Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for building an application interface

US6563522B1 · kind B1 · utility

19Cited by
8References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 14, 2000
Grant dateMay 13, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 14, 2020

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.