Data processing system and development tool
First Claim
1. A development tool for a network based data processing system, the tool comprising a document type developer for assembling document types from prestored object components and associating with each document type a set of states, each state being definitive of at least one document property, said document types being usable to instantiate documents to form a data processing system, said document types being usable to provide said data processing system with state assignment functionality, for assigning to each instantiation successive ones of said set of states and thus applying said respective property to said instantiation, to thereby successively define for said document type instantiation within said data processing system a succession of properties during a life cycle of said document type instantiation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A development tool for a network based data processing system comprises a document type developer for assembling document types from prestored object components and for associating a set of states with each document type. Each state defines at least one document property. The document types are used to instantiate documents to form a data processing system, and to provide the data processing system with state assignment functionality. The data processing system assigns each instantiation a succession of states, where each state is taken from the instantiation'"'"'s set of states, thus applying the state'"'"'s respective property to the instantiation. A succession of properties is thereby defined for the document type instantiation over the instantiation'"'"'s life cycle.
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Citations
119 Claims
- 1. A development tool for a network based data processing system, the tool comprising a document type developer for assembling document types from prestored object components and associating with each document type a set of states, each state being definitive of at least one document property, said document types being usable to instantiate documents to form a data processing system, said document types being usable to provide said data processing system with state assignment functionality, for assigning to each instantiation successive ones of said set of states and thus applying said respective property to said instantiation, to thereby successively define for said document type instantiation within said data processing system a succession of properties during a life cycle of said document type instantiation.
- 40. A network based data processing system for processing data arranged in documents, wherein said documents are instantiations of document types obtained from a document type library, said document types having a set of states, each state being definitive of at least one document property, said data processing system having state assignment functionality for assigning to each document successive ones of said set of states and thus applying said respective property to said instantiation, to thereby successively define for each document within said data processing system a succession of properties during a life cycle of said document.
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88. A method of providing a development tool for a network based data processing system, the method comprising:
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providing a component data store comprising a plurality of object components; and
,providing a document type developer for assembling document types from said object components and for associating with each a set of states, each state being definitive of at least one document property, said document types being usable to instantiate documents to form a data processing system, said document types being usable with a data processing system having state assignment functionality for assigning to each instantiation successive ones of said set of states and thus applying said respective property to said instantiation, to thereby successively define for said document type instantiation within said data processing system a succession of properties during a life cycle of said document type instantiation. - View Dependent Claims (89, 90, 91, 92, 93)
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94. A method of developing a data processing system, the method comprising:
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generating document types from prestored object components; and
,associating with each document type a set of states, each state being definitive of at least one document property, said document types being usable to instantiate documents to form a data processing system having state assignment functionality for assigning to said document type instantiation successive ones of said set of states and thus applying said respective property to said document type instantiation, to thereby successively define for said document type instantiation within said data processing system a succession of properties during a life cycle of said document type instantiation. - View Dependent Claims (95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107)
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108. A method of defining the processing of a document in a data processing system having state assignment functionality, said document comprising an instantiation of a document type, said document type having a set of states, each state being, definitive of at least one document property, for assigning to said document successive ones of said set of states and thus applying said respective property to said document, to thereby successively define for said document a succession of properties during a life cycle of said document, said method comprising:
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defining a set of transitions between pairs of states from said set of states;
defining a set of transition rules comprising at least one transition rule for each of said transitions, said transition rule identifying a condition at which an instantiation of said document type undergoes said transition; and
,associating said set of transitions and said set of transition rules with said document type. - View Dependent Claims (109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119)
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Specification