System to manage document workflows

• US 10,839,022 B1
• Filed: 11/01/2017
• Issued: 11/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Klein, Nathaniel, Deng, Huanqi, Whelan, Kevin, LeVan, Matthew, Okamoto, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Pyo, Monica M
• Application Number:
  US15/800,856
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 707608
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2272 Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols

Abstract

Example embodiments relate to a network-based workflow system, employed for receiving workflows, defining one or more data-object types based on the workflows, generating data-objects, assigning a workflow from among the one or more workflows to the data-object, and managing the data-object through various states of based on the workflow. As discussed, a “workflow” refers to orchestrated and repeatable patterns enabled by a systematic organization of resources into processes that transform and modify presentations of data-objects based on corresponding data-object states. A workflow may therefore comprise a set of states, wherein each state is linked to another state by one or more transitions, and wherein the transitions are associated with a set of events which may occur at each state.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a workflow definition at a server, the workflow definition comprising at least a data-object state and an identifier of a data-object type, the data-object state comprising a presentation configuration that corresponds to the data-object type;

assigning the workflow definition to the data-object type in response to the receiving the workflow definition that includes the identifier of the data-object type;

generating a presentation of a graphical user interface at a client device that includes a display of one or more user selectable options from among a plurality of user selectable options, the one or more user selectable options based on at least a user attribute of a user associated with the client device and including at least the identifier of the data-object type;

receiving a selection of the identifier from the client device, the selection including a user input through the graphical user interface;

generating a data-object to be displayed within the graphical user interface of the client device based on the selection of the identifier, and the presentation configuration associated with the data-object state that corresponds to the identifier; and

altering the presentation of the graphical user interface to include the data-object in response to the receiving the selection of the identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the workflow definition includes a set of data-object states, the set of data-object states including a first data-object state, and wherein the receiving the workflow definition includes:

assigning a set of user actions to the first data-object state, the set of user actions defining user actions performable upon the data-object by a user at the first data-object state;

receiving a first access control of the first data-object state, the first access control comprising user attributes and device attributes, and wherein the method further comprises;

generating the presentation of the data-object to be displayed at the client device of the user, the client device having at least a first device attribute, and the presentation of the data-object including a display of a portion of the set of user actions, the portion of the set of user actions based on the first device attribute, the user attribute of the user associated with the client device, and the first access control of the first data-object state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the presentation of the data-object includes:

receiving a user input, the user input defining a property of the data-object;

generating the data-object based on the selection of the identifier and the user input; and

generating the data-object based on the property.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises:

requesting a validation of the data-object from a validation account in response to the user input defining the property of the data-object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the workflow definition includes a set of data-object states, the set of data-object states including a first data-object state, and the generating the presentation of the data-object includes:

retrieving device attributes of a client device associated with the user in response to the receiving the selection of the identifier from the client device;

selecting a first data-object state from among the set of data-object states based on the device attributes; and

generating the presentation of the data-object based on the first data-object state.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the data-object includes:

retrieving user attributes of a user in response to the receiving the selection of the identifier;

selecting a first data-object state from among the set of data-object states based on the user attributes; and

generating the presentation of the data-object based on the first data-object state.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the workflow definition includes a set of data-object states, the set of data-object states including a first data-object state, the graphical user interface is presented at a client device associated with the user, and wherein the generating the data-object includes:

determining a location of the client device in response to the receiving the selection of the identifier;

selecting the first data-object state from among the set of data-object states based on the location; and

generating the presentation of the data-object based on the first data-object state.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

indexing the workflow definition and the data-object type within a data-object database, in response to the receiving the workflow definition that includes the identifier of the data-object type.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

presenting a data-object configuration interface in response to the receiving the selection of the identifier of the data-object type, the data-object configuration interface including a field to receive a user input to define one or more properties of the data-object;

receiving a user input through the field of the data-object configuration interface; and

wherein the generating the presentation of the data-object is based on the selection of the identifier and the user input that defines the one or more properties of the data-object.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the field is based on the data-object type.

