Digital library system with customizable workflow

• US 7,668,864 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2003
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kauffman, Steven Victor, Benson, Donald Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Ehichioya; Fred I
• Application Number:
  US10/346,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20040143597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,594 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/4, 707/8, 707/9, 707/10, 707/101, 707/102, 707/103.R, 707/203, 707/204, 707/5, 707/2, 707/3, 707/100, 707/104.1, 707/200, 709/207, 709/218, 709/219, 717/120, 717/115, 702/123, 714/4, 345/619
• US Class Current: 707/608
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A customizable workflow is specified in a script that is associated with an object that is to be processed by the workflow. Both the object and the script can be stored in a content management system, with the object and script associated with one another by way of identifying the script in metadata stored in the system for the object. The script can be located by locating the object. The script can specify a sequence of a plurality of workflow processes that are performed over the life of the object.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of processing an object stored in a data store, comprising a processor performing:

selecting a processing script from among a plurality of processing scripts based on characteristics of the object;

providing an identifier of the selected script and associating the script with the object by storing the identifier of the script in metadata associated with the object, wherein the script specifies a plurality of processing tasks, and by generating the processing script by specifying predefined micro-workflow processes;

in response to a request to process the object, locating the script, comprising;

locating the object,

obtaining the identifier of the script in the metadata, and

using the identifier of the script to locate the script;

processing the object by executing the plurality of processing tasks as specified in the script; and

customizing the script by changing the plurality of processing tasks, wherein the plurality of processing tasks is changed by changing a specification defining an order of processing the plurality of tasks.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of processing tasks includes a plurality of micro-workflow operations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data store is a content management system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the object is a multimedia object containing multimedia information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing script is generated using a graphical user interface (GUI).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing script specifies executing at least two of the plurality of processing tasks in parallel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of processing tasks is comprised of at least one of:

parsing metadata contained in the object by extracting the metadata and indexing the extracted metadata in association with the object;

storing the object to a tape storage medium;

copying a disc file containing the object;

erasing a disc file containing the object;

compressing a set of computer files in a directory into a single computer file;

opening a transaction associated with the object;

closing a transaction associated with the object; and

collapsing a plurality of metadata items associated with the object into a single metadata item.

8. A program product embodied on a computer readable medium of instructions for processing an object stored in a data store, comprising:

program instructions for selecting a processing script from among a plurality of processing scripts based on characteristics of the object;

program instructions for providing an identifier of the selected script and associating the script with the object by storing the identifier of the script in metadata associated with the object, wherein the script specifies a plurality of processing tasks;

program instructions for locating the script in response to a request to process the object, the locating comprising;

locating the object,

obtaining the identifier of the script in the metadata, and

using the identifier of the script to locate the script;

program instructions for processing the object by executing the plurality of processing tasks as specified in the script;

program instructions for customizing the script by changing the plurality of processing tasks, wherein the plurality of processing tasks is changed by changing a specification defining an order of processing the plurality of tasks;

wherein said program instructions for associating a processing script with the object comprises program instructions for generating the processing script by specifying predefined micro-workflow processes.

9. The program product of claim 8, wherein the plurality of processing tasks include a plurality of micro-workflow operations.

10. The program product of claim 8, wherein the data store is a content management system.

11. The program product of claim 10, wherein the object is a multimedia object containing multimedia information.

12. The program product of claim 8, wherein said program instructions for associating a processing script with the object comprises program instructions for generating the processing script by specifying predefined micro-workflow processes.

13. The program product of claim 12, wherein the processing script is generated using a graphical user interface (GUI).

14. The program product of claim 8, wherein the processing script specifies executing at least two of the plurality of processing tasks in parallel.

15. The program product of claim 8, wherein the plurality of processing tasks is comprised of at least one of:

parsing metadata contained in the object by extracting the metadata and indexing the extracted metadata in association with the object;

storing the object to a tape storage medium;

copying a disc file containing the object;

erasing a disc file containing the object;

compressing a set of computer files in a directory into a single computer file;

opening a transaction associated with the object;

closing a transaction associated with the object; and

collapsing a plurality of metadata items associated with the object into a single metadata item.

16. A computer-implemented apparatus for processing an object stored in a data store, comprising:

a processing unit configured to select a processing script from among a plurality of processing scripts based on characteristics of the object, to provide an identifier of the selected script, and to associate the script with the object by storing the identifier of the script in metadata associated with the object by selecting;

a metadata storage unit configured to store the metadata associated with the object, the metadata including the identifier of the script for processing the object; and

a processing unit configured to locate the script by locating the object, obtaining the identifier of the script included in the metadata storage unit, and locating the script using the identifier, in response to a request to process the object, and to execute the script to process the object;

and

further comprising a graphical user interface (GUI) for customizing the script by changing the plurality of processing tasks, wherein the plurality of processing tasks is changed by changing a specification defining an order of processing the plurality of tasks;

wherein said processing unit associates the script with the object by generating the processing script by specifying predefined micro-workflow processes.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the plurality of processing tasks includes a plurality of micro-workflow operations.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the data store is a content management and the object is a multimedia object containing multimedia data.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a script association unit configured to associate the script with the object by including an identifier of the script in the metadata associated with the object.