Systems and methods for defining a simulated interactive web page

Abstract

The system includes a novel software application interactive representation modeling language, a software application ( 82 ) operative to use the modeling language to create, read and modify interactive representation models of the proposed applications, a memory ( 86 ) to store requirement data and interactive representation model data, a software application ( 92 ) operative to read and update the interactive representation model data across a computer network, a software application ( 76 ) operative to maintain a record of the requirements and to administer operation of the system, a software application ( 78 ) operative to render interactive representations of the proposed applications in browser readable format, a software application ( 82 ) operative to allow multiple instances of other applications to access interactive representation data and requirement data residing in the memory and a software application ( 84 ) operative to allow an individual user's interactions with the system to be broadcast across a networked system to other users.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . An interactive model development system comprising:
 at least one computing device;   a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, if executed by the at least one computing device, cause the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising:
 providing a plurality of primitives for use in developing an interactive representation model of the proposed application to simulate the proposed application, the plurality of primitives including at least:
 a radio button; 
 a check box; 
 a text area 
 a table; 
 a primitive configured to display variable data; 
 a master element; 
 
 providing a first user interface for display via which a user can select a primitive from the plurality of primitives, drag the selected primitive to a desired location in an interactive representation model design area, and drop the primitive at the desired location in the interactive representation model design area; 
 in response to the user's selection and dragging of a first primitive to a first location in the interactive representation model design area, causing the first primitive to appear at the first location; 
 providing a second user interface for display via which the user can edit properties associated with a primitive selected by the user from the interactive representation model design area; 
 in response to the user's edit editing of a first property associated with the first primitive, associating the edited first property with the first primitive; 
 providing a third user interface via which the user can lock at least one primitive of the interactive representation model to prevent alteration of a property associated with the at least one primitive; 
 locking the first primitive in response to a user locking instruction received via the third user interface; 
 providing a fourth user interface via which the user can specify conditional execution of at least one primitive of the interactive representation model, wherein the conditional execution relates to navigation to one or more pages of the interactive representation model for the proposed application; 
 in response to the user specifying a conditional execution of at least one primitive, associating a corresponding condition with the at least one primitive; 
 providing via a fifth user interface a page list, the page list comprising a list of pages associated with the interactive representation model for the proposed application; 
 providing a mechanism via which the user can cause data to be stored for use between pages of the interactive representation model; 
 storing interactive representation model information specified by the user; and 
 rendering the interactive representation of the proposed application in browser readable format based at least in part on inputs received via one or more of the first, second and fourth user interfaces. 
   
     
     
         3 . The interactive representation modeling apparatus as defined in  claim 2 , the operations further comprising:
 providing a user interface via which the user can cause at least one primitive to be hidden and hiding the at least one primitive in response to a user instruction to hide the at least one primitive;   accessing definitions of allowed relationships between two or more primitives,   wherein the definitions of the allowed relationships includes:
 allowed containment relationships; 
 allowed outbound connections, and 
 allowed inbound connections; 
   infer data types not explicitly defined by the user;   wherein the plurality of primitives includes:
 a primitive configured such that it can be referred to from multiple locations on multiple pages within the interactive representation model, and 
 a dynamic table primitive configured to be associated with content, wherein at least part of the content of the table primitive is determined at execution time of the interactive representation model; 
 (a) receiving a page request from a browser; 
 (b) composing a response to the request in the form of an HTML page; 
 (c) transmitting the response to the browser; and 
 (d) repeating (a)-(c) to provide the interactive representation of the proposed application. 
   
     
     
         4 . The interactive representation modeling apparatus as defined in  claim 2 , the operations further comprising:
 accessing definitions of allowed relationships between two or more primitives,   wherein the definitions of the allowed relationships includes:
 allowed containment relationships; 
 allowed outbound connections, and 
 allowed inbound connections; 
   infer data types not explicitly defined by the user;   wherein the plurality of primitives includes:
 a primitive configured such that it can be referred to from multiple locations on multiple pages within the interactive representation model, and 
 a dynamic table primitive configured to be associated with content, wherein at least part of the content of the table primitive is determined at execution time of the interactive representation model. 
   
     
     
         5 . The interactive representation modeling apparatus as defined in  claim 2 , the operations further comprising:
 (a) receiving a page request from a browser;   (b) composing a response to the request in the form of an HTML page;   (c) transmitting the response to the browser; and   (d) repeating (a)-(c) to provide the interactive representation of the proposed application.   
     
     
         6 . The interactive representation modeling apparatus as defined in  claim 2 , the operations further comprising enabling a user to make global changes to the interactive representation model via a first primitive. 
     
     
         7 . The interactive representation modeling apparatus as defined in  claim 2 , the operations further comprising generating a requirements report corresponding to the interactive representation model of the proposed application. 
     
