Intelligent information dashboard system and method

• US 20040225955A1
• Filed: 04/29/2004
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Ly, Sidney
• Application Number:
  US10/834,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20040225955A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/500
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

An intelligent information dashboard system is provided. The system collects, manages, and presents data and information to allow decision making from real-time information based on data from any number of sources. Three functional layers combine to create the intelligent information dashboard system. The top layer is a software application for designing and displaying the information. The middle layer is a data management layer for data propagation and aggregation. The bottom layer, the intelligent dashboard agent, is for data collection and processing. Because the intelligent information dashboard system includes functional layers, it can easily and quickly be adapted to present different information in any business application as desired or needed. In one example, the top layer of the intelligent information dashboard system is a web-based dashboard module for presentation of the information collected by intelligent dashboard agents and managed by a dashboard management layer.

Claims

1. A information presentation system comprising:

at least one intelligent dashboard agent module;

a data management module interoperably connected to the at least one intelligent dashboard agent module; and

at least one dashboard presentation module interoperably connected to the data management module.

2. The information presentation system of claim 1, wherein the at least one dashboard presentation module is a web-based application.

3. The information presentation system of claim 2, wherein the at least one dashboard presentation module is capable of presenting data or information in real-time.

4. The information presentation system of claim 1, wherein the at least one dashboard presentation module is capable of accepting input through a user input device or presentation module logic and providing a first signal based upon the input or logic to the data management module.

5. The information presentation system of claim 4, wherein the input is a correction, update, or selection of information.

6. The information presentation system of claim 4, wherein the data management module is capable of providing a second signal based upon the first signal to at least one intelligent dashboard agent module.

7. The information presentation system of claim 6, wherein said second signal is a command signal to control a manufacturing process or to adapt a business system.

8. The information presentation system of claim 4, wherein the data management module is capable of providing a third signal based upon the first signal to an external information device.

9. The information presentation system of claim 8, wherein the external information device is at least one selected from the group of a pager, a cellular phone, an email account, a wireless personal digital assistant, and an operator terminal.

10. The information presentation system of claim 8, wherein the data management module provides the third signal to the external information device by a transmission medium selected from the group of a wireline connection or a wireless transmission.

11. The information presentation system of claim 1, wherein the data management module is capable of propagating data from at least one intelligent dashboard agent module to at least one dashboard presentation module.

12. The information presentation system of claim 11, wherein the data management module is capable of establishing at least one data tunnel

13. The information presentation system of claim 12, wherein the data management module requires a password for the at least one dashboard presentation module to subscribe to at least one password-protected data tunnel.

14. The information presentation system of claim 12, wherein first and second dashboard presentation modules subscribe to at least one common and at least one different data tunnel.

15. The information presentation system of claim 1, wherein the data management module is capable of aggregating data from at least one intelligent dashboard agent module.

16. The information presentation system of claim 15, wherein the data management module is capable of establishing:

at least one data tunnel; and

at least one aggregated data tunnel, wherein the at least one aggregated data tunnel is generated by aggregating data from at least two data tunnels.

17. The information presentation system of claim 16, wherein a first hyper-aggregated data tunnel is generated by aggregating data from the at least one aggregated data tunnel and from at least a second data tunnel or aggregated data tunnel.

18. The information presentation system of claim 1, wherein the at least one intelligent dashboard agent module is capable of collecting and processing data.

19. The information presentation system of claim 18, wherein the at least one intelligent dashboard agent module processes data by filtering collected data or computing resultant data from collected data.

20. The information presentation system of claim 18, wherein the at least one intelligent dashboard agent module is capable of formatting data.

21. The information presentation system of claim 18, wherein the at least one intelligent dashboard agent module collects data from a manufacturing process or a business system.

22. The information presentation system of claim 21, wherein said business system is a security system.

23. The information presentation system of claim 1, further comprising:

a visual design module capable of selecting and organizing data and presentation objects and elements to create the at least one dashboard presentation module.

24. The information presentation system of claim 23, wherein the visual design module is capable of formatting selected data for presentation on the at least one dashboard presentation module.

25. A data system for a computer system having a plurality of functional layers, the data system comprising:

a data management module comprising a universal data collection system; and

at least one intelligent dashboard agent module interoperably connected to the data management module comprising at least one device or business data source.

26. The data system of claim 25, wherein the universal data collection system comprises a software kernel capable of administering the flow of data from data sources of an intelligent dashboard agent module and the data management module.

27. The data system of claim 26, further comprising a presentation module interoperably connected to the data management module.

28. The data system of claim 27, wherein the software kernel is capable of administering the flow of data from data sources of an intelligent dashboard agent module, through the data management module, to the presentation module.

29. The data system of claim 28, wherein the software kernel is capable of administering the flow of data from the presentation module, through the data management module, to an intelligent dashboard agent module.

