JPH10232899A - Service linking method, service linking device and parts generation management method utilizable for the execution - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide service linking method and device for organically and smoothly integrating and providing plural basic services. SOLUTION: This service linking device 2 relays a client 3 and a server 1 for providing the respective kinds of the basic services. In a virtual service object definition file(VSODF) 14, the utilization form or the like of a basic service object(PSO) 12 utilized by a user is defined. The PSO 12 is generated corresponding to a basic service object definition file(PSODF) 16 and a virtual service object(VSO) 10 is generated as if a single basic service corresponding to the VSODF 14. When a routine job is activated, the VSO 10 appropriately utilizes the PSO 12 and provides the service.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a service cooperation method, a service cooperation apparatus, and a part generation management method. In particular, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for providing a virtual service by integrating a plurality of basic services when providing a service from a server to a client via a network or the like.
And a method for generating and managing parts usable for them.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, the Internet uses WW
Various services are provided mainly on W (World Wide Web). When using WWW, if there is a dedicated terminal called a viewer or a browser, there is no need to prepare a dedicated application for each service, and the burden on the user is greatly reduced. However, individual services such as printing, file copying, and database search (hereinafter referred to as “basic services”) are usually provided from individual servers, and there is no mechanism for exchanging data between the basic services. Therefore, necessary data processing and the like must be performed on the terminal side, and it is difficult to perform processing using a large number of services even in routine work. Especially recently, PDA (Personal Digital Assistance)
Such mobile terminals have become widespread, and given the limited display space and key operability of such terminals, there is an extremely strong demand for service cooperation.

To meet this demand, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-160
No. 851 discloses a system having a dedicated center server. In this system, when a plurality of services are provided, a process script describing a data processing sequence is sent to the center server. The center server sequentially reads and interprets the process script and executes a series of processing.

[0004]

By providing the center server in this way, the user can obtain the execution results of a plurality of services. However, in this system, the center server simply processes the process script in a batch, and a series of processes is not performed based on the interaction with the user. In other words, once the process starts, the user is not involved in the system until the final result is output, and it is difficult for the user to input search conditions as appropriate in each scene of the process. Room is allowed. The essence of the problem is that even though this system provides an automatic execution function of a plurality of services, it does not take a form in which the plurality of services are integrated and provided as if they were one basic service.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a service cooperation method and apparatus for organically and smoothly integrating and providing a plurality of basic services. Another object of the present invention is to provide a service cooperation apparatus which facilitates a change in the order in which basic services are provided and a layout on a screen, and enables flexible service provision. Another object of the present invention is to provide a parts generation management method for converting a service result into parts so that the parts can be used for service cooperation.

[0006]

According to the service cooperation method of the present invention, a virtual service related to the cooperation of a plurality of basic services is defined in advance by defining an integrated form of a plurality of basic services. When providing a service, a virtual service object is first generated in an internal format that appropriately uses the basic service object according to the above definition. Subsequently, a virtual service is provided in an operation format according to a single basic service in the form of executing the generated virtual service object.

Here, "in internal form" means "in an actual program". That is, even if it looks as if the virtual service object itself is operating as one independent basic service, it actually means that a plurality of basic service objects are appropriately activated and used. The “operation format based on a single basic service” refers to a format that enables interactive processing by appropriately providing a user interface function or the like to a user. That is, unlike a case where a plurality of basic services are simply mechanically and automatically processed by a batch process, it means that, from the viewpoint of the user, the virtual service realizes an operation environment according to the basic services.

According to this method, a plurality of basic services used in the routine work are integrated and provided as a virtual service, for example, by defining the routine work required by the user as a virtual object in advance. For this reason, a very convenient service is realized as if the user were given a program dedicated to the routine work. In the service cooperation method of the present invention, provision of a virtual service is assigned to a relay device provided between a client and a server, and instead of the client aiming at a server that executes each basic service that actually constitutes a virtual service, A request for a virtual service may be issued for this relay device. “Purpose” means an object to be explicitly designated by the user, and refers to designation by an address. In this configuration, the user does not need to be aware of each server and request a service, and the user sees the relay device as a single server that provides a virtual service, so that the relay device receives one basic service. looks like.

On the other hand, the service cooperation apparatus of the present invention provides a server communication unit (2) for exchanging necessary information with a server.
4), a client communication unit (20) for exchanging necessary information with the client, and an object management unit (26) for generating and managing objects related to various services. Further, the object management unit generates a basic service object according to the definition regarding the basic service object, and a virtual service object according to the definition regarding the virtual service object relating to the integration of the plurality of generated basic service objects. And a virtual service object generation unit (40) that generates the virtual service object. In this configuration, when the client requests the client communication unit to provide the virtual service, the virtual service object managed by the object management unit causes the server to appropriately execute the basic service via the server communication unit. Provide virtual services to clients based on

[0010] According to this configuration, since the server communication unit and the client communication unit are provided, the service cooperation apparatus appears as a client from the server and as a server from the client. For example, this configuration is possible by providing the proxy server with a function as a service cooperation device, and system construction is facilitated.

In one aspect of the service cooperation apparatus of the present invention, the server communication unit divides information obtained as a result of execution of a basic service to generate a part, and When providing a virtual service, information obtained as a result of a plurality of basic services constituting the virtual service is provided to the client as a combination of parts. Here, an example of the “information obtained as a result of the basic service” includes a text (hereinafter, referred to as an HTML document) described in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) sent from the server via the Internet.

