JP4949631B2 - Center device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a center device that provides a program to be executed in a terminal device such as a handy terminal or a mobile phone.

  In recent years, many devices such as bar code readers used in business and various home appliances are controlled by a microcomputer. With the development of communication technology such as Internet technology, such various devices are equipped with a communication function and have a function of transmitting and receiving data via a network.

  For example, as an example of a bar code reader, there is a bar code reader having a function of performing a counting process based on a read bar code and transmitting the counting result to a computer arranged on the center side according to an instruction.

  Another typical example is imode (registered trademark) in a mobile phone. In this example, a so-called web browser or Java (registered trademark) execution environment is installed on a mobile phone, and the center side device of the packet switching network receives a document described in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) from a server on the Internet. Acquire it and distribute it directly to the mobile phone. The mobile phone interprets HTML and displays the screen.

Among these devices, there is another device (Patent Document 1) that uses HTML to switch the function of a key mounted on the device. Also, in many Internet mail order sites, etc., when data entered by the user on the terminal side is received and verified on the server side, and there is an error in the data input as a result of the verification, it is necessary to re-enter The HTML document for prompting it is further distributed to the terminal side.
Republication 98/006037

  However, in the conventional terminal device such as the barcode reader or the mobile phone, a different program must be prepared for each model or for each carrier of the mobile phone. For example, even in an application execution environment using Java (registered trademark), there is a difference in the downloading method and the implementation mode for each carrier, so different programs are prepared for each carrier in the mobile phone, Currently, an application suitable for the carrier is downloaded from the center device and used.

  This situation is the same for other household appliances, and the control program for each household appliance is currently being developed for each model.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a center device that can reduce the development effort for each model or carrier.

  The present invention for solving the problems of the above conventional example is a center device communicably connected to a terminal device, and should be presented according to a branch processing instruction and the result of the branch processing Means for acquiring processing instruction data including a screen description information set describing a plurality of screens, branch processing related to the instruction based on the acquired processing instruction data, and screen presentation processing corresponding to the branch processing Includes a program generation means for generating a program for a terminal device to be executed by the terminal device, and a means for transmitting the generated program for a terminal device to the terminal device.

  Further, here, the branch processing instruction includes an array of branch parameters related to the branch condition, and the program generation means executes a program for a terminal device that determines a branch condition for each branch parameter included in the array. It is good also as producing | generating, receiving the arrangement | sequence of the result of the branch process for every branch parameter contained in the said array, and performing a predetermined | prescribed process.

  The processing instruction data includes a plurality of screen description information sets that describe a plurality of branch processing instructions and a screen to be presented according to the result of each branch processing for each branch processing instruction. Each of the branch processes includes a definition of an array of branch parameters related to the condition of the branch, and the program generation means indicates that the array of branch parameters defined for each branch process is associated with each other. When the instruction is included in the processing instruction data, when the branch process related to the branch parameter included in the target array is performed, the branch related to the branch process is performed in at least one array other than the target array. An instruction to perform a predetermined process using the branch parameter corresponding to the parameter may be included in the terminal device program.

  Further, the present invention for solving the problems of the above-described conventional example is a center device that is communicably connected to a terminal device, and an instruction for branch processing related to information input in the terminal device; Means for acquiring processing instruction data including a screen description information set describing a plurality of screens to be presented according to the result of the branch processing, information acceptance processing based on the acquired processing instruction data, and branching A program generating means for generating a terminal device program for causing the terminal device to execute a process and a screen presentation process corresponding to the branch processing, and the generated terminal device program is sent to the terminal device. And the program generation means includes a command for differentiating the process according to the information input mode in the information receiving process. It is characterized by generating a program.

  Furthermore, the terminal apparatus program providing method according to one aspect of the present invention provides a processing instruction including a branch processing instruction and a screen description information set describing a plurality of screens to be presented according to the result of the branch processing. Acquiring data, and generating a terminal device program for causing the terminal device to execute a branch process related to the instruction and a screen presentation process corresponding to the branch process based on the acquired process instruction data, The generated terminal device program is transmitted to the terminal device.

[Basic processing]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the center device 2 according to the present embodiment is connected to a server device 1 and a terminal device 3, and forms a software execution system as a whole. Although only one terminal device 3 is shown here, a plurality of terminal devices 3 may be provided. Moreover, although the server apparatus 1 and the center apparatus 2 are shown as separate apparatuses connected via the Internet, they may be mounted by the same computer. The terminal device 3 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a display unit 33, an operation unit 34, and a communication unit 35.

[Server device]
The server device 1 is a general web server. The server device 1 holds instruction processing data that describes instruction information including branch processing instructions and information (screen description information) that defines at least one display screen. In the present embodiment, when a branch processing instruction is included in the instruction information, a plurality of screen description information to be provided according to the result of the branch processing is included as a screen description information set.

