Method and a device for providing additional functionality to a separate application

• US 20040145601A1
• Filed: 06/12/2003
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brielmann, Miriam Silke, Bloem, Wolfgang, Grzemba, Ulrike
• Application Number:
  US10/460,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20040145601A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

Method and a device is provided for providing additional functionality to a separate application. A first interface for monitoring the state of the application and a second interface for intercepting the user'"'"'s input to the application are provided between the device and the application, furthermore, a repository for keeping rules specifying additional functionality, such as assistance to be presented to the user, in response to the state of the application and/or the user'"'"'s input, means for triggering one of the rules, and means for providing assistance and/or an application enhancement to the user as specified in the triggered rule. The rule may be triggered by a user'"'"'s input and/or a particular state of the application and the device provides the additional functionality, e.g., presenting the assistance and/or the application enhancement relevant to the input and/or state. Finally, the device includes means for inputting data into the separate application, whereby the data is derived from the intercepted user'"'"'s input and/or the state of the application. The application does not need to provide any additional interface for the device.

Claims

1. A device for providing additional functionality to a user of a separate application running on a computer system, the device comprising

a first interface for monitoring the state of said application,

a second interface for intercepting the user'"'"'s input to said application,

a repository for keeping rules specifying the additional functionality to be provided to the user in response to said state of said application and said user'"'"'s input,

means for triggering one of said rules, and

means for providing the additional functionality to said user as specified in the triggered rule, whereby said rule may be triggered by at least one of the group of the following input parameters, a user'"'"'s input, a particular state of the application, an event triggered by said device,

means for inputting data into said separate application, whereby said data is derived from at least one input parameter from the group of, an intercepted user'"'"'s input, the state of said application, an event triggered by said device.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said means for providing the additional functionality to said user is configured to provide data to said separate application requested from said user.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said means for providing the additional functionality to said user is configured to provide default values to said separate application.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein said means for providing the additional functionality to said user is configured to extract information from said separate application for later use.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said means for providing the additional functionality to said user is configured to trigger an event after a predetermined amount of time.

6. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a configuration container for storing configuration data determining said rules.

7. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an information container for storing at least on of the group of, online help text to be presented to the user, control commands specifying the kind of additional functionality to be provided to said user in compliance with of one of said rules.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein said means for inputting data into said separate application are configured to control said separate application.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein said means for triggering one of said rules include a watchdog timer for automatically performing a predetermined action after a specified period of time.

10. A method for providing additional functionality to a user of a separate application running on a computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring the state of said application,

intercepting the user'"'"'s input to said application,

triggering one of a set of predetermined rules, and

providing the additional functionality to said user as specified in the triggered rule, whereby said rule may be triggered by at least one of the following group of input parameters, a user'"'"'s input, a particular state of the application, an automatically triggered event,

inputting data into said separate application, whereby said data is derived from at least one of the input parameters of the group of, intercepted user'"'"'s input, the state of said application, said automatically triggered event.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said step of providing the additional functionality to said user includes the step of providing data to said separate application requested from said user.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said step of providing the additional functionality to said user includes the step of providing default values to said separate application.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein said step of providing the additional functionality to said user includes the step of extracting information from said separate application for later use.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein said step of providing the additional functionality to said user includes the step of triggering an event after a predetermined amount of time.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of automatically performing a predetermined action after a specified period of time.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of triggering a rule depending on a help text displayed to the user.

17. A computer program product stored on a computer usable medium, comprising computer readable program means for causing a computer to provide additional functionality to a user of a separate application running on the computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring the state of said application,

intercepting the user'"'"'s input to said application,

triggering one of a set of predetermined rules, and

providing the additional functionality to said user as specified in the triggered rule, whereby said rule may be triggered by at least one of the following group of input parameters, a user'"'"'s input, a particular state of the application, an automatically triggered event,

inputting data into said separate application, whereby said data is derived from at least one of the input parameters of the group of, intercepted user'"'"'s input, the state of said application, said automatically triggered event.