GENERATING TEMPLATES OF NODES TO STRUCTURE CONTENT OBJECTS AND STEPS TO PROCESS THE CONTENT OBJECTS

• US 20080154935A1
• Filed: 12/21/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wright, Russell Blake, Glaser, Howard Justin, McCright, James Andrew, DRAEGER, David Robert, DAVIS, Matthew Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,890,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/832 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/838 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90328 using search space presentation or visualization, e.g. category or range presentation and selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for generating templates of nodes to structure content objects and steps to process the content objects. A template is generated having a plurality of first level nodes representing a flow of tasks. A set of second level nodes representing a flow of steps is generated for at least one of the first level nodes to collectively perform the task represented by the first level node. A content object including information for a step represented by the node is associated with at least one node in the second level. Links are generated among the first level nodes and in each set of second level nodes indicating a logical ordering of the nodes and a direction of the flow of the tasks represented by the first level nodes and the flow of steps represented by the second level nodes. An end-user graphical user interface is generated from the generated nodes and links to direct an end user through the flow of tasks and steps represented by the nodes.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating a template having a plurality of first level nodes representing a flow of tasks;

generating for at least one of the first level nodes a set of second level nodes representing a flow of steps to collectively perform the task represented by the first level node;

associating with at least one node in the second level a content object including information for a step represented by the second level node;

generating links among the first level nodes and in each set of second level nodes indicating a logical ordering of the nodes and a direction of the flow of the tasks represented by the first level nodes and the flow of steps represented by the second level nodes; and

generating an end-user graphical user interface from the generated nodes and links to direct an end user through the flow of tasks and steps represented by the nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the flow of steps in the set of second level nodes indicates at least one end node, wherein the end node directs the flow to one first level node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the template comprises a first template, further comprising:

using an authoring graphical user interface to;

add graphical shapes to the first template representing the first level nodes;

select one of the graphical shapes representing a first level node to access a second template for the set of second level nodes for the selected first level node; and

add graphical shapes to the second template representing the second level nodes.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the authoring graphical user interface is further used to:

draw lines between the graphical shapes in the first level template to represent a logical ordering and the flow of tasks represented by the first level nodes; and

for the sets of second level nodes for the first level nodes, draw lines between the graphical shapes for the second level nodes to represent a logical ordering and the flow of steps of the second level nodes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a content object associated with one second level node includes at least one of textual information to instruct a user on operations to perform and a link to an executable program to run to perform the step represented by the second level node.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating multiple links from one node in one set of second level nodes to multiple nodes in the set of second level nodes, wherein the flow of steps to one of the second level nodes to which the one second level node links is determined by a user operation performed in the end-user graphical interface page generated for the node linking to multiple nodes.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating multiple links from one first level node to multiple first level nodes, wherein the flow of tasks to one of the first level nodes to which the one first level node links is determined by a user operation performed in a page rendered by the end-user graphical interface for one second level node for the first level node linking to the multiple nodes.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a reusable set of nodes representing a flow of operations; and

including the reusable set of nodes in multiple models, wherein each model comprises one template having first level nodes and sets of second level nodes for the first level nodes.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the reusable set of nodes is a member of the set of reusable nodes comprising at least one of:

a first level node and set of second level nodes and a group of second level nodes to be included in the set of second level nodes.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

modifying one content object for one second level node in the reusable set of nodes; and

propagating the modification to the content object to each model including the reusable set of nodes.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the flow of tasks represented by the first level nodes is directed to troubleshoot a problem with an electronic device, including:

a collect data first level node having second level nodes having a flow of steps directing the end user to collect data on the electronic device operations; and

an analyze first level node having second level nodes having a flow of steps directing the end user to analyze a problem with the computer device based on the data collected according to the collect data first level node.

12. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

an authoring system executed by the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

generating a template having a plurality of first level nodes representing a flow of tasks;

generating for at least one of the first level nodes a set of second level nodes representing a flow of steps to collectively perform the task represented by the first level node;

associating with at least one node in the second level a content object including information for a step represented by the second level node;

generating links among the first level nodes and in each set of second level nodes indicating a logical ordering of the nodes and a direction of the flow of the tasks represented by the first level nodes and the flow of steps represented by the second level nodes; and

generating an end-user graphical user interface from the generated nodes and links to direct an end user through the flow of tasks and steps represented by the nodes.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the flow of steps in the set of second level nodes indicates at least one end node, wherein the end node directs the flow to one first level node.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the template comprises a first template, wherein the authoring system renders an authoring graphical user interface to enable a user to cause the authoring system to perform:

