USER INTERFACES GENERATED BY A WORKFLOW ENGINE

• US 20160055126A1
• Filed: 08/19/2014
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Doerr, Anthony J., Panchura, Bradley M., Sridharan, Vinoth, Chmielewski, David R., Helm, Jeremy J., McLean, Joseph W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,826,027 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a first processor with a store of application rules and a second processor communicably coupled to the first processor. The second processor generates a request for a next user application screen. The request comprises a current application screen identifier and user data. The second processor transmits the request for the user application screen to the first processor. The first processor receives the request for the next user application screen and determines dynamically, based on the current application screen identifier, the user data, and the plurality of application rules, user interface contents of the next user application screen. The first processor formats a response describing the user interface contents of the next user application screen and transmits the response to the second processor. The second processor receives the response and renders the next user application screen.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a memory operable to store a plurality of application rules; and

a processor communicably coupled to the memory and operable to;

receive a request for a next user application screen, the request comprising a current application screen identifier and user data;

determine dynamically, based on the current application screen identifier, the user data, and the plurality of application rules, user interface contents of the next user application screen;

format a response describing the user interface contents of the next user application screen; and

transmit the response.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the request for a next user application screen further comprises a next screen identifier; and

the processor operable to determine the user interface contents of the next user application screen is further operable to determine the user interface contents of the next user application screen based on the current application screen identifier, the next user application screen identifier, the user data, and the plurality of application rules.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the user interface contents of the next user application screen comprise data input/output controls and navigation controls.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the processor is further operable to determine, based on the request for the next user application screen, the user data, and the plurality of application rules, that an error has occurred; and

the user interface contents of the next user application screen comprise an error message.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the request for the next user application screen and the response describing the user interface contents of the next user application screen are both formatted according to a screen descriptor meta language.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

the screen descriptor meta language is based on one of Java Script Object Notation (JSON) or Extensible Markup Language (XML).

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the current application screen identifier is null; and

the response describing the user interface contents of the next user application screen describes an application initialization screen.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a request for a next user application screen, the request comprising a current application screen identifier and user data;

determining dynamically, based on the current application screen identifier, the user data, and a plurality of application rules, user interface contents of the next user application screen;

formatting a response describing the user interface contents of the next user application screen; and

transmitting the response.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the request for a next user application screen further comprises a next screen identifier; and

determining the user interface contents of the next user application screen comprises determining the user interface contents of the next user application screen based on the current application screen identifier, the next user application screen identifier, the user data, and the plurality of application rules.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the user interface contents of the next user application screen comprise data input/output controls and navigation controls.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining, based on the request for the next user application screen, the user data, and the plurality of application rules, that an error has occurred;

and

wherein the user interface contents of the next user application screen comprise an error message.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the request for the next user application screen and the response describing the user interface contents of the next user application screen are both formatted according to a screen descriptor meta language.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the screen descriptor meta language is based on one of Java Script Object Notation (JSON) or Extensible Markup Language (XML).

14. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the current application screen identifier is null; and

the response describing the user interface contents of the next user application screen describes an application initialization screen.

15. A system comprising:

a memory operable to store a plurality of application rules;

a first processor communicably coupled to the memory;

a second processor communicably coupled to the first processor and operable to;

generate a request for a next user application screen, the request comprising a current application screen identifier and user data; and

transmit the request for the user application screen to the first processor;

the first processor operable to;

receive the request for the next user application screen;

determine dynamically, based on the current application screen identifier, the user data, and the plurality of application rules, user interface contents of the next user application screen;

format a response describing the user interface contents of the next user application screen; and

transmit the response to the second processor;

the second processor further operable to;

receive the response; and

render the next user application screen on a display.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the capability of the second processor to render the next user application screen on a display is independent of the application rules.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the request for the next user application screen and the response describing the user interface contents of the next user application screen are both formatted according to a screen descriptor meta language.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the screen descriptor meta language is based on one of Java Script Object Notation (JSON) or Extensible Markup Language (XML).