Facilitating access to multiple instances of a legacy application task through summary representations

• US 9,519,473 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2014
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ADVANCED BusinessLink Corporation
• Original Assignee: ADVANCED BusinessLink Corporation
• Inventors: Lategan, Christopher F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhao, Bing
• Application Number:
  US14/272,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20140325377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/51 Source to source
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/52 Binary to binary
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/66 of program code stored in read-only memory [ROM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/72 Code refactoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/74 Reverse engineering; Extracting design information from source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/76 Adapting program code to run in a different environment; Porting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/448 Execution paradigms, e.g. implementations of programming paradigms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 : Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 : Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 : for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 : Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 : Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 : Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 : Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 : Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 : Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Methods, systems, and techniques for supporting access to multiple copies of a legacy task are provided. When there are multiple copies of a task present, then instead of showing the output from a single task, the task workspace area displays task representation pictograms that represent the state and inform the user regarding each particular instance of that legacy task running on the host. The user can use the interface to perform various operations, including to start a new copy of the task, to end a copy of the task, and to select one of the copies for viewing. Example embodiments provide a Role-Based Modernization System (“RBMS”), which uses these enhanced modernization techniques to provide role-based modernization of menu-based legacy applications.

Claims

1. A method in a client computing system for facilitating access to multiple copies of a designated legacy task of a single instance of a hierarchical menu-based legacy application executing on a remote host computer system, wherein each legacy task including the designated legacy task corresponds to a code module accessible from a single menu or sub-menu item of the menu-based legacy application and wherein each of the multiple copies is a separate instance of the same designated legacy task of the single instance of the hierarchical menu-based legacy application, comprising:

receiving an indication of a request to copy the designated legacy task of the legacy application;

responsive to the received request, causing one or more separate sessions to be started with the multiple copies of the same designated legacy task of the single instance of the hierarchical menu-based legacy application, each copy of the designated legacy task executing on the remote host computing system and having an associated state;

upon receiving a request to access one of the multiple copies of the executing designated legacy task, displaying, in a single task workspace area, associated summary representations of each of the copies of the executing designated legacy task to facilitate user selection on the client computing system of a desired copy of the executing designated legacy task, each summary representation identifying the associated copy and identifying the associated state of the executing designated legacy task.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when input is received to indicate a selection of one of the displayed summary representations, displaying, in the single task workspace area, an output screen of the associated copy of the executing designated legacy task of the legacy application.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the received input is at least one of a user-defined hotkey sequence, a system defined hotkey sequence, a mouse event, or entry of a number.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the summary representations include text and/or graphics.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the summary representations include a title and information to identify a particular instance of the executing designated legacy task of the legacy application.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the summary representations include icons.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein a predetermined maximum number of copies of the designated legacy task are supported.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the maximum number of copies is 9.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the copies of the executing designated legacy task is an executing sub-task of the legacy task and the associated summary representations include a title that identifies the sub-task.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing content for controlling a client computing system to facilitate access to multiple copies of a designated legacy task of a single instance of a hierarchical menu-based legacy application executing on a remote host computer system, wherein each legacy task including the designated legacy task corresponds to a code module accessible from a single menu or sub-menu item of the menu-based legacy application and wherein each of the multiple copies is a separate instance of the same designated legacy task of the single instance of the hierarchical menu-based legacy application, by performing a method comprising:

receiving an indication of a request to copy the designated legacy task of the legacy application;

responsive to the received request, causing one or more separate sessions to be started with the multiple copies of the same designated legacy task of the single instance of the hierarchical menu-based legacy application, each copy of the same legacy task executing on the remote host computing system and having an associated state; and

upon receiving a request to access one of the multiple copies of the executing designated legacy task, displaying, in a single task workspace area, associated summary representations of each of the copies of the executing designated legacy task to facilitate user selection on the client computing system of a desired copy of the executing designated legacy task, each summary representation identifying the associated copy and identifying the associated state of the same executing legacy task.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, the method further comprising:

when a first input is received to indicate a selection of a first one of the displayed summary representations, displaying, in the single task workspace area, an output screen of the associated copy of the executing designated legacy task.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the received first input is at least one of a user-defined hotkey sequence, a system defined hotkey sequence, a mouse event, a keyboard shortcut, or entry of a number.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving second input to indicate a second one of the displayed summary representations; and

displaying in the single task workspace area the output screen of the copy of the executing designated legacy task associated with the second one of the displayed summary representations without losing state of the copy of the executing designated legacy task associated with the first one of the summary representations.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 wherein the summary representations include text and/or graphics.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 wherein the summary representations include at least one of a title, information to identify the particular instance of the executing designated legacy task of the legacy application, and/or icons.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 wherein the computer-readable medium is a memory of a computing system and the content is instructions for controlling a computer processor to perform the method.

17. A computer system configured to facilitate access to multiple copies of a designated legacy task of a single instance of a hierarchical menu-based legacy application executing on a remote host computer system, wherein each legacy task including the designated legacy task corresponds to a code module accessible from a single menu or sub-menu item of the menu-based legacy application and wherein each of the multiple copies is a separate instance of the same designated legacy task of the single instance of the hierarchical menu-based legacy application, comprising:

a memory; and

a module stored on the memory that is configured, when executed to;

receive an indication of a request to copy the designated legacy task of the legacy application;

responsive to the received request, cause one or more separate sessions to be started with the multiple copies of the same designated legacy task of the single instance of the hierarchical menu-based legacy application, each copy of the designated legacy task executing on the remote host computing system and having an associated state; and

upon receiving a request to access one of the multiple copies of the executing designated legacy task, display, in a single task workspace area, associated summary representations of each of the copies of the executing designated legacy task to facilitate user selection on a client computing system of a desired copy of the executing designated legacy task, each summary representation identifying the associated copy and identifying the associated state of the executing designated legacy task.

18. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the module includes instructions for execution in the memory of the computer system.

19. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the computer system is a client computing system that interacts with a remote computer system to cause the one or more sessions to be started with copies of the designated legacy task of the hierarchical menu-based legacy application.