Productivity application management

• US 8,973,017 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2004
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jolly Seven, Series 70 of Allied Security Trust I (Allied Security Trust)
• Original Assignee: James L. Rice III
• Inventors: Krutsch, Kenneth F., Berger, Michael, Rice, James L. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Qing
• Application Number:
  US10/751,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20040199922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,078 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-203, 709217-219, 709/227, 715/744, 715/760, 719/310, 719/313, 719/330
• US Class Current: 719/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method for managing third-tier productivity applications, as part of remote application deployment, consists of using a controlling program, called an AppController, to initiate the application launch which then allows otherwise incompatible programs to control and/or enhance the functionality of the productivity application by accepting commands transmitted using standard network communications protocols.

Claims

1. A method of programmatically managing a third-tier productivity application where a first-tier user accesses the third-tier productivity application over a network through a second-tier server running remote application access software, the method comprising the steps of:

a. initiating an application managing program in a third-tier process space;

b. said application managing program launching the third-tier productivity application in the third-tier process space;

c. passing user interface and user commands between the third-tier productivity application and a first-tier computer via the remote application access software;

d. transmitting a command from the second-tier server to the application managing program; and

e. the application managing program controlling the third-tier productivity application in accordance with the command received from the second-tier server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the command from the second-tier server to said application managing program comprises a command to load a data file into the third-tier productivity application.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data file is opened allowing only read-only access.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the application managing program consults a data store for data about the third-tier application, and wherein said data store contains information on a process by which the application managing program can control the third-tier productivity application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the command is an instruction to modify display attributes of the third-tier productivity application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the command is an instruction to toggle a run-time attribute of the third-tier productivity application.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the run-time attribute is chosen from a set including tracking user edits, showing changes to a data file, and, if the data file is a document, highlighting portions of the document.