In-context access to relevant services from multiple applications and information systems by object schema traversal

• US 6,986,145 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2002
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dipayan Gangopadhyay
• Original Assignee: Dipayan Gangopadhyay
• Inventors: Gangopadhyay, Dipayan
• Primary Examiner(s): Courtenay, III, St. John
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANYA, CHARLES E
• Application Number:
  US10/098,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20020184402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 719/315, 719/316, 707102-1041, 717/113, 705 7- 10, 715/811, 715/817
• US Class Current: 719/316
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Composite applications combine services from plurality of existing applications and information sources. Via user interface of such a composite application, an end-user wants to access different combinations of existing services in different usage contexts. This invention describes a method and apparatus for dynamically combining existing services without having to program case-by-case for each usage context. In this method, one constructs and stores a graph of object types and relationships among parameters of existing services and the objects of a composite application. By traversing paths in the stored graph, the apparatus (1) dynamically constructs menus of services relevant to any usage context, (2) automatically computes necessary inputs to a service selected from a menu and executes the service, and (3) automatically propagates changes and invokes appropriate services whenever objects are updated. The net result is the avoidance of case-by-case programming done in the prior art to construct composite applications.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a. Definition Repository containing Object Schema, a graph of Objects and Relationships, which links user visible objects, called Context Object Types, with relevant services from multiple application and information systems;

b. Context Object (CO) Client that displays a list of relevant services whenever a human user selects a Context Object wherein a service is relevant to Context Object if and only if all parameter objects of said service is reachable from selected Context Object by navigating paths in said Object Schema;

c. Context Server and its subsystems, Context Subsystem and Domain Subsystem, that automatically determine input parameters of a relevant service and invoke said service, by navigating paths in said graph of Objects and Relationships between parameters of said relevant service and selected Context Object, wherein automatic determination of a parameter include retrieval of objects from their source applications during graph traversal;

d. means for automatically propagating changes to all related objects whenever a service initiates changes to an origin object, wherein an object is related to said origin object if and only if said object is reachable from origin object in said graph of Objects and Relationships;

whereby end-user of a composite application, has usability and productivity benefits including;

i. he/she does not have to explicitly enter input data otherwise necessary to invoke a selected service,

ii. a update to a Context Object automatically propagated to other objects including execution of services across multiple applications and information systems; and

whereby developer creating composite applications out of existing services, gains productivity advantage including;

iii. he/she does not have to explicitly program each path from an end-user visible Context Object of said composite application to said existing services, because the invented apparatus computes such a path from Object and Relationship graph.

2. The apparatus in claim 1 above wherein Context Objects are Personal Workflows and CO Clients are executed on handheld devices,

a. whereby mobile users of handheld devices get productivity and usability benefits including i and ii above;

and

b. whereby developers of mobile applications, wherein handheld devices are used to access to server-resident application and information services, get productivity advantage iii above.