Methods and systems for utilizing global entities in software applications

• US 10,019,519 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2013
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gordon E. Seay
• Original Assignee: Gordon E. Seay
• Inventors: Seay, Gordon E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Anh
• Application Number:
  US14/066,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20150120650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and systems to utilize entities from global collections in software applications. An example method comprises providing an application to receive a search request for entities within a global collection, displaying retrieved records, receiving user input including a selected entity, and copying data from a selected entity into a non-global collection of data. Another method comprises displaying a pictorial graphic depicting a business card, and synchronizing the graphical elements with a global entity record. Examples of systems generally comprise a data storage, a server, a first application configured to receive first user input and insert user input into a global collection of entities, a second application configured to display data associated with at least one entity record from a global collection of entity records, receive second user input, and copy data associated with a selected global entity record to a non-global collection of entities.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing global entities in software applications, comprising:

providing at least one data storage;

providing a global collection of data within a data storage, the collection comprising global entity records;

providing a non-global collection of data within a data storage, the collection comprising at least one non-global entity record;

providing at least one network connected application server, the application server being configured to access at least one data storage;

providing at least one application from a networked application server, the application being configured to be displayed with a user interface;

receiving user input of an application at a user interface, the user input including a search request for an entity within the global collection;

retrieving at least one entity record from the global collection, each entity record being specific to the user search request and each containing a unique identifier;

displaying, on the user interface, at least one of the retrieved records from the global collection;

receiving user input at the user interface, the user input to select at least one global entity from the displayed records from the global collection;

copying a plurality of data fields from each selected global entity to a non-global collection of data, wherein the non-global collection is associated with the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the application is a hosted software application.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the global collection comprises records within a social media database.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-global collection comprises records within a database utilized by a hosted software application serving a plurality of subscribers.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-global collection is associated with a company or a user associated with a company.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the user interface is a web browser.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein entity records are records comprising at least one of the following group:

customers;

prospects;

vendors;

companies;

contacts at companies;

persons;

employees; and

combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein a data storage is located at a substantially different geographic location from the application server.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-global collection is stored within a second data storage and an application server or an application is configured to access the first data storage and the second data storage.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving input from a different user of an application at a user interface, the user input comprising global entity data, and inserting said data into the global collection.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the application is configured to permit entity data input by the user to comprise data describing an entity which is not either the user performing the input or that user'"'"'s organization.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising inserting, along with the global entity data, an identifier corresponding to the user who provided the input of data.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising performing a task, the task being associated with the selected global entity.

14. The method of 13, further comprising inserting task data within a data storage, the data being related to the performing of the task.

15. A system for utilizing global entities in software applications comprising:

a computer network;

at least one network-connected server, the server being configured to;

at least partially execute computer code with a processor; and

transfer a software application to a client computer in network communication with said server, the client computer having a client display unit;

at least one data storage, a data storage being configured to store at least one collection of entity records;

a global collection of entity records, the global collection being a plurality of global entity records;

a non-global collection of entity records, the non-global collection being a plurality of non-global entity records;

a first software application including computer executable code configured to;

access a data storage containing a global collection of entity records; and

receive first user input at a client computer, the user input including data describing an entity; and

insert first user input as an entity into a global collection;

a second software application including computer executable code configured to;

access a data storage containing a global collection of entity records; and

access a data storage containing a non-global collection of entity records; and

display data associated with at least one entity record from the global collection on the client display unit; and

receive second user input to select at least one entity record from the displayed data; and

copy data associated with at least one selected global entity record to a non-global collection, the non-global collection being associated with the second user.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising the second software application including computer executable code configured to:

receive second user input at a client computer, the input being a search request; and

read a search result set from a global collection, the search result set being at least one entity record matching the user search request.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the entity input by the first user is the same entity as the entity selected by the second user.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the first software application is configured to allow input of data associated with an entity other than the user or the user'"'"'s organization.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the second user input to select at least one entity record from the displayed data is the single action of clicking a display element appearing on the client display unit.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the computer network comprises the Internet.

21. The system of claim 16 further comprising the first software application being configured to seek approval from the inserted entity before the inserted entity is deemed to be searchable by the second software application.