30. The data system of claim 28, wherein the software kernel is capable of administering the flow of data from the presentation module, through the data management module, to an external information device.

31. The data system of claim 30, wherein the external information device is at least one selected from the group of a pager, a cellular phone, an email account, a wireless personal digital assistant, and an operator terminal.

32. The data system of claim 25, wherein the universal data collection system is capable of establishing at least on data tunnel through which data from at least one data source flows.

33. The data system of claim 32, wherein at least one data tunnel comprises an incoming data flow data valve.

34. The data system of claim 32, wherein at least one data tunnel comprises an outgoing data flow data valve.

35. The data system of claim 32, wherein a first data tunnel mirrors a second data tunnel.

36. The data system of claim 25, wherein the universal data collection system synchronizes data from a first data source with data from a second data source.

37. A method of providing intelligent information comprising the steps of:

collecting data from at least one source using at least one of a plurality of intelligent dashboard agent modules;

managing acquisition of the data that is collected using a data management module;

designing at least one presentation module for displaying the acquired data; and

displaying the acquired data on the at least one presentation module.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising the step of formatting the data that is collected.

39. The method of claim 37, further comprising the step of designing the at least one presentation module to process the acquired data.

40. The method of claim 37, further comprising the step of:

accepting input to the at least one presentation module from an input device.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising the steps of:

generating an input signal within the presentation module based upon the input by the input device; and

passing the input signal generated by the presentation module to the data management module.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising the steps of:

generating a response signal within the data management module based upon the input signal; and

passing the response signal generated by the data management module to an external information device or to an intelligent dashboard agent module.

43. The method of claim 39, further comprising the steps of:

generating a processing signal within the presentation module based upon the processing of the acquired data by the presentation module; and

passing the processing signal generated by the presentation module to the data management module.

44. The method of claim 43, further comprising the steps of:

generating a response signal within the data management module based upon the processing signal; and

passing the response signal generated by the data management module to an external information device or to an intelligent dashboard agent module.

45. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of managing acquisition of the data comprises the step of aggregating collected data from at least two sources to create an aggregated data tunnel.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the step of managing acquisition of the data further comprises the step of hyper-aggregating collected data from at least one aggregated data tunnel with collected data from another source or with another aggregated data tunnel to create a hyper-aggregated data tunnel.

47. A computer program product comprising a computer-useable medium having a computer-readable code embodied therein for presenting information on a computer display screen, the computer-readable code comprising:

a first intelligent agent code for collecting data from at least one source;

a second data management code for managing acquisition of the data that is collected;

a third design code for designing a presentation module for displaying the acquired data; and

a fourth presentation code for displaying the acquired data on the presentation module.

48. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein the first intelligent agent code comprises code for formatting the data that is collected

49. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein the fourth presentation code comprises code for processing the acquired data by the presentation module.

50. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein the fourth presentation code comprises code for accepting input to the presentation module.

51. The computer program product of claim 50, wherein the fourth presentation code comprises code for generating an input signal based upon the input and code for passing the input signal to the second data management code.

52. The computer program product of claim 51, wherein the second data management code comprises code for generating a response signal based upon the input signal and code for passing the response signal to an external information device or to an intelligent dashboard agent module.

53. The computer program product of claim 49, wherein the fourth presentation code comprises code for generating a processing signal based upon the processing of the acquired data and code for passing the processing signal to the second data management code.

54. The computer program product of claim 53, wherein the second data management code comprises code for generating a response signal based upon the processing signal and code for passing the response signal to an external information device or to an intelligent dashboard agent module.

55. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein the second data management code comprises code for aggregating collected data from at least two sources to create an aggregated data tunnel.

56. The computer program product of claim 55, wherein the second data management code comprises code for hyper-aggregating collected data from at least one aggregated data tunnel with collected data from another source or with another aggregated data tunnel to create a hyper-aggregated data tunnel.

57. A computer system used to present information comprising:

at least one agent module that collects data from a source coupled to a intelligent agent processor, wherein the intelligent agent processor is operative to collect data;

a management module that acquires the data from at least one agent module coupled to a data management processor, wherein the data management processor is operative to manage data;

at least one presentation module that displays the data on the display device coupled to a presentation processor, wherein the presentation processor is operative to display data and is coupled to a display device; and

at least one memory for storing data coupled to the intelligent agent, data management, or presentation processor.

58. The computer system of claim 57, wherein at least two of the intelligent agent, data management, and presentation processors are the same processor.

59. The computer system of claim 58, wherein the management module comprises a universal data collection system interoperably coupled to the at least one agent module and to the at least one presentation module.

60. The computer system of claim 58, wherein the management module comprises at least one data tunnel for transferring data from an agent module to the data management module.