Method, medium, and system for handling blocks on orders during order processing

• US 10,535,069 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2011
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chan, Yumman, Mirlas, Lev, Srikanth, Viswanath
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Matthew E
• Application Number:
  US13/162,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20110246319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,134 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261, 705 2681
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A block for an order is received during processing of the order, wherein a reason for the block for the order is associated with the block for the order. A set of actions is identified based on the reason for the block for the order in response to receiving the block for the order. The set of actions is executed with respect to the order in response to identifying the set of actions based on the reason for the block for the order, wherein the set of actions comprises a stage at which processing for the order ceases, restarts, and executes recovery actions, as specified.

Claims

1. A method for blocking orders during order processing by a computerized system, the computerized system including at least one electronic processing unit, the method comprising:

initiating, by the at least one electronic processing unit, processing of an order, the processing including a plurality of sequential stages;

detecting, via an electronic communication interface of the computerized system, at a first order-processing stage of the plurality of sequential stages, a block for the order during processing of the order;

determining, via the at least one electronic processing unit and in response to electronically analyzing the block for the order, a reason for the block for the order;

creating a first table in a memory of the computerized system, the first table including the reason for the block for the order;

accessing, via the at least one electronic processing unit, a second table in the memory of the computerized system, the second table indicating a plurality of reasons for blocking the order and a plurality of actions,

wherein the second table specifies a set of one or more actions of the plurality of actions to take for each of the plurality of reasons for blocking the order,

wherein the plurality of reasons for blocking the order comprises the reason for the block for the order;

selecting, via the at least one electronic processing unit, the set of one or more actions specified by the second table for the reason for the block for the order;

automatically performing, via the at least one electronic processing unit, at least one subsequent order-processing stage of a number of subsequent stages performed after determining the reason for the block for the order, the number of subsequent stages performed being specified by the set of one or more actions;

automatically ceasing processing for the order after performing the at least one subsequent order-processing stage as specified by at least one action from the set of one or more actions;

in response to a determination that at least one action from the set of one or more actions specifies that a current status of the order should be reversed, reversing, via the at least one electronic processing unit, the current status of the order to a previous status of the order that existed prior to execution of the first order-processing stage of the plurality of stages when the block was received; and

in response to determining the block is resolved, resuming processing for the order after the block is resolved.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more actions indicates a condition for said resuming the processing of the order after the block is resolved and wherein the set of one or more actions indicate that subsequent order-processing stages cannot be executed while the block is unresolved.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising electronically analyzing the block for the order in response to the detecting the block for the order.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining an identity of a seller associated with the order in response to the electronically analyzing the block for the order; and

automatically determining, by the at least one electronic processing unit, based on the identity of the seller, one or more of the set of one or more actions from a plurality of sets of actions, the reason for the block, or the plurality of sequential stages.

3. A computerized apparatus for blocking orders during order processing, the computerized apparatus comprising:

a bus;

at least one electronic processing unit coupled with the bus;

an electronic communication interface;

a storage device coupled with the bus, the storage device configured to store program instructions executable by the at least one electronic processing unit, the program instructions configured to;

initiate, by the at least one electronic processing unit, processing of an order, the processing including a plurality of sequential stages;

detect, via the electronic communication interface, at a first order-processing stage of the plurality of sequential stages, a block for the order during processing of the order;

determine, via the at least one electronic processing unit and in response to electronically analyzing the block for the order, a reason for the block for the order;

create a first table in a memory of the computerized system, the first table including the reason for the block for the order;

access, via the at least one electronic processing unit, a second table in the memory of the computerized apparatus, the second table indicating a plurality of reasons for blocking the order and a plurality of actions,

wherein the second table specifies a set of one or more actions of the plurality of actions to take for each of the plurality of reasons for blocking the order,

wherein the plurality of reasons for blocking the order comprises the reason for the block for the order;

select, via the at least one electronic processing unit, the set of one or more actions specified by the second table for the reason for the block for the order;

automatically perform, via the at least one electronic processing unit, at least one subsequent order-processing stage of a number of subsequent stages performed after determining the reason for the block for the order, the number of subsequent stages performed being specified by the set of one or more actions;

automatically cease processing for the order after performing the at least one subsequent order-processing stage as specified by at least one action from the set of one or more actions;

in response to a determination that at least one action from the set of one or more actions specifies that a current status of the order should be reversed, reverse the current status of the order to a previous status of the order that existed prior to execution of the first order-processing stage of the plurality of stages when the block was received; and

in response to a determination that the block is resolved, resume processing of the order after the block is resolved.

4. The computerized apparatus of claim 3, wherein the set of one or more actions indicates a condition for the processing of the order to be resumed after the block is resolved and wherein the set of one or more actions indicates that subsequent order-processing stages cannot be executed while the block is unresolved.

9. The computerized apparatus of claim 3, the storage device configured to store program instructions executable by the at least one electronic processing unit to electronically analyze the block for the order in response to detection of the block for the order.

10. The computerized apparatus of claim 9, the storage device configured to store program instructions executable by the at least one electronic processing unit to:

determine an identity of a seller associated with the order in response to the electronically analyzing the block for the order; and

automatically determine, by the at least one electronic processing unit, based on the identity of the seller, one or more of the set of one or more actions from a plurality of sets of actions, the reason for the block, or the plurality of sequential stages.

5. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer usable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therein, the computer usable program code configured to;

initiate, by at least one electronic processing unit of a computerized system, processing of an order, the processing including a plurality of sequential stages;

detect, via an electronic communication interface of the computerized system, at a first order-processing stage of the plurality of sequential stages, a block for the order during processing of the order;

determine, by the at least one electronic processing unit, in response to electronically analyzing the block for the order, a reason for the block for the order;

create a first table that includes the reason for the block for the order;

access, by the at least one electronic processing unit, a second table that indicates a plurality of reasons for blocking the order and a plurality of actions,

wherein the second table specifies a set of one or more actions of the plurality of actions to take for each of the plurality of reasons for blocking the order,

wherein the plurality of reasons for blocking the order comprises the reason for the block for the order;

select the set of one or more actions specified by the second table for the reason for the block for the order;

automatically perform, by the at least one electronic processing unit, at least one subsequent order-processing stage of a number of subsequent stages performed after determining the reason for the block for the order, the number of subsequent stages performed being specified by the set of one or more actions;

automatically cease processing for the order after performing the at least one subsequent order-processing stage specified by at least one action from the set of one or more actions; and

in response to a determination that at least one action from the set of one or more actions specifies that a current status of the order should be reversed, reverse the current status of the order to a previous status of the order that existed prior to execution of the first order-processing stage of the plurality of stages when the block was received; and

in response to a determination that the block is resolved, resume processing of the order after the block is resolved.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the set of one or more actions indicates a condition for the processing of the order to be resumed after the block is resolved and wherein the set of one or more actions indicates that subsequent order-processing stages cannot be executed while the block is unresolved.

11. The computer program product of claim 5, the non-transitory computer usable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therein to electronically analyze the block for the order in response to detection of the block for the order.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, the non-transitory computer usable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therein to:

determine an identity of a seller associated with the order in response to the electronically analyzing the block for the order; and

automatically determine, by the at least one electronic processing unit, based on the identity of the seller, one or more of the set of one or more actions from a plurality of sets of actions, the reason for the block, or the plurality of sequential stages.