System and method of integrating software components

• US 20030115370A1
• Filed: 12/18/2001
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Jacquin, Thierry, Gastaldo, Michel
• Granted Patent: US 6,973,655 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A system for integrating services in a system includes a plurality of services, wherein each service includes a software component associated with the system and provides at least one functionality. A user interface, such as a web browser, displays the plurality of services, wherein each service has a link associated with it for accessing the service directly. A scripting shell, responsive to selection of a first service and a second service from the plurality of services, pipes the first and second services together to form a scenario such that output from the first service is provided as input to the second service. A link may be associated with scenario for accessing the scenario directly.

Claims

1. A method of integrating services in a system, comprising:

providing a plurality of services, wherein each service comprises a software component associated with the system and provides at least one functionality;

displaying the plurality of services in a user interface, wherein each service has a link associated with it for accessing the service directly;

selecting a first service from the plurality of services;

selecting a second service from the plurality of services; and

piping the first and second services together to form a scenario such that output from the first service is provided as input to the second service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a link with the scenario for accessing the scenario directly.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a third service from the plurality of services; and

piping the first, second and third services together to form a second scenario, such that the output from the second service is provided as input to the third service.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a fourth scenario from the plurality of services; and

substituting the fourth service for the second service such that any of the output the first service, the second service or both the first service and the second service is provided as the input of the fourth service.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing input to the scenario and validating output from the scenario.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a browser and wherein each link comprises an http path from the browser to its corresponding service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a knowledge management system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a filter control comprising a plurality of selectable criteria, wherein the criteria refer to conditions defined for each of the services;

selecting at least one criteria in the filter control;

executing the filter control and displaying any results, wherein the results comprise a subset of the plurality of services.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of services comprise a hyperbolic tree view builder, a mail sender, a PDF converter, a search engine, a document summarizer, a database, a term extractor, a terms extractor, a translator, an image extractor and a dictionary.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each service includes a control panel for implementing the service and a filter control for selecting criteria pertaining to the service.

11. A system for integrating services system, comprising:

a plurality of services, wherein each service comprises a software component associated with the system and provides at least one functionality;

a user interface for displaying the plurality of services, wherein each service has a link associated with it for accessing the service directly; and

a scripting shell, responsive to selection of a first service and a second service from the plurality of services, for piping the first and second services together to form a scenario such that output from the first service is provided as input to the second service.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the scripting shell associates a link with the scenario for accessing the scenario directly.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the user interface comprises a browser and wherein each link comprises a http path from the browser to its corresponding service.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the system comprises a knowledge management system.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a filter control for selecting among a plurality of selectable criteria, wherein the criteria refer to conditions defined for each of the services, wherein, responsive to selection of at least one criteria in the filter control, the filter control generate a list of services from the plurality of services.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of services comprise a hyperbolic tree view builder, a mail sender, a PDF converter, a search engine, a document summarizer, a database, a term extractor, a terms extractor, a translator, an image extractor and a dictionary.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein each service includes a control panel for implementing the service and a filter control for selecting criteria pertaining to the service.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the system comprises a knowledge management system and the selectable criteria comprise vendor, name, model, serial number, manufacturer, version, location and domain.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for associating a service with the system.

20. A web portal comprising:

a plurality of services, wherein each service comprises a software component associated with a system and provides at least one functionality;

a web browser for displaying the plurality of services, wherein each service has an http link associated with it for accessing the service directly;

a scripting shell, responsive to selection of a first service and a second service from the plurality of services, for piping the first and second services together to form a scenario such that output from the first service is provided as input to the second service; and

means for associating a link with the scenario.

21. A method of accessing a service in a system, comprising:

providing a plurality of services, wherein each service comprises a software component associated with the system and provides at least one functionality;

displaying the plurality of services in a browser, wherein each service has an http link associated with it for accessing the service directly;

selecting a service from the plurality of services; and

accessing the service from the user interface.