Pluggable hub system for enterprise wide electronic collaboration

• US 20010039570A1
• Filed: 02/16/2001
• Published: 11/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Takacsi-Nagy, Pal, Hoebanx, Pascal, Dalal, Sanjay, Wiser, David, Stewart, Rocky
• Granted Patent: US 7,143,186 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

An enterprise wide electronic commerce system allows trading partners to act as participants in a complex trading process. Participants communicate with one another by joining conversations that are hosted in a collaboration space and managed by a collaboration hub. In this manner, the enterprise workflow may have an effect on, or be affected by, local workflows. The invention provides a pluggable hub system for enterprise wide electronic collaboration. An embodiment of the invention includes a collaboration hub for use with a collaboration system, comprising a hub transport for receiving messages from participants and sending messages to participants, a hub router for routing messages from a first participant to a second participant, a hub scheduler for scheduling the flow of messages between the hub router and the hub transport, a conversation manager for managing the flow of messages between participants, and a repository for storing conversation management data.

Claims

1. A collaboration hub for use with a collaboration system, comprising:

a hub transport for receiving messages from participants and sending messages to participants;

a hub router for routing messages from a first participant to a second participant;

a hub scheduler for scheduling the flow of messages between the hub router and the hub transport;

a conversation manager for managing the flow of messages between participants; and

, a repository for storing conversation management data.

2. The collaboration hub of

claim 1

wherein additional components may be plugged into the collaboration hub.

3. The collaboration hub of

claim 2

wherein said additional component is a decoder for decoding messages between the hub transport layer and the hub.

4. The collaboration hub of

claim 2

wherein said additional component is an encoder for encoding messages between the hub and the hub transport layer.

5. The collaboration hub of

claim 2

wherein said additional component is a messaging router for routing between participants.

6. The collaboration hub of

claim 2

wherein said additional component is a messaging filter for filtering message to and from a participant.

7. The collaboration hub of

claim 2

wherein said additional component is a messaging logic plugin for intelligent routing and filtering of messages to and from participants.

8. The collaboration hub of

claim 2

wherein said additional component is a business logic plugin for integrating with a business logic used by the participant.

9. The collaboration hub of

claim 8

wherein said business logic plugin is a RosettaNet plugin.

10. The collaboration hub of

claim 9

wherein said RosettaNet plugin allows the sending of messages from one RosettaNet client to another.

11. A method for transferring messages between participants in a collaboration system, comprising the steps of:

receiving messages via a hub transport from a first participants and sending messages to a second participant;

routing messages via a hub router from a first participant to a second participant;

scheduling the flow of messages between the hub router and the hub transport;

managing the flow of messages between participants; and

, storing conversation management data in a repository.

12. The method of

claim 11

wherein additional steps may be included as plugins into the collaboration hub.

13. The method of

claim 12

wherein said additional step includes decoding messages between the hub transport layer and the hub.

14. The method of

claim 12

wherein said additional step includes encoding messages between the hub and the hub transport layer.

15. The method of

claim 12

wherein said additional step includes routing messages between participants.

16. The method of

claim 12

wherein said additional step includes filtering messages to and from a participant.

17. The method of

claim 11

further comprising processing a messaging logic for intelligent routing and filtering of messages to and from participants.

18. The method of

claim 11

further comprising processing a business logic for integrating with a business logic used by the participant.

19. The method of

claim 18

wherein said processing a business logic processes a RosettaNet format message.

20. The method of

claim 19

wherein said RosettaNet message processing allows the sending of messages from one RosettaNet client to another.

21. A collaboration hub for use with a collaboration system, comprising:

a hub transport for receiving messages from participants and sending messages to participants;

a hub router for routing messages from a first participant to a second participant; and

a hub scheduler for scheduling the flow of messages between the hub router and the hub transport.

22. A method for transferring messages between participants in a collaboration system, comprising the steps of:

receiving messages via a hub transport from a first participants and sending messages to a second participant;

routing messages via a hub router from a first participant to a second participant; and

scheduling the flow of messages between the hub router and the hub transport.