Web server with automated workflow

• US 7,082,475 B2
• Filed: 06/19/1998
• Issued: 07/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Estrada, Miguel, Estrada, Julio, Haverstock, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Kang, Paul H.
• Application Number:
  US09/100,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20020038357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,958 Days
• Field of Search: 709/209, 709/203, 709/206, 709/207, 709/218, 709/246, 709/205, 709/219, 709/202, 707/513, 707/1, 707/100, 707/10, 705/8
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system for enabling access to non-HTML files from a web browser. The system includes a database for storing non-HTML files. A system user requests a non-HTML file from a database using a web browser. The web browser transmits the request to a server via a HTTP server and module. The server locates and retrieves the document requested. The module translates the document to a format supported by the web browser. The HTTP server communicates the translated file to the web browser over a network. The web browser then presents the translated file to the system user. The server also includes a workflow module which distributes, routes and tracks documents according to predefined processes. The workflow module may execute the processes based on fields within the documents.

Claims

1. A server system facilitating one or more object management tasks, of a server, associated with one or more non-markup language objects, the system comprising:

a server;

one or more databases, in communication with the server, comprising one or more non-markup language objects;

a workflow module that facilitates one or more object management tasks of the server, associated with the one or more non-markup language objects according to one or more predefined calendaring and scheduling functions, wherein the workflow module notifies at least one user that at least one action is required for the one or more non-markup language objects; and

a markup language translator that translates the one or more non-markup language objects to representations of one or more markup language objects in order to enable said at least one user to execute said at least one action notified by the workflow module.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the workflow module performs the one or more tasks based on an occurrence of one or more events.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the workflow module distributes the one or more objects according to the predefined process.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a notifying module that notifies the system user that an action is required for the one or more objects.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the server comprises a HTTP server module.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the server comprises a non-markup language server module.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the workflow module routes the one or more objects according to the predefined process.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the workflow module tracks the one or more objects according to the predefined process.

9. A server system facilitating one or more object management tasks, of a server, associated with one or more non-markup language objects, the system comprising:

server means;

database means, in communication with the server means, for storing one or more non-markup language objects;

workflow means for facilitating one or more object management tasks of the server, the workflow means associated with the one or more non-markup language objects according to one or more predefined calendaring and scheduling functions, wherein the workflow means notifies at least one user that at least one action is required for the one or more non-markup language objects; and

markup language translating means for translating the one or more non-markup language objects to representations of one or more markup language objects in order to enable said at least one user to execute said at least one action notified by the workflow means.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the workflow means performs the one or more tasks based on an occurrence of one or more events.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the workflow means distributes the one or more non-markup language objects according to the predefined process.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising notifying means for notifying a system user that an action is required for the one or more objects.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the server means comprises a HTTP server module means for communicating with one or more markup language database means.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the server means comprises non-HTML server module means for communicating with the non-markup language database means.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the workflow means routes the one or more objects according to the predefined process.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the workflow means tracks the one or more objects according to the predefined process.

17. A method for facilitating one or more object management tasks, of a server, associated with one or more non-markup language objects, the method comprising the steps of:

storing one or more non-markup language objects in one or more databases;

creating a workflow process to be applied to the one or more non-markup language objects, wherein the work flow process notifies at least one user that at least one action is required for the one or more non-markup language objects;

determining a workflow process to apply to one or more non-markup language objects;

applying the workflow process to the one or more non-markup language objects, wherein the workflow process performs one or more object management tasks relating to the one or more non-markup language objects according to one or more predefined calendaring and scheduling functions; and

translating the one or more non-markup language objects to representations of one or more markup language objects in order to enable said at least one user to execute said at least one action notified by the workflow process.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of applying the workflow process according to a predetermined process.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of distributing the one or more non-markup language objects according to the workflow process.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of notifying a system user that an action is required for the one or more objects.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of performing the workflow process based on an occurrence of one or more events.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of routing the one or more non-markup language objects according to the workflow process.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of tracking the one or more non-markup language objects according to the workflow process.

24. An electronic storage medium having code embodied therein for causing a processor to facilitate one or more object management tasks, of a server, associated with one or more non-markup language objects, the medium comprising:

communicating code that causes a processor to enable a server to communicate with one or more databases comprising one or more non-markup language objects; and

workflow facilitating code that causes a processor to facilitate workflow of one or more object management tasks of the server, associated with the one or more non-markup language objects according to one or more predefined calendaring and scheduling functions, wherein the workflow process notifies at least one user that at least one action is required for the one or more non-markup language objects; and

markup language translating code that causes a processor to facilitate translating the one or more non-markup language objects to representations of one or more markup language objects in order to enable said at least one user to execute said at least one action notified by the workflow process.

25. The medium of claim 24, wherein the workflow facilitating code performs the one or more tasks based on an occurrence of one or more events.

26. The medium of claim 24, wherein the workflow facilitating code distributes the one or more non-markup language objects according to the predefined process.

27. The medium of claim 26, further comprising notifying code that causes a processor to notify a system user that an action is required for the one or more non-markup language objects.

28. The medium of claim 24, wherein the work flow facilitating codes routes the one or more objects according to a predefined process.

29. The medium of claim 24, wherein the work flow facilitating code tracts the one or more objects according to the predefined process.