Platform for authoring, storing, and searching workflows

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10083204-B2
Application number	US-201615173575-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2016
Priority date	Jul 21, 2015
Publication date	Sep 25, 2018
Grant date	Sep 25, 2018

Abstract

An authoring platform for authoring a client workflow includes an arrangement of shapes representing steps and connections representing relationships between the steps. Online content retrieved from an online resource may be associated with steps of the client workflow. An authoring service receives the client workflow from the client interface via a network and directs a graph database to store a database workflow corresponding to the client workflow. A search platform is provided for creating and searching workflows using a tag database taxonomy. An author creates a workflow wherein a tag is linked to a workflow item. The workflow is stored as a database workflow and a node in the database workflow representing the workflow item is linked to a node in the database taxonomy representing the tag. Multiple workflows are created in a similar manner to link the workflows to the database taxonomy to provide efficient searching of the workflows.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for searching workflows, the method comprising:
receiving, at a server computer, a search tag;
producing, at the server computer, a set of database queries for performing a search within a graph database based on the search tag, wherein the graph database stores a plurality of workflows and a tag taxonomy, each workflow includes a plurality of workflow item nodes, and the tag taxonomy includes a plurality of tag nodes representing a plurality of tags; and
sending the set of database queries to the graph database for execution.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the set of database queries directs the graph database to identify a matching tag node representing a tag matching the search tag.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the set of database queries further direct the graph database to traverse workflow item nodes linked to the matching tag node to identify workflow item nodes representing workflow items relevant to the search tag.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein:
workflow item nodes of a workflow comprise a workflow node representing the workflow and a step node representing a step of the workflow;
a first step node is linked to the matching tag node, the first step node representing a first step of a first workflow; and
the workflow items relevant to the search tag comprises the first step and the first workflow.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to receiving the search tag:
receiving, at the server computer, a first client workflow comprising a series of steps;
receiving a first tag for the first client workflow;
producing database queries for producing a first database workflow corresponding to the first client workflow, the first database workflow comprising a first workflow node representing the first client workflow;
generating linking queries for producing a link between the first workflow node and a first tag node in the tag taxonomy that represents the first tag; and
sending the database queries and the linking queries to the graph database.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to receiving the search tag:
receiving, at the server computer, a first client workflow comprising a series of steps;
receiving a first tag for a first step of the first client workflow;
producing database queries for producing a first database workflow corresponding to the first client workflow, the first database workflow comprising a first workflow node representing the first client workflow and a first step node representing the first step of the first client workflow;
generating linking queries for producing a link between the first step node and a first tag node in the tag taxonomy that represents the first tag; and
sending the database queries and the linking queries to the graph database.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein the first tag comprises a new tag not included in the tag taxonomy, the method further comprising:
producing additional queries for adding the first tag node to the tag taxonomy; and
sending the additional queries to the graph database.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the search tag is received from a web-based client interface via a network.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving, at the server computer, workflow items relevant to the search tag; and
sending, via the network, the workflow items relevant to the search tag to the client interface.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to search workflows by performing the steps of:
receiving, at a server computer, a search tag;
producing, at the server computer, a set of database queries for performing a search within a graph database based on the search tag, wherein the graph database stores a plurality of workflows and a tag taxonomy, each workflow includes a plurality of workflow item nodes, and the tag taxonomy includes a plurality of tag nodes representing a plurality of tags; and
sending the set of database queries to the graph database for execution.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the set of database queries further direct the graph database to identify a matching tag node representing a tag matching the search tag.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the set of database queries further direct the graph database to traverse workflow item nodes linked to the matching tag node to identify workflow item nodes representing workflow items relevant to the search tag.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein:
workflow item nodes of a workflow comprise a workflow node representing the workflow, a step node representing a step of a workflow, and a content node representing content associated with a step of a workflow;
a first content node is linked to the matching tag node, the first content node representing a first content associated with a first step of a first workflow; and
the workflow items relevant to the search tag comprises the first content, the first step, and the first workflow.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein a workflow comprises a series of steps for performing a process, the method further comprising:
receiving, at the server computer, workflow items relevant to the search tag, a workflow item comprising a workflow or a step of a workflow.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , further comprising, prior to receiving the search tag:
receiving, at the server computer, a first client workflow comprising a series of steps;
receiving a first tag for the first client workflow;
producing database queries for producing a first database workflow corresponding to the first client workflow, the first database workflow comprising a first workflow node representing the first client workflow;
generating linking queries for producing a link between the first workflow node and a first tag node in the tag taxonomy that represents the first tag; and
sending the database queries and the linking queries to the graph database.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , further comprising, prior to receiving the search tag:
receiving, at the server computer, a first client workflow comprising a series of steps;
receiving a first tag for a first step of the first client workflow;
producing database queries for producing a first database workflow corresponding to the first client workflow, the first database workflow comprising a first workflow node representing the first client workflow and a first step node representing the first step of the first client workflow;
generating linking queries for producing a link between the first step node and a first tag node in the tag taxonomy that represents the first tag; and
sending the database queries and the linking queries to the graph database.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the first tag comprises a new tag not included in the tag taxonomy, further comprising performing the steps of:
producing additional queries for adding the first tag node to the tag taxonomy; and
sending the additional queries to the graph database.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the search tag is receive

Assignees

• Autodesk Inc

Inventors

• Look Douglas
• Rubio Gonzalo
• Ganguly Arindam
• Wallace John
• Arnold Adam

Classifications

• G06Q10/103

  Workflow collaboration or project management · CPC title

• G06F17/30389 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06Q10/06 Primary

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• H04L67/42

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06F17/30873

  Physics · mapped topic