Patent ID: 7370335

Claim:
A system for interfacing applications comprising computer executable software instructions stored on a computer readable memory, said computer executable software instructions operable to implement: a public application program interface (public API) layer useful for writing applications consistent with a set of heterogeneous vendor-specific workflow engines, wherein each workflow engine is a software program operable to manipulate content items in accordance with a process definition, wherein said public API layer includes a set of generic objects representing functional characteristics common to said set of heterogeneous vendor-specific workflow engines, wherein each of said set of generic objects is a self-contained data entity, wherein said set of generic objects comprises a generic process definition object, and wherein each of said set of heterogeneous vendor-specific workflow engines comprises an engine-specific application program interface (engine-specific API); and an API adapter layer having a plurality of adapters for translating instructions from said public API layer to vendor-specific instructions, wherein each adapter is configured to interface with an engine-specific API, and operable to map said set of generic objects to a set of native objects for a corresponding underlying workflow engine, and wherein each of said plurality of adapters is operable to translate said generic process definition object into a native process definition object for said corresponding underlying workflow engine.