  The server device 1 receives a request by HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) and distributes instruction processing data related to the request to the request source.

  Here, the instruction processing data is described using XML (eXtensible Markup Language). Further, among elements displayed on the screen by the screen description information, elements that accept an instruction operation performed by the user (buttons, input fields, menus, etc.) are hereinafter referred to as operation guidance elements. In the present embodiment, the screen description information provided by the server device 1 defines the user interface of the application when viewed from the terminal device 3 side.

[Center side device]
The center-side device 2 is a general server computer having a CPU, a storage unit, and a display unit, and operates according to a program installed in advance. The contents of the program of the center side device 2 can be explained using a functional block diagram as shown in FIG. That is, the program of the center side apparatus 2 includes a control unit 21, a modem management unit 22, a modem control unit 23, a modem unit 24, an HTTP client unit 25, and an information conversion unit 26.

  The control unit 21 includes modem management information input from the modem management unit 22, modem state information indicating the state of the modem input from the modem control unit 23, and the server device 1 input from the HTTP client unit 25. Server-side state information indicating the communication state is recorded.

  The modem management unit 22 reads the modem status information recorded by the control unit 21 and displays the modem status information for the administrator. Also, an instruction for setting the modem state is received from the administrator, and the instruction is output to the control unit 21 as modem management information.

  The modem control unit 23 inquires (polls) the modem unit 24 whether or not there is an access from the terminal device 3 at regular intervals, and the modem unit 24 that receives the access from the terminal device 3 Information received from the device 3 is output to the information conversion unit 26. Further, the modem control unit 23 receives an input of a program for the terminal device 3 from the information conversion unit 26 and outputs the program to the modem unit 24.

  The modem unit 24 is a modem provided in the center side device 2 (the modem here is not only a unit that modulates data into an analog signal and transmits / receives data in order to send and receive data via the telephone line network, but also a code. (Including general LAN transceivers that perform decoding / decoding, which are assumed to be one or more in this case), accept access from the terminal device 3 side, and buffer the data received from the terminal device 3 In response to polling from the modem control unit 23, the buffered data is output to the modem control unit 23. In addition, data input from the modem control unit 23 is transmitted to the terminal device 3 being accessed. Specifically, if the modem uses a wireless LAN standard such as 802.11b, the modem unit 24 stores the MAC address or IP address on the terminal device 3 side that has been accessed, and the MAC address Alternatively, information input from the modem control unit 23 is transmitted to the IP address.

  When there are a plurality of modem units 24, the modem control unit 23 performs polling while sequentially selecting each modem unit 24, and outputs the information buffered by the selected modem unit 24 to the information conversion unit 26. When a program for the terminal device 3 is input from the information conversion unit 26, the program is output to the currently selected modem unit 24, and the next modem unit 24 is selected and polled. May be repeated.

  The HTTP client unit 25 transmits a request for instruction processing data corresponding to a URL (Uniform Resource Locators) input from the information conversion unit 26 to the server device 1 using the HTTP protocol. Then, the requested instruction processing data is received from the server device 1, and the received instruction processing data is output to the information conversion unit 26.

  The information conversion unit 26 generates a program (terminal device 3 program) that can be executed on the terminal device 3 side based on the instruction processing data. The operation of the information converter 26 will be described in detail later.

[Modem status information and modem management information]
Here, modem state information and modem management information will be described. In the present embodiment, modems are group-managed in groups. Here, the group can be arbitrarily set. For example, when there are a plurality of offices on the user side, the group can be set for each office. In this case, the terminal device 3 belonging to the first office may make a call to any of the modems divided into groups corresponding to the office. Specifically, an identifier is assigned to each modem, and each terminal device 3 is set to hold the identifier of the corresponding group of modems and communicate with one of them.

  In the present embodiment, the modem is identified by a group identifier (gid) and an IP address. The modem status information and the modem identification information are managed using these group identifiers and IP addresses as keys. For example, the modem status information includes a TCP protocol port number used by each modem, a status code (status), and a comment as keys. It is related to Here, the status code mainly indicates whether it is online (during communication) or offline.

  The modem management information is information for adding a modem (registering a new modem) and changing the setting contents of the modem (changing online to offline, IP address using the group identifier and IP address as keys) Or information for changing the port number).

  In the present embodiment, the modem management unit 22 has a function as a web server, receives a request for providing modem status information, and distributes the modem status information to the request source as a web page. You may do it.

[Screen display program]
Next, the content of the process of the information conversion part 26 is demonstrated. The information conversion unit 26 generates a screen display program module for the terminal device 3 based on the screen description information portion included in the instruction processing data. In the present embodiment, a plurality of pieces of screen description information can be included in the instruction process data according to the result of the branch process. The information conversion unit 26 generates a plurality of screen display program modules corresponding to each of the plurality of screen description information included in the instruction processing data.