     
         8 . The interactive representation modeling apparatus as defined in  claim 2 , the operations further comprising providing a user interface via which the user can cause at least one primitive to be hidden and hiding the at least one primitive in response to a user instruction to hide the at least one primitive. 
     
     
         9 . The interactive representation modeling apparatus as defined in  claim 2 , wherein a first of the plurality of primitives determines HTML content to display on execution of the interactive representation model. 
     
     
         10 . The interactive representation modeling apparatus as defined in  claim 2 , wherein a first of the plurality of primitives determines HTML content to display on execution of the interactive representation model based on an inbound data flow value. 
     
     
         11 . The interactive representation modeling apparatus as defined in  claim 2 , wherein a first of the plurality of primitives determines HTML content to display on execution of the interactive representation model based on a user defined action. 
     
     
         12 . The interactive representation modeling apparatus as defined in  claim 2 , the operations further comprising enabling multiple users to access and collaborate on the interactive representation model. 
     
     
         13 . A method of modeling a proposed application, the method comprising:
 providing, by a computer system comprising hardware, a plurality of primitives for use in developing an interactive representation model of the proposed application, the plurality of primitives including at least:
 a radio button; 
 a check box; 
 a text area 
 a table; 
 a primitive configured to display variable data; 
 a master element; 
   providing, by the computer system, a first user interface for display via which a user can select a primitive from the plurality of primitives, drag the selected primitive to a desired location in an interactive representation model design area, and drop the primitive at the desired location in the interactive representation model design area;   in response to the user's selection and dragging of a first primitive to a first location in the interactive representation model design area, causing, by the computer system, the first primitive to appear at the first location;   providing, by the computer system, a second user interface for display via which the user can edit properties associated with a primitive selected by the user from the interactive representation model design area;   in response to the user's edit editing of a first property associated with the first primitive, associating, by the computer system, the edited first property with the first primitive;   providing, by the computer system, a third user interface via which the user can lock at least one primitive of the interactive representation model to prevent alteration of a property associated with the at least one primitive;   locking the first primitive, in response to a user locking instruction received via the third user interface;   providing, by the computer system, a fourth user interface via which the user can specify conditional execution of at least one primitive of the interactive representation model, wherein the conditional execution relates to navigation to one or more pages of the interactive representation model for the proposed application;   in response to the user specifying a conditional execution of at least one primitive, associating, by the computer system, a corresponding condition with the at least one primitive;   providing via a fifth user interface a page list, the page list comprising a list of pages associated with the interactive representation model for the proposed application;   providing, by the computer system, a mechanism via which the user can cause data to be stored for use between pages of the interactive representation model;   storing, by the computer system, interactive representation model information specified by the user; and   generating, by the computer system, the interactive representation of the proposed application in browser readable format based at least in part on inputs received via one or more of the first, second and fourth user interfaces.   
     
     
         14 . The method as defined in  claim 13 , the method further comprising:
 providing a user interface via which the user can cause at least one primitive to be hidden and hiding the at least one primitive in response to a user instruction to hide the at least one primitive;   accessing definitions of allowed relationships between two or more primitives,   wherein the definitions of the allowed relationships includes:
 allowed containment relationships; 
 allowed outbound connections, and 
 allowed inbound connections; 
   infer data types not explicitly defined by the user;   wherein the plurality of primitives includes:
 a primitive configured such that it can be referred to from multiple locations on multiple pages within the interactive representation model, and 
 a dynamic table primitive configured to be associated with content, wherein at least part of the content of the table primitive is determined at execution time of the interactive representation model; 
 (a) receiving a page request from a browser; 
 (b) composing a response to the request in the form of an HTML page; 
 (c) transmitting the response to the browser; and 
 (d) repeating (a)-(c) to provide the interactive representation of the proposed application. 
   
     
     
         15 . The method as defined in  claim 13 , the method further comprising:
 accessing definitions of allowed relationships between two or more primitives,   wherein the definitions of the allowed relationships includes:
 allowed containment relationships; 
 allowed outbound connections, and 
 allowed inbound connections; 
   infer data types not explicitly defined by the user;   wherein the plurality of primitives includes:
 a primitive configured such that it can be referred to from multiple locations on multiple pages within the interactive representation model, and 
 a dynamic table primitive configured to be associated with content, wherein at least part of the content of the table primitive is determined at execution time of the interactive representation model. 
   
     
     
         16 . The method as defined in  claim 13 , the method further comprising:
 (a) receiving a page request from a browser;   (b) composing a response to the request in the form of an HTML page;   (c) transmitting the response to the browser; and   (d) repeating (a)-(c) to provide the interactive representation of the proposed application.   
     
     
         17 . The method as defined in  claim 13 , the method further comprising enabling a user to make global changes to the interactive representation model via a first primitive. 
     
     
         18 . The method as defined in  claim 13 , the method further comprising generating a requirements report corresponding to the interactive representation model of the proposed application. 
     
