Process/viewer interface

• US 20050039191A1
• Filed: 08/12/2003
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pegasystems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Chordiant Software Incorporated (Pegasystems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hewson, Darren M., St. Jean, James D., Myles, J. Michael, Ruggieri, Michael J. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,178,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/317
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A user interface for viewing reference data associated with a conceptual entity and for execution of one or more complex processes for manipulating the data includes a process panel having one or more on-screen objects for the execution of the complex processes and a process work area for displaying a state of selected complex processes. A data viewer includes a content pane for the display of the reference data and one or more on-screen objects for selectively displaying at least a portion of the reference data and the process panel and data viewer are framed within a common window. The process panel and data viewer are selectably viewable and occupy overlapping positions within the common window.

Claims

1. A user interface for viewing reference data associated with a conceptual entity and for execution of one or more complex processes for manipulating said data, comprising:

a process panel comprising one or more on-screen objects for the execution of said complex processes and a process work area for displaying a state of selected complex processes;

a data viewer comprising a content pane for the display of said reference data and one or more on-screen objects for selectively displaying at least a portion of said reference data;

a common window framing the process panel and data viewer; and

said process panel and data viewer being selectably viewable and occupying overlapping positions within said common window.

2. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the process work area is coextensive with said content pane, the one or more on-screen objects for the execution of said complex processes further comprising:

a first list of items, each item being associated with an available one of said complex processes and selectable to cause execution thereof.

3. The user interface of claim 2, wherein each item associated with an available one of said complex processes is selectable to display a state of a selected complex process in said process work area.

4. The user interface of claim 2, the one or more on-screen objects for the execution of said complex processes further comprising:

a second list of items, each item being associated with a current one of said complex processes and selectable to cause to display a state of a selected complex process in said process work area.

5. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the process work area is coextensive with said content pane, the one or more on-screen objects for the execution of said complex processes further comprising:

a list of items, each item being associated with one of said complex processes and selectable to cause one or both of (1) execution of a selected complex process, or (2) display a state of a selected complex process in said process work area.

6. The user interface of claim 5, wherein said list includes available items and current items, and further comprising on-screen indicia for visually distinguishing said available items and said current items.

7. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the process work area is coextensive with said content pane, and further wherein the data viewer includes multiple pages of data, each of said multiple pages selectively displayable within said content pane.

8. The user interface of claim 7, wherein said one or more on-screen objects for selectively displaying at least a portion of said reference data comprise:

a tab associated with each of said multiple pages of data for displaying a selected one of said multiple pages of data.

9. The user interface of claim 8, the one or more on-screen objects for the execution of said complex processes further comprising:

a first list of items, each item being associated with an available one of said complex processes and selectable to cause execution thereof; and

a second list of items, each item being associated with a current one of said complex processes and selectable to cause to display a state of a selected complex process in said process work area.

10. The user interface of claim 1, wherein said one or more on-screen objects for the execution of said complex processes are non-overlapping with respect to said data viewer and said one or more on-screen objects for selectively displaying at least a portion of said reference data are non-overlapping with respect to said process panel.

11. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the process panel further comprises:

an on-screen object for the selective display of a default process page in said process work area.

12. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the conceptual entity is a customer.

13. A combined data viewer and data processing system for use with a computer-based information handling system having a display device and that displays on a screen of said display device a user interface for viewing and acting upon a single conceptual entity, said combined data viewer and data processing system comprising:

a process panel comprising a first region including a list of available and/or currently running processes for the manipulation of data associated with said conceptual entity, and a second region comprising a process work area for the display of the state of a selected process and/or receiving user input;

a data viewer comprising a content pane for the display of data associated with said conceptual entity.

14. The combined data viewer of claim 13, wherein the process panel and data viewer are contained within a common window.

15. The combined data viewer of claim 13, wherein the process panel and data viewer occupy overlapping positions within said common window.

16. The combined data viewer and data processing system of claim 13, further comprising:

a common window framing the process panel and data viewer; and

said process panel and data viewer occupying fixed relative and overlapping positions, and each being selectably viewable within said common window.

17. A computer-based information handling system for the display of one or more complex processes and reference data in a single window, said one or more complex processes and reference data associated with a conceptual entity represented in software, comprising:

a processor for executing a program of instructions on the information handling system;

a memory coupled to the processor for storing the program of instructions executable by the processor; and

a display system coupled to the processor;

wherein the program of instructions configures the information handling system to display a user interface comprising;

a process panel comprising one or more on-screen objects for the execution of said complex processes and a process work area for displaying a state of selected complex processes;

a data viewer comprising a content pane for the display of said reference data and one or more on-screen objects for selectively displaying at least a portion of said reference data;

a common window framing the process panel and data viewer; and

said process panel and data viewer being selectably viewable and occupying overlapping positions within said common window.

