System and method for project and process management by synchronizing custom objects between an application and external server

• US 9,565,246 B1
• Filed: 04/04/2014
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comindware Limited
• Original Assignee: Comindware Limited
• Inventors: Tsypliaev, Maxim V., Volynskiy, Peter E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Uzma
• Application Number:
  US14/245,130
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• 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

Abstract

A system for synchronizing Custom Objects between an application and an External server includes an application interfacing to a server for synchronizing standard objects supported by the application; a plurality of Custom Objects stored on the External server, wherein the Custom Objects are not supported by the application, the application interfacing to the External server for synchronizing Custom Objects; the application storing a plurality of standard objects. The standard objects are converted to Custom Objects types supported by the Custom Object manager. The application includes a Custom Object manager for managing the Custom Objects. At least one of the Custom Object type has a workflow. The Custom Objects include a discussion with a hierarchy of comments.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system for synchronizing Custom Objects between an application and an External server, the system comprising:

the application interfacing to a first server for synchronizing standard objects supported by the application;

a plurality of Custom Objects stored on the External server, wherein the Custom Objects are not supported by the application, the application interfacing to the External server for synchronizing Custom Objects,

wherein the first server and the External server are separately located;

the application storing a plurality of standard objects,

wherein the application includes a Custom Object manager for managing the Custom Objects and for synchronizing the Custom Objects with the External server,

wherein the External server synchronizes the Custom Objects across multiple clients,

wherein the standard objects are converted to Custom Object types supported by the Custom Object manager,

wherein the application synchronizes only the modified fields of the Custom Objects with the External Server,

wherein at least one of the Custom Object type includes a workflow that represents a structured sequence of actions, and

wherein the Custom Objects include a hierarchy of comments that includes comments posted in reply to other comments or as an addition to a discussion.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the Custom Object manager manages the workflow of at least one of the Custom Object types.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein managing the Custom Object includes any of editing properties of the Custom Object, task management, deleting and editing data of fields of the Custom Object, and editing the Custom Object workflow.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the Custom Objects are configurable for multiple Custom Sub-Objects for each Custom Object, and a structured reference to other Custom Objects.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the Custom Object changes are stored on the local storage if the External Server is not accessible.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the Custom Objects from the local data storage are synchronized with the External Server'"'"'s Custom Objects after a connection is established to the External Server.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising the local data storage for storing the Custom Object data for the last synchronization with the External Server.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein only the changed part of a Custom Object is synchronized with the External Server.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a change events listener module for detecting changes in the Custom Objects and application standard objects;

and

a save events listener module for detecting saves of the Custom Objects and the standard objects.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a read/write module for reading data out of the storage items and writing data reflecting the changed data and the saved data of the application items and Custom Objects into the storage items.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the application items, Custom Sub-Objects and Custom Objects are any of:

a structured reference to other Custom Objects in the application;

mail messages;

contacts;

tasks;

meetings;

appointments;

documents;

files;

images;

videos;

text;

discussion;

standard graphical primitives;

text messages;

contact groups;

journal entries;

forms;

notes; and

task requests.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein operations with the Custom Objects representing the workflow include any of transitioning from the one state of the workflow to another, adding a new state to the workflow, deleting a state from the workflow, linking workflow states, and attaching a document to the Custom Object.

13. A computer-implemented method for synchronizing Custom Objects between an application and an External server, the method comprising performing the following steps on a computer having a processor and a memory:

(a) checking for an attempt to save the Custom Objects,

wherein the Custom Objects are not supported by the application,

wherein at least some of the Custom Object types include a workflow that represents a structured sequence of actions, and

wherein the Custom Objects include the following;

(i) a hierarchy of comments posted by users in reply to other comments or in reply in a discussion,

(ii) configurability for an number of subtasks for each task, and

(iii) a structured reference to other Custom Objects in the application;

(b) managing the Custom Objects with a Custom Object manager using a graphical user interface and synchronizing the Custom Objects with the External server,

wherein the application synchronizes only the modified fields of the Custom Objects with the External Server, and

wherein the External server synchronizes the Custom Objects across multiple clients,

(c) managing the workflow using the Custom Object manager;

(d) converting any standard application items supported by the application to Custom Objects, wherein the standard application items are synchronized to a first server that is located separately from the External server;

(e) transferring the changed data of the Custom Objects to the External Server, if the Custom Objects or the workflow were modified, created or deleted.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising integrating a Custom Objects manager into the application for managing the Custom Objects and the workflow.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising storing the changes of the Custom Objects on the local storage if the External Server is not accessible for the application.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising synchronizing only the changed part of Custom Object and Custom Object workflow to the External Server.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising synchronizing the Custom Objects stored on the local data storage with the Custom Objects stored on the External Server after establishing a connection between the application and the External Server.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein, if a conflict of the data to be written to the External Server and of the stored data is detected, the saving of the data of a changed Custom Object to the External Server is cancelled.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein data defining the Custom Object types, workflow and business rules are represented by Subject-Predicate-Object (SPO) triples.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the triples are represented in any of N3, Turtle, XML, RDFa and N-Triples formats.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the workflow states are determined by the state machine.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

checking for changes of application items;

storing a list of changed fields of the application items, if changes are detected;

acquiring actual field values from the application items, if the changes are detected;

checking for save events in the application items;

sending the actual field values to an application server;

receiving update notifications from the application server;

receiving fields updated at the application server and new fields from the application server;

updating the application items with the received fields; and

synchronizing the application items with the application server.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

checking for save events in the application items;

storing a list of changed fields of the application items in local storage items, if changes are detected;

checking for changes in the local storage items;

updating the local storage items.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising checking whether changes made to an application item are meaningful.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising forming a list of changed fields of the Custom Objects, the list including only meaningful changed fields.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising checking whether changes made to the Custom Object are meaningful.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising forming a list of saved fields of the Custom Objects, wherein the list including only meaningful changed fields.

28. A system for synchronizing objects between application and an External server, the system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a computer program logic stored in the memory and executed on the processor, the computer program logic for implementing the steps of claim 13.