In providing the virtual service, the server communication unit may further include a parts synthesizing unit (60) for fitting parts relating to a plurality of basic services constituting the virtual service into a predetermined frame determined by a template or the like. In this case, the result of the virtual service is provided to the client in a state where necessary parts are fitted in the predetermined frame.
According to this device, since information is converted into parts, parts can be effectively combined and displayed efficiently.

On the other hand, the parts generation management method of the present invention identifies a part of information obtained as a result of execution of a basic service, which part functions as one user interface when displayed on the screen of the client terminal. Then, the information is converted into parts and stored in units of this part. According to this method, by preparing parts in advance, for example, when returning execution results of a plurality of basic services to the client,
Information related to each basic service can be provided in the form of parts. In particular, if the highly important part of the information is made into parts and the data in other parts is reduced, the results of many basic services can be simultaneously displayed on a limited screen such as a PDA. It is convenient for cooperation of basic services.

Further, the service cooperation apparatus of the present invention includes a virtual service object definition storage unit for storing a definition relating to a virtual service object relating to integration of a plurality of basic service objects. The virtual service object definition storage unit stores scenario information that defines the order of transition of the basic service in the virtual service. That is, the order of transition of the basic services is collectively managed by the scenario information, and the order of the basic services to be executed by the server can be changed only by changing the scenario information. Further, the service cooperation apparatus of the present invention includes the scenario execution unit, so as to grasp which basic service is currently provided to each of the plurality of clients,
A virtual service can be provided to a plurality of clients in parallel.

On the other hand, another service cooperation apparatus of the present invention stores, in a virtual service object definition storage unit, part information defining basic subparts constituting a virtual service object, and part information of basic subparts constituting a virtual service object. And template information for defining a layout on the screen. The basic sub-part is a part obtained by further subdividing the basic part corresponding to the part that forms one user interface functionally when displayed on the screen of the information terminal. By separately providing the part information and the template information, the part information manages information on the types of basic parts constituting the virtual service object. Information on the arrangement of the basic sub-parts included in the basic parts on the screen is centrally managed by template information separately from the part information. Thereby, for example, for an information terminal having a different screen form, an easy-to-view screen display can be obtained by changing only the template information, and it is not necessary to change the part information and other information.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiment 1 A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram when the service cooperation apparatus according to the embodiment is used in a server client system. As shown in FIG.
A server 1 each of which individually provides a basic service,
It relays a client 3 mounted on a user terminal such as a PDA or a PC. In that sense, the service cooperation device 2 is located at the same position as the proxy server, but in the case of this system,
This is different from the proxy server in that the service cooperation apparatus 2 independently performs the virtual service related to the integration of the basic service. Therefore, in this system, when requesting a virtual service,
The client 3 issues a request not for each server 1 but for the service cooperation device 2. Specifically, server 1
The URL of the service cooperation device 2 is specified instead of the URL (Uniform Resource Locator). Therefore, the service cooperation device 2 appears to the user as one server.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between a certain client 3 and a plurality of servers 1 in relation to the internal configuration of the service cooperation apparatus 2. As shown in the figure, an object (basic service object: Primitive Service Ob
object, abbreviated as “PSO” in the figure) 12 and a virtual service object (Virtual Service Object, abbreviated as “VSO” in the figure) realized by integrating and cooperating these three basic service objects.
10 have been generated. In the present embodiment, these objects are generated as JAVA instances.

In the present embodiment, in order to generate these objects, a basic service object definition file (PSO) that defines the contents of the basic service object in advance.
Definition File, abbreviated as “PSODF” in the figure) 16
And the virtual service object definition file (VS
O Definition File, abbreviated as “VSODF” in the figure) 14
Is prepared. These files may be described in the form of plain text, or may be described as JAVA class files. As shown in the figure, the client 3 accesses the virtual service object 10, the virtual service object 10 uses each basic service object 12 in the form of executing a method, and each basic service object 12 implements a basic service. It is associated with the server 1.

FIG. 3 mainly shows the service cooperation apparatus 2.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing details of the configuration of FIG. As shown in the figure, the service cooperation device 2 includes a client communication unit 20 for exchanging necessary information with a client, a server communication unit 24 for exchanging necessary information with a server, and a , And an object management unit 26 that generates and manages objects related to various services. In the service object group 22, the generated basic service object 12 and virtual service object 10 are in a standby state.

The client communication unit 20 is a daemon for communicating with a client 3 such as a WWW browser by HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol).
It has a TPD 30, a session management unit 32 for managing user authentication and a session with the client 3, and a CGI parameter analysis unit 34 for analyzing CGI parameters sent from the client 3. The internal configuration of the server communication unit 24 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

1. In response to the request from the virtual service object 10, necessary parts among the parts held by itself are returned.

2. When you do not have the necessary parts,
Or, when necessary parts are retained but the contents are old, the server is actually re-executed by the basic service, and the result is obtained to generate the parts.

The part generated in 3.2 is returned to the virtual service object 10.

4. When the virtual service object 10 requests, the part is provided in a template.

Here, a part means information obtained as a result of execution of a basic service, for example, each part obtained by dividing an HTML document.

The object management unit 26 first includes a basic service object definition file conversion unit 46 and a basic service object generation unit 44 for the basic service object 12. When the basic service object definition file 16 is plain text, the basic service object definition file
This is an interpreter that converts AVA code into a class file. The basic service object generation unit 44 reads the JAVA class file obtained by the conversion and generates the basic service object 12. On the other hand, for the virtual service object, the virtual service object 10 is generated through the same processing by the virtual service object definition file conversion unit 42 and the virtual service object generation unit 40.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are description examples of the basic service object definition file 16 and the virtual service object definition file 14, respectively. In this example, the former is written in plain text, and the latter is written in JAVA code from the beginning. Here, a print service is assumed as a basic service, and an estimate creation service of a product is assumed as a virtual service. At the left end of these figures, the line numbers of the text are given for convenience of explanation.

