System and user interface supporting multiple different concurrent application interoperability methods

• US 20040034707A1
• Filed: 06/10/2003
• Published: 02/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Royer, Barry Lynn
• Application Number:
  US10/458,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20040034707A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system supports concurrent operation of multiple network compatible applications using corresponding multiple different operation interfaces. The system includes a data processor, a first interface processor, and a second interface processor. The data processor formats context data received from a first application to be compatible with an interface data format of a second application and formats the received context data to be compatible with an interface data format of a third application in response to examination of an indicator identifying a network connection to the third application. The first interface processor communicates formatted and compatible context data to the second application. The second interface processor communicates formatted and compatible context data to the third application.

Claims

1. A system supporting concurrent operation of a plurality of network compatible applications using a corresponding plurality of different operation interfaces, comprising:

a data processor for formatting context data received from a first application to be compatible with an interface data format of a second application and for formatting said received context data to be compatible with an interface data format of third application in response to examination of an indicator identifying a network connection to said third application;

a first interface processor for communicating formatted and compatible context data to said second application; and

a second interface processor for communicating formatted and compatible context data to said third application.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said context data comprises at least one of:

(a) user identification information,

(b) an encryption key, and

(c) a session identifier identifying a user initiated session and for use by a plurality of concurrently operating applications to uniquely identify the user initiated session.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said third application is a Clinical Context Object Workgroup (CCOW) compatible application and said data processor formats said received context data to be compatible with a CCOW interface data format.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said second application is a managing application supporting concurrent operation of a plurality of network compatible applications.

5. A method for supporting concurrent operation of a plurality of network compatible applications using a corresponding plurality of different operation interfaces, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving context data from a first application;

formatting received context data into a first format for communication to a first context manager;

formatting received context data into a second format for communication to a second context manager;

receiving formatted context data for managing communication of context data to applications using a first command format interface type; and

receiving formatted context data for managing communication of context data to applications using a second command format interface type.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said second command interface type is compatible with a Clinical Context Object Workgroup (CCOW) application interface standard and is different from said first command format interface type.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein said context data comprises at least one of:

(a) user identification information,

(b) a context identifier for identifying a single instance of application context,

(c) an encryption key, and

(d) a session identifier identifying a user initiated session and for use by a plurality of concurrently operating applications to uniquely identify the user initiated session.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein

said context identifier in said first command format interface type identifies a single operating instance of a CCOW compatible application context, and

said session identifier in said second command format interface type identifies a single user initiated operating session involving concurrent operation of said plurality of concurrently operating applications.

9. A system supporting concurrent operation of a plurality of Internet compatible applications, the system comprising:

a browser application providing a user interface display permitting user entry of identification information and commands for a plurality of Internet compatible applications and for providing user identification information to a first application for validation; and

a managing application for generating a session identifier particular to a user initiated session in response to receiving a session initiation request from a first application and for communicating said session identifier to said first application in a communication format determined in response to examining an indicator identifying a communication interface format type of said first application.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein said session initiation request to said managing application also initiates generation of an encryption key particular to said user initiated session for use by said first application.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein said encryption key is for common use by said plurality of concurrently operating applications in encrypting data associated with a personal record.

12. A system according to claim 9, wherein said managing application also communicates additional parameters to said first application including one or more of:

(a) a key to be used in encrypting and decrypting a session identifier conveyed in URL data, and

(b) an indicator identifying whether or not a session initiation request is successful.

13. A system employed by a managing application for supporting concurrent operation of a plurality of network compatible applications, the system comprising:

an input processor for receiving from a first application a session initiation request to initiate generation of a session identifier;

a session identifier generator for generating a session identifier particular to a user initiated session and for use by a plurality of concurrently operating applications to uniquely identify said user initiated session; and

a communication processor for

communicating said session identifier to said first application in a first communication format; and

communicating said session identifier to an other application of said plurality of concurrently operating applications in a second communication format determined in response to a request to receive said generated session identifier.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein said communication processor communicates said session identifier to said other application in response to examining an indicator identifying a communication interface format type of said other application.

15. A system according to claim 13 further comprising:

an encryption key generator for substantially randomly generating an encryption key particular to said user initiated session in response to said session initiation request.

16. A system according to claim 13, wherein said communication processor includes said generated session identifier in different types of command messages communicated to applications of said plurality of concurrently operating applications.

17. A system supporting concurrent operation of a plurality of network compatible applications using a corresponding plurality of different operation interfaces, the system comprising:

a transformation processor for receiving context data from a first application and for formatting received context data into a first format for communication to a first context manager and for formatting received context data into a second format for communication to a second context manager;

a first context manager receiving formatted context data from said transformation processor for managing communication of context data to applications using a first command format interface type; and

a second context manager receiving formatted context data from said transformation processor for managing communication of context data to applications using a second command format interface type.

18. A method for supporting concurrent operation of a plurality of network compatible applications using a corresponding plurality of different operation interfaces, comprising the steps of:

formatting context data received from a first application to be compatible with an interface data format of a second application;

formatting said received context data to be compatible with an interface data format of third application in response to examination of an indicator identifying a network connection to said third application;

communicating formatted and compatible context data to said second application; and

communicating formatted and compatible context data to said third application.

19. A method employed by a managing application for supporting concurrent operation of a plurality of network compatible applications, comprising the steps of:

receiving from a first application a session initiation request to initiate generation of a session identifier;

generating a session identifier for user initiated session and for use by a plurality of concurrently operating applications to uniquely identify said user initiated session;

communicating said session identifier to said first application in a first communication format; and

communicating said session identifier to an other application of said plurality of concurrently operating applications in a second communication format determined in response to a request to receive said generated session identifier.