System for and method of providing a user interface for a computer-based software application

• US 8,677,249 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2008
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kofax Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kofax Incorporated
• Inventors: Orenchuk, Erich E., Shukla, Rakesh, Bttner, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US12/331,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,924 Days
• Field of Search: 715/804, 715/805, 715/765, 715708-712, 715748-749, 715/760, 715854-854
• US Class Current: 715/748
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A system for providing a graphical interface to a user includes a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon. The system includes a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device. The web browser displays the information without requiring additional software to be installed, downloaded or run on the client device, and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client. The application software facilitates user manipulation of unstructured data in the display area for detailed inspection, and facilitates the user selectively causing to display annotations within the display area. The application software facilitates the user inserting annotations within the display area, thereby causing an action to occur in this system or an external system.

Claims

1. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon;

wherein the server platform and the application software are configured to allow a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform to display information to the user in a display area on the client device, without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device;

wherein the application software is configured to

(i) facilitate manipulation by the user of unstructured data in the display area for detailed inspection, wherein the unstructured data includes image data, wherein the manipulation includes at least one or more of panning, zooming, and rotating, of the unstructured data in the display area; and

,

(ii) facilitate the user selectively causing to display annotations within the display area, wherein the application software is configured to cause an action to occur in either this system or an external system upon the user selectively causing to display annotations within the display area,

wherein the action comprises one or more operations selected from;

applying a context-dependent indicator to the image data;

initiating a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

approving a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

rejecting a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

initiating a payment for a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

canceling a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

communicating transaction information to the external system;

receiving transaction information from the external system; and

displaying a next work item to the user in the display area on the client device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the manipulation includes at least two of zooming, panning and rotating of the unstructured data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the application software is configured to facilitate the manipulation by the user of unstructured data in the display area for detailed inspection, and facilitate the user selectively causing to display the annotations within the display area without requiring the additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring the scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the additional software further includes web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the application facilitates the user inserting one or more annotations within the display area.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the user inserting one or more annotations causes an action to occur in either this system or an external system.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein the image data is raw image data, and wherein the unstructured data does not include content providing an indication of a role played by the content in a document.

7. A method of providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

providing application software running on a first platform;

the application software enabling a standard web browser on a second platform separate from the first platform that accesses the software application to display information to the user in a display area on the second platform, without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the second platform and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the second platform, or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support;

wherein the application software facilitates manipulation by the user of unstructured data in the display area for detailed inspection without requiring the additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring the scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device;

wherein the manipulation comprises a user causing the application software to transform unstructured data to facilitate user inspection of the unstructured data, wherein the transforming comprises one or more of panning, zooming and rotating,

wherein the application software enables the user to selectively cause to display annotations within the display area without requiring the additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring the scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device,

wherein the application software is configured to cause an action to occur in either this system or an external system upon the user selectively causing to display annotations within the display area, and

wherein the action comprises one or more operations selected from;

applying a context-dependent indicator to the image data;

initiating a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

approving a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

rejecting a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

initiating a payment for a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

canceling a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

communicating transaction information to the external system;

receiving transaction information from the external system; and

displaying a next work item to the user in the display area on the client device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein structured data and the unstructured data are simultaneously output on a single page displayed by the web browser.

9. The method of claim 7, further including causing an action to occur in either the first platform or an external system as a result of the user inserting the one or more annotations within the display area.

34. The method of claim 7, wherein the structured data includes content comprising an indication of a role played by the content in a document.

10. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

wherein the application software is configured to allow a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform to display information to the user in a display area on the client device without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device,

wherein the additional software further includes web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support,

wherein the application simultaneously provides structured information and business document images within the display area;

wherein the manipulation comprises a user causing the application software to transform the structured information;

wherein the transforming comprises one or more of panning, zooming, and rotating,

wherein an action is caused to occur in either the server platform or an external system upon the user inserting one or more annotations within the display area, and

wherein the action comprises one or more operations selected from;

applying a context-dependent indicator to image data corresponding to the business document images;

initiating a business transaction relating to the structured information;

approving a business transaction relating to the structured information;

rejecting a business transaction relating to the structured information;

initiating a payment for a business transaction relating to the structured information;

canceling a business transaction relating to the structured information;

communicating transaction information to the external system;

receiving transaction information from the external system; and

displaying a next work item to the user in the display area on the client device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the external system is a standard packaged, off the shelf application, wherein the application simultaneously provides structured information and business document images on a same page of the web browser within the display area.

12. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

wherein the application software is configured to allow a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform to display information to the user in a display area on the client device, without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device, or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support;

wherein the application software is configured to,

(i) simultaneously provide structured information and business document images for output within the display area without requiring the additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring the scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device, or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support; and

,

(ii) facilitate manipulation by the user of unstructured data in the display area for detailed inspection without requiring the additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring the scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device, or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support; and

(iii) facilitate the user selectively causing to display annotations within the display area, and

wherein the structured information includes content comprising an indication of a role played by the content in a document,

wherein the unstructured data includes content lacking any indication of a role played by the content in the document,

wherein the action comprises one or more operations selected from;

applying a context-dependent indicator to the image data;

initiating a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

approving a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

rejecting a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

initiating a payment for a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

canceling a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

communicating transaction information to the external system;

receiving transaction information from the external system; and

displaying next work item to the user in the display area on the client device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the application software facilitates the user selectively causing to display annotations within the display area.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the application facilitates the user inserting one or more annotations within the display area.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the user inserting one or more annotations causes an action to occur in either this system or an external system.

35. The system of claim 12, wherein the document is depicted in at least one of the business document images.

36. The system of claim 13, wherein the content is in the form of a markup language.

37. The system of claim 14, wherein the manipulation comprises a user causing the application software to transform the unstructured data to more closely and accurately inspect the unstructured data,

wherein the additional software further includes web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support,

and

wherein the application software is further configured to:

validate input provided by the user with respect to one or more external systems including the external system;

display a list of choices within the display area based at least in part on evaluating data received from at least one of the external systems;

retrieve at least one of context-dependent information and context-dependent instructions from one or more of the external systems in real-time; and

display one or more of the context-dependent information and the context-dependent instructions within the display area based at least in part on evaluating a parameter selected from a group consisting of;

a user identity, a user personal preference, a transaction state, and one or more business transaction details.

16. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

wherein the server platform and the application software are configured to allow a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform to display information to the user in a display area on the client device, without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device, or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support;

wherein the application software is configured to

(i) simultaneously provide structured information and unstructured business document images on a same page within the display area;

(ii) facilitate manipulation by the user of the unstructured data on the page in the display area for detailed inspection, wherein the manipulation comprises transforming the unstructured data,

wherein the transforming comprises one or more of panning, zooming and rotating; and

,

wherein the structured information comprises content in the form of a markup language, and

wherein the application facilitates the user inserting one or more annotations within the display area;

wherein the application software is configured to cause an action to occur in either this system or an external system upon the user selectively inserting the one or more annotations within the display area, wherein the action comprises one or more operations selected from;

applying a context-dependent indicator to the image data;

initiating a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

approving a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

rejecting a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

initiating a payment for a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

canceling a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

communicating transaction information to the external system;

receiving transaction information from the external system; and

displaying next work item to the user in the display area on the client device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the user inserting one or more annotations causes an action to occur in either this system or an external system.

18. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

wherein the server platform and the application software are configured to allow a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform to display information to the user in a display area on the client device, without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device, or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support;

wherein the application software is configured to

(i) simultaneously provide structured information and an unstructured business document image on a same page within the display area;

(ii) facilitate the user performing one or more of transforming the structured information and inserting one or more annotations on the page within the display area, wherein the transforming comprises one or more of panning, zooming and rotating; and

(iii) conditionally present context-dependent information on the page within the display area,

wherein the system is configured such that inserting the one or more annotations causes an action to be performed in either this system or an external system,

wherein the action comprises one or more operations selected from;

initiating a business transaction relating to the unstructured information;

approving a business transaction relating to the unstructured information;

rejecting a business transaction relating to the unstructured information;

initiating a payment for a business transaction relating to the unstructured information

canceling a business transaction relating to the unstructured information;

communicating transaction information to the external system;

receiving transaction information from the external system; and

displaying next work item to the user in the display area on the client device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the user inserting one or more annotations causes an action to occur in either this system or an external system.

