Live collections

• US 20060167901A1
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Muller, Michael, Geyer, Werner, Schirmer, Andrew L., Gruen, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/040,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20060167901A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus for managing live collections in a collaborative environment. In a preferred aspect of the present invention, a live collection can include a multiplicity of live objects aggregated together from which a live collection status can be obtained by reference to an application of at least one rule to a status for at least one of the aggregated live objects. The live collection can be a live activity having at least one of several live processes and live workflows. The live collection also can be a live group having multiple live names. The live collection yet further can be a live parent having multiple live objects disposed in a parent-child hierarchy. Finally, the live collection can be a live folder having multiple live documents. Notably, the rules can be logic rules, logical quantifiers, organizational quantifiers, relative quantifiers, or procedural indicators, to name a few examples. Moreover, the rules can be applied to multiple attributes of the live objects concurrently to produce a status for the live collection.

Claims

1. A live collection comprising a plurality of live objects aggregated together from which a live collection status can be obtained by reference to an application of at least one rule to a status for at least one of said aggregated live objects.

2. The live collection of claim 1, wherein said live collection is a live activity comprising at least one of a plurality of live processes and live workflows.

3. The live collection of claim 1, wherein said live collection is a live group comprising a plurality of live names.

4. The live collection of claim 1, wherein said live collection is a live parent comprising a plurality of live objects disposed in a parent-child hierarchy.

5. The live collection of claim 1, wherein said live collection is a live folder comprising a plurality of live documents.

6. The live collection of claim 1, wherein said rules comprise logic rules.

7. The live collection of claim 1, wherein said rules comprise logical quantifiers.

8. The live collection of claim 1, wherein said rules comprise organizational quantifiers.

9. The live collection of claim 1, wherein said rules comprise relative quantifiers.

10. The live collection of claim 1, wherein said rules comprise procedural indicators.

11. The live collection of claim 1, wherein said rules are applied to multiple attributes of said live objects concurrently to produce a status for said live collection.

12. A method for managing live collections comprising the steps of:

aggregating status information for a selection of live objects designated as belonging to a live collection; and

,

applying at least one rule to said status information to determine whether a condition has arisen for said live collection.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of triggering an action based upon said determination of whether a condition has arisen for said live collection.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said set of aggregating comprises the step of writing meta-data for each of said live objects into a data store of meta-data for said live collection.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of applying comprises the step of concurrently applying at least one rule to said status information based upon at least two different attributes for each of said live objects in said live collection.

16. A machine readable storage having stored thereon a computer program for managing live collections, the computer program comprising a routine set of instructions which when executed by the machine causes the machine to perform the steps of:

aggregating status information for a selection of live objects designated as belonging to a live collection; and

,

applying at least one rule to said status information to determine whether a condition has arisen for said live collection.

17. The machine readable storage of claim 16, further comprising an additional set of instructions which when executed by the machine causes the machine to further perform the step of triggering an action based upon said determination of whether a condition has arisen for said live collection.

18. The machine readable storage of claim 16, wherein said set of aggregating comprises the step of writing meta-data for each of said live objects into a data store of meta-data for said live collection.

19. The machine readable storage of claim 16, wherein said step of applying comprises the step of concurrently applying at least one rule to said status information based upon at least two different attributes for each of said live objects in said live collection.