  For example, the screen description information may include a plurality of types of screen element definitions as shown in FIGS. 3A is a text display, FIG. 3B is a button display, FIG. 3C is an input field display, FIG. 3D is a splash screen (image displayed for a certain period of time), and FIG. (F) represents an element of a hint display, and (a) <text> tag, (b) <button> tag, (c) <input> tag, (d) <splash in an XML document as instruction processing data, respectively. > Tag, (e) <Select ... option> tag, (f) <hint> tag.

  The information conversion unit 26 uses a “button” tag as an XML document element that indicates a button displayed on the screen, and the description of the screen element is “<button mode = aaa size = bbb x = ccc y = ddd buttontype = fff url = ggg> eee </ button> ”, this is converted into a data format predetermined as interpretable on the terminal device 3 side, for example, as shown in FIG. Such a data stream. FIG. 3 shows what instructions are converted by the information conversion unit 26 into descriptions relating to the six types of screen elements: text, button, input field, splash screen, selection menu, and hint information.

  For example, FIG. 3B shows that the type information is “2” and indicates that the button is a button, and then the mode (mode), size (size), and on-screen representing the display mode of the button. "X" and "y" representing the display position coordinates of the text, the text displayed as a button ("eee" in the above example), and the button type (push button or radio button or other selection button) Etc.), and a data format including “url” representing a URL (if any) to be read when the button is clicked. The delimiter for non-fixed data such as text and URL is “0xFE 0xDC”.

  One of the characteristic features of this embodiment is whether or not barcode input is possible in the data format that defines the interface of the input field, which is one of the operation guide elements (and the corresponding XML DTD description). It is performed according to whether or not the conditions (operation conditions) regarding the information to be input, such as “barcode” to be expressed, “min” and “max” that determine the maximum and minimum input values, and whether the operation conditions are satisfied The information (goodhint and badhint) for specifying the power process is included (FIG. 3C).

[Branch processing program]
In addition, the information conversion unit 26 according to the present embodiment causes the terminal device 3 to execute a branch process instruction included in the process instruction data and a screen presentation process corresponding to the result of the branch process. Here, the branching process is a process for changing the operation according to the condition.

  In the example of the present embodiment, the branch process is defined as a process for performing a branch based on a comparison between a value input in the terminal device 3 and a value specified by a branch process instruction. Specifically, the branch processing instruction of the present embodiment is defined by a “compare tag” as shown in FIG. This compare tag includes at least one comparison element (a series of descriptions surrounded by comparegroup tags; P). Each comparison element includes a group of values to be compared (compare value tag; A) and a branch instruction group (compare option tag; B). The branch instruction group includes at least one piece of information for specifying a comparison condition with a value input in the terminal device 3 and screen description information related to a screen to be presented when each comparison condition is satisfied. That is, this branch instruction group defines the branch parameters related to the branch conditions, and the branch instruction group corresponds to the array of the branch parameters.

In this embodiment, for the sake of explanation, it is assumed that the following seven types of comparison conditions are used. That is,
(1) The value to be compared is equal to the input value.
(2) The input value is larger than the value to be compared.
(3) The input value is smaller than the value to be compared,
(4) The input value is included in the group of values to be compared.
(5) The input value is not included in the group of values to be compared.
(6) The value to be compared has been verified (compared).
(7) The value to be compared is not verified (compared),
It is assumed that there are seven types.

  The information conversion unit 26 stores a group of values to be compared as an array, a step of displaying a value input field, and a comparison condition in the order included in the branch instruction group each time a value is input. A step of comparing the stored array with the input value based on the above and a step of displaying a screen based on the screen description information corresponding to the comparison condition that is initially satisfied in the comparison order A program for the device 3 is generated.

  For example, the content of this program generation processing will be described using an example of generating a program for the terminal device 3 including branch processing from a part of the processing instruction data shown in FIG.

  When the information conversion unit 26 finds a <compare> tag from the processing instruction data, the information conversion unit 26 generates a program module (initialization module) that performs initialization processing for comparison processing. In the program code of the initialization process, for example, a comparison process related to each value corresponding to the number of values included in a group of values specified as a comparison target (a group of values specified by a <comparevalue> tag) An area for storing a plurality of flag information indicating whether or not is completed and an area for storing a pointer value for designating a value to be subjected to the next comparison are secured. For each input field, an area for storing the input value and the result of the comparison process is secured.

