Method and apparatus for building an application interface
US6097382A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 12, 1998 |
| Grant date | Aug 1, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 12, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S715/968
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Embodiments of the invention comprise a design tool for designing an application interface. The design tool includes a graphical user interface (GUI) that visually represents a hierarchy of data and the relationships between the data. Thus, the design tool eliminates the need for an interface designer to have independent knowledge of the structure of the data (i.e., the data fields and relationships between the data). The design tool's GUI represents the data and the relationships between the data in a hierarchical display referred to as a data palette. An output hierarchy comprised of output levels is created as the user selects fields from the data palette to be displayed in the application's interface. When a data field is selected, the design tool automatically determines the appropriate interface component and output level of the output hierarchy using the relationships defined for the data. Output levels are associated with interface components that comprise the application's interface. Examples of interface components that can be used in the application's interface include a form, view and subband.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.