Operating environment system and method for executing workflow on computer

• US 20070168375A1
• Filed: 03/17/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Yu, Chia
• Application Number:
  US11/378,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20070168375A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Disclosed is an operating environment system and method for an improved efficiency of a workflow executed on a computer by a user, the method being allowed to be executed on the operating environment system, comprising a plurality of soft applications and an integrated operating environment, comprising an action model module described in a data structure form, a plug-in component module monitoring the user'"'"'s operating status and intercepting and transmitting an issued instruction, a command center module interpreting the possible action in response to the instruction based on the data structure and a service module directed by the command center module to execute the possible action.

Claims

1. A method for forming an action pattern for a workflow executed on a computer, comprising the following steps:

analyzing the workflow to define an operating range for the workflow;

defining the operating range as a plurality of operating steps and a sequence thereof;

defining at least a respective possible next action for an action generated from each of the operating steps;

defining an information structure having information associated with the action and the at least a respective possible next action;

defining a condition for an execution of the at least a respective possible next action;

defining an input and an output for the at least a respective possible next action;

defining a procedure required by the at least a respective possible next action;

defining an execution result for the at least a respective possible next action after the execution thereof;

establishing a transitional action pattern based on the defined operating range for the workflow, the plurality of operating steps, the sequence thereof, the at least a respective possible next action, the information structure, the condition for the execution of the at least a respective possible next action, the input, the output, the procedure and the execution result; and

executing the above steps repeatedly so as to obtain the action pattern.

2. The method as claim in claim 1, wherein the at least a respective possible next action is a service action for achieving an execution of the workflow.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information of the information structure describes the workflow with an Extendable Markup Language (XML).

4. A data structure for describing an action pattern for a workflow executed on a computer, comprising:

a structure node containing information associated with a plurality of operating steps and a sequence thereof;

a structure node containing information associated with at least a respective possible next action generated from each of the plurality of operating steps with respect to an action;

a structure node containing information associated with an information structure of the at least a respective possible next action;

a structure node containing information associated with a condition for an execution for the at least a respective possible next action;

a structure node containing information associated with an input and an output for the at least a respective possible next action;

a structure node containing information associated with an automatic procedure required by the at least a respective possible next action; and

a structure node containing information associated with an execution result for the at least a respective possible next action after the execution thereof.

5. The data structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the data structure has a tree tail and a tree head and described with an Extendable Markup Language (XML) and the structure nodes in the data structure are arranged from the tree tail to the tree head.

6. The data structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the action is a user action made by a user.

7. An operating environment system for executing a workflow on a computer, comprising:

a plurality of application softwares embedded in an operating system (OS) on the computer;

an integrated operating environment embedded in the OS and on which a user executes the workflow, comprising;

an action pattern module having an action pattern describing at least a respective possible next action for an action made with information associated therewith and taking a form of a data structure;

a plug-in component module having a plurality of plug-in components, monitoring and intercepting the action and transmitting information associated with the intercepted action;

a service module having a plurality of service units; and

a command center module receiving and interpreting the information associated with the intercepted action and dictating a respective one of the plurality of service units to execute each of the at least a service action corresponding to the intercepted action based on the action pattern.

8. The operating environment system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the data structure, further comprising:

a structure node containing information associated with a plurality of operating steps and a sequence thereof;

a structure node containing information associated with the at least a respective possible next action generated from each of the plurality of operating steps;

a structure node containing information associated with an information structure of the at least a respective possible next action;

a structure node containing information associated with a condition for an execution for the at least a respective possible next action;

a structure node containing information associated with an input and an output for the at least a respective possible next action;

a structure node containing information associated with a respective procedure required by the at least a respective possible next action; and

a structure node containing information associated with the execution result for the at least a respective possible next action after the execution thereof.

9. The operating environment system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the data structure is a tree structure having a tree tail and a tree head and described with an Extended Markup Language (XML) and the structure nodes in the data structure are ranged from the tree tail to the tree head.

10. The operating environment system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the information structure comprises information associated with the action and the execution of the at least a respective possible next action.

11. The operating environment system as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a server communicatively connected to a plurality of information managing systems each having data or information therein, and connected to the computer through a network, and fetching a specific set of data or information from the data or information in one of the plurality of information managing systems through the network to the computer so as to be used by a corresponding one of the plurality of application softwares on the computer when the user operates the plurality of application softwares and makes the action to access the specific set of data or information.

