Method and system for accessing software-based systems

• US 8,204,920 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2002
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mood Enterprises Limited (CACI International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mood Enterprises Limited (CACI International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Smith, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): HICKS, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US10/119,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20020147713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,724 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707/100, 707/200, 709/223, 719/330
• US Class Current: 707/827
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/84 Mapping; Conversion

Abstract

A method for generating a system and, the system itself, which allows the selective access to and retrieval of data from a number of data resources. The system comprises a host system via which a user can make a request for data, and with reference to the request, the host system selects, using a series of activators held therein, those data resources, referred to as target systems, which are required to be accessed. The interface between the host and target systems and the generation and display of the retrieved data is controlled so as to provide the data to the user in the contextual format.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method providing contextual access to data via access of a host data system by a user, said method comprising the following steps:

defining a host system including computer hardware basis used by at least one user to access data, said computer hardware basis including a database in which data is held;

defining at least one process model within the host data system, and defining a plurality of elements within said process model;

defining at least one target data system to be selectively directly accessed via the user selection of an element of the process model in the host data system by selectively accessing and obtaining data directly from the target data system from the database;

creating an activator which specifies properties of the at least one target data system, said activator including a wrapper and a specification;

creating a wrapper having programmable elements that define interfaces between the at least one target system and said element in the process model in the host data system and which also defines the operation of the activator;

instantiating the activator for said element in the process model in the host data system and said at least one target system by adding values for the specification properties, creating a representation of the at least one target system with regard to said element in the process model in the host data system; and

the host data system includes in the computer hardware database, said process model to which the created representation of said at least one target data system is added and the user uses the host data system via the process model to access said at least one target system instance via the activator, by selecting an element to which the target system is linked, said activator controlling or manipulating the target data system from the host data system via the target system representation within the process model which presents data obtained from the computer hardware database to the user in a screen display, and wherein the process model is repeated for each of the elements of the process model for which a target system is required thereby generating a process model with a series of elements which can be user selected to access a specific target system linked thereto and wherein the target system representation formed in the host data system presents values and/or data obtained directly by the user selecting an element and the host data s stem includes a frame work and/or specification as to the presentation of the retrieved target system data which is dependent upon the particular target system from which it came.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein a specification generated for a new target system is generated by an already existing target system.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the activator includes control elements that allow control or manipulate the target system data content from the host data system.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the activator is stored in the computer hardware basis database of the host data system and persists with regard to the host data system and target systems in subsequent use of that activator.

5. The method according to claim 4 characterised in that the persistence of the activator causes the host data system when next used by the same user to commence use via the same activator from a location at which the activator was at in the previous use of the host data system.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said at least one target system is a protocol that brokers access to other target systems.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein said at least one target system acts as a representation of the host data system to provide an activator to utilized the host data system data with respect to the host data system and at least one target system.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein that the activator gives a dynamic representation of the host data system.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein said at least one target is itself said host data system, with its own set of activators and target systems.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein said host system is accessible to said activator, allowing the activator to modify the host system.

11. A computer implemented system providing access to a plurality of data resources, said system comprising:

data resources accessible by a user via a host data system, each of said data resources including a computer hardware basis database and identified as a target system connected to the host data system and represented on the host system as part of a process model, said process model including a plurality of elements;

at least one activator selected in response to user request criteria which specifies properties of the target data system;

identifying via information in the host data system, the target system to be accessed with reference to the specified properties of the target data systems;

a wrapper having programmable elements which defines the interfaces between the target data systems and the elements of the process model of the host data system and accesses data retrieved from computer hardware databases or a number of target systems selected with reference to the process model in a contextual manner, the host data system also being accessible to said activator, thereby performing control or manipulation of the target system from the host data system via the target system representation within the process model to present data obtained from one or more computer hardware databases to the user via a screen display; and

wherein the plurality of elements in the process model are each linked to a defined target system via the performance of the appropriate activator and wrapper for that element and the target system representation formed in the host data system presents values and/or data obtained directly by the user selecting an element and the host data system includes a frame work and/or specification as to the presentation of the retrieved target system data which is dependent upon the particular target system from which it came.

12. The system according to claim 11 wherein for each usage instance, the user request for each usage instance is analyzed and the appropriate target system or systems identified and accessed via the appropriate activator.

13. The system according to claim 11 wherein the activator includes control elements that allow control or manipulate the target system data content from the host system.

14. The system according to claim 11 wherein upon an instance of use by a user who has previously used the system for the same or a similar request the same activator is selected, said activator having stored data indicative of a criteria of the previous instance of use and said data persists for the new instance of use so as to preventing the user from having to start the usage from the same starting point as the previous use.

15. The system according to claim 14 wherein the persistence of the activator reduces user input when the host data system is next used by the same user to start commencement of use via the same activator from the location at which the activator was at in the previous use of the host data system.

16. The system according to claim 11 wherein that the host data system is accessible to the activator, causing the activator to modify the host system.

17. A system according to claim 11 wherein upon selection of a first activator, that activator searches for another activator in the host data system and when another activator is found instantiates the said another activator with values to provide the said another activator to be used in the host data system.

18. The system according to claim 11 wherein said at least one target system acts as a representation of the host data system to provide an activator to utilize the host data system data with respect to the host system and at least one target system.

19. A method for using a data access system;

said method comprising the following steps;

user accessing via a computer based access location a host data system and via said host data system further accessing to a number of data resources known as target systems, each of said target systems graphically represented within a process model on said host data system, said process model including a plurality of user selectable elements and each of said target systems being accessible via an element of the process model;

in response to a user request via an element, said data access system identifying, via information stored in the host data system, the target data systems which need to be addressed to meet the user requests; and

having identified said target systems, accessing the target data systems in accordance with defined interface procedures held in the host data system;

directly accessing the required data from the target systems and transferring the data to the host data system in a contextual and organised manner thereby controlling or manipulating the target system from the host data system via the target system representation within said process model using said activator, wherein the target system representation formed presents values and/or data obtained directly by the user selecting an element and the host data system includes a frame work and/or specification as to the presentation of the retrieved target system data which is dependent upon the particular target system from which it came.

20. The data access method according to claim 19 wherein said activator identifies the specific target systems which need to be referred to.

21. The data access method according to claim 19 wherein the defined procedures between the host system and identified target systems are defined within a wrapper.

22. The data access method according to claim 19 wherein the data from the target systems is provided to the user via the host data system within a framework generated by the host data system from data stored therein resulting in the retrieved data being placed in said framework.

23. The data access method according to claim 22 wherein that the host data system includes stored therein those features of the target system required to display data retrieved from the respective target system in the framework provided via a computer terminal used by the user.