Patent ID: 7603657
Filing Date: 2009-10-13
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A system for generating application user interfaces and enabling customization of the user interfaces for each of a plurality of users, the system comprising: a personalization system including a personalization engine and a user profile interface, both integrated with at least one Internet application and operable with an integrated development environment (IDE) so as to enable a first or second user among the plurality of users to customize an application user interface including one or more user interface elements in conjunction with the at least one Internet application, the IDE comprising graphical features and user interface elements whose properties are defined in metadata which is retrievable via the personalization engine and user profile interface, the personalization engine being operable to access a page definition including metadata associated with at least one customizable functional property of a user interface element on an application user interface and receive through the user profile interface a request from the first user to modify a first functional property of a first user interface element of a first application user interface to be presented on the first user display, the personalization engine being further operable to store information for the modified first functional property as first personalization data for the first user to a data record associated with the first user and identified by the metadata, the personalization engine being further operable to receive a request from the second user to modify a second functional property of a second user interface element of a second application user interface to be presented on the second user display, the personalization engine being further operable to store information for the modified second functional property as second personalization data for the second user to a data record associated with the second user and identified by the metadata, the first user interface element and the second user interface element appearing substantially similar on their respective displays but the first functional property and second functional property being different; an Internet application server operable to execute at least one selected Internet application of a plurality of Internet applications, the Internet application server including a user interface generator operable to generate at least one application user interface for the selected Internet application, the Internet application server being operable to access the page definition and metadata in order to generate the at least one application user interface for the first user, the Internet application server being further operable to use the metadata to retrieve the data record for the first user and determine the first functional property for the first user interface element as specified by the first personalization data, the Internet application server being further operable to generate the at least one application user interface using the determined first functional property for the first user interface element for display on the first user display; a data repository including the data record for storing the first personalization data, the data record being accessible using the metadata, the data repository comprising a database management server; and a web server operable to, in response to receiving a request from the first user, deliver the at least one application user interface to the first user display, the at least one application user interface delivered to the first user display including the determined first functional property for the first user interface element, and deliver the at least one application user interface to the second user display in response to receiving a request from the second user, the at least one application user interface delivered to the second user display including the determined second functional property for the second user interface element, wherein the first and second user interface elements are displayable concurrently on the respective first and second user displays with the respective first and second functional properties, wherein each of the first and second users is able to modify specified interface elements of the at least one application user interface in order to personalize operation of the at least one application user interface in a way that is preferable for each of the first and second users.