     
         19 . The method as defined in  claim 13 , the method further comprising providing a user interface via which the user can cause at least one primitive to be hidden and hiding the at least one primitive in response to a user instruction to hide the at least one primitive. 
     
     
         20 . The method as defined in  claim 13 , wherein a first of the plurality of primitives determines HTML content to display on execution of the interactive representation model. 
     
     
         21 . The method as defined in  claim 13 , wherein a first of the plurality of primitives determines HTML content to display on execution of the interactive representation model based on an inbound data flow value. 
     
     
         22 . The method as defined in  claim 13 , wherein a first of the plurality of primitives determines HTML content to display on execution of the interactive representation model based on a user defined action. 
     
     
         23 . The method as defined in  claim 13 , the method further comprising enabling multiple users to access and collaborate on the interactive representation model. 
     
     
         24 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
 providing a plurality of primitives for use in developing an interactive representation model of the proposed application, the plurality of primitives including at least:
 a radio button; 
 a check box; 
 a text area 
 a table; 
 a primitive configured to display variable data; 
 a master element; 
   providing a first user interface for display via which a user can select a primitive from the plurality of primitives, drag the selected primitive to a desired location in an interactive representation model design area, and drop the primitive at the desired location in the interactive representation model design area;   in response to the user's selection and dragging of a first primitive to a first location in the interactive representation model design area, causing the first primitive to appear at the first location;   providing a second user interface for display via which the user can edit properties associated with a primitive selected by the user from the interactive representation model design area;   in response to the user's edit editing of a first property associated with the first primitive, associating the edited first property with the first primitive;   providing a third user interface via which the user can lock at least one primitive of the interactive representation model to prevent alteration of a property associated with the at least one primitive;   locking the first primitive in response to a user locking instruction received via the third user interface;   providing a fourth user interface via which the user can specify conditional execution of at least one primitive of the interactive representation model, wherein the conditional execution relates to navigation to one or more pages of the interactive representation model for the proposed application;   in response to the user specifying a conditional execution of at least one primitive, associating a corresponding condition with the at least one primitive;   providing via a fifth user interface a page list, the page list comprising a list of pages associated with the interactive representation model for the proposed application;   providing a mechanism via which the user can cause data to be stored for use between pages of the interactive representation model;   storing interactive representation model information specified by the user; and   rendering the interactive representation of the proposed application in browser readable format based at least in part on inputs received via one or more of the first, second and fourth user interfaces.   
     
     
         25 . The computer-readable medium as defined in  claim 14 , the operations further comprising:
 providing a user interface via which the user can cause at least one primitive to be hidden and hiding the at least one primitive in response to a user instruction to hide the at least one primitive;   accessing definitions of allowed relationships between two or more primitives,   wherein the definitions of the allowed relationships includes:
 allowed containment relationships; 
 allowed outbound connections, and 
 allowed inbound connections; 
   infer data types not explicitly defined by the user;   wherein the plurality of primitives includes:
 a primitive configured such that it can be referred to from multiple locations on multiple pages within the interactive representation model, and 
 a dynamic table primitive configured to be associated with content, wherein at least part of the content of the table primitive is determined at execution time of the interactive representation model; 
 (a) receiving a page request from a browser; 
 (b) composing a response to the request in the form of an HTML page; 
 (c) transmitting the response to the browser; and 
 (d) repeating (a)-(c) to provide the interactive representation of the proposed application. 
   
     
     
         26 . The computer-readable medium as defined in  claim 14 , the operations further comprising:
 accessing definitions of allowed relationships between two or more primitives,   wherein the definitions of the allowed relationships includes:
 allowed containment relationships; 
 allowed outbound connections, and 
 allowed inbound connections; 
   infer data types not explicitly defined by the user;   wherein the plurality of primitives includes:
 a primitive configured such that it can be referred to from multiple locations on multiple pages within the interactive representation model, and 
 a dynamic table primitive configured to be associated with content, wherein at least part of the content of the table primitive is determined at execution time of the interactive representation model. 
   
     
     
         27 . The computer-readable medium as defined in  claim 14 , the operations further comprising:
 (a) receiving a page request from a browser;   (b) composing a response to the request in the form of an HTML page;   (c) transmitting the response to the browser; and   (d) repeating (a)-(c) to provide the interactive representation of the proposed application.   
     
     
         28 . The computer-readable medium as defined in  claim 14 , the operations further comprising enabling a user to make global changes to the interactive representation model via a first primitive. 
     
     
         29 . The computer-readable medium as defined in  claim 14 , the operations further comprising generating a requirements report corresponding to the interactive representation model of the proposed application. 
     
     
         30 . The computer-readable medium as defined in  claim 14 , the operations further comprising providing a user interface via which the user can cause at least one primitive to be hidden and hiding the at least one primitive in response to a user instruction to hide the at least one primitive. 
     
     
         31 . The computer-readable medium as defined in  claim 14 , the operations further comprising enabling multiple users to access and collaborate on the interactive representation model.