Method and apparatus to build and manage a logical structure using templates

• US 7,136,865 B1
• Filed: 04/08/2002
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Flexer, Michael E., Caltabiano, Marc, Ra, Do Joon
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Debbie M.
• Application Number:
  US10/118,546
• Time in Patent Office: 1,681 Days
• Field of Search: 707100-1041, 705 2- 3, 705/10, 705/12, 345/762, 345/769, 704/2, 379/265, 434/322
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A flowchart-based tool can be used to build a logical structure. In the context of a customer relationship management (CRM) system, the logical structure can comprise an ordered set of questions and branching logic that are presented to a customer of the business when the customer contacts the business with an inquiry, such as for a sale or service inquiry or other interaction. The flowchart-based tool can use a drag-and-drop interface to build the logical structure, and then questions for the individual components in the logical structure can be entered or selected from menus. The resulting logical structure can be verified to detect errors or corruption.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing templates of objects used for forming one or more logical structures;

using the templates, building at least one of the logical structures having the objects, the objects including question blocks and branches connecting the question blocks, wherein the templates are presented in a user interface device;

storing, as part of a definition of the logical structure, information provided for the question blocks and information indicative of connections between the question blocks and the branches; and

linking the built logical structure to the definition, and providing for subsequent execution of a session associated with the built logical structure according to the definition, including providing a save and resume process capable of being conducted for the executed session;

providing a manipulation capability for the logical structures for rearrangement of the objects, the branches, and the connections.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the logical structure is usable for a customer relationship management system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein building the logical structure having the objects includes:

building a first logical structure on a first page; and

linking the first page to a second page by branching from a question block on the first page to a question block on a second page.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the information provided for the question blocks are provided from a property sheet having attribute fields therein to select a question from a list of questions or to enter text of a question.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

building a plurality of logical structures; and

providing a menu to select any one of the built logical structures for subsequent execution in the session.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying the logical structure for errors or corruption.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein building the logical structure using the templates comprises using a drag-and-drop technique.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a property sheet having attribute fields therein to select answers, from a list, for a question block having multiple answers.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the information provided for the question blocks include multiple language translations, the method further comprising:

creating a language record for the multiple language translations as part of the script definition; and

presenting the logical structure in one of the language translations based on selection of that language translation.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein storing information provided for the question blocks and information indicative of connections between the question blocks and the branches comprises storing such information as entries in a database.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein storing information provided for the question blocks and information indicative of connections between the question blocks and the branches comprises storing such information as part of a file in a file system.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a tree control feature linked to the logical structure to allow viewing of the logical structure, or execution of the session, from a location of the logical structure selected using the tree control feature.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein building the logical structure having the objects includes inserting code into the logical structure, which if called during execution of the session, allow dynamic text substitution of previous answers into the information provided for the question blocks.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein building the logical structure having the objects includes providing dynamic text substitution of previous answers into the information provided for the question blocks by:

including temporary variables in the definition;

saving previous answers as values under the temporary variables; and

calling the values of the temporary variables during execution of the session.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

exporting the definition, including the stored information provided for the question blocks and the information indicative of connections between the question blocks and the branches, by saving the definition into a file; and

importing the definition by reading the file and saving information read from the file into a database or into another file in a file system.

16. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions to;

provide templates of objects used for forming one or more logical structures;

using the templates, build at least one of the logical structures having the objects, the objects including question blocks and branches connecting insert the question blocks, wherein the templates are presented in a user interface device;

store, as part of a definition of the logical structure, information provided for the question blocks and information indicative of connections between the question blocks and the branches; and

link the built logical structure to the definition, and provide for subsequent execution of a session associated with the built logical structure according to the definition, including instructions to save and resume the executed session; and

provide a manipulation capability for the logical structures for rearrangement of the objects, the branches and the connections.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16 wherein the machine-readable medium further includes instructions stored thereon to:

build a first logical structure on a first page; and

link the first page to a second page by branching from a question block on the first page to a question block on a second page.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 16 wherein the machine-readable medium further includes instructions stored thereon to present a property sheet having attribute fields therein to select a question from a list of questions or to enter text of a question.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 16 wherein the machine-readable medium further includes instructions stored thereon to verify the logical structure for errors or corruption.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 16 wherein the machine-readable medium further includes instructions stored thereon to:

create a language record for multiple language translations of the logical structure as part of the script definition; and

present the logical structure in one of the language translations based on selection of that language translation.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 16 wherein the machine-readable medium further includes instructions stored thereon to provide a tree control feature linked to the logical structure to allow viewing of the logical structure, or execution of the session, from a location selected using the tree control feature.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 16 wherein the instructions stored on the machine-readable medium includes code inserted into the logical structure, which if called during execution of the session, allow dynamic text substitution of previous answers into the information provided for the question blocks.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 16 wherein the machine-readable medium further includes instructions stored thereon to:

export the definition, including the stored information provided for the question blocks and the information indicative of connections between the question blocks and the branches, by saving the definition into a file; and

import the definition by reading the file and saving information read from the file into a database or into another file in a file system.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 16 wherein the machine-readable medium further includes instructions stored thereon to:

include temporary variables in the definition;

save previous answers as values under the temporary variables; and

call the values of the temporary variables during execution of the session to allow dynamic text substitution with the answers.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

a display unit to provide a user interface having a display area;

a template unit to have a plurality of templates of objects used for forming one or more logical structures, the templates positioned adjacent to the display area and the objects including question blocks and branches to connect the question blocks, one or more of the logical structures capable of being built in the display area via use of the templates;

a storage unit to have a storage location coupled to the user interface to store, as part of a definition of the logical structure, information provided for the question blocks and information indicative of connections between the question blocks and the branches; and

a linking unit to provide a link from the logical structure built in the display area to the definition stored in the storage location, a session associated with the built logical structure capable of being executed according to the definition and capable of being saved and resumed; and

a manipulation feature to allow rearrangement capability for the logical structures for rearrangement of the objects, the branches and the connections.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the user interface further comprises, for the question blocks, at least one property sheet having attribute fields therein to select a question from a list of questions or to enter text of a question.

27. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the user interface further comprises a tree control feature linked to the logical structure to allow viewing of the logical structure on the display area, or execution of the session, from a location of the logical structure selected using the tree control feature.

28. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the logical structure includes code inserted therein, which if called during execution of the session, allow dynamic text substitution of previous answers into the information provided for the question blocks.

29. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the definition includes temporary variables under which to save previous answers to questions of the question blocks, the values of the temporary variables capable of being called during execution of the session to allow dynamic text substitution of the answers into subsequent questions.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising a verification unit coupled to the storage location to verify the logical structure for errors or corruption.

31. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

an export engine coupled to the storage location to export the definition, including the stored information provided for the question blocks and the information indicative of connections between the question blocks and the branches, by saving the definition into a file; and

an import engine to import the definition by reading the file and saving information read from the file into a database or into another file in a file system.

32. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the information provided for the question blocks include multiple language translations, the script definition including a link to a language record for the multiple language translations to allow presentation of the logical structure in one of the language translations based on selection of that language translation.

33. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the storage location comprises a database or a file system.