Method and system for registering software systems and data-sharing sessions

1. A method for registering software systems in data-sharing sessions based on data-sharing session definitions, each data-sharing session definition having a priority value assigned thereto to create a prioritized data-sharing session definition, each prioritized data-sharing session definition defining a data-sharing session in which multiple independent software systems share data values for semantically-identified data items and request data items that they need based on the semantics of the data items, wherein the prioritized data-sharing session definition with the highest priority value has the highest priority, and relative values of the priority values specify the relative priorities of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions, the method comprising:

storing, in storage of a computer system, a set of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions, each of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions identifying a set of software system types permitted to participate in data-sharing sessions governed by said prioritized data-sharing session definition;

receiving a participant registration request from a first software system;

upon receiving said participant registration request, determining a priority value for each of a first subset of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions, and then identifying a selected prioritized data-sharing session definition in said first subset having the highest priority according to the priority value of said selected prioritized data-sharing session definition that was determined upon receiving said participant registration request; and

in response to said identification of said selected sharing session definition, registering said first software system in one of said data-sharing sessions corresponding to said selected prioritized data-sharing session definition.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first subset of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions corresponds to said prioritized data-sharing session definitions identifying one of said software system types corresponding to said first software system.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said computer system limits participation in each said data-sharing session to one of each said software system type identified in said prioritized data-sharing session definition governing said data-sharing session, and further comprising, prior to said registering:

creating a new one of said data-sharing sessions governed by said one selected prioritized data-sharing session definition if there is an absence of said data-sharing sessions governed by said one selected prioritized data-sharing session definition in which said first software system can be registered.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said determining comprises:

retrieving said priority values associated with said first software system.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said priority values are also associated with a user role.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein said priority values are also associated with a time period.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein said priority values are also associated with a user.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein said determining comprises:

identifying a second subset of said first subset of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions associated with said data-sharing sessions having capacity for said first software system; and

increasing at least some of said priority values for said second subset.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein said determining comprises:

identifying a third subset of said first subset of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions associated with said data-sharing sessions in which other software systems of said software system type of said first software system are registered; and

decreasing at least some of said priority values in said third subset.

10. The method of claim 4 , wherein said determining comprises:

identifying a fourth subset of said first subset of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions associated with said data-sharing sessions having capacity for said first software system and in which at least one other software system of a key software system type is registered; and

increasing at least some of said priority values for said second subset.

11. The method of claim 4 , wherein said determining comprises:

identifying a fifth subset of said first subset of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions associated with said data-sharing sessions having capacity for said first software system and in which key indicator data has been shared by another software system; and

increasing at least some of said priority values for said second subset.

12. The method of claim 2 , wherein said first software system is associated with a first user, and wherein said determining comprises:

determining which of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions govern each of said data-sharing sessions associated with a group of other users in which other software systems of said one software system type are registered in; and

adjusting said priority values for said prioritized data-sharing session definitions for said data-sharing sessions in which said other software systems are registered in.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

launching a second software system identified in said one prioritized data-sharing session definition as permitted to participate in said data-sharing sessions governed by said one prioritized data-sharing session definition.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said first software system is executed by a personal computing device and said launching of said second software system occurs on said personal computing device.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said determining comprises: calculating said priority values using a formula.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein heuristic data is an input in said formula.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein said heuristic data includes identifiers of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions used to create said data-sharing sessions that were most recently created.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein said heuristic data includes identifiers of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions used to create said data-sharing sessions that were earliest created.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein said heuristic data includes identifiers of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions used to create said data-sharing sessions in which the most recent data-sharing activity occurred.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein said heuristic data includes identifiers of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions most often used to create said data-sharing sessions across a group of users.

21. The method of claim 16 , wherein said heuristic data includes identifiers of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions used to create said data-sharing sessions successfully used to complete tasks.

22. A method for registering software systems in data-sharing sessions based on data-sharing session definitions, each data-sharing session having a priority value assigned thereto to create a prioritized data-sharing session definition, each prioritized data-sharing session definition defining a data-sharing session in which multiple independent software systems share data values for semantically-identified data items and request data items that they need based on the semantics of the data items, the method comprising;

storing, in storage of a computer system, a set of prioritized data-sharing session definitions, each of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions identifying a set of software system types permitted to participate in data-sharing sessions governed by said prioritized data-sharing session definition;

receiving a participant registration request from a software system;

determining, via said computer system for said participant registration request, a priority value for each of a first subset of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions, relative values of the priority values specifying the relative priorities of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions, wherein the prioritized data-sharing session definition with the highest priority value has the highest priority;

presenting a list of said first subset of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions ordered using said priority values; and

registering said software system in a data-sharing session governed by one of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions selected by a user from said list.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein said first subset of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions corresponds to said prioritized data-sharing session definitions identifying one of said software system types corresponding to said first software system.

