Information manager method and system

• US 6,990,480 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2003
• Issued: 01/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Trancept Limited
• Original Assignee: Trancept Limited
• Inventors: Burt, F. N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kindred, Alford
• Application Number:
  US10/355,463
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 3, 707/6, 707/100, 707/103, 715/500.1, 715/509, 715/517, 715/530, 345/700, 345/762, 709/202
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A system and method for providing a single software package that performs and integrates the same informational tasks that people perform on paper is disclosed. The system includes a user interface called a Page which is a generalized representation of the automation of all classes of informational tasks. The system includes an Information Manager which maintains the informational relationships within which a User interacts with the system interface or the Pages. The system further includes a Control Structure to manage the Performance and interactions among the Pages.

Claims

1. An information management method comprising the following steps executed by a computer:

receiving a user definition of a first user-interface page containing one or more first page fields including a plurality of first page reference fields, and for each first page reference field a respective agent set vector;

receiving a user definition of multiple instances of the first user-interface page, wherein the user definition for each instance of the first user-interface page specifies a respective value for each first page field including a respective set of first page reference field values, wherein the respective set of first page reference field values uniquely distinguishes each instance of the first user-interface page from each other instance of the first user-interface page;

automatically storing each instance of the first user-interface page as a respective first page instance metaobject in a data storage medium without abstracting the instance of the first user-interface page into a database record, wherein each first page instance metaobject contains (A) first page attributes, including the agent set vector for each first page reference field, and (B) for each of the one or more first page fields, a respective first page field object that has (i) a value attribute that contains a field value, if any, that a user has entered into the first page field in the instance of the first page, (ii) a calculation attribute that contains a calculation if a calculation is assigned to the first page field, (iii) functional state attributes that cooperatively define a functional state of the first page field, and (iv) at least one appearance attribute that contains at least one appearance definition for the first page field; and

thereafter (i) receiving from a user a given set of first page reference field values for the first user-interface page and (ii) responsively retrieving from the data storage medium a given first page instance metaobject whose reference field values match the given set of first page reference field values, and displaying a corresponding instance of the first user-interface page, including all first page field values defined by the given first page instance metaobject,

whereby the user can readily retrieve a previously entered instance of the first user-interface page by simply entering the reference field values of the previously entered instance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user-interface page is an encapsulatable, binary object containing the first-page fields overlying a paper stock, wherein a user interfaces with the first user-interface page using the first-page fields, and wherein the first user-interface page automates informational tasks that a user may have to perform.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically storing each of the first user-interface page as a respective first page instance metaobject occurs during a run mode only once a user specifies a set of first page reference field values for the first page instance.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning to each first page instance metaobject a respective network address; and

using the network address of a given first page instance metaobject to access the given first page instance metaobject.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the user a request to change an appearance of a given first page field stored as a corresponding first page field object, and responsively changing at least one functional state attribute of the corresponding first page field object to reflect the change in appearance.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

notifying the user if changing the at least one functional state attribute of the corresponding first page field object would give rise to a loss of data content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent set vector for each first page reference field defines a category of values for the first page reference field, and wherein the agent set vector is assignable to other reference fields as well.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user definition of a second user-interface page containing one or more second page fields, wherein at least one of the second page fields contains a given calculation that references at least one first page field; and

performing the given calculation across all instances of the first page.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

placing a result of the calculation in the given second page field that contains the given calculation, for a user to see the result.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user definition of a second user-interface page containing one or more second page fields, wherein at least one of the second page fields contains a calculation that references at least one first page field;

performing the calculation in an instance of the second user-interface page; and

upon change in value of the first page field in an instance of the first user-interface page, sending the changed value to the instance of the second user-interface page to facilitate re-performance of the calculation.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user definition of a second user-interface page containing one or more second page fields including at least one second page reference field, wherein each of the at least one second page reference field has an associated agent set vector, and wherein at least a given one of the second page fields contains a given calculation that references at least one particular first page field;

receiving a user definition of at least one instance of the second user-interface page, including, for each instance of the second user-interface page, a value for each of the at least one second page reference field;

storing the at least one instance of the second user-interface page as a respective second page instance metaobject in a data storage medium without abstracting the instance of the second user-interface page into a database record, wherein the second page instance metaobject contains (A) second page attributes, including the agent set vector for each of the at least one second page reference field, and (B) for the given second page field, a given second page field object that has a calculation attribute that contains the given calculation; and

performing the calculation by a process comprising (i) selecting a given first page instance metaobject such that each reference field in the given first page instance metaobject has a value matching a value of a given reference field of the second page instance metaobject and shares an agent set vector with the given reference field of the second page instance metaobject, and (ii) carrying out the calculation using the value of each of the at least one particular first page field of the given first page instance metaobject.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user definition of a second user-interface page containing one or more second page fields, wherein at least one of the second page fields is a block state field and defines a calculation that references at least one first page field; and

