User interface methods and apparatus for rules processing

Abstract

The invention provides, in one aspect, a user interface method that includes processing one or more BPM or other rules with a rules engine executing on a server digital data processor. The rules engine generates, for presentation on a client device, a user interface having one or more display, input or other elements specified by those rules. Related aspects of the invention provide methods as described above in which the rules engine generates the user interface dynamically, e.g., selecting and/or configuring the elements that make up that interface concurrently with the client-server session during which the interface (e.g., web page or other user interface paradigm) is requested by, transmitted to, and/or presented by the client device. Further aspects of the invention provide such a method, where the rules engine generates the interface, e.g., web page, with embedded BPM or other rules that are executed by the client device and that support automated decision-making, e.g., in the manner of rules executed by the rules engine itself.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the invention may be attained by reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a digital data processing system of the type in which the invention is practiced;

FIG. 2 depicts further details of the server digital data processor used in the system of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting a method of operation of the system of FIG. 1.

Claims

1. A user interface method for digital data processing, comprising: A. processing, with a rules engine executing on a server digital data processor, one or more rules,B. generating, as a result of processing those one or more rules, a user interface having one or more display, input or other elements specified by those rules, andC. executing that user interface on a client device that is coupled to the server digital data processor by way of a network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (B) includes generating the user interface dynamically by selecting and/or configuring the elements that make up the user interface concurrently with an online session during which that interface is any of requested by, transmitted to, and/or executed by the client device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein i. step (B) includes generating, as the user interface, a web page, andii. step (D) includes executing the web page in a web browser executing on the client device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein step (B) includes dynamically generating the web page in accord with a context in which the page will be transmitted to and/or executed by the client device, and/or of the user on behalf of which the page will be executed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the context includes any of security permissions, age, and locale of the user on behalf of which the page is executed; a processor speed, display size, and keyboard capabilities, of the client device; and, a speed of connection between the client device and the server digital data processor.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein step (B) includes generating the web page to include any of scripts, controls or other codes embodying one or more rules selected and/or configured in accord with the aforesaid context.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein step (B) includes generating the web page to include any of scripts, controls or other codes that, when executed by the client device, cause one or more input fields, user selections and/or user gestures to be processed by the server.

8. A user interface method for digital data processing, comprising: A. processing, with a rules engine executing on a server digital data processor, one or more rules and generating, as a result of processing those one or more rules, a web page with one or more text input fields specified by those rules,B. displaying the web page on a client digital data processor,C. accepting from a user, via the client digital data processor, any of text, numeric or alpha-numeric data in at least a selected text input field, andD. processing the data accepted in step (C) on the server digital data processor, the processing step being executed any of prior to or without a submit action by the user with respect to the web page,E. where the processing step of step (D) is effected by logic incorporated on the web page other than by those rules that specified the text input fields.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein step (D) includes processing the data accepted in step (C) in the rules engine executing on the server digital data processor.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the submit action comprises any of i. selecting a submit button on the web page,ii. selecting a radio button on the web page,iii. selecting a checkbox on the web page,iv. striking an ENTER key on the client digital data processor while a focus of the client digital data processor is on any of the web page or an input field thereof.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein step (A) includes generating the web page on the server digital data processor with one or more output fields specified by one or more of the rules.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising displaying in at least a selected one of the output fields information generated by the server digital data processor in step (D), the displaying step being executed prior to or without said submit action by the user with respect to the web page.

13. The method of claim 12, where the displaying step is effected by logic incorporated on the web page other than as a result of processing of those rules that specified the text input or output fields.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein step (A) comprises generating the web page in a mark-up language that includes the aforesaid logic for effecting the processing of step (D).

15. The method of claim 14, wherein step (A) comprises generating the web page in HTML with JavaScript, or other scripts, controls or other codes for effecting the processing of step (D).

16. A user interface method for digital data processing-based business process management (BPM) rules execution, comprising: A. executing a rules engine on a server digital data processor and processing with that rules engine one or more BPM rules,B. responding to a request for a web page by a first client device by generating on the server digital data processor, as a result of processing said one or more BPM rules, a markup language stream for execution on the first client device, wherein the markup language streams include one or more display, input or other elements specified by those rules,C. responding to a request for the web page by a second client device by generating on the server digital data processor, as a result of processing said one or more BPM rules, a markup language stream for execution on the second client device, wherein the markup language stream includes one or more display, input or other elements specified by those rules,D. wherein the generating steps of (B) and (C) each include selecting and/or configuring the elements that make up the respective markup language streams based on a respective context in which each of those streams will be transmitted to and/or executed by the respective client device, and/or of the respective user on behalf of which the respective markup language streams will be executed,E. executing the respective markup language streams in web browsers of the respective client devices.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the context includes any of security permissions, age, and locale of the user on behalf of which the respective markup language streams is executed; a processor speed, display size, and keyboard capabilities, of the client device; and, a speed of connection between the client device and the server digital data processor.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the generating step of (B) and (C) include generating the markup language streams to include any of scripts, controls or other codes embodying one or more rules selected and/or configured in accord with the aforesaid contexts.