shows an example of the dialog screen which switches the reference destination of data with a setting program.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Terminal device 102 ... Terminal memory | storage part 104 ... Terminal control part 106 ... Terminal communication part 107 ... Terminal display part 108 ... Terminal operation part 109 ... Barcode scanner 110 ... Terminal program 112 ... Terminal library 140 ... Request data 141 ... Header information 142 ... terminal program generation information 143 ... real data 200, 200B ... server device 202 ... server storage unit 204 ... server control unit 206 ... server communication unit 207 ... server display unit 210 ... server program 220 ... server basic program 222 ... request manager 224 ... Server communication library 230 ... Server application program 232 ... Request handler 240 ... Response data 241 ... Header information 242 ... Terminal program update information 243 ... Real data 244 ... Priority 300 ... Host device 400 ... Database 5 0 ... access point 600 ... router 700 ... hub

Claims (16)

A terminal communication unit (106) capable of wireless communication with the server device (200);
A terminal storage unit (102) for storing a predetermined terminal program (110) that can be downloaded from the server device (200) via the terminal communication unit (106);
A terminal control unit (104) capable of executing a predetermined terminal program (110) stored in the terminal storage unit (102) and generating request data (140) for the server device (200);
A terminal device of a rich client system configured to be capable of data communication with the server device (200) by the terminal communication unit (106) of the processing result of executing the terminal program (110) by the terminal control unit (104) Because
The terminal device (100) side transmits the request data (140) to the server device (200) via the terminal communication unit (106), so that the server device (200) is connected to the connected database (400) as necessary. The terminal control unit (104) generates the request data (140) so as to access and return the response data (240) corresponding to the request data (140).   The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal control unit (104) includes a variable for accessing the database (400) in the request data (140) to be generated.   The terminal device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the generation information of the terminal program (110) executed by the terminal control unit (104) is added to the request data (140) generated by the terminal control unit (104). When the server confirms the generation of the terminal program (110) based on the terminal program generation information (142) and determines that the terminal program (110) needs to be updated according to the system. Is configured to add terminal program update information (242) relating to the update of the terminal program (110) to the response data (240) and send it back to the terminal device (100).   The terminal device according to claim 3, wherein update data for the terminal device (100) to update the terminal program (110) is transmitted via the terminal communication unit (106) according to the terminal program update information (242). A terminal device configured to receive from the server device (200).   The terminal device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the terminal program update information (242) includes a priority (244) related to updating of the terminal program (110).   The terminal device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the terminal program update information (242) includes generation information of a program executed by the server device (200). apparatus.   7. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal program (110) includes a library for data communication with the server device (200) via the terminal communication unit (106). A terminal device characterized by the above. A server communication unit (206) capable of wireless communication with one or more rich client terminal devices (100);
As a program executed by the server device (200), a server basic program (220) for data communication with the terminal device (100) via the server communication unit (206), and a server application that can be edited depending on the application A server control unit (204) capable of executing the program (230);
A server storage unit (202) for storing the server basic program (220) and the server application program (230), respectively;
The server communication unit (206) performs data communication with the terminal device (100), and in response to request data (140) transmitted from the terminal device (100), a database connected to the server device (200) ( 400) as necessary, the server control unit (204) executes a server application program (230) to generate response data (240) corresponding to the request data (140), the server communication unit A server device characterized in that a response is made from (206) to the terminal device (100) according to the server basic program (220).   The server device according to claim 8, wherein the request data (140) from the terminal device (100) includes generation information of the terminal program (110) executed by the terminal device (100). When the server device (200) compares the generation of the terminal program (110) required by the system based on the generation information (142) and determines that the terminal program (110) needs to be updated, the response data (240 ) To which the terminal program update information (242) related to the update of the terminal program (110) is added and sent back to the terminal device (100).   The server device according to claim 9, wherein update data for updating the terminal program (110) in the terminal device (100) in addition to the terminal program update information (242) in the response data (240), A server device configured to transmit from the server communication unit (206) to the terminal device (100).   11. The server device according to claim 9, wherein the terminal program update information (242) includes a priority (244) relating to the update of the terminal program (110).   The server device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the terminal program update information (242) is generation information of a program executed by the server device (200). A server program executed in a server device (200) including a server communication unit (206) capable of wireless communication with one or more rich client terminal devices (100),
A server basic program (220) for data communication with the terminal device (100) via the server communication unit (206), and a server application program (230) that can be edited according to use,
The server basic program (220) has a function of performing data communication with the terminal device (100) via the server communication unit (206),
The server application program (230) has a function of performing data communication with a host device (300) connected to a database (400) wirelessly or by wire,
A server program comprising a function for the server basic program (220) and the server application program (230) to communicate with each other inside the server device (200). A terminal program (110) setting device for setting a terminal program (110) to be executed in a rich client system terminal device (100) capable of wireless communication with a server device (200),
Terminal-side data held in the terminal storage unit (102) that holds the data of the terminal device (100), and
The server-side data held in the server storage unit (202) that holds the data of the server device (200) can be switched and read, and the terminal program (110) can be edited by referring to and processing these data And / or a terminal program (110) setting device, characterized in that the terminal program (110) can be stored. A terminal program setting program for setting a terminal program (110) executed in a rich client type terminal device (100) capable of wireless communication with a server device (200), the computer program comprising: Terminal-side data held in the terminal storage unit (102) that holds data; and
A terminal program setting program characterized by realizing a selection function for selecting and reading server-side data held in a server storage unit (202) holding data of the server device (200).   A computer-readable recording medium storing the program according to claim 13 or 15.