System and Method of Integrating Web-Based Graphical User Interfaces with Data from Exterior Sources

• US 20070277114A1
• Filed: 03/09/2007
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Mudge, Robert S., Norton, Robert J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,751,958 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/766
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation

Abstract

Commercially available applications which display information via a graphical user'"'"'s interface can be supplemented with additional related information. The related information can be automatically extracted and overlaid on the information with the assistance of a pre-established ontology.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

circuitry implementing a graphical user'"'"'s interface, the interface presenting a multi-dimensional information containing graphical image generated by a first software system, the first software system recorded on a computer readable medium;

a database of information coupled to the circuitry; and

second software recorded on a computer readable medium and coupled to the circuitry, the second software acquires an indicium that identifies the graphical image, and responsive thereto, automatically overlays a second graphical image, from the database, the second graphical image includes additional information which supplements and which is associated with the information on the multi-dimensional image.

2. A system as in claim 1 where the first comprises enterprise resource planning-type software.

3. A system as in claim 2 which includes a programmable processor which executes the second software, and where the image generated by the first software is coupled to the interface via a computer network.

4. A system as in claim 3 which includes an ontology coupled to the circuitry, the ontology facilitates selection of displayable data to be included in the second graphical image.

5. A system as in claim 4 where the data to be included in the second graphical image is logically related to information presented on the multi-dimensional graphical image.

6. A system as in claim 4 where the circuitry uses domain specific information to extract information from the ontology.

7. A system as in claim 1 which includes additional software which acquires additional information from at least one displaced source, related to information contained in the multi-dimensional image.

8. A system as in claim 7 which includes at least one ontology coupled to the additional software, the ontology supplementing information presented on the second graphical image.

9. A system as in claim 8 which includes a graphical display unit coupled to the circuitry, the display unit simultaneously presents the multi-dimensional image and the overlayed second graphical image.

10. A system as in claim 9 where the circuitry responds to a selected input and modifies information presented on the graphical image in accordance therewith.

11. A system as in claim 1 where the circuitry responds to a selected input and modifies information presented on the graphical image in accordance therewith.

12. A method comprising:

displaying a multi-dimensional information carrying image;

automatically determining a type of displayed information; and

automatically overlaying a portion of the image with a supplemental image which carries a related type of information.

13. A method as in claim 12 which includes modifying at least one of the multi-dimensional information, or the related type of information.

14. A method as in claim 13 which includes providing an ontology which establishes relationships between the multi-dimensional information and the related type of information.

15. A method as in claim 13 which includes automatically obtaining additional information from another source not involved with displaying the multi-dimensional information.

16. Software recorded on a computer readable medium comprising:

first software responsive to a user'"'"'s input to present first information on a computer driven display device;

second software which provides an indicium of the first information; and

third software which responds to the indicium and automatically presents related second information, on the display, to supplement the first information.

17. Software as in claim 16 which includes a software based ontology accessible by the third software.

18. Software as in claim 17 which includes communications software that accesses displaced information via a computer network.

19. A system comprising:

an apparatus for retrieving and displaying information, on a graphical display device in response to at least one user entered resource identifier;

control circuitry coupled to the apparatus; and

at least one ontology coupled to the control circuitry with the control circuitry, responsive to the resource identifier, retrieving related information from the ontology to supplement the displayed information.

20. A system as in claim 19 which includes at least one database of selected, pre-stored information coupled to the control circuitry.

21. A process comprising:

establishing, in response to a resource identifier entered by a user, a primary image to be presented on a display device;

obtaining the identifier of the image to be presented on the display;

coupling the identifier to an input port for an ontology;

obtaining supplemental information from the ontology concerning the primary image; and

presenting an image of the supplemental information on the display simultaneously with the primary image.

22. A process as in claim 21 which includes providing the resource identifier to a selected server.

23. A process as in claim 22 which includes responding to the resource locator with data to be included in the primary image.

24. A process as in claim 23 where obtaining identifying information includes obtaining a representation of the primary image resource locator.