In FIG. 4, first, the first line describes the name of the basic service, and the third line describes the version of the basic service. Since the contents of the basic service object definition file 16 should be consistent with the version of the basic service, if there is a version upgrade on the basic service side, the basic service object definition file 16 is appropriately updated and the version is adjusted.

Next, parts are described in the 5th to 16th lines. These parts are used when providing a print service. For example, in lines 6-8, "PrintO
It is declared that a part “ption” is used, and the part where the part is held as an HTML document is “UR”.
L ”. Also, it is determined that the part corresponds to the first FORM tag of the HTML document.
Indicated as (1). The other two parts are interpreted similarly. Subsequently, lines 18 to 32 show methods for realizing this basic service. Here, the name of the method, the parts to be used, and the like are described. With the above configuration, the processing content of the basic service object is determined. Note that files similar to those in FIG. 4 are prepared for basic services other than the print service.

On the other hand, FIG. 5 determines the contents of the virtual service object, and is described by a list of JAVA methods. First, in lines 3 to 6, a basic service object 12 used by the virtual service object 10 is declared. Here, the merchandise information database service (line 3), the document database service (line 4)
Line), a print service (line 5), and a document composition service (line 6). That is, first, data such as a unit price of a product for which an estimate is to be created is obtained by the product information database service, and a model of the estimate is obtained by the document database service. Subsequently, by the document synthesizing service, the obtained template is poured into the product information, and the finally obtained quote is printed by the print service.

In a series of processes, “Tabl” in line 8
"e" contains the search result of the product, and "Docum" on line 9
"ent" contains a model of the quote. Lines 12 to 15 are for initializing the system, lines 17 to 21 are a product information database service, lines 23 to 27 are a document database service, lines 29 to 33 are a document synthesis service, and lines 35 to 3
Line 7 describes setting of options in the print service, and lines 39 to 41 describe actual printing. When searching for product information, the search key entered by the user is CG
It is passed to the "list" in the 18th line as an I parameter. "Print.Option" on line 36 in FIG.
Corresponds to the 19th line in FIG. 4, and associates the virtual service object with the basic service object. Note that “Template” in line 19 etc.
Is an instruction to insert a part obtained as a result of the service into a template and provide the template.

As described above, based on this file, the virtual service object generation unit 40 generates a series of processes from retrieval of product information to output of a quote as if it were one basic service. For convenience of explanation, the template is used only when the estimate is finally synthesized and output.

FIGS. 6 to 11 are screen display examples of the terminal on the client 3 side at each stage of the quote creation service which is a virtual service, and FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure for providing the quote creation service. Hereinafter, the operation of providing the virtual service will be described with reference to these drawings and FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 12, a basic service object 12 and a virtual service object 10 are generated (S2). For this purpose, the basic service object definition file conversion unit 46 in FIG. 3 reads the basic service object definition file 16 in FIG. 4 and converts it into a JAVA class file while interpreting it. Then,
The basic service object generation unit 44 generates the basic service object 12 based on the class file.

Similarly, the virtual service object 10 is generated by the virtual service object definition file converter 42 and the virtual service object generator 40 based on the virtual service object definition file 14 of FIG. In this example, since the virtual service object definition file 14 is described in advance in JAVA code, the virtual service object definition file conversion unit 42
Does nothing. The generated object is indicated by arrow A in FIG.
Form part of the service object group 22 through
The system goes into a standby state.

In this state, the user of the client 3
As shown by arrow B, a request to start the "quote creation service" is made via the terminal (S4). This request is sent via the HTTPD 30 of the client communication unit 20 to the arrow C in FIG.
To the service object group 22 as shown in FIG.

In the service object group 22, the virtual service object 10 is activated according to the request. As shown in FIG. 5, as the first operation of the virtual service, first, the product information database service is started.
At this time, since the initial screen for searching for the product information should be displayed on the terminal on the client 3 side, the parts required for the display are requested from the server communication unit 24 as indicated by the arrow D.

If the requested part exists in the server communication unit 24, it is given to the virtual service object 10 through the arrow G in FIG. The virtual service object 10 sends this part to the client 3 by arrows H and I as one screen of its own service. On the other hand, if the necessary parts do not exist in the server communication unit 24, the server communication unit 24 requests the server 1 that actually provides the product information database service to execute the service with an arrow E, and as a result, the arrow F (At this point, an HTML document for displaying an initial screen for product information search) is converted into parts, and necessary parts are provided to the virtual service object 10. In the present embodiment, which part of the HTML document obtained by the server communication unit 24 from the server 1 is requested is shown in FIG.
In the “Position”, such as the eighth line of “. Here, assuming that only the input interface portion of “product name” and “product code” is obtained as a part as a product information search initial screen, a display as shown in FIG. 6 is made on the screen of the terminal.

