DATA OBJECT ACCESS SYSTEM AND METHOD USING DEDICATED TASK OBJECT

• US 20070198571A1
• Filed: 01/03/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Tice, James R., Ferguson, John R., McKenna, Sean T., Kilarski, Ryszard, Spampinato, Lisa
• Granted Patent: US 7,818,291 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations

Abstract

A task management system for providing a graphically displayable worklist having one or more rows of work items, one or more of the work items each representing one or more data rows to be worked from one or more application data tables that are not a task object table of the task management system, the task management system comprising a task database having at least one task object, a first dedicated task object in said task database, said first dedicated task object having a second metadata associated therewith for graphically displaying information related to said first dedicated task object, a first view object having a first set of instructions for determining a first plurality of data rows of the one or more application data tables and a second set of instructions for creating a first association between each data row of said first plurality of data rows and said first dedicated task object, and a display generator for using said second metadata in initiating generation of display data representing a display image presenting a worklist, said worklist having a first one or more rows of application data table work items, each of said first one or more rows of application data table work items representing at least one data row of said first plurality of data rows.

Claims

1. A task management system for providing a graphically displayable worklist having one or more rows of work items, one or more of the work items each representing one or more data rows to be worked from one or more application data tables that are not a task object table of the task management system, the task management system comprising:

a task database having at least one task object;

a first dedicated task object in said task database, said first dedicated task object having a second metadata associated therewith for graphically displaying information related to said first dedicated task object;

a first view object having a first set of instructions for determining a first plurality of data rows of the one or more application data tables and a second set of instructions for creating a first association between each data row of said first plurality of data rows and said first dedicated task object; and

a display generator for using said second metadata in initiating generation of display data representing a display image presenting a worklist, said worklist having a first one or more rows of application data table work items, each of said first one or more rows of application data table work items representing at least one data row of said first plurality of data rows.

2. A task management system according to claim 1, wherein each task object of said at least one task object having associated therewith a first data related to one or more target objects requiring work and a first metadata for providing a graphical display of said each task object.

3. A task management system according to claim 1, wherein said display image comprises a first portion and a second portion, said first portion including said worklist and said second portion including additional data related to a first selected row of said first one or more rows of application data table work items when said first selected row is selected.

4. A task management system according to claim 3, wherein said additional data includes a data selected from the group consisting of a predetermined instruction for working said first selected row, a summary data reflecting information related to said first selected row, and any combination thereof.

5. A task management system according to claim 3, wherein said additional data includes a predetermined instruction for working said first selected row.

6. A task management system according to claim 1, further comprising a second dedicated task object in said task database, said second dedicated task object having a third metadata associated therewith for graphically displaying information related to said second dedicated task object, wherein said first view object has a third set of instructions for determining a second plurality of data rows of the one or more application data tables and fourth set of instructions for creating an second association between each data row of said second plurality of data rows and said second dedicated task object.

7. A task management system according to claim 6, wherein said display image further comprises a second one or more rows of application data table work items, each of said second one or more rows of application data table work items representing at least one data row of said second plurality of data rows.

8. A task management system according to claim 1, further comprising a display device for displaying said display image.

9. A task management system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more application data tables includes application configuration data objects for a first computer application.

10. A task management system according to claim 9, wherein said second metadata includes a fifth set of instructions for initiating generation of a second display image allowing a user viewing said second display image to configure said first computer application.

11. A task management system according to claim 9, wherein said first computer application is the task management system.

12. A task management system according to claim 1, wherein said first dedicated task object is limited to one instance in said task database.

13. A task management system according to claim 12, wherein said first dedicated task object includes a third association to a target object, said target object being a system object.

14. A task management system according to claim 1, wherein said second metadata includes instructions for arranging said work items of said worklist in a predetermined desired order.

15. A task management system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said first associations is between two or more data rows of said first plurality of data rows and said first dedicated task object.

16. A task management system according to claim 15, wherein said display image summary information related to said two or more data rows of said first plurality of data rows in at least one of said first one or more rows of application data table work items.