add graphical shapes to the first template representing the first level nodes;

select one of the graphical shapes representing a first level node to access a second template for the set of second level nodes for the selected first level node; and

add graphical shapes to the second template representing the second level nodes.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the authoring graphical user interface further enables the user to cause the authoring system to perform:

draw lines between the graphical shapes in the first level template to represent a logical ordering and the flow of tasks represented by the first level nodes; and

for the sets of second level nodes for the first level nodes, draw lines between the graphical shapes for the second level nodes to represent a logical ordering and the flow of steps of the second level nodes.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein a content object associated with one second level node includes at least one of textual information to instruct a user on operations to perform and a link to an executable program to run to perform the step represented by the second level node.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating multiple links from one node in one set of second level nodes to multiple nodes in the set of second level nodes, wherein the flow of steps to one of the second level nodes to which the one second level node links is determined by a user operation performed in the end-user graphical interface page generated for the node linking to multiple nodes.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating multiple links from one first level node to multiple first level nodes, wherein the flow of tasks to one of the first level nodes to which the one first level node links is determined by a user operation performed in a page rendered by the end-user graphical interface for one second level node for the first level node linking to the multiple nodes.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a reusable set of nodes representing a flow of operations; and

including the reusable set of nodes in multiple models, wherein each model comprises one template having first level nodes and sets of second level nodes for the first level nodes.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the flow of tasks represented by the first level nodes is directed to troubleshoot a problem with an electronic device, including:

a collect data first level node having second level nodes having a flow of steps directing the end user to collect data on the electronic device operations; and

an analyze first level node having second level nodes having a flow of steps directing the end user to analyze a problem with the computer device based on the data collected according to the collect data first level node.

21. An article of manufacture implementing code enabled to cause operations to be performed, the operations comprising:

generating a template having a plurality of first level nodes representing a flow of tasks;

generating for at least one of the first level nodes a set of second level nodes representing a flow of steps to collectively perform the task represented by the first level node;

associating with at least one node in the second level a content object including information for a step represented by the node;

generating links among the first level nodes and in each set of second level nodes indicating a logical ordering of the nodes and a direction of the flow of the tasks represented by the first level nodes and the flow of steps represented by the second level nodes; and

generating an end-user graphical user interface from the generated nodes and links to direct an end user through the flow of tasks and steps represented by the nodes.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the flow of steps in the set of second level nodes indicates at least one end node, wherein the end node directs the flow to one first level node.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the template comprises a first template, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating an authoring graphical user interface to enable a user to cause operations comprising;

adding graphical shapes to the first template representing the first level nodes;

selecting one of the graphical shapes representing a first level node to access a second template for the set of second level nodes for the selected first level node; and

adding graphical shapes to the second template representing the second level nodes.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the authoring graphical user interface further enables the user to cause operations comprising:

drawing lines between the graphical shapes in the first level template to represent a logical ordering and the flow of tasks represented by the first level nodes; and

for the sets of second level nodes for the first level nodes, drawing lines between the graphical shapes for the second level nodes to represent a logical ordering and the flow of steps of the second level nodes.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein a content object associated with one second level node includes at least one of textual information to instruct a user on operations to perform and a link to an executable program to run to perform the step represented by the second level node.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating multiple links from one node in one set of second level nodes to multiple nodes in the set of second level nodes, wherein the flow of steps to one of the second level nodes to which the one second level node links is determined by a user operation performed in the end-user graphical interface page generated for the node linking to multiple nodes.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating multiple links from one first level node to multiple first level nodes, wherein the flow of tasks to one of the first level nodes to which the one first level node links is determined by a user operation performed in a page rendered by the end-user graphical interface for one second level node for the first level node linking to the multiple nodes.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a reusable set of nodes representing a flow of operations; and

including the reusable set of nodes in multiple models, wherein each model comprises one template having first level nodes and sets of second level nodes for the first level nodes.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein the reusable set of nodes is a member of the set of reusable nodes comprising at least one of:

a first level node and set of second level nodes and a group of second level nodes to be included in the set of second level nodes.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein the operations further comprise:

modifying one content object for one second level node in the reusable set of nodes; and

propagating the modification to the content object to each model including the reusable set of nodes.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the flow of tasks represented by the first level nodes is directed to troubleshoot a problem with an electronic device, including:

a collect data first level node having second level nodes having a flow of steps directing the end user to collect data on the electronic device operations; and

an analyze first level node having second level nodes having a flow of steps directing the end user to analyze a problem with the computer device based on the data collected according to the collect data first level node.