CONTENT-BASED USER INTERFACE, APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20110066951A1
• Filed: 09/14/2010
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aaron Olaf Louick Bauer, Anna Esther Min, Brian Patrick Green, Christopher Jacob Loer, Jeremy Scott Spiegel, Jesse Ward-Karet, John Edward Firebaugh, Michael Latham Ottum, Peter Benjamin Loer
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Min, Anna Esther, Bauer, Aaron Olaf Louick, Ottum, Michael Latham, WARD-KARET, Jesse, Green, Brian Patrick, Firebaugh, John Edward, Spiegel, Jeremy Scott, Loer, Peter Benjamin, Loer, Christopher Jacob
• Granted Patent: US 9,294,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/122 by minimising distances, e.g. by selecting a route with minimum of number of hops
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/64 using an overlay routing layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions

Abstract

A Policy- and Relevance-based User Interface (UI) for an enterprise suite Console provides a Console Operator access to information about systems on a network under management. By means of such UI, a user experience is dynamically constructed within product domains particular to the system under management using content elements that flow from content sites into the user environment, populating user interface and driving the Operator experience. Specifications distributed with the content determine how the local Console UI organizes and presents information. The UI is further determined by each Console operator'"'"'s content access rights. The UI allows for re-flowing the Console UI without reinstalling or updating the Console application, seamlessly integrating new content in to the UI and targeting language to specific working areas.

Claims

1. In a unified network management platform, a process for modifying a user interface in real time without changing locally-installed applications comprising:

receiving a plurality of content streams at a Console;

said Console determining which of said content streams have relevance to current conditions of use;

said Console creating a distinct interface tailored to each relevant content stream from a corresponding specification; and

said Console dynamically merging the distinct interfaces into a common interface in such a way that the relevant content streams are presented to a user in a unified manner.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein a content stream comprises a site, said site comprising a collection of related content distributed to subscribed entities, said sites further comprising information regarding their organization within the interface, including at least one of:

manner in which individual documents are combined, language used to content and how different sites are combined within a domain, a domain comprising an abstract, top-level container for multiple sites having related subject matter.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein said conditions of use comprise at least one of:

a user'"'"'s identity;

a user'"'"'s access level

a task; and

a network environment.

4. The process of claim 1, further comprising at least one of the steps of:

said Console integrating new content into a current interface by placing said new content within nodes previously defined in a domain specification;

said Console integrating new content that provides added function into an existing domain in a new node of a tree list; and

integrating new content into a newly-created domain.

5. The process of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

said platform automatically distributing a new domain to a subscribed customer; and

in real-time, said Console updating the interface to reflect the new domain specification.

6. The process of claim 1, comprising any of the steps of:

said Console displaying at least one Dashboard filter in said interface, a dashboard filter defined by information from at least one site;

said Console displaying at least one Tree List in said interface, a Tree List defined by information from at least one site;

said Console displaying at least one Content List in said interface, a Content List being driven by selections in said at least one Tree List; and

said Console displaying at least one Content Pane, a Content pane displaying content that can be selected either in a Content List or a Tree List.

7. The process of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

said Tree list providing containers for Content, content including one or more of Tasks and Folders.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein a Domain comprises a primary navigational element that drives one or both of Tree Lists and Dashboard Filters, each domain providing language and user interface elements that map directly to that particular problem domain;

and

wherein a site falls into more than one domain.

9. The process of claim 1, further comprising at least one of the steps of:

said platform controlling servers that send out content sites containing domain specifications that define how sites are combined into domains and how content is presented with domains;

a local server downloading content to which a customer is subscribed;

said Console granting access to an operator according to said operator'"'"'s profile; and

said Console only presenting those domains to an operator to which said operator has been granted access.

10. The process of claim 1, further comprising any of the steps of:

said Console displaying said content at different levels of detail according to a user'"'"'s profile;

when a particular user logs onto a system, said Console reflowing said user interface to display content relevant to said user.

11. The process of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

said Console displaying nodes and domains according to a numerical sort order; and

said Console displaying domains according to conditions, a condition comprising a relevance query that allows a domain specification to define when the particular domain should and should not be presented in said interface.

12. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

said Console displaying in said interface content that is automatically aggregated or generated by a decision support system (DSS).

13. The process of claim 12, wherein aggregating content by said DSS comprises at least one of the steps of:

converting data into meaningful information to support optimized systems and security operations, risk and compliance management for an enterprise, and supporting federation and reconciliation of data;

integrating and normalizing data across computers, allowing an organization to integrate and correlate information silos;

providing comparative and trended information to empower enterprise management to be able to see, act and optimize their systems and security;

framing aggregated information into specific views aligned w/ business, operations, risk, security and compliance environments;

drilling down by various dimensions for reports including one or more of;

in aggregate, by business unit, by asset, by geography class, and customer requirement;

adding business value parameters as to asset value, and network configuration context;

synthesizing asset, vulnerability, and threat data into risk assessment and remediation policy; and

distilling complex granular information synthesized for domain and role-specific consumers.

14. The process of claim 12, wherein generating content by said decision support system comprises the steps of:

said decision support system automatically generating polices for dissemination to endpoints in said platform;

said decision support system automatically generating polices for dissemination to Consoles in said Platform.