  As a specific example, in the example of FIG. 4, an option (start) that specifies a value to be subjected to the first comparison is specified as an option of the <compare> tag (here, “1”). Further, the number of values to be compared is specified by an option (total) for specifying the number of values (here, “5”). Therefore, the information conversion unit 26 generates the next program for the terminal device 3. That is, (a) an area for storing five flag information and an area for storing pointer information are secured, and (b) an initial value “1” (value specified by the start option) is set as the pointer information. (C) As flag information, an initial value for executing each step from (a) to (c), such as setting and initializing a value (“uncompared”) indicating that the flag information has not been compared yet. Generate a module.

  In addition, the information conversion unit 26 displays screen information described immediately after the screen information description (here, the end tag (</ compare>) corresponding to the <compare> tag) described in relation to the <compare> tag. Based on the description, an input field is displayed, and a program module (interface processing module) that performs input interface processing for accepting input is generated. Further, each of the input fields (screen elements corresponding to the <input> tag) displayed here is associated with the branch instruction group defined by the <comparegroup> tag included in the <compare> tag. Here, it is assumed that the association is performed according to the description order (appearance order). Note that FIG. 4 includes instructions (two <input> tags) for displaying the first and second input fields corresponding to the number of <comparegroup>.

  Further, the information conversion unit 26 associates each displayed input field with a branch instruction group (corresponding branch) included in the <comparegroup> tag corresponding to each input field when a value is input to each input field. A program module (comparison processing module) that executes comparison processing based on the instruction group) is generated. In the program code of this comparison processing module, for a plurality of comparison conditions included in the corresponding branch instruction group corresponding to the input field to which the value is input, whether or not the comparison condition is satisfied using the input value is sequentially determined. to decide.

  As a specific example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the information conversion unit 26 generates a program that displays two input fields. When a value is input to the first input field (the input field corresponding to the previous <comparegroup> tag), the corresponding branch instruction group corresponding to the input field is referred to, and the condition number “1”, that is, (1) It is determined whether the value specified by the pointer information among the values to be compared is equal to the input value. In addition, the condition number is not specified at all for the processing when the condition is satisfied, and there is no particular change in the display screen when the condition is satisfied.

  If this condition is not satisfied, the next branch instruction is referred to (in the example of FIG. 4), condition number “2”, that is, (2) whether the input value is greater than the value to be compared. Determine whether. If this condition is satisfied, the specified screen (screen specified as 2.xml and represented by 2.xml) is displayed.

  Similarly, when the condition (2) is not satisfied, the next branch instruction is referred to, and the condition number “3” (in the example of FIG. 4), that is, (3) the input value is It is determined whether or not the value is smaller than the target value. When this condition is satisfied, the specified screen (screen specified as 3.subxml and displayed in 3.xml) is displayed.

  In accordance with the program code, the terminal device 3 displays a screen based on the screen description information corresponding to the comparison condition that is initially satisfied in the description order of the comparison condition.

  Further, in the example shown in FIG. 4, in order to be able to specify what kind of processing is to be performed before and after the comparison processing, information (operation) that pre-processes input values is provided as an option of the <comparegroup> tag. An example of associating and an example of associating with each comparison condition and associating information (forward) defining post-processing to be performed after the comparison condition is satisfied are shown.

  Here, in the operation option that defines preprocessing, when operation = 2 is specified, it means that preprocessing is performed in which the input value is added to the value in the current input field. Also, in the forward option that defines post-processing, when forward = 1, pointer information is incremented and the process proceeds to the next value comparison. When forward = 2, pointer information remains unchanged. Assuming that the comparison process with the value currently being compared is continued, and when forward = 3, the process specified by the operation option is executed again.

  In this case, according to the example shown in FIG. 4, the program code is generated so that the terminal device 3 operates as follows. That is, when a value is input to the second input field, first, as a preprocessing, the input value and the value currently set in the second input field are added, and the addition result is expressed as the second value. Overwrite the entry field. Then, referring to the corresponding branch instruction group corresponding to the second input field, first, the condition number “3”, that is, (3) the value overwritten in the second input field is the value specified by the pointer information It is determined whether it is smaller than (the value to be compared). When this condition is satisfied, there is no processing instruction, so the processing is continued.

  If this condition is not satisfied, the next branch instruction is referred to, condition number “1”, that is, (1) the value to be compared is equal to the value overwritten in the second input field. Determine whether or not. When this condition is satisfied, the pointer information is incremented and the next value is compared according to the specification of the forward option. At this time, the value input in each input field is stored in an area secured in the storage unit. Further, when the value of the pointer information exceeds the number of values included in the group of values designated as the comparison target (when the value of the pointer information exceeds “5” in the example of FIG. 4). The processing is terminated, and an array including the values input in the respective input fields and the comparison processing results is returned to the center device 2 side as the processing results.

  If this condition is not satisfied, the next branch instruction is referenced, and condition number “2”, that is, (2) is the value overwritten in the second input field larger than the value to be compared? Judge whether or not. If this condition is satisfied, the specified screen (screen specified as 2.xml and represented by 2.xml) is displayed. If this condition is satisfied, the screen represented by 2.xml is displayed, and then matching with the current comparison target is continued according to the specification of the forward option.

