Method and apparatus for data item movement between disparate sources and hierarchical, object-oriented representation

Claim 2

An article of digital data storage media for use in a server computer mediating between object oriented computer application programs and disparate data sources, comprising: instruction code for receiving a primary transaction request; instruction code for correlating the received primary transaction request with a set of one or more secondary transaction requests; instruction code for initiating communication of a one of said set of secondary transaction requests to a corresponding data source; instruction code for receiving a result from said corresponding data source, wherein said result comprises data items related by said data source according to a first pattern; instruction code for constructing a response to said primary transaction request using the received result, wherein said constructing includes relating a plurality of said data items according to a second pattern, said second pattern being independent of said first pattern; and instruction code for initiating communication of said response in reply to said primary transaction request.

Claim 3

The article of claim 1 wherein correlating the received primary transaction request with a set of one or more secondary transaction requests includes using a database having information about secondary transaction requests.

Claim 4

The article of claim 2 wherein the information about secondary transaction requests may include conditional processing logic.

Claim 5

The article of claim 2 further comprising instruction code for maintaining said database using a graphical user interface.

Claim 6

The article of claim 2 wherein relating a plurality of said data items according to a second pattern includes incorporating in said response information regarding a hierarchical topology stored as configuration data that relates the plurality of said data items.

Claim 7

The article of claim 5 wherein the information about secondary transaction requests may include conditional processing logic.

Claim 8

The article of claim 6 wherein initiating communication of each of said set of secondary transaction requests to a corresponding data source includes terminal emulation.

Claim 9

The article of claim 6 wherein initiating communication of each of said set of secondary transaction requests to a corresponding data source includes using a program-to-program protocol having formatted data areas for information exchange.

Claim 10

The article of claim 1 wherein relating a plurality of said data items according to a second pattern includes incorporating in said response information regarding a hierarchical topology stored as configuration data that relates the plurality of said data items.

Claim 11

The article of claim 9 wherein constructing a response to said primary transaction request further includes incorporating an indication of candidate object classes.

Claim 12

The article of claim 10 wherein constructing a response to said primary transaction request further includes incorporating an indication of an access permission relating to one or more of said data items.

Claim 13

The article of claim 11 wherein constructing a response to said primary transaction request further includes incorporating an indication of the state of the value of one or more of said data items relative to a persistent storage copy to which each data item corresponds.

Claim 16

The method of claim 13 wherein correlating the received primary transaction request with a set of one or more secondary transaction requests includes using a database having information about secondary transaction requests.

Claim 17

The method of claim 14 wherein the information about secondary transaction requests may include conditional processing logic.

Claim 18

The method of claim 14 further comprising maintaining said database using a graphical user interface.

Claim 19

The method of claim 14 wherein relating a plurality of said data items according to a second pattern includes incorporating in said response information regarding a hierarchical topology stored as configuration data that relates the plurality of said data items.

Claim 20

The method of claim 17 wherein the information about secondary transaction requests may include conditional processing logic.

Claim 21

The method of claim 18 wherein initiating communication of each of said set of secondary transaction requests to a corresponding data source includes terminal emulation.

Claim 22

The method of claim 18 wherein initiating communication of each of said set of secondary transaction requests to a corresponding data source includes using a program-to-program protocol having formatted data areas for information exchange.

Claim 23

The method of claim 13 wherein relating a plurality of said data items according to a second pattern includes incorporating in said response information regarding a hierarchical topology stored as configuration data that relates the plurality of said data items.

Claim 24

The method of claim 21 wherein constructing a response to said primary transaction request further includes incorporating an indication of candidate object classes.

Claim 25

The method of claim 22 wherein constructing a response to said primary transaction request further includes incorporating an indication of an access permission relating to one or more of said data items.

Claim 26

The method of claim 23 wherein constructing a response to said primary transaction request further includes incorporating an indication of the state of the value of one or more of said data items relative to a persistent storage copy to which each data item corresponds.

Claim 27

A data processing apparatus for mediating service requests from an object oriented computer program executing on client machines, comprising: means for receiving a primary transaction request; means for correlating the received primary transaction request with a set of one or more secondary transaction requests; source communicating means for initiating communication of a one of said set of secondary transaction requests to a corresponding data source; means for receiving a result from said corresponding data source, wherein said result comprises data items related by said data source according to a first pattern; means for constructing a response to said primary transaction request using the received result, wherein said means for constructing includes means for relating a plurality of said data items according to a second pattern, said second pattern being independent of said first pattern; and client communicating means for initiating communication of said response in reply to said primary transaction request.

Claim 28

A data processing apparatus for mediating service requests from an object oriented computer program executing on client machines, comprising: means for receiving a primary transaction request; means for correlating the received primary transaction request with a set of one or more secondary transaction requests; source communicating means for initiating communication of a one of said set of secondary transaction requests to a corresponding data source; means for receiving a result from said corresponding data source, wherein said result comprises data items related by said data source according to a first pattern; means for constructing a response to said primary transaction request using the received result, wherein said means for constructing includes means for relating a plurality of said data items according to a second pattern, said second pattern being independent of said first pattern; and client communicating means for initiating communication of said response in reply to said primary transaction request.

Claim 29

The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the correlating means uses a database having information about secondary transaction requests.

Claim 30

The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the information about secondary transaction requests may include conditional processing logic.

Claim 31

The apparatus of claim 26 further comprising means for maintaining said database using a graphical user interface.

Claim 32

The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the means for relating a plurality of said data items according to a second pattern incorporates in said response information regarding a hierarchical topology stored as configuration data that relates the plurality of said data items.

Claim 33

The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the information about secondary transaction requests may include conditional processing logic.

