Context management server appliance

• US 7,346,648 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2000
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sentillion Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Seliger, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US09/583,301
• Time in Patent Office: 2,849 Days
• Field of Search: 709202-203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/229, 718107-108, 705 2- 4
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms

Abstract

Server appliances provide context management functionality in the healthcare field and other fields. The server appliances may present themselves on a network as one or more World Wide Web sites accessible to applications whose context is managed.

Claims

1. A method for use in a computer system comprising at least a first computer, a second computer and a network that couples the first and second computers, the method comprising an act of:

(A) sharing a context between at least first and second applications, the first application having a first user interface executing on the first computer, the second application having a second user interface executing on the first computer, the sharing of the context comprising passing context information over the network between the first user interface and a context manager executing on the second computer and between the second user interface and the context manager;

wherein the first application executes on the first computer and wherein the second application executes remotely from the first computer; and

wherein the context comprises a data item usable by the first and second applications, the data item having a set of values comprising at least a first value corresponding to the first application and a second value corresponding to the second application, the set of values identifying a subject in the context, and wherein the act of sharing the context comprises, in response to a user of the first computer switching from the first application to the second application, exchanging the value of the data item corresponding to the first application with the value of the data item corresponding to the second application to retain the context.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the passing of the context information over the network is performed using an Internet-based communication protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second computer comprises a Web server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second computer is a publicly accessible server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a publicly available network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sharing of the context comprises passing the context information using the HTTP protocol.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system further comprises a third computer and wherein the second application executes on the third computer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the third computer is a web server and the second user interface is a browser.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system further comprises a third computer, wherein the context comprises a first context, and wherein the method comprises an act of:

(B) sharing a second context between at least third and fourth applications, the third application having a third user interface executing on the third computer, the fourth application having a fourth user interface executing on the first computer, the sharing of the second context comprising passing context information over the network between the third user interface and the context manager executing on the second computer and between the fourth user interface and the context manager.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second computer comprises a server appliance.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the passing of the context information between the first user interface and the context manager comprises passing at least some of the context information from the first user interface to the context manager.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the passing of the context information between the first user interface and the context manager comprises passing at least some of the context information from the context manager to the first user interface.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the context information is defined in accordance with a Clinical Context Object Workgroup (CCOW) standard.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the context information comprises information on at least one of a plurality of subjects comprising a user subject, a patient subject and an encounter subject.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of sharing the context comprises acts of:

initially establishing the context; and

maintaining the context.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the context information comprises information on at least a patient subject;

and

wherein the act of maintaining the context comprises an act of, changing the patient subject from a first value to a second value by passing context information about the changed patient subject over the network between the first user interface and the context manager and between the second user interface and the context manager.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the context information comprises information on at least an encounter subject;

and

wherein the act of maintaining the context comprises an act of, changing the encounter subject from a first value to a second value by passing context information about the changed encounter subject over the network between the first user interface and the context manager and between the second user interface and the context manager.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the context information comprises information on at least one subject;

and

wherein the act of maintaining the context comprises an act of, changing the at least one subject from a first value to a second value by passing context information about the changed at least one subject over the network between the first user interface and the context manager and between the second user interface and the context manager.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the context information comprises information on at least a user subject;

and

wherein the act of maintaining the context comprises an act of, changing the user subject from a first value to a second value by passing context information about the changed user subject over the network between the first user interface and the context manager and between the second user interface and the context manager.

20. A method for use in a system comprising a first computer, a second computer and a network that couples the first and second computers, the method comprising an act of:

(A) sharing a context between at least first and second applications having respective first and second user interfaces executing on the first computer, the second application executing on the second computer, the sharing of the context comprising passing context information between the first user interface and the context manager and between the second application and the context manager;

wherein the first application executes on the first computer; and

wherein the context comprises a data item usable by the first and second applications, the data item having a set of values comprising at least a first value corresponding to the first application and a second value corresponding to the second application, the set of values identifying a subject in the context, and wherein the act of sharing the context comprises, in response to a user of the first computer switching from the first application to the second application, exchanging the value of the data item corresponding to the first application with the value of the data item corresponding to the second application to retain the context.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the passing of the context information between the second application and the context manager comprises passing at least some of the context information between the context manager and the second user interface.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the act of sharing the context comprises acts of:

initially establishing the context; and

maintaining the context.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the context information comprises information on at least one subject;

and

wherein the act of maintaining the context comprises an act of, changing the at least one subject from a first value to a second value by passing context information about the changed at least one subject between the first user interface and the context manager and between the second application and the context manager.

25. A method for use in a computer system comprising at least a first computer, a second computer and a network that couples the first and second computers, the method comprising an act of:

(A) sharing a context between at least first and second applications, the first application having a first user interface executing on the first computer, the second application having a second user interface executing on the first computer, the sharing of the context comprising passing context information over the network between the first user interface and a context manager executing on the second computer and between the second user interface and the context manager, the context information comprising information on at least one subject;

wherein the act of sharing the context comprises acts of;

initially establishing the context; and

maintaining the context, wherein the act of maintaining the context comprises an act of changing the at least one subject from a first value to a second value by passing context information about the changed at least one subject over the network between the first user interface and the context manager and between the second user interface and the context manager;

wherein the context comprises a data item usable by the first and second applications, the data item having a set of values comprising at least a first value corresponding to the first application and a second value corresponding to the second application, the set of values identifying the at least one subject in the context, and wherein the act of sharing the context comprises, in response to a user of the first computer switching from the first application to the second application, exchanging the value of the data item corresponding to the first application with the value of the data item corresponding to the second application to retain the context.