Contextual action publishing

• US 20060069666A1
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Tennisberg, Targo, Burke, Jonah Sarbin, Crow, Howard Morrison III
• Granted Patent: US 7,603,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A computing system for the publication of actions associated with the current context of an entity, such as a business object is provided. The computing system has a component that stores entities, a component that stores the actions associated with the entities, and a software component that provides information about the current context or contexts of an entity and actions associated with the current contexts of the entity. The computing system may further include a client system that requests and displays the actions associated with the current contexts of an entity. A method for contextual publication of actions associated with an entity is also provided. The method provides the current contexts of the entity. The method further provides the actions associated with the current contexts of the entity. Multiple user interfaces are provided for the management of and access to actions associated an entity.

Claims

1. A computing system for the publication of actions associated with the current context of an entity, comprising:

(a) a component for storing entities having at least one context;

(b) a component for storing actions associated with the entities, separate from the entities; and

(c) a software component coupled to the component of storing entities and the component for storing actions for providing information about the current context of an entity and the actions associated with the current context.

2. The computing system of claim 1, further comprising a client application for requesting the current context and the actions associated with the current context of the entity.

3. The computing system of claim 2, wherein the client application displays the actions associated with the current context of the entity.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the software component comprises:

(a) a context provider module that identifies the current context of the entity; and

(b) an action provider module that queries the component for storing actions and retrieves the actions associated with the current context of the entity.

5. The computing system of claim 4, wherein the software component further comprises multiple context resolvers, each of which returns a keyword reflecting a context.

6. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the software component integrates additional contexts provided by a third party.

7. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the component for storing actions integrates additional actions provided by a third party.

8. A computer-implemented method for the publication of actions associated with the current context of an entity, comprising:

(a) upon receiving a request for at least one context associated with an entity, providing the context; and

(b) upon receiving a request for actions associated with the current context of the entity, providing the actions.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein providing at least one context further comprises:

(a) obtaining information about at least one context; and

(b) creating an object instance for at least one context.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

creating a context hash object containing the object instance of at least one context.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein providing the actions further comprises:

(a) identifying keywords reflecting at least one context; and

(b) retrieving actions including the keywords as annotations.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein retrieving actions including the keywords as annotations further comprises retrieving actions including all and only the keywords as annotations.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein retrieving actions including the keywords as annotations further comprises retrieving actions including at least one of the keywords as an annotation.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising displaying the actions associated with the current context of the entity.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein providing at least one context further comprises:

(a) obtaining information about at least one context; and

(b) creating an object instance for at least one context.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

creating a context hash object containing the object instance of at least one context.

15. A computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for the publication of actions associated with the current context of an entity, the method comprising:

(a) upon receiving a request for at least one context associated with an entity, providing the context; and

(b) upon receiving a request for actions associated with the current context of the entity, providing the actions.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein providing the actions further comprises:

(a) identifying keywords reflecting at least one context; and

(b) retrieving actions including the keywords as annotations.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein retrieving actions including the keywords as annotations further comprises retrieving actions including all and only the keywords as annotations.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein retrieving actions including the keywords as annotations further comprises retrieving actions including at least one of the keywords as an annotation.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising displaying the actions associated with the current context of the entity.

22. A computer-implemented method for managing actions associated with an entity, comprising associating an action with the entity according to received input, upon receiving a request to associate the action with the entity.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein associating an action with the entity further comprises specifying the type of action.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein the type of action is “

Go to a Web Page.”

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein the type of action is “

Go to a Web Page (advanced).”

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein the type of action is “

Execute a custom action.”

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising modifying properties of an action associated with the entity according to received input, upon receiving a request to edit the action.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising adjusting properties of an actions Menu that publishes actions associated with the entity according to received input, upon receiving a request to manage the actions Menu.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein if the type of action is “

Go to a Web page,”

associating an action with the entity further comprises specifying a Web page URL and parameters according to received input.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein if the type of action is “

Go to a Web page (advanced),”

associating an action with the entity further comprises specifying Web page URL, parameters, and format strings according to received input.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein if the type of action is “

Execute a custom action,”

associating an action with the entity further comprises specifying the file name of a custom action according to received input.