Navigational interface for ERP system

Abstract

The present invention comprises a software system having a user-friendly navigational interface utilizing an hierarchical display of business documents based upon a dominant-subordinate relationship between the documents. In one embodiment, the documents are related through the use of keys, which define a relationship between the dominant and the subordinate documents. In conjunction with the selection of a specific document, the invention displays information related to that document. The information to be displayed can be custom defined by the user. In one embodiment, each user can define a unique set of data to be displayed. The invention further provides a means by which the underlying data can be easily edited from the hierarchical display. The present invention also allows the creation of expressions that will alert the user to predetermined conditions. The alert is displayed in conjunction with the hierarchical display of a document, but the expression may be defined by data not normally contained within the document. In one embodiment, each user can define a unique set of alerts for various documents based on conditions of particular interest to the user. The present invention further comprises a visual rendering of predefined expressions describing the progress of work related to a document. This rendering may be based on data not normally contained within the given document. In one embodiment, each user can define a unique set of progress expressions for various documents based on conditions of particular interest to the user.

1 . A software system comprising: 
 representations of a plurality of business documents;    means for relating the plurality of business documents;    means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein:    the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level, 
 at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,  
 the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,  
 each document instance node is: 
 (a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,  
 (b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and  
 (c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level of the same branch;  
 
 means for selecting a particular document instance node; and  
 means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node.  
   
   
   
       2 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein: 
 the system allows multiple end users to simultaneously access the software system; the system further comprising    means for uniquely identifying at least two end user classes;    means for defining, for at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes, an identification of information in a representation of a business document to be displayed for at least one representation of a business document when the document instance node associated with the representation of a business document is selected;    means for storing, for the at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes, the identification of information in a representation of a business document to be displayed for the at least one representation of a business document when the document instance node associated with the representation of a business document is selected;    such that the information displayed when a document instance node is selected is in accordance with the identified information stored for the at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes.    
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 2  wherein each of the at least one user classes comprises a unique end user.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 2  further comprising: 
 means for maintaining between software sessions, for the at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes, the identification of information in a representation of a business document to be displayed for the at least one representation of a business document.    
   
   
       5 . The system according to  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a point of interest expression; and    means for displaying a point of interest indicator for each document instance node in which the point of interest expression is met, wherein:    the software system allows multiple end users to simultaneously access the software system; and further comprising:    means for uniquely identifying at least two end user classes;    means for defining, for at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes, at least one point of interest expression,    means for storing, for the at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes, the at least one point of interest expression.    
   
   
       6 . The system according to  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a point of interest expression;    means for displaying a point of interest indicator for each document instance node in which the point of interest expression is met; and    means for maintaining between software sessions, the at least one point of interest expression.    
   
   
       7 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein: 
 the system includes means for defining a visual progress bar to be displayed when a particular document instance node is selected; and    means for displaying the visual progress bar for each document instance node for which a visual progress bar definition exists, wherein:    the software system allows multiple end users to simultaneously access the software system; and further comprising:    means for uniquely identifying at least two end user classes;    means for defining, for at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes, at least one visual progress bar definition;    means for storing, for the at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes, the at least one visual progress bar definition.    
   
   
       8 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein: 
 the system includes means for defining a visual progress bar to be displayed when a particular document instance node is selected; and    means for displaying the visual progress bar for each document instance node for which a visual progress bar definition exists, further comprising:    means for maintaining between software sessions, the at least one visual progress bar definition.    
   
   
       9 . The software system according to  claim 1  further comprising: 
 means for accessing a representation of a business document referred to by a document instance node;    means for launching the means for accessing from the display of a document instance node in the hierarchical tree structure.    
   
   
       10 . A software system comprising: 
 representations of a plurality of business documents;    means for relating the plurality of business documents;    means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein: 
 the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,  
 at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,  
 the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,  
 each document instance node is:  
 (a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch;  
 (b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;  
   means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and    means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node.    
   
   
       11 . The system according to  claim 10  wherein: 
 the system allows multiple end users to simultaneously access the software system; the system further comprising    means for uniquely identifying at least two end user classes;    means for defining, for at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes, an identification of information in a representation of a business document to be displayed for at least one representation of a business document when the document instance node associated with the representation of a business document is selected;    means for storing, for the at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes, the identification of information in a representation of a business document to be displayed for the at least one representation of a business document when the document instance node associated with the representation of a business document is selected;    such that the information displayed when a document instance node is selected is in accordance with the identified information stored for the at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes.    
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 11  wherein each of the at least one user classes comprises a unique end user.  
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 12  further comprising: 
 means for maintaining between software sessions, for the at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes, the identification of information in a representation of a business document to be displayed for the at least one representation of a business document.    
   
   
       14 . The system according to  claim 10  further comprising: 
 a point of interest expression, and    means for displaying a point of interest indicator for each document instance node in which the point of interest expression is met, wherein:    the software system allows multiple end users to simultaneously access the software system; and further comprising:    means for uniquely identifying at least two end user classes;    means for defining, for at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes, at least one point of interest expression,    means for storing, for the at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes, the at least one point of interest expression.    
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 14  further comprising: 
 means for maintaining between software sessions, the at least one point of interest expression.    
   
   
       16 . The system according to  claim 10  wherein: 
 the system includes means for defining a visual progress bar to be displayed when a particular document instance node is selected; and    means for displaying the visual progress bar for each document instance node for which a visual progress bar definition exists, wherein:    the software system allows multiple end users to simultaneously access the software system; and further comprising    means for uniquely identifying at least two end user classes;    means for defining, for at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes, at least one visual progress bar definition,    means for storing, for the at least one of the at least two uniquely identified end user classes, the at least one visual progress bar definition.    
   
   
       17 . A method of navigating to information from different types of business documents in a software system, the method comprising the steps of: 
 A) providing:    representations of a plurality of business documents;    means for relating the plurality of business documents;    means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein: 
 the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,  
 at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,  
 the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,  
 each document instance node is: 
 (a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,  
 (b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and  
 (c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;  
 
   means for selecting a particular document instance node; and    means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node;    B) selecting a first of the at least two document instance nodes that is in a level dominant the level of a second of the at least two document instance nodes, such that information associated with the first document instance node is displayed, and    C) selecting the second of the at least two document instance nodes which is in a level subordinate to the first of at least two document instance nodes, such that information associated with the second document instance node is displayed.    
   
   
       18 . A method for displaying information from representations of at least two different business documents of differing types comprising: 
 providing representations of at least first and second different business documents of differing types in a computer memory, said representations being related by a common key,    displaying, for the first and second representations of business documents, a dominant reference and a subordinate reference to the first and second representations of business documents in a manner that shows the dominant-subordinate relationship between the two references,    providing a document information display area,    selecting the dominant reference,    displaying information from the first business document in the information display area,    selecting the subordinate reference, and    displaying information from the second business document in the information display area.    
   
   
       19 . A computer based system for presentation of and navigation through stored information from difference business documents comprising: 
 representations of a plurality of business documents;    means for relating the plurality of business documents according to a previously established progression. the previously established progression defining the relationships between different types of business documents as they are encountered in a typical business environment and defining allowed navigation paths between the plurality of business documents.    means for displaying the previously established progression as a hierarchical tree structure off representations of business documents. the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein: 
 the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,  
 at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,  
 the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,  
 each document instance node is: 
 (a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,  
 (b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and  
 (c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;  
 
   means for selecting a particular document instance node; and    means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node.