The user inputs at least one of a product name and a product code as a search key, and clicks a search execution button. This search key is analyzed by the CGI parameter analysis unit 34 via the HTTPD 30, and is used in the actual basic service of searching for product information. The virtual service object 10 requests the server communication unit 24 for a search for product information, or more precisely, for a part obtained as a result of the search (arrow D). The server communication unit 24 requests the server 1 for the search service immediately in view of the fact that the request involves the CGI parameter (arrow E). As will be described later, when there is a CGI parameter, the execution result of the basic service generally changes throughout. For this reason, the server communication unit 24 of the present embodiment does not store the execution result of such a basic service in its own part, even if it is made into parts according to the request.
In any case, the search for the product information is actually performed (FIG. 12).
S6), and the result is displayed as shown in FIG. The user clicks and selects a desired product from this display (S
8).

Subsequently, the user clicks a "document search button" displayed at the bottom of the screen in FIG. At this point, the product information database service, which is the first basic service, ends, and the document database service, which is the next basic service, is started. At this time, since a document search initial screen should be displayed on the client 3 side terminal, parts required for display are requested from the server communication unit 24 as indicated by an arrow D. Thereafter, through the same process as in the initial screen for searching for product information, the necessary parts are
Sent to Here, as shown in FIG. 8, parts of the input interface portion of “document template name” and “document template code” are displayed as an initial screen.

Here, the user inputs at least one of the document model name and the document model code as a search key, and clicks a search execution button. This search key is used in the actual basic service of document search. Thereafter, a search for a document template is performed through the same process as that for the product information (S10), and the result is displayed as shown in FIG. The user appropriately clicks the detail display button to check the contents of each document template, and selects a desired document template (S12).
The selected document template is displayed on the screen as shown in FIG.

Subsequently, the user clicks the "document synthesizing button" displayed at the bottom of the screen in FIG. 10 (S1).
4). At this point, the document database service ends,
A document synthesis service, which is another basic service, is started. With the user's click, the merchandise information selected by the merchandise information database service and the document model selected by the document database service are transferred to the document synthesizing service.

In the document synthesizing service, the merchandise information is poured into the document template. At this time, it is confirmed whether or not a template is designated for displaying the final result (S).
16). As described above, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that a template is specified only for the document composition service. FIG. 18 shows the template, in which two windows a and b, which are holes into which parts are to be fitted, are provided. Here, the estimate is shown in window a, window b
It is assumed that product descriptions related to the products listed on the quote are linked to each other. The product description itself is also a part, and is converted into a part from the HTML document returned to the server communication unit 24 when the product information database service is actually performed, and is stored in the server communication unit 24.

In the document synthesizing service, first, merchandise information is poured into a document template to complete an estimate, and this is held in the server communication unit 24 as parts. Subsequently, the estimate is pasted on the window a, the product description is pasted on the window b, and the combination of the parts with the template is completed (S18). Thus, the screen display of FIG. 11 is finally performed (S20). As shown in the figure, a quote is displayed in an area 70 corresponding to window a, and a product description is displayed in an area 72 corresponding to window b. In this state, if the user clicks the “print button” provided at the bottom of FIG. 11, the print service, which is the last basic service, is activated, and the quote is printed. The above is the whole of the provision of the virtual service.

Next, the generation and management of parts in the server communication unit 24 will be described.

FIG. 13 is an internal configuration diagram of the server communication unit 24. As shown in the figure, the server communication unit 24 is a request receiving unit 5 that receives a parts request from the virtual service object 10.
0, a part generation unit 54 that generates necessary parts according to the request, a server access unit 56 that causes the server to actually execute the basic service when generating the parts, and obtains the result in the form of an HTML document. The parts database 58 to be held and the parts management unit 5 to perform all parts management
2, a template holding unit 64, a part synthesizing unit 60 for synthesizing parts required when the template specified by the virtual service object 10 is read from the template holding unit 64, and a virtual service object A request response unit 62 for returning to 10 is provided.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a procedure for generating and managing parts in the server communication unit. As shown in the figure, when a request for a part is issued from the virtual service object 10 (S30), this is received by the request receiving unit 5
Accepted as 0. Subsequently, the parts management unit 52 checks whether the requested part exists in the parts database 58 (S32). If it exists (S
In Y) of 32, it is confirmed whether the part is valid or not (S34). There are the following criteria for the effectiveness of parts.

1. 1. Whether the date and time of generation of the part is old. Whether or not the server that provided the HTML document that is the basis of the part has been upgraded. If two are adopted, the version of the basic service to be used by the virtual service object 10 is stored in the virtual service object definition file 14. Is described. For example, when the version 2.1 is scheduled to be used as a print service, this fact is described in a portion related to the print service in the virtual service object definition file 14. On the other hand, since the print service has a version description in its basic service object definition file 16, it is determined that the part is valid if these two versions match, and invalid if they do not match. This is because if the versions are different, the size of the parts and the like change, which may cause problems such as hindering the composition of the parts with the template.

If it is determined that the part is valid (S
34, the corresponding part is read from the parts database 58 (S36) and sent to the parts synthesizing unit 60. Here, similarly to S16 and S18 in FIG. 12, when the virtual service object 10 requests the part, it is determined whether or not a template is specified (S1).
6) If there is a designation, the corresponding template is read out from the template holding unit 64 to combine the parts (S1).
8), providing this to the virtual service object 10 via the request response unit 62 (S38). If no template is specified (N in S16), the part is provided to the virtual service object 10 as it is (S38).

On the other hand, if there is no necessary part in the parts database 58 in S32, or if it is determined in S34 that the part is not valid, the server access unit 56 accesses the server to generate the required part ( S4
0) Execute the basic service. The server returns a response to the server access unit 56 in the form of an HTML document as a result of executing the basic service. The server access unit 56 obtains the H
The TML document is passed to the parts generation unit 54.

