MVC (Model-View-Controller) based multi-modal authoring tool and development environment

• US 7,900,186 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2005
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lucassen, John M., Maes, Stephane H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough; Hyung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yun; Carina
• Application Number:
  US11/190,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20050273759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,043 Days
• Field of Search: 717104-105
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

Application development tools and method for building multi-channel, multi-device and multi-modal applications, and in particular, to systems and methods for developing applications whereby a user can interact in parallel with the same information via a multiplicity of channels and user interfaces, while a unified, synchronized views of the information are presented across the various channels or devices deployed by the user to interact with the information. In a preferred embodiment, application frameworks and development tools are preferably based on a MVC (Model-View-Controller) design paradigm that is adapted to provide synchronized multi-modal interactions. Multi-channel authoring can be developed using a similar methodology.

Claims

1. A non-transient computer readable medium embodying instructions executable by a processor to perform a method for authoring a multi-channel application model, the method steps comprising:

generating a plurality of modality specific representations of an application, wherein the plurality of modality specific representations correspond to different modalities of interaction on respective channels having different respective characteristic access mechanisms, wherein the channels are simultaneously available and synchronized;

flagging a component of a first modality specific representation of the plurality of modality specific representations of the application to indicate that an interaction associated with the component is not synchronized across the channels of the plurality of modality-specific representations of the application;

receiving edits to the flagged component of the first modality-specific representation and generating an edited component; and

generating a modality-independent representation of the application from the plurality of modality specific representations, the modality-independent representation of the application synchronizing the plurality of modality specific representations including the edited component across the channels.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the application comprises a multi-channel application, wherein a given page comprises snippets associated with the first and second modality-specific views.

2. A method for authoring an application having a plurality of modality-specific views, comprising the steps of:

flagging a component of a first modality-specific view of the plurality of modality-specific views of the application to indicate that an interaction associated with the component is not synchronized across the channels of the plurality of modality-specific views of the application;

receiving, by a processor, edits of the first modality-specific view of the application, wherein the plurality of modality-specific views correspond to different modalities of interaction on respective different channels providing access to the application via different respective characteristic access mechanisms having functionally distinct presentations;

updating an application model, by the processor, in response to the editing of the first modality specific view;

adapting a second modality-specific view of the application, by the processor, based on the updated application model; and

generating a modality-independent view of the application from the first and second modality specific views, the modality-independent view of the application synchronizing first and second modality specific views including the edited component across the channels, wherein the channels are simultaneously available and synchronized.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of rendering a modality-specific view using an associated browser.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the application model comprises an interaction logic and customization meta-data page.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of automatically generating a corresponding modality-specific representation for each modality supported by the application through a transformation of the application model.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of automatically generating the application model from a modality-specific representation generated during the editing step.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of accessing and editing the application model.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of displaying the application model in a window in one of a DOM (document object model), text, and symbolic representation.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of highlighting a portion of the displayed application model that were built non-deterministically.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the method steps are performed by an application authoring tool.