11. A system comprising:

one or more processors of a machine; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor among the one or more processors, causes the machine to perform operations comprising;

receiving a workflow definition at a server, the workflow definition comprising at least a data-object state and an identifier of a data-object type, the data-object state comprising a presentation configuration that corresponds to the data-object type;

assigning the workflow definition to the data-object type in response to the receiving the workflow definition that includes the identifier of the data-object type;

generating a presentation of a graphical user interface at a client device that includes a display of one or more user selectable options from among a plurality of user selectable options, the one or more user selectable options based on at least a user attribute of a user associated with the client device and including at least the identifier of the data-object type;

receiving a selection of the identifier from the client device, the selection including a user input through the graphical user interface;

generating a data-object to be displayed within the graphical user interface of the client device based on the selection of the identifier, and the presentation configuration associated with the data-object state that corresponds to the identifier; and

altering the presentation of the graphical user interface to include the data-object in response to the receiving the selection of the identifier.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein workflow definition includes a set of data-object states, the set of data-object states including a first data-object state, and the instructions for receiving the workflow definition cause the system to perform operations further comprising:

assigning a set of user actions to the first data-object state, the set of user actions defining user actions performable upon the data-object by a user at the first data-object state;

receiving a first access control of the first data-object state, the first access control comprising user attributes and device attributes, and wherein the method further comprises;

generating the presentation of the data-object to be displayed at the client device of the user, the client device having at least a first device attribute, and the presentation of the data-object including a display of a portion of the set of user actions, the portion of the set of user actions based on the first device attribute, the user attribute of the user associated with the client device, and the first access control of the first data-object state.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions for generating the presentation of the data-object cause the system to perform operations further comprising:

receiving a user input, the user input defining a property of the data-object;

generating the presentation of the data-object based on the selection of the identifier and the user input; and

causing display of the presentation of the data-object based on the property.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions cause the system to perform operations further comprising:

requesting a validation of the data-object from a validation account in response to the user input defining the property of the data-object.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the workflow definition includes a set of data-object states, the set of data-object states including a first data-object state, the graphical user interface is displayed at a client device associated with the user, and the instructions for generating the data-object cause the system to perform operations further comprising:

retrieving device attributes of the client device associated with the user in response to the receiving the selection of the identifier;

selecting the first data-object state from among the set of data-object states based on the device attributes; and

generating the presentation of the data-object based on the first data-object state.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the workflow definition includes a set of data-object states, the set of data-object states including a first data-object state, the graphical user interface is displayed at a client device associated with the user, and the instructions for generating the data-object cause the system to perform operations further comprising:

retrieving user attributes of a user associated with the client device in response to the receiving the selection of the identifier from the client device;

selecting the first data-object state from among the set of data-object states based on the user attributes; and

assigning the first data-object state to the data-object.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the workflow definition includes a set of data-object states, the set of data-object states including a first data-object state, the graphical user interface is displayed at a client device associated with the user, and the instructions for generating the data-object cause the system to perform operations further comprising:

determining a location of the client device in response to the receiving the selection of the identifier from the client device;

selecting the first data-object state from among the set of data-object states based on the location; and

assigning the first data-object state to the data-object.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions cause the system to perform operations further comprising:

indexing the workflow definition and the data-object type within a data-object database, in response to the receiving the workflow definition that includes the identifier of the data-object type.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving a workflow definition at a server, the workflow definition comprising at least a data-object state and an identifier of a data-object type, the data-object state comprising a presentation configuration that corresponds to the data-object type;

assigning the workflow definition to the data-object type in response to the receiving the workflow definition that includes the identifier of the data-object type;

generating a presentation of a graphical user interface at a client device that includes a display of one or more user selectable options from among a plurality of user selectable options, the one or more user selectable options based on at least a user attribute of a user associated with the client device and including at least the identifier of the data-object type;

receiving a selection of the identifier from the client device, the selection including a user input through the graphical user interface;

generating a data-object to be displayed within the graphical user interface of the client device based on the selection of the identifier, and the presentation configuration associated with the data-object state that corresponds to the identifier; and

altering the presentation of the graphical user interface to include the data-object in response to the receiving the selection of the identifier.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the workflow definition includes a set of data-object states, the set of data-object states including a first data-object state, and wherein the instructions for receiving the workflow cause the machine to perform operations further comprising:

assigning a set of user actions to the first data-object state, the set of user actions defining user actions performable upon the data-object by a user at the first data-object state;

receiving a first access control of the first data-object state, the first access control comprising user attributes and device attributes, and wherein the method further comprises;

generating the presentation of the data-object to be displayed at the client device of the user, the client device having at least a first device attribute, and the presentation of the data-object including a display of a portion of the set of user actions, the portion of the set of user actions based on the first device attribute, the user attribute of the user associated with the client device, and the first access control of the first data-object state.