24. The method of claim 23 , further comprising:

recording said one prioritized data-sharing session definition selected by said user; and

increasing said priority value for said one prioritized data-sharing session definition when subsequently determining said priority value for said one prioritized data-sharing session definition.

25. A computer system for registering software systems in data-sharing sessions based on data-sharing session definitions, each data-sharing session having a priority value assigned thereto to create a prioritized data-sharing session definition, each prioritized data-sharing session definition defining a data-sharing session in which multiple independent software systems share data values for semantically-identified data items and request data items that they need based on the semantics of the data items, the system comprising:

a processor;

storage storing a set of prioritized data-sharing session definitions, each of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions identifying a set of software system types permitted to participate in data-sharing sessions governed by said prioritized data-sharing session definition; and

a server executed by said processor and receiving a participant registration request from a first software system, determining, for said participant registration request, a priority value for each of a first subset of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions, relative values of the priority values specifying the relative priorities of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions, wherein the prioritized data-sharing session definition with the highest priority value has the highest priority, and registering said first software system in one of said data-sharing sessions governed by one of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions based on said selected one of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions having the highest priority according to said priority values.

26. The computer system of claim 25 , wherein said first subset of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions corresponds to said prioritized data-sharing session definitions identifying one of said software system types corresponding to said first software system.

27. The computer system of claim 26 , wherein said server limits participation in each said data-sharing session to one of each said software system type identified in said prioritized data-sharing session definition governing said data-sharing session, and prior to said registering, said server creates a new one of said data-sharing sessions governed by said one selected prioritized data-sharing session definition if there is an absence of said data-sharing sessions governed by said one selected prioritized data-sharing session definition in which said first software system can be registered.

28. The computer system of claim 25 , wherein said server retrieves said priority values associated with said first software system.

29. The computer system of claim 28 , wherein said priority values are also associated with a user role.

30. The computer system of claim 28 , wherein said priority values are also associated with a time period.

31. The computer system of claim 28 , wherein said priority values are also associated with a user.

32. The computer system of claim 27 , wherein said server identifies a second subset of said first subset of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions associated with said data-sharing sessions having capacity for said first software system, and increases at least some of said priority values for said second subset.

33. The computer system of claim 27 , wherein said server identifies a third system type of said first software system are registered, and decreases at least some of said priority values in said third subset.

34. The computer system of claim 26 , wherein said first software system is associated with a first user, and wherein said server determines which of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions govern each of said data-sharing sessions associated with a group of other users in which other software systems of said one software system type are registered in, and adjusts said priority values for said prioritized data-sharing session definitions for said data-sharing sessions in which said other software systems are registered in.

35. The computer system of claim 25 , wherein said server launches a second software system identified in said one prioritized data-sharing session definition as permitted to participate in said data-sharing sessions governed by said one prioritized data-sharing session definition.

36. A computer system for registering software systems in data-sharing sessions based on data-sharing session definitions, each data-sharing session having a priority value assigned thereto to create a prioritized data-sharing session definition, each prioritized data-sharing session definition defining a data-sharing session in which multiple independent software systems share data values for semantically-identified data items and request data items that they need based on the semantics of the data items, the system comprising:

a processor;

storage storing a set of prioritized data-sharing session definitions, each of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions identifying a set of software system types permitted to participate in data-sharing sessions governed by said prioritized data-sharing session definition; and

a server executed by said processor and receiving a participant registration request from a software system, determining, for said participant registration request, a priority value for each of a first subset of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions, presenting a list of said first subset of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions ordered using said priority values, and registering said software system in a data-sharing session governed by one of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions selected by a user from said list,

wherein relative values of the priority values specify the relative priorities of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions, wherein the prioritized data-sharing session definition with the highest priority value has the highest priority.

37. The computer system of claim 36 , wherein said first subset of said prioritized data-sharing session definitions corresponds to said prioritized data-sharing session definitions identifying one of said software system types corresponding to said first software system.

38. The computer system of claim 37 , wherein said server records said one prioritized data-sharing session definition selected by said user, and increases said priority value for said one prioritized data-sharing session definition when subsequently determining said priority value for said one prioritized data-sharing session definition.