Processing management information

DC CAFC

US 8,095,413 B1
Filed: 05/14/1999
Issued: 01/10/2012
Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1999
Status: Expired due to Fees

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1. A system for supporting management of a collaborative activity by persons involved therein, the persons not being specialists in information technology, the system being implemented using a processor and a storage device accessible to the processor, and the system comprising:

a representation of a model of the collaborative activity in the storage device, the model of the collaborative activity including model entities, the model entities providing access to information concerning the collaborative activity, being organized into a plurality of hierarchies having a plurality of types, and a given model entity being capable of simultaneously belonging to a hierarchy having one of the types and a hierarchy having another of the types; and

said processor being configured to provide a graphical user interface to a person of the persons for providing outputs to the person and responding to inputs from the person by performing operations on a model entity as limited by a type of access which the person has to the model entity, the operations including controlling access to the model entity, creating, modifying, and/or deleting the model entity, assigning the model entity to a location in a hierarchy, accessing and/or modifying the information concerning the collaborative activity via the model entity, viewing model entities as ordered by a hierarchy to which the entities belong, and viewing model entities as ordered by a value in the information concerning the collaborative activity to which the entities give access.

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Abstract

Management information is processed. A first set of computer data is acquired that represents a model of an organization of people having fundamental components, such as processes or capabilities, that are represented in the first set of computer data by data items. The first set of computer data is associated with a second set of computer data that represents a portfolio of management concepts, such as management goals. A report of management concepts is issued based on the second set of computer data and is sorted by fundamental component.

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21 Claims

1. A system for supporting management of a collaborative activity by persons involved therein, the persons not being specialists in information technology, the system being implemented using a processor and a storage device accessible to the processor, and the system comprising:
- a representation of a model of the collaborative activity in the storage device, the model of the collaborative activity including model entities, the model entities providing access to information concerning the collaborative activity, being organized into a plurality of hierarchies having a plurality of types, and a given model entity being capable of simultaneously belonging to a hierarchy having one of the types and a hierarchy having another of the types; and
  
  said processor being configured to provide a graphical user interface to a person of the persons for providing outputs to the person and responding to inputs from the person by performing operations on a model entity as limited by a type of access which the person has to the model entity, the operations including controlling access to the model entity, creating, modifying, and/or deleting the model entity, assigning the model entity to a location in a hierarchy, accessing and/or modifying the information concerning the collaborative activity via the model entity, viewing model entities as ordered by a hierarchy to which the entities belong, and viewing model entities as ordered by a value in the information concerning the collaborative activity to which the entities give access.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 21)
- - 2. The system set forth in claim 1 wherein:
    - the model further includes representations of further information that are related to certain of the representations of the model entities; and
      
      the graphical user interface further permits the person to access the representations of the related further information via the model entities to which the representations are related.
  - 3. The system set forth in claim 2 wherein:
    - the graphical user interface further permits the person to modify the further information.
  - 4. The system set forth in claim 3 wherein:
    - the further information is a document that is accessible to the system.
  - 5. The system set forth in claim 3 wherein:
    - the further information is a message sent to the person by another person.
  - 6. The system set forth in claim 4 wherein:
    - the further information is a discussion concerning the model entity among the persons.
  - 21. The system set forth in claim 1 wherein:
    - there is a plurality of types of model entities; and
      
      the graphical user interface shows a model entity'"'"'s type.

7. A data storage device, the data storage device being characterized in that:
- the data storage device contains a representation of a model of the collaborative activity in the storage device, the model of the collaborative activity including model entities, the model entities providing access to information concerning the collaborative activity, being organized into a plurality of hierarchies having a plurality of types, and a given model entity being capable of simultaneously belonging to a hierarchy having one of the types and a hierarchy having another of the types and a program which, when executed by the processor, provides a graphical user interface to a person of the persons for providing outputs to the person and responding to inputs from the person by performing operations on a model entity as limited by a type of access which the person has to the model entity, the operations including controlling access to the model entity, creating, modifying, and/or deleting the model entity, assigning the model entity to a location in a hierarchy, accessing and/or modifying the information concerning the collaborative activity via the model entity, viewing model entities as ordered by a hierarchy to which the entities belong, and viewing model entities as ordered by a value in the information concerning the collaborative activity to which the entities give access.

8. A method of supporting management of a collaborative activity by persons involved therein, the persons not being specialists in information technology and the method being performed in a system which includes a processor and a storage device accessible to the processor, the storage device containing a model of the collaborative activity, the model including representations of model entities, a given representation of a model entity being capable of simultaneously belonging to hierarchies including a hierarchy and another hierarchy, and the representations of model entities providing access to information relating to the collaborative activity, the processor providing an interface for a person of the persons, and the method comprising the steps performed in the system of:
- receiving a definition of a model entity belonging to the model of the collaborative activity from a person of the persons via the interface and responding thereto by producing a representation of the model entity in the storage device; and
  