  The information conversion unit 26 of the center device generates a program code including each program module after generating a program module that performs such branch processing and a screen display program module based on the screen description information. It is distributed to the terminal device 3 side.

[Other processing of information conversion unit 26]
In the present embodiment, the information conversion unit 26 further receives an input of a process result in the terminal device 3 and executes a process based on the result of the process. For example, when the branch process is performed in the terminal device 3, the terminal device 3 receives the determination result corresponding to each value included in the group of values to be compared. The information conversion unit 26 receives an input of the determination result array, holds the determination result array in a hard disk or the like, and uses it for other processes such as a tabulation process.

[Terminal device]
The control unit 31 of the terminal device 3 operates according to a program stored in the storage unit 32, interprets an instruction input from the communication unit 35, and controls each unit according to the instruction. Details of the specific operation of the control unit 31 will be described later.

  The storage unit 32 is a computer-readable information storage medium that holds a program, such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, and includes at least a part that can be read and written. It also operates as a work memory that stores necessary information.

  The operation unit 34 is a keypad, a barcode reader, or the like, and accepts information input in response to a user operation, and outputs the accepted information to the control unit 31. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the operation unit 34 includes a keypad (including numeric input keys such as a numeric keypad) 34a and a barcode reader 34b.

  The display unit 33 is a display that displays information in accordance with an instruction input from the control unit 31. Specifically, the display unit 33 includes a liquid crystal dot matrix display, but is not limited thereto. The communication unit 35 outputs an instruction received from the center side device 2 to the control unit 31, and transmits information to the center side device 2 in accordance with the instruction input from the control unit 31.

  Here, the flow of processing executed by the terminal device 3 will be described with reference to the example shown in FIG. The control unit 31 of the terminal device 3 receives from the center device 2 a program converted based on the description of FIG. Then, this program is stored in the storage unit 32, and the following operation is performed according to the stored program.

  First, initialization processing for comparison processing is performed. In this initialization process, each value corresponds to the number of values (five in the example of FIG. 4) included in a group of values specified as a comparison target (a group of values specified by a <comparevalue> tag). An area for storing a plurality of pieces of flag information indicating whether or not the comparison processing related to is completed and an area for storing a pointer value for designating a value to be subjected to the next comparison are secured in the storage unit 32. For each input field, an area for storing the input value and the result of the comparison process is secured in the storage unit 32. In addition, the pointer information is initialized to “1” (value specified by the start option), and the flag information is initialized to “uncompared” indicating that comparison has not yet been performed.

  Next, the control unit 31 displays an input field based on the screen information description described immediately after the <compare> tag. In FIG. 4, two first and second input fields (corresponding to <input> tags) are displayed corresponding to the number of <comparegroup>.

  In this state, the control unit 31 waits for input of a value. When the user operates the operation unit 34 to input information, the control unit 31 executes a branch process corresponding to the input field that receives the information input.

  For example, when the user inputs “A” in the first input field, the control unit 31 starts processing corresponding to the first input field, and first, (1) a value to be compared is input. It is determined whether or not the value “A” is equal. Here, since the value of the pointer information is “1”, the value to be compared is “A”. In this case, since the value to be compared is equal to the input value, it is determined that the condition is satisfied.

  In this case, the control unit 31 further waits for input of a value. Next, when the user inputs “1” in the second input field, the control unit 31 determines the value of the current second input field (if there is no particular designation based on the option of the <compare> tag). “1” is added to “0”. Here, the result of the addition is “1”. The control unit 31 overwrites the result of this addition in the second input field.

  And the control part 31 starts the process corresponding to a 2nd input column. In this case, since the program code for comparison processing is generated in accordance with the description order shown in FIG. 4, first, (3) the value overwritten in the second input field is the value specified by the pointer information (the comparison value). It is determined whether or not it is smaller than the target value. Here, since the pointer information remains “1”, the value to be compared is “10” (the first value of <comparevalue> in the second <comparegroup>). That is, this condition is satisfied. Since this process is not specified in particular, input of a value is awaited as it is.

  When the user further inputs “9” in the second input field, the control unit 31 obtains a value “10” obtained by adding “9” to the current value “1” in the second input field, Overwrite the value “10” in the second entry field.

  Then, (3) it is determined whether or not the value overwritten in the second input field is smaller than a value specified by the pointer information (a value to be compared). Here, since the pointer information remains “1”, the value to be compared is “10”. That is, this condition is not satisfied.