The parts generation unit 54 generates H
The TML document is decomposed to generate parts (S42), these parts are given to the parts management unit 52 and registered in the parts database 58 (S44), and the requested parts are passed to the parts synthesis unit 60. . However, as mentioned above, if a CGI parameter is referred to in requesting a part, the part is not registered in the parts database 58. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S16 to perform template-related processing, and finally returns the parts to the virtual service object 10 via the request response unit 62 (S38).

Next, a part generation method in the part generation step S42 will be described. There are various methods for generating parts, and for example, the following methods are available.

(1) Formal Parts Generation Using Tags as Clues In an ordinary HTML document, a portion surrounded by tags is a unit of processing. For example, in the case of a FORM tag, <
FORM> is a start tag and </ FORM> is an end tag, and the processing content is described between them. Therefore, the simplest processing of the parts generation unit 54 is to parse the HTML document and, when an arbitrary start tag <xxx> is found, cut out up to the end tag </ xxx> corresponding to the start tag as one part. is there.

The problem with this method is that some tags do not have an end tag, and some have a nested structure. FIGS. 15A and 15B show such an HTM.
The description example of L and the actual display state are shown, respectively, where the LI tag does not have an end tag and the UL tag is nested. The UL tag has a function of displaying the contents of the LI tag by attaching different head symbols (such as 、 and □ in the figure). In FIG. 7A, three UL tags 80, 8
There are 2,84 nests.

In such a case, the parts generation unit 54
Regarding the tag, the part where the start tag <UL> appears continuously is recorded, and when the end tag </ UL> appears, the parts may be configured in pairs with the nearest <UL>. On the other hand, for the LI tag, after <LI> appears,
If <LI> appears again or a different type of tag such as <UL> appears, it is considered that the previous LI tag has ended. According to this rule, parts can be formed for the LI tag. As a tag without an end tag, another INP
There is a UT tag, which can be made into parts with the same rules.

Some tags, such as TABLE tags, have a matrix structure. In that case, <TABLE> to </ T
In addition to cutting out the portion of “ABLE>” to make the entire TABLE into one part, it is also possible to make parts for each row, each column, or each intersection of a row and a column.

As described above, in any method, the generated part is given a part name and an ID for identifying the part. Basic service object definition file 1
In No. 6, what part is required in which scene of the basic service is described by a part name or an ID. Thereafter, when a virtual service is actually provided, the basic service object 12 is called from the virtual service object 10, and the basic service object 12 operates according to the basic service object definition file 16, so that the basic service object 12 is described in the file. The part specified by the part name or the like is requested from the server communication unit 24.

(2) Substantial Parts Generation Considering User Interface In some cases, the parts generated by the method (1) can respond to the request of the virtual service object 10, but constitute one user interface. If it is desired to make a part into one part, the method (1) has room for further improvement.

FIG. 16 shows an example of a user interface used in the print service. FIG. 17 is a description example of HTML for realizing this display. The user interface in FIG. 16 is described by a FORM tag as shown in FIG. With the method (1), the entire description in FIG. 17 can be made into one part, or one of the radio buttons, that is, a row of a certain INPUT tag can be made into one part. However, in these cases, “B4” and “A3” accompanying the INPUT tag in FIG.
Etc., radio button labels cannot be included in some parts. This is because these labels are placed outside the INPUT tag, and the logical relationship with the INPUT tag is not known on HTML.

Therefore, the part generation unit 54 sets <INPUT
The contents (here, the label) described immediately after the tag such as> are regarded as related to the tag at the user interface level, and these are linked and registered in the parts database 58. Alternatively, <INPU
All the contents described on the same line as the tag such as T> may be linked. Usually, when describing in HTML, it is based on an empirical rule that logically related items are grouped on the same line to some extent, and conversely, unrelated items are described after line breaks.

As described above, according to (2), parts having a certain relation when parts are actually displayed, for example, a plurality of objects constituting one user interface, etc. are held as one part in advance. Can be.
In this case as well (1), it can be called from the basic service object definition file 16 with the part name and the part ID.

(3) Part Generation According to Basic Service Object Definition File As another method, there is a method of explicitly describing a part to be cut out as a part in the basic service object definition file 16. FIG. 4 which has already been described is an example thereof. For example, “Position” in the eighth line includes “For
m (1) ". This indicates that when the HTML document is parsed from the top, the part of the FORM tag that appears first is made into parts. When there is such an explicit instruction, the parts generation unit 54 may cut out the parts according to the instruction.

[Embodiment 2] FIG. 19 is a system configuration diagram when a service cooperation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention is used for a server client system. In the figure, components having the same functions as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. The present apparatus includes four types of definition files as the virtual service object definition file 14, a part definition file 100 storing part information, a template definition file 102, a scenario definition file 104, and a method definition file 106. These definition files are analyzed by the definition file analysis unit 108 and passed to the object management unit 26. In addition to the client communication unit 20, a scenario execution unit 110 for grasping and controlling the progress of each virtual service in the service object group 22 is provided.

First, a function realized by providing the scenario definition file 104 will be described. FIG.
Is a schematic diagram illustrating the concept and function of a scenario. FIG. 20A shows an execution order relationship of each basic service in a virtual service in which a document search service and a print service are linked. In the figure, a search condition setting 120 and a search result display 122 indicate pages of a basic service constituting the document search service, and a print property 124 and a print result display 126 indicate pages of the basic service constituting the print service. The virtual service is provided by transiting these pages in the order indicated by arrows and executing processing. That is, the document is searched according to the conditions set in the search condition setting 120, and if it is confirmed that the desired result is not obtained in the search result display 122, the process returns to the search condition setting 120 again to set the conditions. Perform a fix search. On the other hand, if the desired result is obtained, the print property 1
Then, the process proceeds to step S <b> 24, where the print processing is performed.

