PROVIDING PARTNER SERVICES WITHIN A HOST APPLICATION

• US 20090307303A1
• Filed: 06/10/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jacobs, Lesley L., Bensley, Ann-Mari, Giles, Jason D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,819,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5015 Service provider selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine

Abstract

An approach is described for allowing a user to select a partner service in the context of the user'"'"'s interaction with a host application. The user selects the partner service using a partner-selection user interface presentation. The selected partner service receives this selection, and proceeds to carry out a partner function which complements a host function performed by the host application.

Claims

1. A method for providing a service, the method being performed on electrical data processing equipment, comprising:

providing a host application to a user, the host application provided by a network-accessible host system, the host application enabling the user to create and edit items;

interacting with the user to perform a host function using the host application;

providing a partner-selection user interface presentation within a context of the host function being performed by the host system, the partner-selection user interface presentation identifying a partner service, the partner service being implemented by a partner system, the partner service providing a partner function which complements the host function provided by the host application;

receiving a selection from the user of the partner service that is identified in the partner-selection user interface presentation; and

in response to receiving the user'"'"'s selection, contacting, by the host system, the partner system, instructing the partner system to perform the partner function.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the host system and the partner system are administered by two respective entities.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the host application is not configured to perform the partner function performed by the partner system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the host function performed by the host application comprises electronically creating a document item.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the partner function comprises a function for professionally printing the document item.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the partner function comprises a function for converting the document item into a specified format.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the specified format is a markup language format that enables the document item to function as a network-accessible page.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the partner function comprises a function in which a manual action is performed on the document item.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the manual action that is performed is legal analysis.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the partner-selection user interface presentation identifies plural partner services provided by plural respective partner systems.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the partner-selection user interface presentation identifies plural operations, and wherein, for each operation, the partner-selection user interface presentation identifies one or more partner services that can be called upon to perform the operation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein one operation in the partner-selection user interface presentation is a print operation.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein one operation in the partner-selection user interface presentation is a publish operation.

14. A network-accessible host system, comprising:

a host application configured to provide a host service to a user, the host application enabling the user to create and edit items;

a linking module configured to provide a partner-selection user interface presentation to the user in a context of a host function being performed by the host application, the partner-selection user interface presentation identifying a partner service, the partner service being implemented by a partner system, the partner service providing a partner function which complements the host function that the user is performing using the host application; and

a partner interface module configured to couple the host system with the partner system, allowing the host system to contact the partner system upon a selection from the user of the partner service in the partner-selection user interface presentation, the host system instructing the partner system to perform the partner function.

15. The host system of claim 14, wherein the host function performed by the host application comprises electronically creating a document item.

16. The host system of claim 15, wherein the partner function comprises a function for performing some action on the document item that the host application itself does not provide.

17. The host system of claim 14, wherein the partner-selection user interface presentation identifies plural partner services provided by plural respective partner systems.

18. The host system of claim 14, wherein the partner-selection user interface presentation identifies plural operations, and wherein, for each operation, the partner-selection user interface presentation identifies one or more partner services that can be called upon to perform the operation.

19. A computer-readable medium for storing computer-readable instructions, the computer-readable instructions providing a host system when executed by one or more processing devices, the computer-readable instructions comprising:

host application logic configured to provide a host application to a user, the host application enabling the user to create and edit items;

linking logic configured to provide a partner-selection user interface presentation to the user in a context of a host function being performed by the host application logic, the partner-selection user interface presentation identifying plural operations, and wherein, for each operation, the partner-selection user interface presentation identifies one or more partner services that can be called upon to perform the operation, each partner service being implemented by a partner system, each partner service providing a partner function which complements the host function that the user is performing using the host application logic; and

partner interface logic configured to couple the host system with each partner system, allowing the host system to contact any partner system upon a selection from the user of a corresponding partner service in the partner-selection user interface presentation.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein host application logic presents a host user interface presentation that includes a control part and an item work area part, wherein the control part includes a control mechanism for invoking the partner-selection user interface presentation.