18. A user interface for viewing reference data associated with a conceptual entity and for execution of one or more complex processes for manipulating said data, comprising:

a process panel for executing one or more complex processes and displaying a state of said one or more complex processes;

a data viewer for the display of reference data;

a common window containing said process panel and said data viewer;

said process panel and data viewer being arranged in an overlapping and individually selectable manner within said common window.

19. A system for generating a combined process and data viewer interface, comprising:

a client computer system connected to a network;

a server computer system connected to the network, the network interconnecting the client computer system and the server computer system; and

a program of instructions comprising a user interface running on at least one of the server computer system and the client computer system, said user interface comprising;

a process panel for executing one or more complex processes and displaying a state of said one or more complex processes;

a data viewer for the display of reference data;

a common window containing said process panel and said data viewer;

said process panel and data viewer being arranged in an overlapping and individually selectable manner within said common window.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the user interface comprises one or more interface elements defined using HTML.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the client computer system comprises a web browser for accessing the network and communicating with the server over the network.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the server computer system comprises a database containing the reference data.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said conceptual entity is a customer and said information comprises one or more prestored items associated with the customer.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the client computer system and the server computer system communicate via the Internet.

25. A method for the display of one or more complex processes and reference data in a single window, said one or more complex processes and reference data associated with a conceptual entity represented in software, comprising:

opening a common window;

displaying a process panel within said common window, the process panel comprising one or more on-screen objects for the execution of said complex processes and a process work area for displaying a state of selected complex processes;

displaying a data viewer comprising a content pane for the display of said reference data and one or more on-screen objects for selectively displaying at least a portion of said reference data; and

said process panel and data viewer being selectably viewable and occupying overlapping positions within said common window.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the process work area is coextensive with said content pane, the one or more on-screen objects for the execution of said complex processes further comprising:

a first list of items, each item being associated with an available one of said complex processes and selectable to cause execution thereof.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

in response to a user selection of a selected one of said list items, displaying in said process work area a state of a complex processes associated said selected one of said list items.

28. The method of claim 25, the one or more on-screen objects for the execution of said complex processes further comprising:

a second list of items, each item being associated with a current one of said complex processes and selectable to cause to display a state of a selected complex process in said process work area.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

defining multiple levels of user access;

assigning users one of said levels of user access;

associating each of said complex processes with one or more multiple levels of user access;

identifying said an assigned level of user access for a user;

configuring the process panel allow execution of only said complex processes associated with an identified level of user access.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the process work area is coextensive with said content pane, the one or more on-screen objects for the execution of said complex processes further comprising:

a list of items, each item being associated with one of said complex processes and selectable to cause one or both of (1) execution of a selected complex process, or (2) display a state of a selected complex process in said process work area.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said list includes available items and current items, and further comprising on-screen indicia for visually distinguishing said available items and said current items.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein the process work area is coextensive with said content pane, and further wherein the data viewer includes multiple pages of data, each of said multiple pages selectively displayable within said content pane.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said one or more on-screen objects for selectively displaying at least a portion of said reference data comprise:

a tab associated with each of said multiple pages of data for displaying a selected one of said multiple pages of data.

34. The method of claim 33, the one or more on-screen objects for the execution of said complex processes further comprising:

a first list of items, each item being associated with an available one of said complex processes and selectable to cause execution thereof; and

a second list of items, each item being associated with a current one of said complex processes and selectable to cause to display a state of a selected complex process in said process work area.

35. The method of claim 25, wherein said one or more on-screen objects for the execution of said complex processes are non-overlapping with respect to said data viewer and said one or more on-screen objects for selectively displaying at least a portion of said reference data are non-overlapping with respect to said process panel.

36. The method of claim 25, wherein the process panel further comprises:

an on-screen object for the selective display of a default process page in said process work area.

37. The method of claim 25, wherein the conceptual entity is a customer.

38. A computer readable medium whose contents cause a computer to perform method steps for the display of one or more complex processes and reference data in a single window, said one or more complex processes and reference data associated with a conceptual entity represented in software, the method steps comprising:

opening a common window;

displaying a process panel within said common window, the process panel comprising one or more on-screen objects for the execution of said complex processes and a process work area for displaying a state of selected complex processes;

displaying a data viewer comprising a content pane for the display of said reference data and one or more on-screen objects for selectively displaying at least a portion of said reference data; and

said process panel and data viewer being selectably viewable and occupying overlapping positions within said common window.