Integrated platform for developing and maintaining a distributed multiapplication online presence

• US 7,356,559 B1
• Filed: 06/22/2000
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hostway Services, Inc. (Hosting.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Affinity Internet, Inc. (Hosting.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miller, Christopher R., Gallagher, Bernard Luke, Johnson, Kirt David, Jacobs, Joshua A., Shiple, John F., Kiernan, Chris, Tyagarajan, Mahesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Todd; Gregory G
• Application Number:
  US09/602,576
• Time in Patent Office: 2,847 Days
• Field of Search: 709/101, 709/201, 709/203, 709/205, 709/106, 717/120, 715/513, 715/514, 707/102, 707/103, 707/100, 719/329, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

Software architectures, platforms, and data constructs are disclosed which provide a system for enabling a non-technical or lay user to perform discrete technical tasks necessary to build a complete network-based, multiuser application. The system also allows the user to have a uniform user experience throughout development of the application. For example, the platform can be used to construct and maintain an Internet or online Web site capable of handling e-commerce transactions or can be used to develop a customer relationship management system. A software architecture is described that enables many users to perform a variety of tasks via a wide-area network, such as an enterprise network or the Internet. The architecture has several services, systems, and an extensible database for storing data objects. The database has an underlying structure referred to as a schema that can be extended with previously undefined attributes without having to alter the basic format of the schema. The architecture also includes an integrated platform that enables each of the users to perform the tasks by controlling interaction or communication between the services and systems, and the extensible database.

Claims

1. A system including a processor for executing instructions in memory for a software architecture enabling a user to create a Web site over the Internet, the software architecture comprising:

a plurality of applications including a first model object relating to a Web site building application, the first model object capable of managing tasks and of being a data manipulation logic component and of being an interface between other model objects and the Web site building application having an extensible framework and containing Web site fixed application data and Web site extensible application data, and a second model object that is capable of being added to the first model object without altering the extensible framework of the Web site building application; and

a data schema for storing a plurality of data objects, the data schema having an underlying, extensible data model providing a configuration of the data objects in the data schema, the data objects having fixed attributes and extensible attributes, the extensible attributes of a data object enabling extension of the data schema and providing a standard way of representing a previously undefined attribute, wherein the extension of the data schema consists of previously undefined attributes and wherein the extension is executed without having to alter the configuration of the data model;

an integrated platform for enabling the user to perform a task, wherein a task has one or more sequences and is completed by progressing from a first panel to a second panel and by controlling interaction between two or more of the applications and the extensible data model, and for maintaining a context and a task list component related to completing a task for the purpose of creating a Web site, wherein the integrated platform allows a user and an application to extend the data schema in a user-specific way, thereby enabling a plurality of users and the plurality of applications to use the data schema;

a contextual template system for implementing a registry of extensible context checks for maintaining a current operating environment, the contextual template system having a context check component for maintaining a context signature and a context information record including a requires section, an exclusion section, and a mandatory determination section, represented as a list of context check identifiers; and

wherein the software architecture is a reactive architecture which supports a plurality of levels of task granularity and is dynamically aware of what information has been entered by a user.

2. A software architecture as recited in claim 1 wherein the data object is associated with the context information record that further describes a task in which the data object will be used.

3. A software architecture as recited in claim 1 wherein the extensible, underlying data model provides a standard way of representing the previously undefined attribute.

4. A software architecture as recited in claim 1 further comprising a user interface that is uniform across the plurality of applications.

5. A software architecture as recited in claim 4, wherein the user interface implements a user experience.

6. A software architecture as recited in claim 5, further including an information architecture layer for modeling the user experience.

7. A software architecture as recited in claim 1 wherein additional services can be added using the plurality of applications.

8. A software architecture as recited in claim 1 wherein the integrated platform is used to create and maintain an online business presence.

9. A software architecture as recited in claim 1 wherein the integrated platform is used to create and maintain a customer relationship management application.

10. A software architecture as recited in claim 1 wherein the software architecture is a reactive architecture which supports a plurality of levels of task granularity and is dynamically aware of what information has been entered by a user.

11. A software architecture as recited in claim 1, the underlying, extensible data model enabling arrangement and configuration application data of one or more of the plurality of applications.

12. A software architecture as recited in claim 11, wherein the application data are one of a fixed attribute and an extended attribute.

13. A software architecture as recited in claim 1, further comprising a data logic component for operating on the data.