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  Workflow applicationsUSPTO Application #: 20070250335Title: Workflow applications Abstract: A facility is described for enabling workflow applications. The facility receives a request to identify an optimized resource list that identifies resources capable of performing a workflow process task. The workflow process task can be associated with a document type relating to a document associated with a workflow envelope. The workflow envelope can store multiple documents of at different document types. The facility includes a workflow engine and a simulation engine. The workflow engine performs workflow process tasks based on the tasks identified in the workflow envelope. The simulation engine can employ modeling and historical data from a workflow metrics data source to generate the optimized resource list and identify identifying resources matching the workflow process tasks identified in the workflow envelope. (end of abstract) Agent: Perkins Coie LLP Patent-sea - Seattle, WA, US Inventors: Brian Hodges, Colin Kinahan, Simon Orrell, Thomas Denny, Rick R. Roth, Christian Stephens, Thomas Brooks, Scott I. Tattrie, Marvin K. Lum, Kirk Slone, Eric Jobin, Daren Yong USPTO Applicaton #: 20070250335 - Class: 705001000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Data Processing: Financial, Business Practice, Management, Or Cost/price Determination, Automated Electrical Financial Or Business Practice Or Management Arrangement The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070250335. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE(S) [0001] This patent application claims the benefit of the assignee's U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/763,681, entitled "Workflow Application" and filed on Jan. 31, 2006; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/800,056, entitled "Data Binding For Workflow" and filed on May, 12, 2006; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/799,804, entitled "Workflow Simulator" and filed on May 12, 2006, which are hereby incorporated herein in their entireties by reference. BACKGROUND [0002] Computers have been networked to exchange data between them for decades. One important network, the Internet, comprises a vast number of computers and computer networks interconnected through communication channels. The Internet is used for a variety of reasons, including electronic commerce, exchanging information such as electronic mail, retrieving information and doing research, and the like. Many standards have been established for exchanging information over the Internet, such as electronic mail, Gopher, and the World Wide Web ("WWW"). The WWW service allows a server computer system (i.e., web server or web site) to send graphical web pages of information to a remote client computer system. The remote client computer system can then display the web pages. Each resource (e.g., computer or web page) of the WWW is uniquely identifiable by a Uniform Resource Locator ("URL"). To view a specific web page, a client computer system specifies the URL for that web page in a request (e.g., a HyperText Transfer Protocol ("HTTP") request). The request is forwarded to the web server that supports that web page. When that web server receives the request, it sends the requested web page to the client computer system. When the client computer system receives that web page, it typically displays the web page using a browser. A browser is typically a special purpose application program for requesting and displaying web pages. [0003] Currently, web pages are often defined using HyperText Markup Language ("HTML"). HTML provides a standard set of tags that define how a web page is to be displayed. When a user makes a request to the browser to display a web page, the browser sends the request to the server computer system to transfer to the client computer system an HTML document that defines the web page. When the requested HTML document is received by the client computer system, the browser displays the web page as defined by the HTML document. The HTML document contains various tags that control the display of text, graphics, controls, and other features. The HTML document may contain URLs of other web pages available on that server computer system or on other server computer systems. [0004] New protocols exist, such as Extensible Mark-up Language ("XML") and Wireless Access Protocol ("WAP"). XML provides greater flexibility over HTML. WAP provides, among other things, the ability to view web pages over hand-held, wireless devices, such as cell phones and portable computers (e.g. PDA's). All of these protocols provide easier ways to provide information to people via various data processing devices. Many other protocols and means for exchanging data between data processing device continue to develop to further aid the exchange of information. [0005] Computer networks can be employed to create and track workflows, such as by using workflow applications. Workflow applications manage or track documents and/or tasks through one or more workflow processes. Multiple people, components, and documents may be involved in completing a workflow process. Many workflow applications conventionally associate a single document with a workflow. As an example, a workflow application may associate a purchase order with one workflow and an invoice with a different, separate workflow, even though these workflows may be related. The purchase order and invoice may have different document types. As an example, the purchase order may be a word-processing document and the invoice may be a spreadsheet file. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0006] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating use of a simulation engine with a workflow engine in various embodiments. [0007] FIGS. 2-6 are user interface diagrams illustrating aspects of a user interface associated with a workflow facility in some embodiments. [0008] FIG. 7 is a user interface diagram illustrating a set of interactive canvases associated with the workflow envelope in various embodiments. [0009] FIG. 8 is a user interface diagram illustrating a user interface associated with a workflow application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0010] A workflow facility ("facility") for handling workflow processes is described. In various embodiments, the facility enables multiple document types to be associated with a workflow envelope. The workflow envelope associates primary documents, supporting documents, metadata, navigation interfaces, information search interfaces, workflow process management tools, metadata management tools, and other information, such as decision-making criteria a user provides. Documents can be dynamic or static. A dynamic document is a document that is dynamically created based on data stored outside the document. A workflow envelope can contain no documents in some cases, such as when designing or testing workflow applications. [0011] The workflow envelope can accumulate objects, such as documents, data, and metadata relating to the documents. The workflow envelope can accumulate these objects under user control or based on inputs received by a workflow application. Thus, the workflow envelope can accumulate documents in a single environment in the context of performing a specific workflow operation. As an example, when a workflow process involves reviewing and approving a document based on business criteria, the workflow envelope can contain data to cause the document to be routed to an appropriate person, enable that person to modify some portions of the document but not others, store information from the document into a database, and so forth. [0012] The facility can define a workflow envelope using an extensible markup language ("XML"), a predefined document collection object, references to