performing the calculation by aggregating values from the first page field into rows of the block state field.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, if the second user-interface page has a particular reference field with an agent set vector matching an agent set vector of a particular reference field of the first user-interface page, then aggregating values from the first page field into rows of the block state field is done with respect to just instances of the first user interface page in which a value of the particular reference field of the first user interface page matches a value of the particular reference field of the second user interface page.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user definition of a second user-interface page containing one or more second page fields including at least one second page reference field having a corresponding agent set vector, wherein at least one of the second page fields has a calculation that contains a lookup expression pointing to at least a given first page field, wherein the given first page field is a block state field,

wherein the lookup expression provides a Boolean expression to evaluate against values in one or more columns of the given first page field in order to find a given row in which the Boolean expression is true, and it provides a calculation expression to evaluate using one or more values from one or more columns of the given row the first page field.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user definition of a new reference field for the first user-interface page; and

responsively (i) modifying each first page instance metaobject to include the new reference field and (ii) updating informational connections between page instances in view of the new reference field.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from a user a new definition of a first page field for the first user-interface page; and

responsively modifying each first page instance metaobject to include the new first page field.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from a user a request to delete a particular first page field from the first user-interface page; and

responsively modifying each first page instance metaobject to exclude the particular first page field.

18. An information management method comprising the following steps executed by a computer:

receiving a user definition of a first user-interface page containing one or more first page fields including a first page reference field, and for the first page reference field a corresponding agent set vector;

receiving a user definition of multiple instances of the first user-interface page, wherein the user definition for each instance of the first user-interface page specifies a respective value for each first page field including a respective first page reference field value, wherein the respective first page reference field value uniquely distinguishes each instance of the first user-interface page from each other instance of the first user-interface page;

automatically storing each instance of the first user-interface page as a respective first page instance metaobject in a data storage medium without abstracting the instance of the first user-interface page into a database record, wherein each first page instance metaobject contains (A) first page attributes, including the agent set vector for the first page reference field, and (B) for each of the one or more first page fields, a respective first page field object that has (i) a value attribute that contains a field value, if any, that a user has entered into the first page field in the instance of the first page, (ii) a calculation attribute that contains a calculation if a calculation is assigned to the first page field, (iii) functional state attributes that cooperatively define a functional state of the first page field, and (iv) at least one appearance attribute that contains at least one appearance definition for the first page field; and

thereafter (i) receiving from a user a given first page reference field value for the first user-interface page and (ii) responsively retrieving from the data storage medium a given first page instance metaobject whose reference field value matches the given first page reference field value, and displaying a corresponding instance of the first user-interface page, including all first page field values defined by the given first page instance metaobject,

whereby the user can readily retrieve a previously entered instance of the first user-interface page by simply entering the reference field value of the previously entered instance.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a user definition of a second user-interface page containing one or more second page fields, wherein at least one of the second page fields contains a given calculation that references at least one first page field; and

performing the given calculation across all instances of the first page.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

placing a result of the calculation in the given second page field that contains the given calculation, for a user to see the result.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a user definition of a second user-interface page containing one or more second page fields including at least one second page reference field, wherein each of the at least one second page reference field has an associated agent set vector, and wherein at least a given one of the second page fields contains a given calculation that references at least one particular first page field;

receiving a user definition of at least one instance of the second user-interface page, including, for each instance of the second user-interface page, a value for each of the at least one second page reference field;

storing the at least one instance of the second user-interface page as a respective second page instance metaobject in a data storage medium without abstracting the instance of the second user-interface page into a database record, wherein the second page instance metaobject contains (A) second page attributes, including the agent set vector for each of the at least one second page reference field, and (B) for the given second page field, a given second page field object that has a calculation attribute that contains the given calculation; and

performing the calculation by a process comprising (i) selecting a given first page instance metaobject such that the reference field in the given first page instance metaobject has a value matching a value of a given reference field of the second page instance metaobject and shares an agent set vector with the given reference field of the second page instance metaobject, and (ii) carrying out the calculation using the value of each of the at least one particular first page field of the given first page instance metaobject.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a user definition of a second user-interface page containing one or more second page fields, wherein at least one of the second page fields is a block state field and defines a calculation that references at least one first page field; and

performing the calculation by aggregating values from the first page field into rows of the block state field.

23. An information management method comprising the following steps executed by a computer:

receiving a user definition of a first user-interface page containing one or more first page fields;

receiving a user definition of an instance of the first user-interface page defining a respective value for each first page field;

automatically storing the instance of the first user-interface page as a first page instance metaobject in a data storage medium without abstracting the instance of the first user-interface page into a database record, wherein each first page instance metaobject contains (A) first page attributes and (B) for each of the one or more first page fields, a respective first page field object that has (i) a value attribute that contains a field value, if any, that a user has entered into the first page field in the instance of the first page, (ii) a calculation attribute that contains a calculation if a calculation is assigned to the first page field, (iIi) functional state attributes that cooperatively define a functional state of the first page field, and (iv) at least one appearance attribute that contains at least one appearance definition for the first page field,

wherein the first user-interface page does not include any reference fields,

wherein, because the first user-interface page does not include any reference fields, only one instance of the first user interface page can exist.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving a user definition of a second user-interface page containing one or more second page fields, wherein at least one of the second page fields contains a given calculation that references at least one first page field; and

performing the given calculation using the instance of the first page.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

placing a result of the calculation in the given second page field that contains the given calculation, for a user to see the result.