Claim 34

The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the source communicating means performs terminal emulation.

Claim 35

The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the source communicating means uses a program-to-program protocol having formatted data areas for information exchange.

Claim 36

The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the means for relating a plurality of said data items according to a second pattern incorporates in said response information regarding a hierarchical topology stored as configuration data that relates the plurality of said data items.

Claim 37

The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the constructing means incorporates in said response an indication of candidate object classes.

Claim 38

The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the constructing means incorporates in said response an indication of an access permission relating to one or more of said data items.

Claim 39

The apparatus of claim 35 wherein the constructing means incorporates in said response an indication of the state of the value of one or more of said data items relative to a persistent storage copy to which each data item corresponds.

Claim 40

A data processing apparatus for mediating service requests from an object oriented computer program executing on a client machine, comprising: a central processing unit; and a memory unit coupled to said central processing unit, comprising: instruction code for receiving a primary transaction request; instruction code for correlating the received primary transaction request with a set of one or more secondary transaction requests; source communicating instruction code for initiating communication of a one of said set of secondary transaction requests to a corresponding data source; instruction code for receiving a result from said corresponding data source, wherein said result comprises data items related by said data source according to a first pattern; instruction code for constructing a response to said primary transaction request using the received result, wherein said constructing instruction code includes instruction code for relating a plurality of said data items according to a second pattern, said second pattern being independent of said first pattern; and client communicating instruction code for initiating communication of said response in reply to said primary transaction request.

Claim 41

A data processing apparatus for mediating service requests from an object oriented computer program executing on a client machine, comprising: a central processing unit; and a memory unit coupled to said central processing unit, comprising: instruction code for receiving a primary transaction request; instruction code for correlating the received primary transaction request with a set of one or more secondary transaction requests; source communicating instruction code for initiating communication of a one of said set of secondary transaction requests to a corresponding data source; instruction code for receiving a result from said corresponding data source, wherein said result comprises data items related by said data source according to a first pattern; instruction code for constructing a response to said primary transaction request using the received result, wherein said constructing instruction code includes instruction code for relating a plurality of said data items according to a second pattern, said second pattern being independent of said first pattern; and client communicating instruction code for initiating communication of said response in reply to said primary transaction request.

Claim 42

The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the correlating instruction code uses a database having information about secondary transaction requests.

Claim 43

The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the information about secondary transaction requests may include conditional processing logic.

Claim 44

The memory unit of claim 38 further comprising instruction code for maintaining said database using a graphical user interface.

Claim 45

The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the instruction code for relating a plurality of said data items according to a second pattern incorporates in said response information regarding a hierarchical topology stored as configuration data that relates the plurality of said data items.

Claim 46

The apparatus of claim 41 wherein the information about secondary transaction requests may include conditional processing logic.

Claim 47

The apparatus of claim 42 wherein the source communicating instruction code performs terminal emulation.

Claim 48

The apparatus of claim 42 wherein the source communicating instruction code uses a program-to-program protocol having formatted data areas for information exchange.

Claim 49

The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the instruction code for relating a plurality of said data items according to a second pattern incorporates in said response information regarding a hierarchical topology stored as configuration data that relates the plurality of said data items.

Claim 50

The apparatus of claim 45 wherein the constructing instruction code incorporates in said response an indication of candidate object classes.

Claim 51

The apparatus of claim 46 wherein the constructing instruction code incorporates in said response an indication of an access permission relating to one or more of said data items.

Claim 52

The apparatus of claim 47 wherein the constructing instruction code incorporates in said response an indication of the state of the value of one or more of said data items relative to a persistent storage copy to which each data item corresponds.

Claim 53

A data processing system for processing data maintained by disparate data sources, using object oriented programs, comprising: a client transactor layer for sending a primary transaction request, receiving a response to the primary transaction request, transmuting information from said response into programming objects, and for selecting the class of a primary application programming object from a set of candidate object classes based, at least in part, on information in said response, a client-server communication layer coupled to said client transactor layer for providing bidirectional communication; a server processor layer coupled to said client-server communication layer for receiving, processing, and responding to primary transaction requests, wherein said processing includes identifying and requesting server-source transactions useful in satisfying the primary transaction request; a resource adapter layer coupled to said server processor layer for receiving and communicating requests for server-source transactions; a server-source communication layer coupled to said resource adapter layer for providing bidirectional communication; a data accessor layer coupled to said server-source communication layer for supplying data from disparate sources in response to server-source requests communicated from said resource adapter layer; and wherein said responding of said server processor layer includes relating data items into said response according to a stored pattern that is independent of relationship patterns for said data items used by the data accessor layer.

Claim 54

A data processing system for processing data maintained by disparate data sources, using object oriented programs, comprising: a client transactor layer for sending a primary transaction request, receiving a response to the primary transaction request, transmuting information from said response into programming objects, and for selecting the class of a primary application programming object from a set of candidate object classes based, at least in part, on information in said response, a client-server communication layer coupled to said client transactor layer for providing bidirectional communication; a server processor layer coupled to said client-server communication layer for receiving, processing, and responding to primary transaction requests, wherein said processing includes identifying and requesting server-source transactions useful in satisfying the primary transaction request; a resource adapter layer coupled to said server processor layer for receiving and communicating requests for server-source transactions; a server-source communication layer coupled to said resource adapter layer for providing bidirectional communication; a data accessor layer coupled to said server-source communication layer for supplying data from disparate sources in response to server-source requests communicated from said resource adapter layer; and wherein said responding of said server processor layer includes relating data items into said response according to a stored pattern that is independent of relationship patterns for said data items used by the data accessor layer.