17. A computer-implemented method of providing a displayable worklist having one or more rows of work items, the method comprising:

generating a first dedicated task object in a task database of a task management system, said first dedicated task object having associated therewith a first metadata for generating a display image of information related to said first dedicated task object;

determining a first desired set of application data objects to be worked from one or more application data tables other than a task object table of said task management system;

associating each data object of said first desired set with said first dedicated task object; and

using said first metadata in initiating generation of data representing a display image, said display image including a worklist having a first plurality of rows, each of said first plurality of rows representing a different one of said first desired set of application data objects.

18. A computer-implemented method according to claim 17, further comprising using a display device to display said at least one display image.

19. A computer-implemented method according to claim 17, wherein said display image comprises a first portion and a second portion, said first portion including said worklist and said second portion including additional data related to a first selected row of said first plurality of rows when said first selected row is selected.

20. A computer-implemented method according to claim 19, wherein said additional data includes a data selected from the group consisting of a predetermined instruction for working said first selected row, a summary data reflecting information related to said first selected row, and any combination thereof.

21. A computer-implemented method according to claim 19, wherein said additional data includes a predetermined instruction for working said first selected row.

22. A computer-implemented method according to claim 17, further comprising:

generating a second dedicated task object in said task database, said second dedicated task object having a second metadata associated therewith for generating a display image of information related to said second dedicated task object;

determining a second desired set of application data objects to be worked from said one or more application data tables;

associating each data object of said second desired set with said second dedicated task object, wherein said display image further comprises a second plurality of rows, each of said second plurality of rows representing at least one data row of said second desired set.

23. A computer-implemented method according to claim 17, further comprising working one of said first plurality of rows to configure a first computer application.

24. A computer-implemented method according to claim 17, further comprising limiting said first dedicated task object to one instance in said task database.

25. A computer-implemented method according to claim 24, further comprising associating said first dedicated task object to a system object to limit said first dedicated task object to one instance.

26. A computer-implemented method according to claim 17, further comprising arranging said first plurality of rows in said worklist in a predetermined desired order.

27. A computer-implemented method according to claim 17, further comprising including in each association between said first dedicated task object and said first desired set an association to two or more data objects of said first desired set.

28. A computer-implemented method according to claim 27, wherein said using step

comprises displaying summary information related to said two or more data objects in a single row of said first plurality of rows.

29. A machine readable medium containing computer executable instructions implementing a method of providing a displayable worklist having one or more rows of work items, the instructions comprising:

a first set of instruction for generating a first dedicated task object in a task database of a task management system, said first dedicated task object having associated therewith a first metadata for generating a display image of information related to said first dedicated task object;

a second set of instruction for determining a first desired set of application data objects to be worked from one or more application data tables other than a task object table of said task management system;

a third set of instruction for associating each data object of said first desired set with said first dedicated task object; and

a fourth set of instructions for using said first metadata in initiating generation of data representing a display image, said display image including a worklist having a first plurality of rows, each of said first plurality of rows representing a different one of said first desired set of application data objects.

30. A computer-implemented method of using a task management system to access application data objects in one or more application data tables other than a task object table of the task management system, the method comprising:

selecting a view in the task management system, said view having instructions for determining a first desired set of application data objects from the one or more application data tables;

causing each data object of said first desired set to be associated with a dedicated task object of the task object table, said dedicated task object having associated therewith a first metadata including instructions for displaying information related to said dedicated task object; and

initiating generation of data representing a display image having a worklist including a plurality of rows of work items, each of said plurality of rows representing one data object of said first desired set.

31. A system for providing a displayable worklist having one or more rows of work items, the method comprising:

means for generating a first dedicated task object in a task database of a task management system, said first dedicated task object having associated therewith a first metadata for generating a display image of information related to said first dedicated task object;

means for determining a first desired set of application data objects to be worked from one or more application data tables other than a task object table of said task management system;

means for associating each data object of said first desired set with said first dedicated task object; and

means for using said first metadata in initiating generation of data representing a display image, said display image including a worklist having a first plurality of rows, each of said first plurality of rows representing a different one of said first desired set of application data objects.

32. A machine-executable task management system comprising:

a task database having one or more task objects, each of said one or more task objects having a target object attribute, said target object attribute associated with a target object to be worked using the machine-executable task management system; and

a dedicated task object in said task database, said dedicated task object having a target object attribute, said target object attribute associated with a non-workable object.

33. A machine-executable task management system according to claim 32, wherein said non-workable object is a system object.