  receiving a first indication of a first hierarchical relationship between the model entity and another model entity belonging to the hierarchy from the person via the interface and responding thereto by relating the model entity to the other model entity in the hierarchy andreceiving a second indication of a second hierarchical relationship between the model entity and a third model entity belonging to the other hierarchy from the person via the interface and responding thereto by relating the model entity to the third model entity in the other hierarchy.
- View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
- - 9. The method set forth in claim 8 further comprising the step of:
    - receiving an indication from the person via the interface that one or the other of the hierarchical relationships is to be shown in the interface and responding thereto by showing the indicated relationship in the interface.
  - 10. The method set forth in claim 8 wherein:
    - the hierarchy and the other hierarchy are different types of hierarchical relationships.
  - 11. The method set forth in claim 10 wherein the method further comprises the steps of:
    - receiving a third indication from the person via the interface of the type of hierarchical relationship to be used in displaying the model entity in the interface; and
      
      responding thereto by displaying the model entity in the interface using the indicated hierarchical relationship.
  - 12. The method set forth in claim 9 wherein:
    - the indicated hierarchical relationship is shown in the interface by displaying model entities as sorted by the relationship.
  - 13. The method set forth in claim 8 wherein the representation of the model entity includes a representation of information about the collaborative activity andthe method further comprises the steps of:
    - receiving a third indication of the model entity from the person via the interface;
      
      receiving a fourth indication of the information from the person via the interface; and
      
      responding thereto by producing the representation of the information in the interface as part of the representation of the model entity in the interface.
  - 14. The method set forth in claim 13 further comprising the steps of:
    - receiving a fifth indication from the person via the interface that the information in the representation of the information in the representation of the model entity is to be displayed; and
      
      responding thereto by showing the indicated information in the interface.
  - 15. The method set forth in claim 13 further comprising the step ofreceiving a sixth indication from the person via the interface that the information in the representation of the information in the representation of the model entity is to be modified;
    - andresponding thereto by permitting the person to modify the information.
  - 16. The method set forth in claim 13 further comprising the steps of:
    - receiving a sixth indication from the person via the interface that the model entities are to be sorted by values of the information in the representation of the information in the representation of the model entity; and
      
      responding thereto by showing the sorted model entities in the interface.
  - 17. The method set forth in claim 8 further comprising the steps of:
    - receiving a third indication from the person via the interface of a model entity;
      
      receiving a fourth indication that further information is to be related to the indicated model entity; and
      
      responding thereto by relating a representation of the further information to the representation of the indicated model entity.
  - 18. The method set forth in claim 17 further comprising the steps of:
    - receiving a fifth indication from the person via the interface that the further information related to the model entity is to be displayed; and
      
      responding thereto by showing the related further information in the interface.
  - 19. The method set forth in claim 18 further comprising the steps of:
    - receiving a sixth indication from the person via the interface that the further information related to the model entity is to be modified; and
      
      responding thereto by modifying the related further information.

20. A data storage device, the data storage device being characterized in that:
- the data storage device contains a model of the collaborative activity, the model including representations of model entities, a given representation of a model entity being capable of simultaneously belonging to hierarchies including a hierarchy and another hierarchy, and the representations of model entities providing access to information relating to the collaborative activity and further contains a program which, when executed by a processor, implements a method of supporting management of a collaborative activity by persons involved therein, the persons not being specialists in information technology, comprising the steps of;
  
  receiving a definition of a model entity belonging to the model of the collaborative activity from a person of the persons via the interface and responding thereto by producing a representation of the model entity; and
  
  receiving a first indication of a first hierarchical relationship between the model entity and another model entity belonging to the hierarchy from the person via the interface and responding thereto by relating the model entity to the other model entity in the hierarchy and receiving a second indication of a second hierarchical relationship between the model entity and a third model entity belonging to the other hierarchy from the person via the interface and responding thereto by relating the model entity to the third model entity in the other hierarchy.

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Litigation Data

Current Assignee
Virtualagility Incorporated
Original Assignee
Virtualagility Incorporated
Inventors
Beaven, Douglas F.
Primary Examiner(s)
Boswell, Beth V
Assistant Examiner(s)
MCPHILLIP, ADRIAN J

Application Number

US09/312,740
Time in Patent Office

4,624 Days
Field of Search

705/7, 705/9, 705/11, 705/7.38, 706/925, 706/934, 707/514, 434107-108
US Class Current

705/7.38
CPC Class Codes

G06Q 10/0637   Strategic management or ana...

G06Q 10/0639   Performance analysis of emp...

G06Q 10/10   Office automation; Time man...

G06Q 10/103   Workflow collaboration or p...

G06Q 30/0201   Market modelling; Market an...

H04L 41/0893   Assignment of logical group...

H04L 41/145   involving simulating, desig...

H04L 65/40   Support for services or app...

H04L 67/306   User profiles

Y10S 707/99931   Database or file accessing

Y10S 707/99932   Access augmentation or opti...

Y10S 707/99933   Query processing, i.e. sear...

Y10S 707/99936   Pattern matching access

Y10S 707/99939   Privileged access

Y10S 707/9994   Distributed or remote access

Y10S 707/99941   Database schema or data str...

Y10S 707/99943   Generating database or data...

Y10S 707/99944   Object-oriented database st...

Y10S 707/99945   Object-oriented database st...

Y10S 707/99952   Coherency, e.g. same view t...

Y10S 707/99953 : Recoverability

Y10S 707/99956 : File allocation

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Processing management information

First Claim

4 Assignments

Litigations

2 Petitions

Accused Products

Abstract

1592 Citations

21 Claims

Specification

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Processing management information

First Claim

4 Assignments

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Litigations

2 Petitions

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Accused Products

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Abstract

1592 Citations

21 Claims

Specification

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Use Cases

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