diff --git a/java/com.sap.sse.common/src/com/sap/sse/common/settings/serializer/AbstractSettingsToJsonSerializer.java b/java/com.sap.sse.common/src/com/sap/sse/common/settings/serializer/AbstractSettingsToJsonSerializer.java
index df384361dd5..f87e9a5d2ad 100644
--- a/java/com.sap.sse.common/src/com/sap/sse/common/settings/serializer/AbstractSettingsToJsonSerializer.java
+++ b/java/com.sap.sse.common/src/com/sap/sse/common/settings/serializer/AbstractSettingsToJsonSerializer.java
@@ -80,32 +80,49 @@ public abstract class AbstractSettingsToJsonSerializer<OBJECT, ARRAY> {
     
     public OBJECT serialize(SettingsMap settingsMap) {
         final OBJECT jsonObject = newOBJECT();
+        serializeToObject(settingsMap, jsonObject);
+        return jsonObject;
+    }
+
+    private void serializeToObject(SettingsMap settingsMap, final OBJECT jsonObject) {
         for (Map.Entry<String, Settings> entry : settingsMap.getSettingsPerComponentId().entrySet()) {
+            String key = entry.getKey();
             Settings settings = entry.getValue();
-            final Object serializedObject;
-            if(settings instanceof SettingsMap) {
-                serializedObject = serialize((SettingsMap)settings);
-            } else if(settings instanceof GenericSerializableSettings) {
-                serializedObject = serialize((GenericSerializableSettings)settings);
+            if(key == null) {
+                if(settings instanceof SettingsMap) {
+                    serializeToObject((SettingsMap)settings, jsonObject);
+                } else if(settings instanceof GenericSerializableSettings) {
+                    serializeToObject((GenericSerializableSettings)settings, jsonObject);
+                }
             } else {
-                serializedObject = null;
-            }
-            if(serializedObject != null) {
-                set(jsonObject, entry.getKey().toString(), serializedObject);
+                final OBJECT serializedObject;
+                if(settings instanceof SettingsMap) {
+                    serializedObject = serialize((SettingsMap)settings);
+                } else if(settings instanceof GenericSerializableSettings) {
+                    serializedObject = serialize((GenericSerializableSettings)settings);
+                } else {
+                    serializedObject = null;
+                }
+                if(serializedObject != null) {
+                    set(jsonObject, key.toString(), serializedObject);
+                }
             }
         }
-        return jsonObject;
     }
 
     public OBJECT serialize(GenericSerializableSettings settings) {
         final OBJECT jsonObject = newOBJECT();
+        serializeToObject(settings, jsonObject);
+        return jsonObject;
+    }
+
+    private void serializeToObject(GenericSerializableSettings settings, final OBJECT jsonObject) {
         for (Map.Entry<String, Setting> entry : settings.getChildSettings().entrySet()) {
             Setting setting = entry.getValue();
             if (!setting.isDefaultValue()) {
                 set(jsonObject, entry.getKey(), serialize(setting));
             }
         }
-        return jsonObject;
     }
 
     private Object serialize(Setting setting) {
@@ -146,9 +163,15 @@ public abstract class AbstractSettingsToJsonSerializer<OBJECT, ARRAY> {
     public <T extends SettingsMap> T deserialize(T settingsMap, OBJECT json) {
         if (json != null) {
             for (Map.Entry<String, Settings> entry : settingsMap.getSettingsPerComponentId().entrySet()) {
-                String key = entry.getKey().toString();
-                if(hasProperty(json, key)) {
-                    Settings settings = entry.getValue();
+                String key = entry.getKey();
+                Settings settings = entry.getValue();
+                if(key == null) {
+                    if(settings instanceof SettingsMap) {
+                        deserialize((SettingsMap)settings, json);
+                    } else if(settings instanceof GenericSerializableSettings) {
+                        deserializeObject((GenericSerializableSettings)settings, json);
+                    }
+                } else if(hasProperty(json, key)) {
                     Object serializedObject = get(json, key);
                     if(settings instanceof SettingsMap) {
                         @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
diff --git a/java/com.sap.sse.common/src/com/sap/sse/common/settings/serializer/SettingsToStringMapSerializer.java b/java/com.sap.sse.common/src/com/sap/sse/common/settings/serializer/SettingsToStringMapSerializer.java
index eedb8d62f07..17b3f4b4180 100644
--- a/java/com.sap.sse.common/src/com/sap/sse/common/settings/serializer/SettingsToStringMapSerializer.java
+++ b/java/com.sap.sse.common/src/com/sap/sse/common/settings/serializer/SettingsToStringMapSerializer.java
@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ public class SettingsToStringMapSerializer {
     
