Method and system for accessing software-based systems
First Claim
1. A computer implemented method providing contextual access to data via access of a host data system by a user, said method comprising the following steps:
- defining a host system including computer hardware basis used by at least one user to access data, said computer hardware basis including a database in which data is held;
defining at least one process model within the host data system, and defining a plurality of elements within said process model;
defining at least one target data system to be selectively directly accessed via the user selection of an element of the process model in the host data system by selectively accessing and obtaining data directly from the target data system from the database;
creating an activator which specifies properties of the at least one target data system, said activator including a wrapper and a specification;
creating a wrapper having programmable elements that define interfaces between the at least one target system and said element in the process model in the host data system and which also defines the operation of the activator;
instantiating the activator for said element in the process model in the host data system and said at least one target system by adding values for the specification properties, creating a representation of the at least one target system with regard to said element in the process model in the host data system; and
the host data system includes in the computer hardware database, said process model to which the created representation of said at least one target data system is added and the user uses the host data system via the process model to access said at least one target system instance via the activator, by selecting an element to which the target system is linked, said activator controlling or manipulating the target data system from the host data system via the target system representation within the process model which presents data obtained from the computer hardware database to the user in a screen display, and wherein the process model is repeated for each of the elements of the process model for which a target system is required thereby generating a process model with a series of elements which can be user selected to access a specific target system linked thereto and wherein the target system representation formed in the host data system presents values and/or data obtained directly by the user selecting an element and the host data s stem includes a frame work and/or specification as to the presentation of the retrieved target system data which is dependent upon the particular target system from which it came.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for generating a system and, the system itself, which allows the selective access to and retrieval of data from a number of data resources. The system comprises a host system via which a user can make a request for data, and with reference to the request, the host system selects, using a series of activators held therein, those data resources, referred to as target systems, which are required to be accessed. The interface between the host and target systems and the generation and display of the retrieved data is controlled so as to provide the data to the user in the contextual format.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A computer implemented method providing contextual access to data via access of a host data system by a user, said method comprising the following steps:
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defining a host system including computer hardware basis used by at least one user to access data, said computer hardware basis including a database in which data is held; defining at least one process model within the host data system, and defining a plurality of elements within said process model; defining at least one target data system to be selectively directly accessed via the user selection of an element of the process model in the host data system by selectively accessing and obtaining data directly from the target data system from the database; creating an activator which specifies properties of the at least one target data system, said activator including a wrapper and a specification; creating a wrapper having programmable elements that define interfaces between the at least one target system and said element in the process model in the host data system and which also defines the operation of the activator; instantiating the activator for said element in the process model in the host data system and said at least one target system by adding values for the specification properties, creating a representation of the at least one target system with regard to said element in the process model in the host data system; and the host data system includes in the computer hardware database, said process model to which the created representation of said at least one target data system is added and the user uses the host data system via the process model to access said at least one target system instance via the activator, by selecting an element to which the target system is linked, said activator controlling or manipulating the target data system from the host data system via the target system representation within the process model which presents data obtained from the computer hardware database to the user in a screen display, and wherein the process model is repeated for each of the elements of the process model for which a target system is required thereby generating a process model with a series of elements which can be user selected to access a specific target system linked thereto and wherein the target system representation formed in the host data system presents values and/or data obtained directly by the user selecting an element and the host data s stem includes a frame work and/or specification as to the presentation of the retrieved target system data which is dependent upon the particular target system from which it came. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A computer implemented system providing access to a plurality of data resources, said system comprising:
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data resources accessible by a user via a host data system, each of said data resources including a computer hardware basis database and identified as a target system connected to the host data system and represented on the host system as part of a process model, said process model including a plurality of elements; at least one activator selected in response to user request criteria which specifies properties of the target data system; identifying via information in the host data system, the target system to be accessed with reference to the specified properties of the target data systems; a wrapper having programmable elements which defines the interfaces between the target data systems and the elements of the process model of the host data system and accesses data retrieved from computer hardware databases or a number of target systems selected with reference to the process model in a contextual manner, the host data system also being accessible to said activator, thereby performing control or manipulation of the target system from the host data system via the target system representation within the process model to present data obtained from one or more computer hardware databases to the user via a screen display; and wherein the plurality of elements in the process model are each linked to a defined target system via the performance of the appropriate activator and wrapper for that element and the target system representation formed in the host data system presents values and/or data obtained directly by the user selecting an element and the host data system includes a frame work and/or specification as to the presentation of the retrieved target system data which is dependent upon the particular target system from which it came. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for using a data access system;
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said method comprising the following steps; user accessing via a computer based access location a host data system and via said host data system further accessing to a number of data resources known as target systems, each of said target systems graphically represented within a process model on said host data system, said process model including a plurality of user selectable elements and each of said target systems being accessible via an element of the process model; in response to a user request via an element, said data access system identifying, via information stored in the host data system, the target data systems which need to be addressed to meet the user requests; and having identified said target systems, accessing the target data systems in accordance with defined interface procedures held in the host data system; directly accessing the required data from the target systems and transferring the data to the host data system in a contextual and organised manner thereby controlling or manipulating the target system from the host data system via the target system representation within said process model using said activator, wherein the target system representation formed presents values and/or data obtained directly by the user selecting an element and the host data system includes a frame work and/or specification as to the presentation of the retrieved target system data which is dependent upon the particular target system from which it came. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification