System for and method of providing a user interface for a computer-based software application

• US 20080005678A1
• Filed: 05/24/2007
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tungsten Automation Corp.
• Original Assignee: 170 Systems Incorporated (Kofax Ltd.)
• Inventors: Orenchuk, Erich, Buttner, Karl, Shukla, Rakesh
• Granted Patent: US 7,478,332 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A system for providing a graphical interface to a user includes a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon. The system further includes a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device. The standard web browser displays the information without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device, and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device. The application software facilitates manipulation by the user of unstructured data in the display area for detailed inspection, and also facilitates the user selectively causing to display annotations within the display area. The application software facilitates the user inserting one or more annotations within the display area, thereby causing an action to occur in either this system or an external system

Claims

1. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device, without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device;

wherein the application software

(i) facilitates manipulation by the user of unstructured data in the display area for detailed inspection; and

,

(ii) facilitates the user selectively causing to display annotations within the display area.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the manipulation includes at least one of zooming, panning and rotating of the unstructured data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the client device is one of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a wireless mobile device, a PDA device, or a computing platform within a public kiosk.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the additional software further includes web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the application facilitates the user inserting one or more annotations within the display area.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the user inserting one or more annotations causes an action to occur in either this system or an external system.

7. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device;

wherein the application simultaneously provides structured information and business document images within the display area; and

,

wherein the application conditionally provides context-dependent information within the display area.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the application provides the context-dependent information conditional on at least one of (i) the user'"'"'s identity, (ii) one or more details of the structured information or business documents, (iii) one or more details of a business transaction associated with at least one of the structured information or the business documents, (iv) a current state of the business transaction, and (v) one or more preferences of the user.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the application receives the context-dependent information from an source external to the system.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the external source is a standard packaged, off the shelf application.

11. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device;

wherein the application software

(i) simultaneously provides structured information and business document images within the display area; and

,

(ii) facilitates the user performing context-dependent actions related to a transaction associated with at least one of the structured information and the business documents;

wherein the application prompts the user for context-dependent information related to the actions, and the context-dependent actions triggers operations in one or more other systems external to the computer platform.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the application prompts the user for context-dependent information in a single-step input process.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the application prompts the user for context-dependent information in a multiple-step input process.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the application is accessed from a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device, without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support.

15. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

, a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device,

wherein the application software

(i) simultaneously provides structured information and business document images within the display area; and

,

(ii) provides one or more lists of valid choices based on data from another system external to the computer platform.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the data is real-time data.

17. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device,

wherein the application software

(i) simultaneously provides structured information and business document images within the display area; and

,

(ii) validates information provided by the user with respect to data provided by another system external to the computer platform.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the web browser displays the information to the user without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device, or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support.

19. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device, without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device, or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support;

wherein the application simultaneously provides structured information and business document images within the display area, and the application conditionally provides context-dependent information within the display area, the context-dependent information originating from an source external to the system;

wherein the application software

(i) facilitates manipulation by the user of unstructured data in the display area for detailed inspection;

(ii) provides one or more lists of valid choices based on data from another system external to the computer platform; and

,

(iii) facilitates the user selectively causing to display annotations within the display area;

wherein the application facilitates the user inserting one or more annotations within the display area, and inserting the one or more annotations causes an action to occur in either this system or an external system;

wherein the application software facilitates the user performing context-dependent actions related to a transaction associated with at least one of the structured information and the business documents, wherein the application prompts the user for context-dependent information related to the actions, wherein validates information provided by the user with respect to data provided by another system external to the computer platform, and the context-dependent actions triggers operations in one or more other systems external to the computer platform.

20. A method of providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

providing application software running on a first platform; and

,

running a standard web browser on a second platform separate from the first platform, wherein the web browser accesses the software application for displaying information to the user in a display area on the second platform, without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the second platform and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the second platform, or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support;

using the application software to facilitate manipulation by the user of unstructured data in the display area for detailed inspection; and

,

using the application software to facilitate the user selectively causing to display annotations within the display area.

21. The method of claim 20, further including using the application software to facilitate the user inserting one or more annotations within the display area.

22. The method of claim 21, further including causing an action to occur in either this system or an external system as a result of the user inserting the one or more annotations within the display area.

23. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device,

wherein the application simultaneously provides structured information and business document images within the display area; and

,

wherein the user inserting one or more annotations causes an action to occur in either this system or an external system.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the external system is a standard packaged, off the shelf application.

25. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device, without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device, or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support;

wherein the application software

(i) simultaneously provides structured information and business document images within the display area; and

,

(ii) facilitates manipulation by the user of unstructured data in the display area for detailed inspection.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the application software facilitates the user selectively causing to display annotations within the display area.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the application facilitates the user inserting one or more annotations within the display area.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the user inserting one or more annotations causes an action to occur in either this system or an external system.

29. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device, without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device, or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support;

wherein the application software

(i) simultaneously provides structured information and business document images within the display area;

(ii) facilitates manipulation by the user of unstructured data in the display area for detailed inspection; and

,

wherein the application facilitates the user inserting one or more annotations within the display area.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the user inserting one or more annotations causes an action to occur in either this system or an external system.

31. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device, without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device, or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support;

wherein the application software

(i) simultaneously provides structured information and business document images within the display area; and

,

(ii) facilitates the user inserting one or more annotations within the display area.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the user inserting one or more annotations causes an action to occur in either this system or an external system.

33. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device, without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device, or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support;

wherein the application software

(i) simultaneously provides structured information and business document images within the display area; and

,

(ii) facilitates the user inserting one or more annotations within the display area;

wherein the user inserting one or more annotations causes an action to occur in either this system or an external system.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the other systems external to the computer platform are running at least one standard packaged, off the shelf application.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the application software provides one or more lists of valid choices based on data from another system external to the computer platform.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the application software validates information provided by the user with respect to data provided by another system external to the computer platform.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein the application software facilitates manipulation by the user of unstructured data in the display area for detailed inspection.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the other systems external to the computer platform are running at least one standard packaged, off the shelf application.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the applications software provides one or more lists of valid choices based on data from another system external to the computer platform.

40. The system of claim 37, wherein the applications software validates information provided by the user with respect to data provided by another system external to the computer platform.

41. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device;

wherein the application simultaneously provides structured information and business document images within the display area; and

,

wherein the user inserting one or more annotations causes an action to occur in either this system or an external system.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the applications software facilitates the user performing context-dependent actions related to a transaction associated with at least one of the structured information and the business documents, wherein the application prompts the user for context-dependent information related to the actions, and the context-dependent actions trigger operations in one or more other systems external to the computer platform.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the other systems external to the computer platform are running at least one standard packaged, off the shelf application.

44. The system of claim 41, wherein the application software provides one or more lists of valid choices based on data from another system external to the computer platform.

45. The system of claim 41, wherein the application software validates information provided by the user with respect to data provided by another system external to the computer platform.