  Therefore, the control unit 31 refers to the next branch instruction and (1) determines whether or not the value to be compared is equal to the value overwritten in the second input field. Here, since both are equal, this condition is satisfied. The control unit 31 sets the flag information corresponding to the value indicated by the current pointer information to “compared” in accordance with the designation of the forward option related to this condition. Then, the pointer information is incremented to “2”. In addition, the value input in each input field and the result of comparison (information indicating that both are “equal”) are stored in an area secured in the storage unit 32.

  Thereafter, processing is performed for each of the groups of values to be compared in the same manner, and when the result of comparison processing with each value is obtained, the processing ends, and the input value and comparison result Are transmitted to the center apparatus 2.

  Whether or not the input value is already verified (compared) is determined as follows. That is, an input value is searched from a group of target values, and a position (position from the top may be included) including the input value is acquired. Then, based on the acquired position information, the flag information corresponding to the position is referred to, and whether or not the value of the flag information has been verified (compared) is determined.

  In addition, whether or not the input value is included in the group of values to be compared is included if the input value is searched from the specified group of values and found. If it is not found, it is determined that it is not included.

  If the pointer information is “2” and the user inputs “X” in the first input field, the input value is not equal to the comparison target value “B” indicated by the pointer information. Therefore, display the screen specified in 2.xml or 3.xml.

  Here, in 2.xml and 3.xml, in order to reset the input field and the button to “return” to the input screen below, as well as the display of a character string such as “The input value is different” Buttons are also displayed.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the processing is continued until each value is “equal” to the comparison target value. Therefore, the value of the result of the comparison processing transmitted to the center apparatus 2 is “1”. , 1, 1, 1, 1 ”, etc., are values indicating that the condition number“ 1 ”, that is,“ equal ”is determined.

  According to the present embodiment, the terminal device 3 performs a branching process or the like according to the input value. That is, a certain amount of information input operation can be executed on the terminal device 3 side. Thereby, it is not necessary to continuously ensure communication with the center apparatus 2, and the convenience can be further improved.

  In the description so far, the example in which a plurality of comparison conditions are associated with each other in the branching process has been described as a program generated by the information conversion unit 26 of the center device 2. In other words, there is an implicit indication that the group of comparison target values specified in one branch instruction group and the group of comparison target values specified in the other branch instruction group are linked to each other. It is assumed that one of the branch instruction groups is the attention instruction group, and the branch processing related to the branch parameter included in the comparison target value group (target array) related to the attention instruction group is performed. Sometimes, a predetermined process using a branch parameter corresponding to the branch parameter related to the branch process is performed in at least one array other than the target array (a group of comparison target values of a branch instruction group other than the target instruction group). Program code to be done was generated. For this reason, in the example of FIG. 4, each value input in the first input field and the second input field is specified by the same pointer information in the corresponding group of values to be compared. Compared to the value (one is “A”, the other is “10”, etc.).

  However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the group of values to be compared used in the comparison processing of each <comparegroup> may be set as not related to each other. As a specific example, this setting is performed using a value of an option (for example, a related option) indicating whether or not to relate to each other in a <compare> tag. That is, if the value of the related option is “1”, it is related, and if it is “2”, it is not related. If not linked, individual pointer information is used for each input field. For example, the value input in one input field is the first value among the group of values listed corresponding to the input field. Can be processed such that the value input in the other input field is compared with the second value in the group of values listed corresponding to the input field. Become.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when information is input in the terminal device 3, the processing content may be varied depending on the mode of input operation of the user. As a specific example, FIG. 5 shows an example of instruction processing data in the case where processing is changed according to the mode of input operation, corresponding to the example shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 5, a submit option indicating “automatic input” is provided as an option of an <input> tag that instructs to display the second input field related to the branch process. Here, it is assumed that the value corresponding to the submit option has the same meaning as the value of operation. This “automatic input” is a value that is predetermined in the second input field (without any operation by the user) when the value in the first input field is input (in the example of FIG. 5, This means that the process is executed as if the default option value) was input.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, when the user first inputs a value “A” in the first input field, a branch process is performed by comparing the value “A” with the value to be compared. At this time, even if no value is input to the second input field, it is assumed that a predetermined value (“1” in the example of FIG. 5) is input to the second input field. Branch processing related to is performed. In the example of FIG. 5, every time a value is input to the second input field, the input value is accumulated. Therefore, every time a value is input to the first input field, the numerical value of the second input field Will be incremented as “1”, “2”.

  As described above, in the example using the option indicating “automatic input”, the number of times the value is input to the first input field using the barcode reader is reflected in the second input field. When the “automatic input” option is specified in this way, the information conversion unit 26 increments the pointer information and compares the value when the previously input value is different from the currently input value. A process of comparing with the next value in the group of target values is performed. At this time, the value input in each input field is stored in an area secured in the storage unit. Further, when the value of the pointer information exceeds the number of values included in the group of values designated as the comparison target (when the value of the pointer information exceeds “5” in the example of FIG. 5). The processing is terminated, and an array including the values input in the respective input fields and the comparison processing results is returned to the center device 2 side as the processing results.

