Workflow management system and method with workflow package exchange between drop-box application programs

• US 8,386,288 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2010
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intentionize LLC
• Original Assignee: Direct Response Medicine, LLC
• Inventors: Ananian, John Allen, Bryan, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): DIXON, THOMAS A
• Application Number:
  US12/695,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20100305997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.13
• US Class Current: 705/7.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5038 considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis

Abstract

A workflow management system for managing workflow within one or more entities is provided. The workflow management system may include a first drop-box application program executed on a first computing system including a first input object directory configured to receive an input object electronically outputted from an application program. The first drop-box application program may further include a first workflow engine configured to generate and send a workflow package to a second drop-box application program executed on a second computing system, the workflow package including the input object, a plurality of workflow tasks, and a set of predetermined workflow rules defined by a user via the first drop-box application program. In some examples at least one workflow task may be implemented via the second drop-box application program based on the set workflow rules.

Claims

1. A workflow management system for managing workflow within one or more entities comprising:

a first drop-box application program executed on a first computing system including;

a first input object directory configured to receive an input object electronically outputted from an application program; and

a first workflow engine configured to generate and send a workflow package to a second drop-box application program executed on a second computing system, the workflow package including the input object, a plurality of workflow tasks, and a set of predetermined workflow rules defined by a user via the first drop-box application program;

wherein at least one workflow task is implemented via the second drop-box application program based on the set of workflow rules and the set of workflow rules are selected from a plurality of predetermined sets of workflow rules by a mode module included in the first workflow engine based on user input.

2. The workflow management system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of workflow tasks include code executable by a logic subsystem to perform one or more of the following actions:

implement one or more functions in an application program, initiate an action in an external device, and modify one or more objects stored within the workflow management system.

3. The workflow management system of claim 1, wherein the second drop-box application program includes:

a second input object directory configured to receive and store one or more objects included in the workflow package; and

a second workflow engine configured to receive the workflow package and execute at least one workflow task included in the workflow package based on at least one workflow rule included in the set of workflow rules.

4. The workflow management system of claim 3, wherein the first input object directory is searchable by the second workflow engine.

5. The workflow management system of claim 1, wherein electronically outputted includes virtually printing and the first drop-box application program is configured as a virtual printer displayed as a target drop-box option in a printer selection menu during a print operation, the target drop-box option being configured to enable a user to command the application program to send a print job included in the print operation to the first input object directory.

6. The workflow management system of claim 1, wherein the first and second computing systems are configured to communicate over a peer-to-peer network in which both the first and second computing systems make available a portion of their computing resources to implement communication.

7. The workflow management system of claim 1, wherein the first and second computing systems are configured to communicate through a server.

8. The workflow management system of claim 1, wherein the set of workflow rules include at least one of the following rules:

a date and time rule, a sequencing rule, a distribution rule, a form rule, a business rule, a monitoring rule, a permission rule, and an expiration rule.

9. The workflow management system of claim 8, wherein the at least one workflow task included in the workflow package is implemented based on the sequencing rule configured to selectively trigger implementation of the at least one workflow task after one or more sequencing criteria has been fulfilled.

10. The workflow management system of claim 1, wherein the input object is in at least one of the following file formats:

an Enhanced Metafile format, Tagged Image File format, Joint Photographic Experts Group format, Bit Map file format, Portable Network Graphics format, and text format.

11. The workflow management system of claim 1, wherein implementing the workflow task includes executing a remote command in an external device.

12. The workflow management system of claim 11, wherein executing a remote command in an external device includes downloading a driver included in the workflow package.

13. A method for managing workflow within one or more entities comprising:

electronically outputting an input object to a first drop-box application program included in a first computing system from an application program;

selecting a set of workflow rules included in a workflow package from a plurality of sets of predetermined workflow rules based on user input;

generating the workflow package in the first drop-box application program, the workflow package including the input object, a plurality of workflow tasks defined by a user, and the set of predetermined workflow rules defined by the user;

transferring the workflow package to a second drop-box application program included in a second computing system from the first drop-box application program; and

implementing at least one workflow task based on the set of workflow rules via the second computing system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein implementing the workflow task includes modifying the workflow package.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the workflow package includes modifying the workflow task or generating an additional workflow task.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the workflow package includes altering the input object or generating a second input object.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising sending the workflow package to a third drop-box application program.

18. A workflow management system for managing workflow within one or more entities comprising:

a first drop-box application program executed on a first computing system including;

a first input object directory configured to receive an input object electronically outputted from an application program; and

a first workflow engine configured to generate and send a workflow package including the input object, a plurality workflow tasks defined by a user, and a set of workflow rules defined by the user, to a second drop-box application program executed on a second computing system, the second drop-box application program including;

a second input object directory configured to receive and store the input object included in the workflow package; and

a second workflow engine configured to receive the workflow package and execute at least one workflow task included in the workflow package based on the set of workflow rules;

wherein the set of workflow rules are selected from a plurality of predetermined sets of workflow rules by a mode module based on user input.

19. The workflow management system of claim 18, wherein the workflow tasks include script executable by a logic subsystem to perform one or more of the following actions:

implement one or more functions in an application program, initiate an action in an external device, and modify one or more objects stored within the workflow management system.