     private void serialize(String prefix, SettingsMap settingsMap, Map<String, Iterable<String>> serialized) {
         for (Map.Entry<String, Settings> entry : settingsMap.getSettingsPerComponentId().entrySet()) {
-            String childPrefix = prefix + entry.getKey() + GenericSerializableSettings.PATH_SEPARATOR;
+            String key = entry.getKey();
+            String childPrefix = key == null ? prefix : prefix + key + GenericSerializableSettings.PATH_SEPARATOR;
             Settings settings = entry.getValue();
             if(settings instanceof SettingsMap) {
                 serialize(childPrefix, (SettingsMap) settings, serialized);
@@ -109,7 +110,7 @@ public class SettingsToStringMapSerializer {
         for (Map.Entry<String, Settings> entry : childSettings) {
             final String key = entry.getKey();
             final Settings settings = entry.getValue();
-            final Map<String, Iterable<String>> innerValues = mappedInnerValues.get(key.toString());
+            final Map<String, Iterable<String>> innerValues = key == null ? values : mappedInnerValues.get(key.toString());
             if(innerValues != null) {
                 if(settings instanceof SettingsMap) {
                     deserializeSettingsMap((SettingsMap) settings, innerValues);
diff --git a/java/com.sap.sse.gwt/src/com/sap/sse/gwt/client/shared/perspective/PerspectiveCompositeSettings.java b/java/com.sap.sse.gwt/src/com/sap/sse/gwt/client/shared/perspective/PerspectiveCompositeSettings.java
index 09e24b47de7..99fec0fcbca 100644
--- a/java/com.sap.sse.gwt/src/com/sap/sse/gwt/client/shared/perspective/PerspectiveCompositeSettings.java
+++ b/java/com.sap.sse.gwt/src/com/sap/sse/gwt/client/shared/perspective/PerspectiveCompositeSettings.java
@@ -23,8 +23,6 @@ import com.sap.sse.gwt.client.shared.components.CompositeSettings;
  *            is assigned to which component, or how the perspective displays itself, such as embedded or not
  */
 public class PerspectiveCompositeSettings<PS extends Settings> extends CompositeSettings {
-    private static final String OWN_SETTINGS_KEY = "_";
-    
     private final PS perspectiveOwnSettings;
     
     public PerspectiveCompositeSettings(PS perspectiveOwnSettings, Map<String, Settings> settingsPerComponent) {
@@ -60,7 +58,7 @@ public class PerspectiveCompositeSettings<PS extends Settings> extends Composite
             allSettings = super.getSettingsPerComponentId();
         } else {
             allSettings = new HashMap<>(super.getSettingsPerComponentId());
-            allSettings.put(OWN_SETTINGS_KEY, perspectiveOwnSettings);
+            allSettings.put(null, perspectiveOwnSettings);
         }
         return allSettings;
     }
diff --git a/java/com.sap.sse.shared.android.test/src/com/sap/sse/shared/android/test/AbstractSettingsSerializationTestWithSettingsMap.java b/java/com.sap.sse.shared.android.test/src/com/sap/sse/shared/android/test/AbstractSettingsSerializationTestWithSettingsMap.java
index b1bdc15c8c5..275dcf7b9c1 100644
--- a/java/com.sap.sse.shared.android.test/src/com/sap/sse/shared/android/test/AbstractSettingsSerializationTestWithSettingsMap.java
+++ b/java/com.sap.sse.shared.android.test/src/com/sap/sse/shared/android/test/AbstractSettingsSerializationTestWithSettingsMap.java
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ public abstract class AbstractSettingsSerializationTestWithSettingsMap<SOT> exte
     
     @Test
     public void testSettingsMapWithMultipleSerializableSettings() throws Exception {
-        
         final GenericSerializableSettings settingsValues1 = createTestSettingsWithValues();
         final GenericSerializableSettings settingsValues2 = createTestSettingsWithValues2();
         Map<String, Settings> settings = new HashMap<>();
@@ -44,6 +43,24 @@ public abstract class AbstractSettingsSerializationTestWithSettingsMap<SOT> exte
         assertEquals(deserializedSettingsMap.getSettingsPerComponentId().size(), 2);
     }
     
+    @Test
+    public void testSettingsMapWithNullKey() throws Exception {
+        final GenericSerializableSettings settingsValues1 = createTestSettingsWithValues();
+        final GenericSerializableSettings settingsValues2 = createTestSettingsWithValues2();
+        Map<String, Settings> settings = new HashMap<>();
+        settings.put("aaa", settingsValues1);
+        settings.put(null, settingsValues2);
+        
+        SettingsMap settingsMapToSave = new SettingsMapImpl(settings);
+        
+        final SettingsMap deserializedSettingsMap = serializeAndDeserialize(settingsMapToSave);
+        Settings deserializedSettingsValues1 = deserializedSettingsMap.getSettingsPerComponentId().get("aaa");
+        Settings deserializedSettingsValues2 = deserializedSettingsMap.getSettingsPerComponentId().get(null);
+        assertEquals(deserializedSettingsValues1, createTestSettingsWithValues());
+        assertEquals(deserializedSettingsValues2, createTestSettingsWithValues2());
+        assertEquals(deserializedSettingsMap.getSettingsPerComponentId().size(), 2);
+    }
+    
     @Test
     public void testSettingsMapWithNestedSettingsMapWithOneSerializableSettingsChild() throws Exception {
         final GenericSerializableSettings childSettingsValues = createTestSettingsWithValues();