existing documents, or a combination thereof. The workflow envelope is compatible with various operating systems, such as MICROSOFT WINDOWS or LINUX, and computing devices, such as client computing devices, server computing devices, and so forth. In some embodiments, a web service may provide workflow envelope services. Thus, an envelope can store workflow information such that a workflow application can determine workflow process interactions without resorting to executable components, such as dynamic link libraries. The following provides an example XML schema for a workflow envelope: TABLE-US-00001 <Workflow definition> .... normal workfow specification <Document Envelope> <Documents> <Document ID="" Name="" Date=""> ......content <Document> </Documents> </Document Envelope> </Workflow definition> [0013] Workflow tasks defined for a workflow envelope operate on documents in the workflow envelope, whether to just carry the documents to the next workflow task, or to modify the documents based on user input or some external set of conditions. Workflow envelopes may also have security attached to them so that they encrypt documents they contain, so that only those users with the appropriate credentials are allowed to open the documents. Once a user's access credentials are determined or verified and the user's role and task are defined, a component of the facility can communicate with a data source that propagates the workflow envelopes. The data source can provide forms, templates, and so forth. The component can direct the workflow based on form type or other identifier indicated in a header section of the pertinent workflow envelope. The component can set document disposition options in a document viewing pane and display the status of the workflow in a workflow pane. These panes are sections of windows providing graphical user interfaces associated with the facility. [0014] Components associated with the facility can retrieve information relating to workflows from a data source of pre-defined workflow forms and templates which propagates one or more individual workflow envelopes; direct workflow processes based on the type of document or form, or other identifier contained in the header section of the workflow envelope; set document disposition options on the document viewing page; and provide access to documents and data using a set of design canvases or application displays. Examples of design canvasses include an image or document viewer, a metadata/search canvas, and a workflow deployment and management canvas. The facility employs the image or document viewer design canvas to display the contents of documents, the metadata/search canvas to search for, display, or receive metadata relating to documents, workflow processes, and workflow envelopes. The components can also provide a development environment in which data sources and design tools for business applications can be used interactively with the viewer, metadata, and workflow canvases; facilitate development of workflow processes by enabling a drag and drop design canvas, inspection of data and program objects, and automated synchronization of changes in the workflow; enable access to multiple documents and data sources in a single, unified development environment; and provide a deployment environment for workflow applications by asserting constraints on the workflow environment at runtime, based on a user's role or rights that can be assigned programmatically. [0015] Conventionally, workflow applications are designed in one environment and deployed using another. Developers or users may employ different programming paradigms to design workflow applications than to deploy them. The facility unifies these disparate software design and programming paradigms. The facility can provide a unified environment that enables users to develop, deploy, and use workflow applications. Thus, this unified environment can provide features for document viewing, workflow process design and control, and characterization and application of metadata (or data) in the workflow. [0016] This unified environment can contain tools for workflow design and runtime deployment, and integrates with other deployment environments, such as Microsoft.RTM. SharePoint, and with third party development environments, such as Microsoft.RTM. Visual Studio. The workflow environment can accomplish this by using standards, such as XML, and by managing all of the viewer, metadata and data sources, and workflow processes, rather than by relying on custom programming of those third party deployment environments. Thus, the facility achieves rapid development of business process management (BPM) packages for multiple documents and workflow tasks in a single, unified environment. [0017] This results in a development and workflow deployment framework which may selectively create, read, update and delete data from external databases, such as an Oracle.RTM. 9i data store; selectively integrate (send and receive information) with middleware products, such as IBM MQ; store and retrieve documents (including images); parse XML files (such as authorization requests); integrate with external document services, such as those on an outbound fax server; and provide document-centric data operations, such as mail-merge functionality using letter or document templates. Simulation Engine and Workflow Application [0018] The workflow envelope is a working environment which also may be used interactively with a simulation engine as one of its components. Such a simulation engine may be used to model the workflow process to adapt, modify or otherwise control the workflow, such as in a predictive manner. Typically, such a simulation engine can evaluate environmental and task performance conditions and adapt the workflow to avoid errors or delays; optimize the workflow process; or function as a software and BPM design and testing tool to detect and correct errors in workflow applications, such as be used during interactive use with design canvases. The simulation engine can function as a service to provide optimization of resource information (including without limitation tasks such as user load balancing, task prioritization, choice optimization) using constraints, such as time, cost, or availability based on data provided by Business Activity Monitor (BAM) metrics. Resources can include hardware, software, people, and so forth. Such metrics can be stored and queried from an On Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) data cube. The simulation engine can determine that a particular type of task (e.g., document type) is backlogged and attempt to identify that additional resources may be required. The simulation engine can also predict resource availability, such as based on historical productivity or efficiency of a resource or schedule for the resource. As an example, a first data entry clerk may work from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and may be able to handle a task in 25 minutes, but a second data entry clerk may work from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and may be able to handle a task in 15 minutes. The simulation engine can analyze the availability of these resources to predict that an additional data entry clerk may be required at an identified time. [0019] Integration of the simulation engine may take the form illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating use of a simulation engine with a workflow engine in various embodiments. In illustrated embodiment, the simulation engine returns a list of optimal choices or settings that may be processed by the workflow application. Continue reading... Full patent description for Workflow applications Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Workflow applications patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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