38. The system of claim 18, wherein the context-dependent information is presented based at least in part on evaluating at least one parameter selected from a group consisting of:

a user identity;

one or more business transaction-specific details;

a current state of a business transaction; and

one or more personal preferences of the user.

20. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

wherein the server platform and the application software are configured to allow a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform to display information to the user in a display area on the client device, without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device, or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support;

wherein the application software is configured to

(i) simultaneously provide structured information and business document images within the display area; and

,

(ii) facilitate the user inserting one or more annotations within the display area; and

(iii) facilitate manipulation by the user of the information, the manipulation being for the purpose of detailed inspection,

wherein an action is caused to occur in either this system or an external system upon the user inserting the one or more annotations within the display area,

wherein the information comprises one or more of;

structured information comprising content including an indication of a role played by the content in a document depicted in at least one of the business document images; and

unstructured information comprising content lacking any indication of a role played by the second content in the document, and

wherein the action comprises one or more operations selected from;

applying a context-dependent indicator to the image data;

initiating a business transaction relating to the unstructured information;

approving a business transaction relating to the unstructured information;

rejecting a business transaction relating to the unstructured information;

initiating a payment for a business transaction relating to the unstructured information

canceling a business transaction relating to the unstructured information;

communicating transaction information to the external system;

receiving transaction information from the external system; and

displaying next work item to the user in the display area on the client device.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the other systems external to the computer platform are running at least one standard packaged, off the shelf application, wherein the annotations are subject to security control, wherein only an authorized user can screen the annotations.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the application software provides one or more lists of valid choices based on data from another system external to the computer platform.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the application software validates information provided by the user with respect to data provided by another system external to the computer platform.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the application software facilitates manipulation by the user of unstructured data in the display area for detailed inspection.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the other systems external to the computer platform are running at least one standard packaged, off the shelf application, wherein the application program is configured to facilitate the user inserting the one or more annotations within the display area without requiring the additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring they scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device, or web browser plug-ins, extensions, enabled scripting language, enabled applet support or other enabled adjunct code support.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the applications software provides one or more lists of valid choices based on data from another system external to the computer platform.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the applications software validates information provided by the user with respect to data provided by another system external to the computer platform.

39. The system of claim 20,

wherein the information comprises both the structured information and the unstructured information.

28. A system for providing a graphical interface to a user, comprising:

a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon; and

,

wherein the server platform and the application software are configured to allow a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform to display information to the user in a display area on the client device without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device;

wherein the application software is configured to facilitate a user causing the application software to transform the unstructured data to facilitate user inspection of the unstructured data, the transforming comprising one or more of panning, zooming and rotating,

wherein the additional software comprises browser-supporting software,

wherein the application is configured to simultaneously provide structured information and business document images within the display area; and

,

wherein an action is caused to occur in either this system or an external system upon the user inserting one or more annotations, and

wherein the action comprises one or more operations selected from;

applying a context-dependent indicator to the image data;

initiating a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

approving a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

rejecting a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

initiating a payment for a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

canceling a business transaction relating to the unstructured data;

communicating transaction information to the external system;

receiving transaction information from the external system; and

displaying next work item to the user in the display area on the client device.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the applications software facilitates the user performing context-dependent actions related to a transaction associated with at least one of the structured information and the business documents, wherein the application prompts the user for context-dependent information related to the actions, and the context-dependent actions trigger operations in one or more other systems external to the computer platform.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the other systems external to the computer platform are running at least one standard packaged, off the shelf application.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the application software provides one or more lists of valid choices based on data from another system external to the computer platform.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein the application software validates information provided by the user with respect to data provided by another system external to the computer platform.

40. The system of claim 28, wherein the browser-supporting software is selected from a group consisting of plug-ins, scripting support, Java applets, and ActiveX controls.