GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACES

• US 20100005401A1
• Filed: 06/25/2009
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Map of Medicine Ltd. (The Hearst Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Map of Medicine Ltd. (The Hearst Corporation)
• Inventors: EPSTEIN, Owen, BILLINGTON, Nathaniel Kevin, STEIN, Michael Lewis
• Application Number:
  US12/491,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20100005401A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records

Abstract

A system for distributing a new version of a graphical user interface (GUI) to a user is described. The system comprises a central store retaining a GUI representation of a workflow process. A plurality of users, each having access to a version of a previous representation, are located remotely from the central store and related to each other in a user hierarchy below the central store. The system further comprises comparing means for comparing the new version of the representation with a user'"'"'s previous version of the representation to determine any differences; forwarding means for forwarding those differences to the user associated with that version of the representation for consideration; and reviewing means provided within each previous version of the representation. The reviewing means is arranged to accept or reject the differences and to convey an acceptance or rejection to a higher level within the hierarchy.

Claims

1. A system for distributing a new version of a graphical user interface (GUI) to a user, the system comprising:

a central store retaining a GUI representation of a workflow process;

a plurality of users located remotely from the central store and related to each other in a user hierarchy below the central store, each user having access to a version of a previous representation;

comparing means for comparing the new version of the representation with a user'"'"'s previous version of the representation to determine any differences;

forwarding means for forwarding those differences to the user associated with that version of the representation for consideration; and

reviewing means provided within each previous version of the representation, the reviewing means being arranged to accept or reject the differences and to convey an acceptance or rejection to a higher level within the hierarchy.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the reviewing means is arranged to accept some of the differences and to communicate the acceptance in part to a higher level within the hierarchy.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the reviewing means is arranged to enable the user to carry out the acceptance in part of the differences manually.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the GUI representation comprises a plurality of interlinked nodes which graphically represent the structure of a plurality of interlinked steps of the stored workflow process.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein each user has an associated permission which determines the degree of changes that can be accepted at their particular level in the hierarchy.

6. A system according to claim 5, further comprising means for notifying each user of their position within the hierarchy and the permissions associated therewith.

7. A method of distributing a new version of a graphical user interface (GUI) to a user, the method comprising:

retaining a GUI representation of a workflow process in a central store;

providing each of a plurality of users with access to a version of a previous representation, the users being located remotely from the central store and related to each other in a user hierarchy below the central store;

comparing the new version of the representation with a user'"'"'s previous version of the representation to determine any differences;

forwarding those differences to the user associated with that version of the representation for consideration;

reviewing the differences to generate an acceptance or rejection of the differences; and

conveying the acceptance or rejection to a higher level within the hierarchy.