It is desirable that such a processing flow, that is, a scenario can be easily changed according to a user's request. For example, FIG. 20B shows a case where the scenario shown in FIG. 20A is modified and the print service is replaced with the fax service. Here, FAX property 12
8 and a FAX result display 130 are pages of basic services constituting the FAX service. In this case, the processing is performed when the desired result is obtained as a result of the search.
A transition is made from 0 to the FAX property 128, FAX transmission is performed, the FAX result display 130 is displayed, and then the flow returns to the search condition setting 120. Conventionally, the address of the next page to be transited is defined for each of these pages according to each case of the processing of the page.
That is, there is a problem that the processing flow cannot be grasped unless each page is followed, and the correction work becomes complicated.

In order to solve this, the present apparatus is provided with a scenario definition file. First, the components of the basic service used in the virtual service are defined in the parts definition file. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a description example of a part definition file corresponding to FIG. At the left end of the figure, the line numbers of the text are given for convenience of explanation.

In the part definition file, the fourth line <PA
RTSDEFS> and </ PARTSDEF on line 11
Each <PARTS> tag sandwiched between S> corresponds to a part. The type of component is specified by a parameter following “ID”. In the example shown in the figure, the fifth to tenth rows respectively include a search condition setting 120, a search result display 122,
It corresponds to the print property 124, the print result display 126, the FAX property 128, and the FAX result display 130. This part definition file does not include information on the order of processing between these parts. A scenario definition file defines information related to the processing order between components.

FIGS. 22 and 23 correspond to FIGS.
7 is a scenario definition file corresponding to (b). FIG.
The part sandwiched between <SCENARIO> on the first line and </ SCENARIO> on the twenty-third line is the part that defines the substance of the scenario. Each page of the basic service starts from the <SCENE> tag </ SCENE>
It is associated with the description up to the tag. For example, “<SCENE NAME = thumbnailResult PART” on line 19
“S = thumbnailPrint>” means the start of the description of the processing print result display 126 using the component having “ID = thumbnailPrint” described in the eighth line of FIG.21. Followed by a parameter.

An <ACTION> tag is described between the <SCENE> tag and the </ SCENE> tag.
In accordance with the value of the “NSITION” parameter, it is defined which service to display next from the current screen display. For example, a default (default) is specified as a parameter value in the definition on the twentieth line. This specifies that, following the current service, unconditionally transition to a screen display having “result” as a “NAME” identifier is made. As a result, the processing shifts from the service provision of the print result display 126 to the service provision of the search result display 122 defined in the eighth to eleventh lines.

Further, from the screen display of the search result display 122 defined in the seventh to eleventh lines, as shown in FIG.
Transition to 4. This is because the value of the “TRANSITION” parameter is set to either “Back” or “ThumbPrint” by the user or the like in the service of the search result display 122, and in the case of “Back”, the definition in the ninth line is The screen transitions to the screen display of the search condition setting 120 having “condition” as the “NAME” identifier. on the other hand,
In the case of “ThumbPrint”, the state transits to the print property 124 according to the definition in the tenth line.

As described above, the definition of the processing flow shown in FIG. 20A is collected in the scenario definition file shown in FIG. The user sets the flow of this processing as shown in FIG.
23, only the scenario definition file needs to be changed as shown in FIG. The changes made here are, first, the FAX property 128 and F
The definition corresponding to each of the AX result displays 130 is to newly add descriptions in the 23rd to 27th lines and 29th to 32nd lines. Second, the first of the search condition setting 120
In the description of line 0, the transition destination is FAX property 128
Is changed. The scenario definition file is much smaller in size than the file that defines the processing for each page. In other words, since the portion that needs to be changed is limited to a small range, for example, in a change operation using an editor or the like, the trouble of moving between the changed portions is reduced,
Further, it is easy to grasp the flow of the screen transition based on the scenario definition file.

In the present apparatus, a definition file such as a scenario definition file is analyzed by the definition file analysis unit 108. Each service object is generated by the object management unit based on the analysis result. For example, as a basic service, a basic service object 12 such as a document search service or a print service and a virtual service object 10 combining these are generated as a service object group 22. For example, when a document search request is issued from the client 3, the scenario execution unit 110 interprets the scenario and passes the request to the server 1 via the server communication unit 24. At this time, the scenario executing section 110 advances the progress state of the scenario to the next page. The server communication unit 24 analyzes the document search results and the like received from the server 1 and converts them into parts. Then, the component is synthesized according to the definition of the virtual service, and the virtual page is returned to the client 3.

Here, when a plurality of clients 3 are connected to the apparatus and receive a service, the scenario execution unit 110 determines which virtual service page is provided to each client 3, that is, which It has a function to control and manage whether the screen display is provided based on the scenario definition file.

Next, the present invention realized by the template definition file 102 will be described. The componentized basic service (basic part) is defined in terms of a unit that, when displayed on the screen of the information terminal, functionally forms one user interface. In this device, the basic parts are further subdivided into parts called basic subparts. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a description example of the part definition of the basic service. In this example, a page corresponding to the search condition setting 120 is defined.

