SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SEAMLESSLY INTEGRATING SEPARATE INFORMATION SYSTEMS WITHIN AN APPLICATION

• US 20090049123A1
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schemers, Roland, Henrikson, Kevin M., Lee, Jong Yoon, Dargahi, Ross
• Granted Patent: US 8,631,065 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

The present invention is, in one embodiment, a system and method based on a client-server architecture for seamlessly integrating various information systems. In one embodiment, a bundle of files is deployed to a collaboration client, in order to enable the integration of the collaboration client with disparate information systems and content. In one embodiment, content within a mailbox item is allowed to become a “live” object, and is associated with trigger events, and actions, including sending all or part of the content to a separate information system. In one embodiment, mailbox items are subjected to predefined searches to assess whether they include certain content objects. In another embodiment, panel item elements are visible in the overview panel of the collaboration client. The user may interact with the panel items by dragging content onto them, double clicking them, and invoking actions from a context menu if one is available.

Claims

1. A system for integrating a second information system with a first information system, wherein the integration is implemented via a plurality of Zimlets included in the first information system, the system comprising:

a client comprising;

a user interface to the first information system;

a matching module communicatively coupled to the user interface for matching specific content received in the first information system with content specified in one of a subset of the plurality of Zimlets; and

a server comprising;

a storage for the plurality of Zimlets;

a servlet module for receiving communication from the client relating to the specific content, and for redirecting the communication to the second information system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first information system is a collaboration suite.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the client further comprises:

a toolkit for allowing a user to create a new Zimlet.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises:

a security module for approving access of the client to the subset of the plurality of Zimlets in the storage.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises:

an index storage module for storing indexes for predefined searches; and

an indexing module coupled to the index storage module for parsing received content based on the stored indexes.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises:

a security module for ensuring that the communication from the client is allowable to be redirected to the second information system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the matching module communicates to the user interface if a match is found, and the specific content thereupon is modified so that a user can identify the specific content.

8. A method for integrating a second information system with a first information system, wherein the integration is implemented via a plurality of Zimlets included in the first information system, the method comprising:

providing, on a client, a user interface to the first information system;

matching specific content received in the first information system with content specified in one of a subset of the plurality of Zimlets, wherein the plurality of Zimlets are stored in a server;

receiving communication relating to the specific content; and

redirecting the communication to the second information system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first information system is a collaboration suite.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

allowing a user to create a new Zimlet.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

approving access of the client to the subset of the plurality of Zimlets.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing indexes for predefined searches; and

parsing received content based on the stored indexes.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

ensuring, on the server, that the communication from the client is allowable to be redirected to the second information system.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

modifying, in response to a match being found, the specific content so that a user can identify the specific content.

15. A client for integrating a second information system with a first information system, wherein the integration is implemented via a plurality of Zimlets included in the first information system, the plurality of Zimlets stored on a remote server, the client comprising:

a user interface to the first information system;

a matching module communicatively coupled to the user interface for matching specific content received in the first information system with content specified in one of a subset of the plurality of Zimlets.

16. The client of claim 15, wherein the first information system is a collaboration suite.

17. The client of claim 15, further comprising:

a toolkit for allowing a user to create a new Zimlet.

18. The client of claim 15, wherein the matching module communicates to the user interface if a match is found, and the specific content thereupon is modified so that a user can identify the specific content.

19. A server for integrating a second information system with a first information system, wherein the integration is implemented via a plurality of Zimlets included in the first information system, the server comprising:

a storage for the plurality of Zimlets;

a servlet module for receiving communication from a client relating to specific content matched with one of a subset of the plurality of Zimlets, and for redirecting the communication to the second information system.

20. The server of claim 19, further comprising:

a security module for approving access of the client to the subset of the plurality of Zimlets in the storage.

21. The server of claim 19, further comprising:

an index storage module for storing indexes for predefined searches; and

an indexing module coupled to the index storage module for parsing received content based on the stored indexes.

22. The server of claim 19, further comprising:

a security module for ensuring that the communication from the client is allowable to be redirected to the second information system.