Common Interface Form Portal for Multi-Application Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face complexity when interacting with multiple applications that require different forms for various actions, as they need to navigate and request specific forms from each application, leading to increased interaction complexity.
Innovation Solution
A common interface is provided that uses mapping data to determine and display the specific form required based on action and class identifiers, allowing users to access forms from multiple applications with simplified navigation by specifying action and class identifiers, and optionally instance identifiers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users interact with multiple applications individually to access forms, then each application can provide its specific form functionality, but the interaction complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a form portal as an intermediary component that sits between users and multiple applications. This portal receives form requests, determines the appropriate application and form based on request parameters, and retrieves the requested form. This mediator approach allows users to access forms from multiple applications through a single unified interface, reducing interaction complexity while maintaining the ability to access diverse form functionality across different applications.
2Ease of operation
If a common interface is introduced to access forms from multiple applications, then interaction complexity is reduced, but the system architecture becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system into distinct functional components: a form portal layer for user interaction, a determination logic layer for routing decisions, and application layers for form execution. This segmentation allows the common interface to be implemented as a separate modular component rather than embedding complexity throughout the entire system. The form portal handles interface logic independently, making the system architecture more manageable and maintainable while providing simplified user access.
Solution Approach 2:
The form portal acts as an intermediary that manages the complexity of interacting with multiple applications. It implements the determination logic that analyzes request parameters, identifies the target application and form, and coordinates the retrieval process. By concentrating the interface management functionality in this dedicated intermediary component, the patent reduces the operational complexity for users while containing the architectural complexity in a single manageable module rather than distributing it across the entire system.
3Reliability
If users navigate to specific applications to request forms, then form retrieval is straightforward, but time is lost in navigation across multiple applications
Solution Approach 1:
The form portal performs preliminary determination of the target application and form before the user needs to access them. When a user submits a form request through the portal, the determination logic immediately analyzes the request parameters, identifies the appropriate application and form, and prepares the retrieval operation. This preliminary action eliminates the need for users to manually navigate through applications to find the correct form, significantly reducing navigation time while maintaining accurate form retrieval through the same determination process.
Data Source
AI summary
Simplifying interaction with multiple applications when using forms via a common interface. In one embodiment, a mapping data indicating the forms used for corresponding combinations of an action and a class of data is maintained. On receiving an action identifier and a class identifier from a user using a common interface, the specific form is determined from the mapping data based on the action and class identifiers. The specific form is then displayed to the user on a display. As a result, a user can quickly/directly access a desired form.