Patent ID: 7472341
Filing Date: 2008-12-30
Classification: G06F,G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for workflow annotation of a workflow in a workflow system, the method comprising: responsive to a first GUI action, obtaining a workflow document from a document store; based on a workflow document key, obtaining one or more workflow annotation widgets from an annotation store, the annotation store comprising widget positioning information; presenting to a GUI display, the one or more workflow annotation widgets overlaid on the workflow document according to the widget positioning information; responsive to a second GUI action selecting a desired workflow annotation widget of the GUI displayed one or more workflow annotation widgets, retrieving, annotation data associated with the desired workflow annotation widget and a schema to which the annotation data conforms to, wherein the schema describes a structure associated with the annotation data, and wherein the annotation data and the schema are stored separate from each other in the annotation store; generating, in response to retrieving the annotation data and the schema, a corresponding annotation document comprising first information and first functionality, the workflow system configured to provide a first customized view and a second customized view of said corresponding annotation document, wherein the first customized view and the second customized view are automatically customized, without a user initiating a customization process for customizing the first customized view and the second customized view, with information based on a current workflow state of the workflow system, wherein the first customized view comprises any one of: 1) any one of first information or first functionality, or 2) not any one of second information or second functionality, wherein the second customized view comprises any one of 1) any one of the second information or the second functionality, or 2) not any one of the first information or the first functionality; wherein the first customized view is customized for one or more user roles such that elements of the corresponding annotation document are displayed differently for a first user role than for a second user role; wherein the first customized view comprises a first set elements and at least a second set of elements of the corresponding annotation document being displayed to a first user associated with the first user role, wherein the wherein the first set of elements are accessible by the first user, and wherein the first set elements and the at least second set of elements being displayed in a non-segregated manner, and wherein, second set elements are only accessible by at least a second user associated with the second role, wherein a padlock symbol is displayed next to the second set of elements when the second set of elements is being displayed to the first user indicating that only the at least second user has permission to access the second set of elements; wherein the second customized view comprises the first set of elements and the at least second set of elements being displayed to the at least second user, wherein the first set of elements is displayed with the padlock symbol indicating that only the first user is able to access the first set of elements, and wherein the padlock symbol is removed from the at least second set of elements when being displayed to the at least second user, wherein the second customized view further comprises at least a third set of elements of the corresponding annotation document that is dynamically displayed in the second customized view based on the at least second user viewing the corresponding annotation document, wherein the at least second set of elements and the at least third set of elements are both accessible, wherein the first set of elements, the at least second set of elements, and the at least thirst set of elements being displayed in a non-segregated manner; displaying a task list with the corresponding annotation document, the task list listing workflow tasks to be performed by a user, wherein a different task list is displayed based on a location of the annotation widget within the annotation document; creating the corresponding annotation document; relating the corresponding annotation document with the one or more annotation widgets; creating the workflow document key, the workflow document key relating the first annotation document with the document; associating a location of the document with the widget, the location for displaying the first annotation widget; saving the corresponding first annotation document and the workflow document in the annotation store; wherein the annotation document comprises one or more annotation structures, an annotation structure of said one or more annotation structures comprising a title field for prompting a user for annotation data, the annotation document further comprising a data entry field for receiving user provided annotation data; wherein the annotation document comprises one or more workflow notification annotation structures, a workflow notification annotation structure of said workflow annotation structures comprising a workflow title field, the workflow title field for prompting a user for a workflow action, the workflow notification annotation structure further comprising a workflow notification program for performing a workflow notification action; if it is determined that the workflow system is in a first workflow state, performing steps A) through D) comprising: A) presenting to the GUI display the first customized view of said corresponding annotation document; B) then, responsive to a third GUI action, any one of modifying said first information or selecting said first functionality of said corresponding annotation document; C) then, responsive to said any one of modifying said first information or selecting said first functionality, setting the workflow to a second workflow state and changing an appearance of the workflow annotation widget that has been selected while the workflow annotation widget is overlaid on the workflow document and changing a location of the workflow annotation widget on the workflow document in response to the any one of modifying said first information or selecting said first functionality; D) saving said corresponding annotation document in said annotation store; and if it is determined that the workflow system is in the second workflow state, presenting to the GUI display the second customized view of said corresponding annotation document; creating the corresponding annotation document; wherein responsive to the third GUI action, the workflow system performs a workflow action comprising transforming the workflow to a next workflow step; and notifying, in response to transforming the workflow to a next workflow step, a user associated with the next work flow step that the workflow has been transformed to the next workflow step via an instant message, a portion of data within the corresponding annotation document and a portion of an annotation within the corresponding annotation document, wherein when the user associated with the next work flow step opens the workflow document the user is notified of the next workflow step.