12. The operating environment system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the data structure, further comprising:

a structure node containing information associated with a plurality of operating steps and a sequence thereof;

a structure node containing information associated with the at least a respective possible next action generated from each of the plurality of operating steps;

a structure node containing information associated with an information structure of the at least a respective possible next action;

a structure node containing information associated with a condition for an execution for the at least a respective possible next action;

a structure node containing information associated with an input and an output for the at least a respective possible next action;

a structure node containing information associated with a respective procedure required by the at least a respective possible next action; and

a structure node containing information associated with the execution result for the at least a respective possible next action after the execution thereof.

13. The operating environment system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the data structure is a tree structure having a tree tail and a tree head and described with an Extended Markup Language (XML) and the structure nodes in the data structure are ranged from the tree tail to the tree head.

14. The operating environment system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the information structure comprises information associated with the action and the execution of the at least a respective possible next action.

15. The operating environment system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the action is a user action made by the user.

16. A method for executing a workflow on a computer, comprising the following steps:

establishing an action pattern having a form of a data structure for information associated with at least a respective possible next action with respect to an action made on an application software;

detecting and intercepting the action made on the application software;

executing at least a respective service action corresponding to the action based on the action pattern; and

displaying at least an execution result to a user in a specific manner.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the step of executing the at least a respective service action corresponding to the action based on the action pattern comprises the following steps:

reading the data structure of the action pattern to locate the at least a respective possible next action;

initializing an execution of the at least a respective service action corresponding to the at least a respective possible next action; and

executing the at least a respective service action.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising a step of logically processing a set of user-associated data.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the step of logically processing the set of user-associated data, further comprising the following steps:

identifying a set of user'"'"'s input data; and

collecting the set of user'"'"'s input data.

20. The method as claimed in claims 16, wherein the step of executing the at least a respective service action, further comprising the following steps:

communicatively connecting a server through a network;

communicatively connecting the server to a plurality of information managing systems each having data or information therein; and

fetching a specific set of data or information in one of the plurality of information managing systems through the network to the computer so as to be used by the application software on the computer when a user operates the application software and makes the action to access the specific set of data or information.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, further comprising a step of logically processing a set of user-associated data.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the step of logically processing the set of user-associated data, further comprising the following steps:

identifying a set of user'"'"'s input data; and

collecting the set of user'"'"'s input data.

23. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the step of displaying the execution result to the user in the specific manner, further comprising the following step:

displaying the specific set of data or information required by the user on the application software.

24. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the data structure, further comprising:

a structure node containing information associated with a plurality of operating steps and a sequence thereof;

a structure node containing information associated with the at least a respective possible next action generated from each of the plurality of operating steps;

a structure node containing information associated with an information structure of each of the at least a respective possible next action;

a structure node containing information associated with a condition for an execution for the at least a respective possible next action;

a structure node containing information associated with an input and an output for the at least a respective possible next action;

a structure node containing information associated with a procedure required by the at least a respective possible next action; and

a structure node containing information associated with the execution result for the at least a respective possible next action after the execution thereof.

25. The method as claimed in claims 24, wherein the data structure is a tree structure having a tree tail and a tree head and described with an Extendable Markup Language (XML), and the structure nodes in the data structure are ranged from the tree tail to the tree head.

26. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the information structure, further comprising information associated with the action and the execution of the at least a respective possible next action.

27. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the data structure, further comprising:

a structure node containing information associated with a plurality of operating steps and a sequence thereof;

a structure node containing information associated with the at least a respective possible next action generated from each of the plurality of operating steps;

a structure node containing information associated with an information structure of each of the at least a respective possible next action;

a structure node containing information associated with a condition for an execution for the at least a respective possible next action;

a structure node containing information associated with an input and an output for the at least a respective possible next action;

a structure node containing information associated with a procedure required by the at least a respective possible next action; and

a structure node containing information associated with the execution result for the at least a respective possible next action after the execution thereof.

28. The method as claimed in claims 27, wherein the data structure is a tree structure having a tree tail and a tree head and described with an Extendable Markup Language (XML), and the structure nodes in the data structure are ranged from the tree tail to the tree head.

29. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the information structure, further comprising information associated with the action and the execution of the at least a respective possible next action.

30. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the action is a user action made by the user.