Method for Facilitating Cooperative Interaction between Software Applications

• US 20090288037A1
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Change Healthcare Holdings, LLC (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mckesson Technologies Incorporated (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Heath, Erik, Lawton, Kyle
• Granted Patent: US 9,342,320 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/804
• 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 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

A computer software system is disclosed for single step coordination between software applications. A monitoring application automatically identifies a target application and presents a prompting window, such that if possible (but not necessarily) it appears to be attached to a side of the target window. Clicking a control in the prompting window automatically activates a secondary application, and automatically transfers information from the target application to the secondary application. Target desktop windows can be identified by their window captions and target HTML windows by their URL addresses. Controls on prompting windows can activate multiple secondary applications and/or different secondary application modes. Information can be obtained from a target application by reading a file stored for that purpose by the target application, by interprocess communication, or by screen scraping. In one general aspect, a medical test result viewing application is coordinated with a medical test result processing application.

Claims

1. A computer software system having a set of instructions for controlling a general purpose computer so as to coordinate the activity of two software applications operable on the computer, the software system carrying out a method comprising:

monitoring the computer so as to recognize an activated target window of a target application;

upon recognition of an activated target window, displaying a prompting window in a visible location cooperative with the target window, the prompting window including a selectable control; and

upon selection of the control;

activating a coordinating application;

obtaining information from the target application; and

providing the information to the coordinating application.

2. The computer software system of claim 1, wherein the target window is a windows form displayed within a windows operating environment.

3. The computer software system of claim 2, wherein each windows form displayed within the windows operating environment includes an alphanumeric caption, and a target windows form is recognized at least partly by matching at least part of its caption with a target alphanumeric string.

4. The computer software system of claim 3, wherein the captions of all active windows forms are compared at regular intervals with the target alphanumeric string.

5. The computer software system of claim 3, wherein the captions of all active windows forms are compared with the target alphanumeric string substantially every 500 ms.

6. The computer software system of claim 1, wherein the target window is a URL window displayed by an HTML browsing application.

7. The computer software system of claim 1, wherein the prompting window includes a plurality of controls.

8. The computer software system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of controls includes at least two controls that correspond to different software applications, such that the corresponding application is activated when one of the two controls is selected.

9. The computer software system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of controls includes at least two controls that correspond to different operational modes of the same software application, such that the application is activated in the corresponding operation mode when one of the two controls is selected.

10. The computer software system of claim 1, wherein the prompting window can be displayed with an edge substantially coincident with an edge of the target window, so as to cause the prompting window to appear to be attached to the target window.

11. The computer software system of claim 10, wherein the prompting window can be displayed such that it overlaps the target window.

12. The computer software system of claim 10, wherein the prompting window can be displayed such that it extends beyond the target window.

13. The computer software system of claim 10, wherein the prompting window can be displayed such that it does not make contact with the target window.

14. The computer software system of claim 1, wherein the information is extracted from a file created by the target application

15. The computer software system of claim 14, wherein the format of the file is one of XML and ASCII text.

16. The computer software system of claim 1, wherein the information is obtained from the target application through an interprocess communication protocol.

17. The computer software system of claim 16, wherein the interprocess communication protocol is a COM protocol.

18. The computer software system of claim 1, wherein the information is obtained from the target application by extracting it from the target window.

19. A computer software system having a set of instructions for controlling a general purpose computer so as to coordinate the activity of a medical test result viewing application and a secondary medical test result processing application, the software system carrying out a method comprising:

monitoring the computer so as to recognize activation of a target window of the medical test result viewing application;

upon recognition of activation of the target window, displaying a prompting window in a visible location cooperative with the target window, the prompting window including a selectable control; and

upon selection of the control;

activating the secondary medical test result processing application;

obtaining information pertaining to a selected test result from the medical test result viewing application; and

providing the information to the secondary medical test result processing application.

20. The computer software system of claim 19, wherein the prompting window can be displayed with an edge substantially coincident with an edge of the target window, so as to cause the prompting window to appear to be attached to the target window.