1-9. (canceled)
10. A computerized method for obtaining information from different devices in a computer network, the method comprising:
receiving data representing the information from each of the different devices, wherein the data is in a specific form relating to each of the different devices;
assigning the data from each of the different devices to one or more entities as defined by an information model; and
grouping the data from each of the different devices using an adaptation layer before assigning the data from that device to one or more entities.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein assigning the data further comprises:
preserving a semantic of the received data;
comparing received data against one or more managed entities; and
transforming the data into a common representation.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising using the common representation of the data to monitor the performance of the network.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein transforming the data into a common representation is performed by a mediation layer.
14. (canceled)
15. A system for obtaining information from different devices in a computer network, the system comprising:
a processor;
a memory containing a plurality of program instructions configured to cause the processor to:
receive data representing the information from each of the different devices, wherein the data is in a specific form relating to each of the different devices;
assign the data from each of the different devices to one or more entities as defined by an information model; and
group the data from each of the different devices using an adaptation layer before assigning the data from that device to one or more entities.
16. The method of claim 10, wherein a set of mapping rules are used to assign the data from each of the different devices to the one or more entities and wherein the mapping rules control changes made to a state of each of the entities in the one or more entities.
17. The method of claim 11, wherein statistics associated with each of the different devices are provided by the adaption layer prior to the data being transformed into the common representation.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the statistics are interface statistics indicating at least one of capabilities, behavior, or characteristics associated with each of the different devices.
19. The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions to assign the data further cause the processor to:
preserve a semantic of the received data;
compare received data against one or more managed entities; and
transform the data into a common representation.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
use the common representation of the data to monitor the performance of the network.
21. The system of claim 19, wherein transforming the data into a common representation is performed by a mediation layer.
22. The system of claim 15, wherein a set of mapping rules are used to assign the data from each of the different devices to the one or more entities and wherein the mapping rules control changes made to a state of each of the entities in the one or more entities.
23. The system of claim 19, wherein statistics associated with each of the different devices are provided by the adaption layer prior to the data being transformed into the common representation.
24. The system of claim 23, wherein the statistics are interface statistics indicating at least one of capabilities, behavior, or characteristics associated with each of the different devices.
25. A computer storage product comprising a computer readable medium having a computer code stored therein, wherein the computer code, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:
receive data representing the information from each of the different devices, wherein the data is in a specific form relating to each of the different devices;
assign the data from each of the different devices to one or more entities as defined by an information model; and
group the data from each of the different devices using an adaptation layer before assigning the data from that device to one or more entities.
26. The computer storage product of claim 25, wherein the computer code to assign the data further causes the computing device to:
preserve a semantic of the received data;
compare received data against one or more managed entities; and
transform the data into a common representation.
27. The computer storage product of claim 26, wherein the computer code further causes the computing device to:
use the common representation of the data to monitor the performance of the network.
28. The computer storage product of claim 26, wherein transforming the data into a common representation is performed by a mediation layer.
29. The computer storage product of claim 25, wherein a set of mapping rules are used to assign the data from each of the different devices to the one or more entities and wherein the mapping rules control changes made to a state of each of the entities in the one or more entities.
30. The computer storage product of claim 26, wherein statistics associated with each of the different devices are provided by the adaption layer prior to the data being transformed into the common representation and wherein the statistics are interface statistics indicating at least one of capabilities, behavior, or characteristics associated with each of the different devices.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for creating a graphical user interface within a manufacturing execution system (MES), the method comprising:
a) providing a client application builder tool (CAB) enabling a user to display MES screens and customize MES applications andor proprietary applications by use of the graphical user interface,
b) providing an MES database containing required data to be displayed on the MES screens;
c) storing data stemming from a production process controlled by the manufacturing executions system to the MES data base;
d) determining at least one set of specification data in a configuration file, the set of specification data having a meta-data fixed structure enabling a generation of a configuration interface;
e) executing a dynamically built and WEB technology-based graphical user interface (GUI) configuration tool, wherein the GUI configuration tool calls the specification data in the configuration file and offers the user the configuration interface within the GUI configuration tool in order to create the graphical user interface according to the specification data;
f) generating the configuration interface by use of the meta-data fixed structure;
g) creating the graphical user interface according to data entries made to the configuration interface, thereby determining an appearance of respective data fields in the graphical user interface; and
h) filling the data from the MES database into the respective data fields in the graphical user interface to thereby create the MES screens.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data fields in the graphical user interface contain at least one of effective data values from resources contributing to the production process or graphs.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data fields in the graphical user interface contain information selected from the group consisting of KPI data, drop-down lists, and user required data entries.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the manufacturing execution system is based on the S-95 standard.
5. The method according to claim 1, which comprises basing the structure of the graphical user interface on the meta-data fixed structure to thereby enable a virtual data link retrieving the data in the MES database to be displayed on the MES screen.
6. A system for creating a graphical user interface within a manufacturing execution system (MES), the system comprising:
a) a client application builder tool (CAB) enabling a user to display MES screens and customize MES applications andor proprietary applications by use of the graphical user interface,
b) an MES database containing required data to be displayed on the MES screens, wherein data stemming from a production process controlled by the manufacturing execution system are stored on said MES database;
c) at least one set of specification data in a configuration file, the set of specification data having a meta-data fixed structure enabling a generation of a configuration interface;
e) a dynamically built and WEB technology-based GUI configuration tool being executable, wherein said GUI configuration tool is configured to call the specification data in the configuration file and to offer the user the configuration interface within said GUI configuration tool in order to create the graphical user interface according to the specification data;
f) a device for generating, by using the meta-data fixed structure, the configuration interface;
g) wherein the graphical user interface is created according to data entries made to the configuration interface thereby determining an appearance of the respective data fields in the graphical user interface; and
h) the data from the MES database are filled into the respective data fields in the graphical user interface thereby creating the MES screens.
7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the data fields in the graphical user interface comprise effective data values from resources contributing to the production process andor graphs.
8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the data fields in the graphical user interface comprise display information selected from the group consisting of KPI data, drop-down lists, and user required data entries.
9. The system according to claim 6, wherein the manufacturing execution system is based on the S-95 standard.
10. The system according to claim 6, wherein the structure of the graphical user interface is based on the meta-data fixed structure thereby enabling a virtual data link retrieving the data in the MES database to be displayed on the MES screen.