  As described above, in the example of FIG. 5, the processing is different between a mode in which information is repeatedly input in the first input field and a mode in which values are input in the first input field and the second input field. become. Thus, for example, the case where information is input to each of the first input field and the second input field is different from the case where information to be input to the first input field is repeatedly input using a barcode reader. Processing is executed.

[Operation]
Next, the operation of the software execution system including the center device 2 according to the present embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, an application program is installed on the server device 1 side. This application program is described in a state where information for input / output can be distributed by the HTTP protocol. Specifically, this application program can be described by a script language such as JavaScript, PHP, or ASP (Active Server Pages) in addition to Java (registered trademark) and its servlet. In the following example, a case will be described in which an inventory management application program is written in Java (registered trademark). Here, a simple example is considered in which the product number information and the quantity information thereof are received and the quantity of each product is totaled on the application program side.

  The instruction processing data installed in the server apparatus 1 is an XML document that defines an interface in which an item number and quantity input field, an “input” button, and a “total” button are arranged for information input. The server device 1 also stores a Java (registered trademark) program for collecting information.

  An XML document that defines this interface is as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 5, the first input field is used as the product number input field, and the second input field is used as the quantity input field.

  Of these, barcode input is possible (barcode = "yes") in the product number input field, and barcode input is not possible (barcode = "no") in the quantity input field.

  The terminal device 3 designates the URL of the XML document in advance, and transmits a request for acquiring data from the designated URL when an initialization operation is performed. This request is transmitted to the center device 2, and the center device 2 accepts the request and one of the modems comes online to buffer the request.

  When the modem controller 23 of the center apparatus 2 polls the modem next time, the request is read by the modem controller 23 and output to the information converter 26. The information conversion unit 26 detects that this request is a data acquisition request from a URL (for example, when the data itself is a character string starting with “http”, and so on). The URL related to the data acquisition request is output to the HTTP client unit 25.

  Then, the HTTP client unit 25 sends a request based on the HTTP protocol for acquiring data from the URL to the server device 1 side. In response to the request by the HTTP protocol, the server apparatus 1 distributes the corresponding XML document to the center apparatus 2 that is the request source.

  Then, the HTTP client unit 25 of the center apparatus 2 receives the XML document. This XML document is converted into a program for the terminal device 3 by the information conversion unit 26. Here, a case where a program for the terminal device 3 is generated based on the instruction processing data shown in FIG. 5 will be described as an example.

  The information conversion unit 26 outputs this program to the modem control unit 23, and the modem control unit 23 transmits the program to the terminal device 3 via the modem unit 24.

  The control unit 31 of the terminal device 3 receives the input of this program received by the communication unit 35, stores it in the storage unit 32, and starts processing.

  In accordance with the order of the input instructions, the control unit 31 of the terminal device 3 first stands by moving the cursor to the product number input field, which is an instruction related to the operation guide element input first. The cursor may be moved by a keypad operation. In this case, the movement order of the cursor may be the order of the screen elements included in the instruction.

  When the user operates the barcode reader of the operation unit 33 to read the barcode related to the inventory, information read by the barcode reader is output to the control unit 31. The control unit 31 displays the information in the first input field, and executes branch processing by comparing the input value with the value to be compared. At this time, even if no value is input to the second input field, it is assumed that a predetermined value (“1” in the example of FIG. 5) is input to the second input field. Branch processing related to is performed.

  If the user reads a product number other than “A” as the product number, an error can be displayed as a process on the terminal device 3 side by the branching process shown in FIG. Each time the product number “A” is read, the value in the second input field is incremented by “1”.

  When the branch processing related to each value to be compared is completed, a list of input values (product number and quantity) and a list of comparison results are transmitted to the center device 2 via the communication unit 35.

  The information conversion unit 26 of the center apparatus 2 receives the list of the input values and the input of the determination result array, holds the determination result array in a hard disk, etc. It is used for processing. Specifically, the input information is distributed to the server device 1 to perform a counting process.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, instead of the terminal device 3, the center side device 2 executes communication with the web server and various processes, and transmits the results to the terminal device 3 side for display. . On the terminal device 3 side, in consideration of the convenience of the user, the branch process specified for the input value is executed for the information input using a certain operation guidance element. That is, if only the interpreter program is developed in advance for each model of the terminal device 3, even when the model is replaced, the interpreter program is installed in the server model 1 only by installing the interpreter program in the replaced model. The existing program can be used as it is, and the manufacturing cost of the entire system can be reduced.

