Display of and interaction with local and remote data objects

• US 20040268364A1
• Filed: 11/20/2003
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: King.com, Ltd (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Faraj, Mazen
• Granted Patent: US 7,518,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/316
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A system and method for display of and interaction with local and remote data objects in a distributed data processing system is disclosed. In an embodiment, given sufficient information or “meta data” (i.e. data about data) for a local system and a remote system, a data object viewer may combine both local and remote data objects in a single view. In an embodiment, a user may interact with these local and remote data objects in a context sensitive manner such that, in dependence on the selected data object, either a local action, a remote action, or both local and remote actions may be performed on the selected data object.

Claims

1. A method of displaying and interacting with local and remote data objects in a distributed data processing system, comprising:

(i) accessing a local model defining at least one local data object and at least one local action, which may be performed on, said local data object;

(ii) accessing a remote model defining at least one remote data object and at least one remote action, which may be performed on, said remote data object;

(iii) displaying at least one of said local data objects and said remote data objects in a viewer;

(iv) in response to selection of a data object from said viewer in (iii), determining a location characteristic for said selected data object; and

(v) in the context of said location characteristic determined in (iv), performing at least one action on said selected data object, as defined by one of said local model and said remote model.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(vi) defining a local/remote data object comprising a local data object and a remote data object and displaying said local/remote data object in said viewer in (iii); and

(vii) if said local/remote data object is selected in (iv), then in (v) performing at least one action on said selected local/remote data object as defined by at least one of said local model and said remote model.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising merging said local model and said remote model into a merged viewer model, said merged viewer model containing data objects and actions from both said local model and said remote model.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying in said viewer a list of local actions and a list of remote actions that may be performed on said local/remote data object.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying in said viewer a list of actions that may be performed on said local/remote data object, and upon selection of an action, further displaying a list of locations on which said action is to be performed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said list of locations includes local, remote, and both locations.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising performing on said local/remote data object at least one local action and at least one remote action, substantially at the same time.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said at least one local action and said at least one remote action comprises the same action.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining, utilizing said merged viewer model, which combined local and remote actions are invalid for performing on a selected local/remote data object.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising displaying in said viewer a list of actions that may be performed on said local/remote data object.

11. A system for displaying and interacting with local and remote data objects in a distributed data processing system, comprising:

(a) an access to a local model including definitions for at least one local data object and at least one local action, which may be performed on said local data object;

(b) an access to a remote model including definitions for at least one remote data object and at least one remote action, which may be performed on, said remote data object;

(c) a viewer configured to display at least one of said local data objects and said remote data objects, said viewer being configured to permit a data object to be selected therefrom; and

(d) a module configured to determine a location characteristic for said data object selected from said viewer and to perform at least one action on said selected data object, as defined by one of said local model and said remote model.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a merged viewer model including definitions from both said local model and said remote model, said merged viewer model defining a local/remote data object comprising a local data object and a remote data object.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said viewer is further configured to display said local/remote data object and permit said local/remote data object to be selected therefrom.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said viewer is further configured to display a list of local actions and a list of remote actions that may be performed on said local/remote data object.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said viewer is further configured to display in said viewer a list of actions that may be performed on said local/remote data object, and upon selection of an action, to further display a list of locations on which said action is to be performed.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said list of locations includes local, remote, and both locations.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein said merged viewer model is further configured to determine which combined local and remote actions are invalid for performing on a selected local/remote data object.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said viewer is further configured to display only a list of valid actions that may be performed on said local/remote data object.

19. A system for displaying and interacting with local and remote data objects in a distributed data processing system, comprising:

(i) means for accessing a local model defining at least one local data object and at least one local action, which may be performed on said local data object;

(ii) means for accessing a remote model defining at least one remote data object and at least one remote action, which may be performed on said remote data object;

(iii) means for displaying at least one of said local data objects and said remote data objects in a viewer;

(iv) in response to selection of a data object from said viewer in (iii), means for determining a location characteristic for said selected data object; and

(v) in the context of said location characteristic determined in (iv), means for performing at least one action on said selected data object, as defined by one of said local model and said remote model.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

(vi) means for defining a local/remote data object comprising a local data object and a remote data object and displaying said local/remote data object in said viewer in (iii); and

(vii) means for performing at least one action on said selected local/remote data object as defined by at least one of said local model and said remote model.

21. A computer readable medium having computer readable program code embedded in the medium for displaying and interacting with local and remote data objects in a distributed data processing system, the computer readable program code including:

(a) code for accessing a local model at least one local data object and at least one local action which may be performed on said local data object;

(b) code for accessing a remote model at least one remote data object and at least one remote action which may be performed on said remote data object;

(c) code for displaying at least one of said local data objects and said remote data objects in a viewer;

(d) in response to selection of a data object from said viewer in (iii), code for determining a location characteristic for said selected data object; and

(e) in the context of said location characteristic determined in (iv), code for performing at least one action on said selected data object, as defined by one of said local model and said remote model.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, further comprising:

(f) code for defining a local/remote data object comprising a local data object and a remote data object and displaying said local/remote data object in said viewer in (iii); and

(g) code for performing at least one action on said selected local/remote data object as defined by at least one of said local model and said remote model.