Systems and methods for software based on business concepts

• US 20050289524A1
• Filed: 06/22/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Simon Mcginnes
• Original Assignee: Simon Mcginnes
• Inventors: McGinnes, Simon
• Application Number:
  US11/158,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20050289524A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Business concept definitions may be utilized with software applications, components, tools, and system software. The business concepts definitions are each associated with archetypal definitions, which may also be known as innate concepts. These archetypal definitions may include a person, an organization, a system, a place, an activity, a document, a conceptual object, a physical object, and a category. The business concept definitions may also be represented by an image on a user interface, where the images may be selectable by a user. These business concept definitions may be manipulated and modified. Indeed, certain relationships may be denoted between business concept definitions through the positioning of the images on a user interface. Because these business concept definitions are associated with archetypal definitions, which may be intuitive for users, application definitions using these business concept definitions may be easily created by a user without programming skills.

Claims

1. A system for providing application functionality, comprising:

an application definition, wherein the application definition comprises;

a plurality of archetypal categories;

a plurality of business concept definitions, wherein at least one business concept definition corresponds to one of the plurality of archetypal categories, wherein at least one business concept is named and represented by a marker, and wherein at least two business concept definitions have a relationship that is based at least in part on the archetypal categories associated with each of the two business concept definitions; and

a run-time component, wherein the run-time component executes;

the application definition; and

upon modification of one of the business concept definitions, a modified application definition reflecting the modification to the business concept definitions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of archetypal categories are associated with one or more sets of persons, of organizations, of systems, of places, of activities, of documents, of conceptual objects, of physical objects, or of categories.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the run-time component comprises one or more of system software and application software.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the executed application comprises one or more user interfaces associated with the business concept definitions, wherein constructs of the user interfaces depend at least in part on the archetypal categories associated with the business concept definitions.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one window associated with a business concept definition, the window capable of displaying components of the business concept definition.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an interpretation function for presenting components of the business concepts in at least one of natural language and object model view.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the relationship between the two business concept definitions is determined, at least in part, on positions of the markers on a user interface.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein markers in close proximity to each other denote a close relationship between the corresponding business concept definitions.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein markers comprise images.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data table associated with one or more business concept definitions.

11. A method of defining business concept associations, comprising:

providing a plurality of archetypal categories;

defining a plurality of business concepts, wherein at least one business concept definition corresponds to one of the plurality of archetypal categories, wherein at least one business concept is named and represented by a marker, and wherein at least two business concept definitions have a relationship that is based at least in part on the archetypal categories associated with each of the two business concept definitions; and

automatically deducing a relationship between a first business concept definition represented by a first marker and a second business concept definition represented by a second marker based at least in part on a position of the first marker relative to the second marker.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating at least one database table associated with the deduced relationship between the first business concept definition and the second business concept definition.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing a user interface associated with at least one of the business concept definitions, wherein characteristics of the user interface are based at least in part on the archetypal categories associated with the business concept definitions.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein providing a plurality of archetypal categories comprises providing types corresponding to one or more sets of persons, of organizations, of systems, of places, of activities, of documents, of conceptual objects, of physical objects, or of categories.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the relationship comprises a relationship where a first business concept definition contains a second business concept definition.

16. Software for modeling business scenarios, comprising:

a plurality of archetypal categories, each archetypal category being associated with a category of real-world elements in a business scenario;

an application definition comprising a plurality of business concept definitions, wherein each business concept definition is defined at least in part based on the archetypal categories;

an image selector facility for selecting images corresponding to business concept definitions, wherein the positioning of the images on a user interface denotes, at least in part, a relationship between a first business concept definition and a second business concepts definition;

a generation function, wherein the generation function is operable to generate at least one application based on the application definition.

17. The software of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the archetypal categories comprise categories associated with one or more sets of persons, of organizations, of systems, of places, of activities, of documents, of conceptual objects, of physical objects, or of categories.

18. The software of claim 16, wherein the image search facility provides a plurality of images for selection based at least in part on the archetypal category associated with the business concept definition.

19. The software of claim 16, further comprising an interpretation function for viewing the application definition in natural language.

20. The software of claim 16, further comprising one or more tables for use in automatically deducing relationships between business concept definitions based at least in part on corresponding archetypal categories.

21. The software of claim 20, wherein the generation function is operable to generate at least one database implementing at least a portion of the business concept definitions and at least a portion of the deduced relationships between the business concept definitions.

22. The software of claim 16, wherein the generation function is operable to generate at least one user interface for at least a portion of the plurality of business concept definitions.

23. The software of claim 22, wherein characteristics of the user interface depend at least in part on the archetypal categories for the business concept definitions.

24. The software of claim 22, wherein characteristics of the user interface depend at least in part on user roles.