15. The process of claim 12, further comprising any of the steps of:

said DSS importing data from other sources;

said DSS converting data from other sources from one format to another format;

said DSS formatting and packaging data for export; and

said DSS exporting data.

16. The process of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

said DSS providing a reporting system that extracts data and formats said extracted data for use within a plurality of systems.

17. A computer program product for modifying a user interface in real time without changing locally-installed applications comprising in a unified network management platform comprising a tangible, computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable instructions embodied thereon for:

receiving a plurality of content streams at a Console;

said Console determining which of said content streams have relevance to current conditions of use;

said Console creating a distinct interface tailored to each relevant content stream from a corresponding specification; and

said Console dynamically merging the distinct interfaces into a common interface in such a way that the relevant content streams are presented to a user in a unified manner.

18. In a unified network management platform, an apparatus for modifying a user interface in real time without changing locally-installed applications comprising:

a processor programmed for receiving a plurality of content streams at a Console;

a processor programmed for determining which of said content streams have relevance to current conditions of use;

a processor programmed for creating a distinct interface tailored to each relevant content stream from a corresponding specification; and

a processor programmed for dynamically merging the distinct interfaces into a common interface in such a way that the relevant content streams are presented to a user in a unified manner.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein a content stream comprises a site, said site comprising a collection of related content distributed to subscribed entities, said sites further comprising information regarding their organization within the interface, including at least one of:

manner in which individual documents are combined, language used to content and how different sites are combined within a domain, a domain comprising an abstract, top-level container for multiple sites having related subject matter.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said conditions of use comprise at least one of:

a user'"'"'s identity;

a user'"'"'s access level

a task; and

a network environment.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a processor programmed for integrating new content into a current interface by placing said new content within nodes previously defined in a domain specification;

a processor programmed for integrating new content that provides added function into an existing domain in a new node of a tree list; and

a processor programmed for integrating new content into a newly-created domain.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

said platform automatically distributing a new domain to a subscribed customer; and

a processor programmed for in real-time, updating the interface to reflect the new domain specification.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, comprising any of:

a processor programmed for displaying at least one Dashboard filter in said interface, a dashboard filter defined by information from at least one site;

a processor programmed for displaying at least one Tree List in said interface, a Tree List defined by information from at least one site;

a processor programmed for displaying at least one Content List in said interface, a Content List being driven by selections in said at least one Tree List;

a processor programmed for displaying at least one Content Pane, a Content pane displaying content that can be selected either in a Content List or a Tree List.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

a processor programmed for providing containers for Content in said Tree List, content including one or more of Tasks and Folders.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein a Domain comprises a primary navigational element that drives one or both of Tree Lists and Dashboard Filters, each domain providing language and user interface elements that map directly to that particular problem domain;

and

wherein a site falls into more than one domain.

26. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising at least one of:

platform controlling servers that send out content sites containing domain specifications that define how sites are combined into domains and how content is presented with domains;

a local server downloading content to which a customer is subscribed;

granting access by said Console to an operator according to said operator'"'"'s profile; and

a processor programmed for only presenting those domains to an operator to which said operator has been granted access said Console.

27. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising any of:

a processor programmed for displaying said content by said Console at different levels of detail according to a user'"'"'s profile;

a processor programmed for, when a particular user logs onto a system, said Console reflowing said user interface to display content relevant to said user.

28. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a processor programmed for displaying nodes and domains by said Console according to a numerical sort order; and

a processor programmed for displaying domains said Console according to conditions, a condition comprising a relevance query that allows a domain specification to define when the particular domain should and should not be presented in said interface.

29. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

a processor programmed for displaying by said Console in said interface, content that is automatically aggregated or generated by a decision support system (DSS).

30. The apparatus of claim 29, comprising a processor programmed for aggregating content by said DSS, aggregating content by said DSS comprising at least one of converting data into meaningful information to support optimized systems and security operations, risk and compliance management for an enterprise, and supporting federation and reconciliation of data;

integrating and normalizing data across computers, allowing an organization to integrate and correlate information silos;

providing comparative and trended information to empower enterprise management to be able to see, act and optimize their systems and security;

framing aggregated information into specific views aligned w/ business, operations, risk, security and compliance environments;

drilling down by various dimensions for reports including one or more of;

in aggregate, by business unit, by asset, by geography class, and customer requirement;

adding business value parameters as to asset value, and network configuration context;

synthesizing asset, vulnerability, and threat data into risk assessment and remediation policy; and

distilling complex granular information synthesized for domain and role-specific consumers.

31. The process of claim 29, wherein generating content by said decision support system comprises the steps of:

said decision support system automatically generating polices for dissemination to endpoints in said platform; and

said decision support system automatically generating polices for dissemination to Consoles in said Platform.

32. The process of claim 29, further comprising any of:

a processor programmed for importing data from other sources by said DSS;

a processor programmed for converting data from other sources from one format to another format by said DSS;

a processor programmed for formatting and packaging data for export by said DSS; and

a processor programmed for exporting data by said DSS.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising:

a processor programmed for providing a reporting system by said DSS that extracts data and formats said extracted data for use within a plurality of systems.