  Further, here, a case where processing is executed on the client side as in a Java (registered trademark) program has been described. However, in a script language or the like in which processing is executed on the server side, the information conversion unit 26 of the center side device 2 is executed. However, when the parameter list is received together with the URL, the parameter list is combined with the URL as a query and output to the HTTP client unit 25 so that the server apparatus 1 performs processing based on the combined URL. You can do it.

[Data security]
Furthermore, in the description so far, the communication between the server apparatus 1 and the center apparatus 2 may be encrypted using secure HTTP (https). Further, for communication between the center device 2 and the terminal device 3, the communication content may be encrypted using a predetermined encryption method such as AES.

[Recovery from failure]
Furthermore, a plurality of center devices 2 may be provided, so to speak as a fault tolerant configuration. As for the fault tolerant technology, a widely known one can be used as it is.

1 is a configuration block diagram illustrating an example of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a center side device 2. FIG. It is explanatory drawing showing an example of the data format interpretable with the terminal device. It is explanatory drawing showing an example of instruction | indication process data. It is explanatory drawing showing another example of instruction | indication process data.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Server apparatus, 2 Center side apparatus, 3 Terminal apparatus, 21 and 31 Control part, 22 Modem management part, 23 Modem control part, 24 Modem part, 25 HTTP client part, 26 Information conversion part, 32 Storage part, 33 Display part , 34 operation unit, 35 communication unit.

Claims (5)

A center device communicably connected to a handy terminal equipped with a bar code reader ,
From the storage location specified by the handy terminal , presented according to the branch processing instruction including the group of values to be compared in the branch processing, the branch parameter array related to the branch condition, and the result of the branch processing Means for obtaining processing instruction data including a screen description information set describing a plurality of screens to be performed;
Based on the acquired processing instruction data, a program generating means for generating a terminal device program that causes the handy terminal to execute a branching process related to the instruction and a screen display process corresponding to the branching process;
Means for sending the generated terminal device program to the handy terminal ;
Including
The program generation means includes
Accepting information through a keypad or the barcode reader ;
For each branch parameter included in the array, branch processing for determining a branch condition based on one of the values included in the group of values and the received information;
Referring to the screen description information describing the screen to be presented according to the result of the branch process, and the presentation process for presenting the screen according to the branch process,
A center device that generates a program for a terminal device to be executed by the handy terminal . The center device according to claim 1,
The branch instruction data includes a plurality of groups of values corresponding to each of the input fields,
The program generation means includes
The process of accepting the information includes an instruction to display a first input field and a second input field,
Pointer information is used as branch processing for determining the branch condition,
The array includes a value input in the first input field and a value specified by pointer information among values included in a group of values to be compared corresponding to the first input field. Processing using a branch parameter to be compared,
By the processing, when a predetermined branch condition is satisfied , a value specified by the pointer information among values included in a group of values to be compared corresponding to the second input field ; A process of comparing the value input in the second input field using a branch parameter included in the array;
The Rutotomoni to perform in the handy terminal,
In the branch process, referring to the screen description information describing the screen to be presented, which is determined in accordance with the branch condition determined to be satisfied, the presentation process for presenting the screen according to the screen description information, to perform the handy terminal, further and the value entered in the input field, the process of transmitting the result of the comparison to the center device, and wherein generating a terminal device program for causing the handy terminal Center device to do. In the center apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The program generation means further includes:
Program code for causing the handy terminal to execute processing to be performed before the branch processing;
Program code for causing the handy terminal to execute processing to be performed after the branch processing;
A center device for generating a terminal device program including: In the center apparatus as described in any one of Claim 1 to 3,
The program generation means further includes:
As a code for performing the process of accepting the information,
An instruction to display a first input field and a second input field;
When a value is input to the first input field, a branch process is performed by comparing the value input to the first input field with the value to be compared, and a predetermined value is stored in the second input field. A center device that generates a terminal device program including an instruction to execute a branch process related to a second input field as input. A method for providing a program for a terminal device for providing a program to be executed by a handy terminal to a handy terminal provided with a barcode reader,
From the storage location specified by the handy terminal , presented according to the branch processing instruction including the group of values to be compared in the branch processing, the branch parameter array related to the branch condition, and the result of the branch processing Obtaining process instruction data including a screen description information set describing a plurality of screens to be performed;
Based on the acquired processing instruction data, a program generation step of generating a terminal device program that causes the handy terminal to execute a branching process related to the instruction and a screen presentation process corresponding to the branching process;
Sending the generated terminal device program to the handy terminal ;
Including
In the program generation step,
Accepting information through a keypad or the barcode reader ;
For each branch parameter included in the array, branch processing for determining a branch condition based on one of the values included in the group of values and the received information;
Referring to the screen description information describing the screen to be presented according to the result of the branch process, and the presentation process for presenting the screen according to the branch process,
A terminal device program providing method for generating a terminal device program to be executed by the handy terminal .

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