Role-based portal to a workplace system

• US 7,653,688 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2003
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Bittner, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell; Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ford; Grant
• Application Number:
  US10/703,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,274 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229, 709/204, 707 2- 3, 707/9, 715/736, 715/742, 726 4- 6, 726/21, 726 27- 30
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A method includes storing a plurality of role data entries on a storage device coupled to a computer system, each role data entry corresponding to an assigned role of at least one of a plurality of individuals, each role corresponding to an enterprise with which the individual is associated and corresponding to a set of resources accessible through the computer system, receiving at the computer a resource request from one of the individuals, determining whether the requested resource is included in the set of accessible resources corresponding to the assigned role of the requesting individual, and selectively permitting access to the requested resource if the resource is determined to be in the set of resources corresponding to the assigned role of the requesting individual.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing a plurality of resource files on a storage device coupled to a computer system. each of the resource files comprising an accessible resource that comprises one or more of applications and data that are relevant to completion of a project;

storing a plurality of role data entries in an assigned role data file on the storage device coupled to the computer system, each role data entry corresponding to a role of a plurality of roles associated with the project, each role defining one or more of the resource files that are available for access through the computer system to an individual of a plurality of individuals working on the project if the individual is assigned to the role, two or more of the roles of the plurality of roles providing access to a common subset of the plurality of resource files;

receiving, at the computer system, a resource request submitted via a role-based portal displayed on a computer to a project participant who is one of the plurality of individuals and who has been previously assigned a participant role among the plurality of roles, the resource request comprising selection by the project participant of one or more of the accessible project resources within the role-based portal;

determining whether the one or more of the accessible project resources identified by the resource request is included in the set of accessible project resources corresponding to the participant role of the project participant;

selectively permitting access to the one or more of the accessible project resources only if the one or more of the accessible project resources is the one or more of the resource files defined by participant role of the project participant;

displaying a first role-based portal window on a user device of a project manager, the first role-based portal window comprising a launching area that includes a selectable collaboration option, a project selector display area that displays project progress information, and a project monitor area that displays information pertaining to all projects assigned to the project manager;

displaying a project folder in response to selection by the project manager of the collaboration option;

adding a new resource file representing an additional accessible resource to the plurality of resource files in response to dragging of an icon representing the additional accessible resource to the project folder;

detecting a change to an item in the common subset of the plurality of resource files; and

sending a message to the individuals to whom are assigned the two or more of the plurality of roles that provide access to a common subset to indicate the detected change.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an up-dated display window in a user portal window on a project participant Computer, the up-dated display window reflecting the detected change to the item, the displaying comprising determining the individuals to whom the two or more of the plurality of roles are assigned and to which to send the message to indicate the detected change, the determining the individuals to whom the two or more of the plurality of roles are assigned to which to send the message to indicate the detected change comprising;

identifying the two or more of the plurality of roles that are associated with the item; and

generating a list of the individuals to whom the two or more of the plurality of roles are assigned.

3. A method comprising;

storing a plurality of role data entries on a storage device coupled to a computer system, each role data entry corresponding to a role of a plurality of roles that is assigned to at least one of a plurality of individuals associated with a project, each role defining a set of accessible project resources that the at least one individual assigned to the role can access through the computer system, the set of accessible project resources comprising one or more resource files that each comprise an accessible resource comprising one or more of applications and data that are relevant to completion of the project;

receiving, at the computer system, a resource request from a project participant who is one of the plurality of individuals and who has been previously assigned a participant role among the plurality of roles;

determining whether a requested resource identified by the resource request is included in the set of accessible project resources corresponding to the participant role of the project participant;

selectively permitting access to the requested resource if the requested resource is in the set of accessible project resources defined by the participant role of the project participant;

displaying a first role-based portal window on a project manager computer of a project manager, the first role-based portal window comprising a launching area that includes a selectable collaboration option, a project selector display area that displays project progress information, and a project monitor area that displays information pertaining to all projects assigned to the project manager;

displaying a project folder in response to selection by the project manager of the collaboration option;

adding a new resource file representing an additional accessible resource to the plurality of resource files in response to dragging of an icon representing the additional accessible resource to the project folder; and

displaying to the project participant on a project participant machine a customized display window including at least one item of the set of accessible project resources corresponding to the participant role of the project participant, the customized display window having been customized by the project participant based on user input.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the customized display window corresponds to a previously customized display window.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

detecting a change to an item of the accessible project resources corresponding to the participant role of the project participant; and

sending a message to project participant to indicate the detected change.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

displaying an up-dated display window that reflects the detected change to the item of information.

7. A system comprising:

a first computer coupled to a storage device, the storage device storing a plurality of resource files, each of the resource files comprising an accessible resource that comprises one or more of applications and data that are relevant to completion of a project, the storage device also storing a plurality of role data entries in an assigned role data file, each role data entry corresponding to a role of a plurality of roles associated with the project, each role defining one or more of the resource files that are available for access through the first computer to an individual of a plurality of individuals working on the project if the individual is assigned to the role, two or more of the roles of the plurality of roles providing access to a common subset of the plurality of resource files;

a project manager device coupled to communicate with the first computer, the project manager device comprising a first display device displaying a first role-based portal window that comprises a launching area that includes a selectable collaboration option, a project selector display area that displays project progress information, and a project monitor area that displays information pertaining to all projects assigned to the project manager, the first role-based portal window displaying a project folder in response to selection by the project manager of the collaboration option and directing the first computer to add a new resource file representing an additional accessible resource to the plurality of resource files in response to dragging of an icon representing the additional accessible resource to the project folder;

a user device coupled to communicate with the first computer, the user device comprising a second display device displaying a second role-based portal window, the role-based portal window usable to send a resource request for a requested resource from a project participant who is one of the plurality of individuals and who has been previously assigned a participant role among the plurality of roles to the first computer; and

a role-based filter application executable by the first computer to determine whether the requested resource is included in the set of accessible project resources corresponding to the participant role of the project participant, the role-based filter application further executable to detect a change to an item in the common set of information and send to a message to a second set of user devices of individuals to whom the two or more of the plurality of roles are assigned to indicate the detected change.