One definition range of the basic part is <BAS
ICPARTS> tag and <// BASICPARTS> tag. The basic sub parts are <SUB
PARTS> tag. In the figure,
This page, which is defined by 29 lines, contains lines 9-11 and 1
Three basic parts defined in three lines and lines 15 to 29 are included. These basic parts are subdivided into basic sub-parts as necessary, and each basic sub-part is included within the range of the above basic parts.
S> tag. For example, each <SUBPARTS> tag on lines 16 to 26 corresponds to one basic subpart. The basic sub-parts within each basic part are identified with each other by a parameter following “ID”.

The virtual service object definition file 1
4, a part definition file as illustrated in FIG. 21 is prepared. However, this part definition file defines the type of the basic service provided by the virtual service, but does not include the layout information. In the present invention, the transition of a page is defined according to the above-described scenario definition file, and the layout in each page is defined by a template definition file.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a page provided by the basic service. FIG. 26 is similar to FIG.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a definition example of basic subparts on the page shown in FIG. The basic sub-parts 140 to 154 are each stored in the basic service object generation unit 44 in the <SU
BPARTS> tag. For example, an object to be subdivided into the basic subparts is a form or a table. That is, the basic service object generation unit 44 interprets the basic parts and, for example, <FORM>
When a tag or <TABLE> tag is found, the part is automatically or subdivided according to a condition designated by the user to generate a basic subpart.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of the template definition file corresponding to FIG. In this figure,
Basic subparts are quoted using the <DAL_PARTS> tag. The basic subparts that are specifically cited are:
It is specified by describing the identifier in a parameter following “VALUE”. The identifier of the basic subpart quoted in the template definition file can be defined to reflect the hierarchical structure of management, for example, “service name. Page name. Basic part name. Basic subpart name”. . Thus, even if the ID parameters in the <SUBPARTS> tag overlap between different pages or basic parts, they can be identified from each other.

By defining the basic sub-parts in this way, the mutual arrangement relationship of these basic sub-parts can be freely defined. The role of the template definition file is to define this arrangement. For example, in the example shown in the figure, the layout is adjusted using the <PDXTAB> tag. By placing <PDXTAB> before the basic subpart, the definition file analysis unit 108
Basic sub-parts can be displayed in alignment with the tab positions.

By preparing such a template definition file for each information terminal having a different screen form, it is possible to realize an optimal display that is easy to see on each information terminal. For example, when the screen of the information terminal is small, if the screen as shown in FIG. 25 is to be displayed as it is, the positional relationship between the two basic sub-parts arranged in the horizontal direction may be disturbed. If it is difficult to arrange the two basic sub-parts in the horizontal direction, a template definition file that arranges and displays the basic sub-parts one by one can be prepared. Can be obtained.

On the other hand, in the past, the arrangement in the basic parts was fixed. In other words, if you try to change the layout on the screen and display it, you will need to work to change the arrangement of the basic parts themselves and work to define other basic parts that change the mutual positional relationship of the components in the basic parts. Was a burden. However, this device separates the information on the layout contained in each basic part from the basic parts, and manages and defines both the information on the layout in basic parts and the detailed layout in it collectively. Since the definition file is prepared, the user can easily change the layout, and can easily cope with various types of information terminals.

Conventionally, a form in which a user can input data has been handled as a single component.
Parameters were managed in one form. On the other hand, in the present device, the form is subdivided into elements such as input texts constituting the form by the basic subparts to make the form. That is, one virtual service object can include elements of a plurality of basic service objects. For this reason, it is necessary to prepare a mechanism for reflecting, in the virtual service object, items changed by a user's input in the basic service object in some way. Therefore, in the present apparatus, a parameter table corresponding to each form of the virtual service object and the basic service object is prepared. FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the parameter table of the virtual service object and the parameter table of the basic service object. The service cooperation apparatus 2 is provided with a parameter table 170 of a virtual service object and parameter tables 172 to 176 of each basic service object. When the user uses the virtual service from the client 3 and makes an input or the like in the form in the virtual service, the input content is stored in the parameter table 17 of the virtual service object.
0, and the contents of the predetermined columns of the parameter tables 172 to 176 of the basic service object associated with the predetermined columns are also changed. As a result, mutual content consistency between the virtual service object and the basic service object is ensured.

The method definition file 106 is used to define, for example, exceptional procedures that cannot be defined by the part definition file 100, the template definition file 102, and the scenario definition file 104 as described above. Such procedural processing is concentrated in this method definition file 106, and is removed from the other three definition files. Thus, the configuration of each of the part definition file 100, the template definition file 102, and the scenario definition file 104 can be kept simple, and the easiness of work such as layout change and scenario change by the user can be secured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram when a service cooperation device according to an embodiment is used for a server client system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a certain client and a plurality of servers in relation to an internal configuration of a service cooperation apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing details of the configuration of FIG. 2 with a focus on a service cooperation device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a basic service object definition file.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a virtual service object definition file.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a screen display example of a client-side terminal in each stage of an estimate creation service.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a screen display example of a client-side terminal at each stage of an estimate creation service.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a screen display example of a client-side terminal in each stage of an estimate creation service.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a screen display example of a client-side terminal at each stage of an estimate creation service.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a screen display example of a client-side terminal in each stage of an estimate creation service.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a screen display example of a client-side terminal at each stage of an estimate creation service.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure for providing an estimate creation service.

FIG. 13 is an internal configuration diagram of a server communication unit of the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of generation and management of parts in a server communication unit.