22. The system of claim 16 wherein the first software application and the second software application are published by different publishers.

23. The system of claim 15 wherein the first software application and the second software application are merely different instances of the same application.

24. A graphical entity utilization method, comprising:

providing a collection of data within a data storage, the collection comprising at least one entity record, the entity record including at least one data field;

providing a software application;

displaying, on a display unit of a computer configured to execute the software application, a pictorial graphic depicting a business card with graphical elements including at least a name field;

synchronizing the values of the graphical elements of the pictorial graphic depicting a business card with at least one data field within the corresponding entity record wherein the entity is configured within the data storage as a global entity.

25. A method for utilizing global entities in software applications, comprising:

providing at least one data storage;

providing a global collection of data within a data storage, the collection comprising global entity records;

providing a non-global collection of data within a data storage, the collection comprising at least one non-global entity record;

providing at least one network connected application server, the application server being configured to access at least one data storage;

providing at least one application from a networked application server, the application being configured to be displayed with a user interface;

receiving user input of an application at a user interface, the user input including a search request for an entity within the global collection;

retrieving at least one entity record from the global collection, each entity record being specific to the user search request and each containing a unique identifier;

displaying, on the user interface, at least one of the retrieved records from the global collection;

receiving user input at the user interface, the user input to select at least one global entity from the displayed records from the global collection;

copying a plurality of data fields from each selected global entity to a non-global collection of data, wherein the non-global collection is associated with the user; and

receiving input from a different user of an application at a user interface, the user input comprising global entity data, and inserting said data into the global collection,

wherein the application is configured to permit entity data input by the user to comprise data describing an entity which is not either the user performing the input or that user'"'"'s organization.

26. A system for utilizing global entities in software applications comprising:

a computer network;

at least one network-connected server, the server being configured to;

at least partially execute computer code with a processor;

transfer a software application to a client computer in network communication with said server, the client computer having a client display unit;

at least one data storage, a data storage being configured to store at least one collection of entity records;

a global collection of entity records, the global collection being a plurality of global entity records;

a non-global collection of entity records, the non-global collection being a plurality of non-global entity records;

a first software application including computer executable code configured to;

access a data storage containing a global collection of entity records;

receive a first user input at a client computer, the first user input including data describing an entity; and

insert the first user input as an entity into a global collection;

a second software application including computer executable code configured to;

access a data storage containing a global collection of entity records;

access a data storage containing a non-global collection of entity records;

display data associated with at least one entity record from the global collection on the client display unit;

receive a second user input to select at least one entity record from the displayed data; and

copy data associated with at least one selected global entity record to a non-global collection, the non-global collection being associated with the second user,

wherein the copy data process of the second software application employs a data storage architecture permitting future editing of non-global entity data without causing change to the data in the global entity record.

27. A system for utilizing global entities in software applications comprising:

a computer network;

at least one network-connected server, the server being configured to;

at least partially execute computer code with a processor; and

transfer a software application to a client computer in network communication with said server, the client computer having a client display unit;

at least one data storage, a data storage being configured to store at least one collection of entity records;

a global collection of entity records, the global collection being a plurality of global entity records;

a non-global collection of entity records, the non-global collection being a plurality of non-global entity records;

a first software application including computer executable code configured to;

access a data storage containing a global collection of entity records; and

receive first user input at a client computer, the user input including data describing an entity; and

insert first user input as an entity into a global collection;

a second software application including computer executable code configured to;

access a data storage containing a global collection of entity records; and

access a data storage containing a non-global collection of entity records; and

display data associated with at least one entity record from the global collection on the client display unit; and

receive second user input to select at least one entity record from the displayed data; and

copy data associated with at least one selected global entity record to a non-global collection, the non-global collection being associated with the second user,

wherein the first software application is configured to permit entity data input by the user to comprise data describing an entity which is not either the user performing the input or that user'"'"'s organization, and wherein the copy data process of the second software application employs a data storage architecture permitting future editing of non-global entity data without causing change to the data in the global entity record.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the first software application and the second software application are merely different instances of the same application.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the non-global collection comprises records within a database utilized by a hosted software application serving a plurality of subscribers.