PRESENTATION OF INFORMATION BASED ON CURRENT ACTIVITY

• US 20110125756A1
• Filed: 01/27/2011
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bozich, David M., Nichols, Rob, Spence, Jeanine E., Combel, Craig, Linscott, Kathleen, Chan, Wai, Neilson, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,498,985 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/740
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Data elevation architecture for automatically and dynamically surfacing to a user interface (UI) context-specific data based on specific workflow or content currently being worked on by a user. Data is broken down into data elements and stored at a data element level in a data catalog using metadata, attributes, and relationships. Data elements are automatically selected from a comprehensive collection of the data catalogs based on relevancy and correlation to the current user task. The data catalog stores and relates the data elements and metadata based on criteria specified by content matching based on business terms or specified in a business process in predefined relationships between forms or specified by the user as correlated. The UI displays the data automatically in forms dynamically selected, populated, and presented at the point of focus or user activity so that the user can interact or take action immediately.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

decomposing an existing document into a document data catalog for the existing document according to one or more document templates, the one or more document templates defining a structure of data elements of the existing document;

accessing the data catalog for the existing document in response to current user interaction with the existing document, the document data catalog for the existing document including;

correlated data elements from the existing document as defined by the one or more document templates, and

element metadata for each correlated data element that is based on past user interaction with the existing document;

automatically selecting, from the data catalog for the existing document, one or more correlated data elements relevant to the current user interaction with the existing document;

automatically selecting, from a data source, one or more additional data elements related to the one or more correlated data elements relevant to the current user interaction with the existing document; and

displaying the one or more correlated data elements relevant to the current user interaction with the existing document and the one or more additional data elements related to the one or more correlated data elements relevant to the current user interaction with the existing document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more document templates include a default template.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more document templates include a customized template.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more document templates are associated with transactional documents provided by a business application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more correlated data elements relevant to the current user interaction with the existing document include a Universal Resource Locator (URL) link; and

the data source is associated with the URL.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more additional data elements are obtained from a different document.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the existing document and the different document are associated with different applications.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more additional data elements include an e-mail message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more additional data elements include a digital image.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the data source is a different device.

11. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computing device to perform a method comprising:

decomposing an existing document into a document data catalog for the existing document according to one or more document templates, the one or more document templates defining a structure of data elements of the existing document;

accessing the data catalog for the existing document in response to current user interaction with the existing document, the document data catalog for the existing document including;

correlated data elements from the existing document as defined by the one or more document templates, and

element metadata for each correlated data element that is based on past user interaction with the existing document;

automatically selecting, from the data catalog for the existing document, one or more correlated data elements relevant to the current user interaction with the existing document;

automatically selecting, from a data source, one or more additional data elements related to the one or more correlated data elements relevant to the current user interaction with the existing document; and

displaying the one or more correlated data elements relevant to the current user interaction with the existing document and the one or more additional data elements related to the one or more correlated data elements relevant to the current user interaction with the existing document.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more document templates include a default template.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more document templates include a customized template.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the one or more correlated data elements relevant to the current user interaction with the existing document include a Universal Resource Locator (URL) link; and

the data source is associated with the URL.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more additional data elements are obtained from a different document.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the existing document and the different document are associated with different applications.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more additional data elements include an e-mail message.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more additional data elements include a digital image.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the data source is a different device.

20. A computing device comprising:

a processor for executing computer-executable instructions; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions for;

decomposing an existing document into a document data catalog for the existing document according to one or more document templates, the one or more document templates defining a structure of data elements of the existing document;

accessing the data catalog for the existing document in response to current user interaction with the existing document, the document data catalog for the existing document including;

correlated data elements from the existing document as defined by the one or more document templates, and

element metadata for each correlated data element that is based on past user interaction with the existing document;

automatically selecting, from the data catalog for the existing document, one or more correlated data elements relevant to the current user interaction with the existing document;

automatically selecting, from a data source, one or more additional data elements related to the one or more correlated data elements relevant to the current user interaction with the existing document; and

displaying the one or more correlated data elements relevant to the current user interaction with the existing document and the one or more additional data elements related to the one or more correlated data elements relevant to the current user interaction with the existing document.