FIGS. 15A and 15B are diagrams respectively illustrating an example of description of HTML including a tag having no end tag and a tag having a nested structure, and an actual display state.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface used in a print service.

FIG. 17 is a description example of HTML for realizing the display of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a template used in the embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a system configuration diagram when the service cooperation apparatus according to the second embodiment is used for a server client system.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram illustrating the concept and function of a scenario.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a description example of a part definition file corresponding to FIG. 20 (b).

FIG. 22 is a scenario definition file corresponding to FIG.

FIG. 23 is a scenario definition file corresponding to FIG. 20 (b).

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a description example of a part definition of a basic service.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a page provided by the basic service.

FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing an example of defining basic sub-parts on the page shown in FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of a template definition file corresponding to FIG.

FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram illustrating a relationship between a parameter table of a virtual service object and a parameter table of a basic service object.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 server, 2 service cooperation device, 3 client, 10 virtual service object, 12 basic service object, 14 virtual service object definition file, 16 basic service object definition file, 20 client communication unit, 22 service object group, 24 server communication unit, 26 object management unit, 30 HTTPD, 32 session management unit, 3
4 CGI parameter analysis unit, 40 virtual service object generation unit, 42 virtual service object definition file conversion unit, 44 basic service object generation unit, 46 basic service object definition file conversion unit, 50 request reception unit, 52 parts management unit, 54 parts Generation unit, 56 server access unit, 58 parts database, 60 parts synthesis unit, 62 request response unit,
64 template holding unit, 100 part definition file, 102 template definition file, 104 scenario definition file, 106 method definition file, 1
08 Definition file analysis unit, 110 Scenario execution unit.

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A virtual service related to the cooperation of a plurality of basic services is defined in advance by defining an integration form of a plurality of basic services, and a basic service object is appropriately used in providing a service according to the definition. A service cooperation method comprising: generating a virtual service object in an internal format that performs a virtual service object; and providing the virtual service in an operation format according to a single basic service by executing the generated virtual service object. 2. The provision of the virtual service is performed by a relay device provided between a client and a server, and the client does not aim at the server that executes each basic service that actually constitutes the virtual service. The service cooperation method according to claim 1, wherein a request for a virtual service is issued for the device. 3. A service cooperation device for relaying a server and a client, wherein the server communication unit exchanges necessary information with the server, and the client communication unit exchanges necessary information with the client. And an object management unit that generates and manages objects related to various services. The object management unit includes: a basic service object generation unit that generates a basic service object according to the definition of the basic service object; A virtual service object generation unit that generates a virtual service object in accordance with the definition of the virtual service object relating to the integration of the basic service object. The virtual service object for managing capital management unit via the server communication unit to execute the appropriate basic service to the server, service cooperation apparatus characterized by providing a virtual service to the client on the basis of the execution result. 4. The server communication unit includes: a part generation unit that divides information obtained as a result of execution of a basic service to generate a part; and a parts database that holds the generated parts. 4. The service cooperation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein information obtained as a result of a plurality of basic services constituting the virtual service is provided to the client as a combination of parts. 5. The server communication unit, wherein: a part generation unit that divides information obtained as a result of execution of a basic service to generate a part; a parts database that holds the generated parts; 4. A part synthesizing unit that fits parts related to a plurality of basic services constituting the virtual service into a predetermined frame, and the result of the virtual service is provided to the client in a state where the necessary parts are fitted into the predetermined frame.
The service cooperation device according to item 1. 6. A part of the information obtained as a result of execution of the basic service, which part functionally forms one user interface when displayed on the screen of the information terminal, is identified, and the information is stored in units of this part. A parts generation management method characterized by storing parts. 7. The parts generation management method according to claim 6, wherein upon providing a virtual service related to integration of the basic service, a part requested from the virtual service object is provided to the virtual service object. 8. When the information is in the form of a program written in a screen structure description language, a part forming a user interface is identified based on a description indicating a processing unit in the program. 7. The method for managing parts generation according to any one of 7. 9. When a part is requested from a virtual service object, it is determined whether a generated part or a part to be newly generated is requested, and when a part to be newly generated is requested, 9. The parts generation management method according to claim 7, wherein the server executes a basic service to obtain information required for parts generation, converts the information into parts, and sends the parts to a virtual service object. . 10. A virtual service object definition storage unit for storing a definition related to a virtual service object relating to integration of a plurality of basic service objects, wherein the virtual service object generation unit is configured to execute the definition in the virtual service object definition storage unit. The virtual service object is generated by integrating the basic service object, and the virtual service object definition storage unit includes scenario information defining an order of transition of the basic service in the virtual service. In response to a request to provide a service,
4. The service cooperation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a server is made to execute the basic service according to the scenario information, and a virtual service is provided to a client based on the execution result. 11. A scenario execution unit for individually controlling execution of transition of the basic service based on the scenario information for each of a plurality of clients, and providing the virtual service to a plurality of clients in parallel. The service cooperation device according to claim 10, wherein 12. A virtual service object definition storage unit for storing a definition relating to a virtual service object relating to integration of a plurality of basic service objects, wherein the basic service object generation unit stores information obtained as a result of execution of the basic service. Among them, a part which forms one user interface functionally when displayed on the screen of the information terminal is identified, and this part is used as a basic part, and the information included in the basic part is further converted into a basic sub-element. The virtual service object definition storage unit includes: part information that defines a type of the basic part that configures the virtual service object; and the basic subpart that is included in the basic part that configures the virtual service object. The layout on the screen Service cooperation system according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises a template information, the to be.