Dynamic association of electronically stored information with iterative workflow changes

• US 7,139,761 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2003
• Issued: 11/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michael T. Mckibben
• Original Assignee: Leader Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Lamb, Jeffrey R., McKibben, Michael T.
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US10/732,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20040122835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 379/202.01, 715/753, 725/87, 725/112, 709/202, 709/204, 709/205
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A data management tool. The tool is a unified, horizontal system for communications, organization, information processing, and data storage. The tool operates seamlessly with existing platforms, and is a common workflow layer that is automated with a scalable, relational database. The tool uses one or both of a relational and object database engine that facilitates at least many-to-many relationships among data elements. The highest contextual assumption is that there exists an entity that consists of one or more users. The data storage model first assumes that files are associated with the user. Thus, data generated by applications is associated with an individual, group of individuals, and topical content and not simply with a folder, as in traditional systems.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented network-based system that facilitates management of data, comprising:

a computer-implemented context component of the network-based system for capturing context information associated with user-defined data created by user interaction of a user in a first context of the network-based system, the context component dynamically storing the context information in metadata associated with the user-defined data, the user-defined data and metadata stored on a storage component of the network-based system; and

a computer-implemented tracking component of the network-based system for tracking a change of the user from the first context to a second context of the network-based system and dynamically updating the stored metadata based on the change, wherein the user accesses the data from the second context.

2. The system of claim 1, the context component is associated with a workspace, which is a collection of data and application functionality related to the user-defined data.

3. The system of claim 1, the context component is associated with a web, which web is a collection of interrelated workspaces, the web maintains a location of data of the respective interrelated workspaces when one or more of the interrelated workspaces are moved into a different workspace interrelationship.

4. The system of claim 1, the context information includes a relationship between the user and at least one of an application, application data, and user environment.

5. The system of claim 1, the context component captures context information of the first context and context information related to at least one other context.

6. The system of claim 5, the context information of the at least one other context is at least one of stipulated by the user and suggested automatically by the system based upon search and association criteria set by the user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein data created in the first context is associated with data created in the second context.

8. The system of claim 1, the context information is tagged to the user-defined data via the metadata when the user-defined data is created.

9. A computer-implemented method of managing data, comprising computer-executable acts of:

creating data within a user environment of a web-based computing platform via user interaction with the user environment by a user using an application, the data in the form of at least files and documents;

dynamically associating metadata with the data, the data and metadata stored on a storage component of the web-based computing platform, the metadata includes information related to the user, the data, the application, and the user environment;

tracking movement of the user from the user environment of the web-based computing platform to a second user environment of the web-based computing platform; and

dynamically updating the stored metadata with an association of the data, the application, and the second user environment wherein the user employs at least one of the application and the data from the second environment.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising capturing context information of the user.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising indexing content of the user environment such that a plurality of users can access the content from an associated plurality of user environments.

12. The method of claim 9, the least one of the data and the application is associated automatically with the second user environment.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising accessing the user environment and the second user environment using a browser.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising communicating with the user environment using a TCP/IP communication protocol.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising locating the user environment from a remote location using a URL address.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising accessing the user environment via a portable wireless device.

17. A computer-implemented method of managing data, comprising computer-executable acts of:

generating a plurality of user environments in a web-based system;

ordering two or more of the plurality of user environments according to different arrangements of the user environments;

providing a plurality of applications for generating and processing data in the user environments, data of a user environment is dynamically associated with the user environment in metadata that corresponds to the data;

creating an association of the data with a second user environment when the data is accessed from the second user environment;

dynamically storing the association of the data and the second user environment in the metadata;

storing in a storage component ordering information related to the ordering of the two or more of the plurality of user environments; and

traversing the different arrangements of the user environments with one or more of the applications based on the ordering information to locate the data associated with the user environments.

18. The method of claim 17, the act of traversing is performed using a webslice that includes traversal information for locating the data associated with a given user environment.

19. The method of claim 18, the traversal information includes at least a collection ID, a user environment ID, and a routing path to the location of the environment data.

20. The method of claim 17, the different arrangements, user environments, and associated data carry both hierarchical and non-hierarchical associations simultaneously within the plurality of applications.

21. A computer-readable medium for storing computer-executable instructions for a method of managing data, the method comprising:

creating data related to user interaction of a user within a user workspace of a web-based computing platform using an application;

dynamically associating metadata with the data, the data and metadata stored on the web-based computing platform, the metadata includes information related to the user of the user workspace, to the data, to the application and to the user workspace;

tracking movement of the user from the user workspace to a second user workspace of the web-based computing platform;

dynamically associating the data and the application with the second user workspace in the metadata such that the user employs the application and data from the second user workspace; and

indexing the data created in the user workspace such that a plurality of different users can access the data via the metadata from a corresponding plurality of different user workspaces.

22. A computer-implemented system that facilitates management of data, comprising:

computer-implemented means for creating data by interaction of a user within a user workspace of a server using an application;

computer-implemented means for associating metadata with the data, the metadata stored in association with the data on storage means of the server, the metadata includes information related to a user of the user workspace, to the data, to the application and to the user workspace;

computer-implemented means for tracking movement of the user from the user workspace to a second user workspace of the server; and

computer-implemented means for dynamically associating the data and the application with the second user workspace in the metadata such that the user can employ the application and data from the second user workspace.

23. A computer-implemented system that facilitates management of data, comprising:

a computer-implemented context component of a web-based server for defining a first user workspace of the web-based server, assigning one or more applications to the first user workspace, capturing context data associated with user interaction of a user while in the first user workspace, and for dynamically storing the context data as metadata on a storage component of the web-based server, which metadata is dynamically associated with data created in the first user workspace; and

a computer-implemented tracking component of the web-based server for tracking change information associated with a change in access of the user from the first user workspace to a second user workspace, and dynamically storing the change information on the storage component as part of the metadata, wherein the user accesses the data from the second user workspace.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the tracking component automatically creates the metadata when the user accesses the first user workspace.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the context component captures relationship data associated with a relationship between the first user workspace and at least one other user workspace.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein an application associated with the first user workspace is automatically accessible via the second user workspace when the user moves from the first user workspace to the second user workspace.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein context data relating to an item of communication is automatically stored and used in performance of communication tasks.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the context component captures data and application functionality related to a user-defined topic of the first user workspace, and includes the data and application functionality in the metadata.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein when the data created in the first user workspace is accessed from the second user workspace, in response to which the context component adds information to the metadata about the second user workspace.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the first user workspace is associated with a plurality of different applications, the plurality of different applications comprising telephony, unified messaging, decision support, document management, portals, chat, collaboration, search, vote, relationship management, calendar, personal information management, profiling, directory management, executive information systems, dashboards, cockpits, tasking, meeting and, web and video conferencing.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the storage component stores the data and the metadata according to at least one of a relational and an object storage methodology.

32. The system of claim 23, wherein storing of the metadata in the storage component in association with data facilitates many-to-many functionality of the data via the metadata.

33. The system of claim 23, wherein the first user workspace provides access to at least one communications tool, which includes e-mail, voicemail, fax, teleconferencing, instant message, chat, contacts, calendar, task, notes, news, ideas, vote, web and video conferencing, and document sharing functionality.

34. The system of claim 23, wherein one or more applications include file storage pointers that are dynamic and associated with the first user workspace.

35. The system of claim 23, wherein the context component facilitates encryption of the data generated in the first user workspace.