Data-type definition driven dynamic business component instantiation and execution framework

• US 20020188761A1
• Filed: 04/12/2002
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wellogix Technology Licensing LLC (Wellogix Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Wellogix Technology Licensing LLC (Wellogix Incorporated)
• Inventors: Chikirivao, Bill S., Bodnar, Robert C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,742,614 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/250
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/154 Tree transformation for tree-structured or markup documents, e.g. XSLT, XSL-FO or stylesheets
• 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 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In a complex workflow environment, a data-type-definition (DTD) schema drives a dynamic business component instantiation and execution framework that integrates documents with data and information created by various applications, potentially operating on several different platforms, enabling complex workflow and collaboration to occur over a communication network such as the Internet. The DTD execution language is preferably an industry specific XML-based tag set that defines business component instantiation, execution, input and output parameters, workflow, user profile, and collaboration specifications for a given task or data in a complex workflow process. Business and data processing components available on systems both within and outside the complex workflow system are called upon to provide the processing, interpretation, and transformation functions for the complex workflow system. The results of such processing are then returned to the complex workflow system for integration within the workflow process.

Claims

1. A dynamic processing component instantiation system for processing a document, wherein the document is present within a complex workflow system, the document comprising data-type definition information, the dynamic processing component instantiation system comprising:

a means for selecting instructions for processing the document, wherein the instructions correlate to the data-type definition identification information of the document;

a means for selecting a correlative processing component;

a means for coordinating the processing component selection means and the instructions selection means;

a means for interfacing with the complex workflow system; and

a means for transferring the document and the instructions to the processing component, wherein the processing component processes the document according to the instructions to generate processing results related to the document for use within the complex workflow system.

2. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 1 further comprising a means for receiving the processing results after the document is processed by the processing component.

3. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 1 further comprising a means for monitoring the complex workflow system for the presence of the document within the complex workflow system.

4. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 1 wherein the means for transferring comprises an interface with a communication network.

5. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 1, wherein the coordinating means further coordinates the interface means between the dynamic processing component instantiation system and the complex workflow system.

6. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 1 further comprising a memory for storing the document until the processing results are required by the complex workflow system, wherein

at which point the coordinating means directs the transferring means to transfer the document from the memory to the processing component.

7. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic processing component instantiation system is a component of the complex workflow system.

8. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 7, wherein

the complex workflow system further comprises a workflow processor;

and wherein

the workflow processor comprises the processing component.

9. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 7, wherein the processing component is external to the complex workflow system.

10. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 1, wherein the processing component is external to the dynamic processing component instantiation system.

11. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 1, wherein the instructions comprise data-type definition information.

12. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 1, wherein the document comprises a selection from the group comprising:

a collection of data, an executable software object, an executable software application, and a relational data structure.

13. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 7, wherein the complex workflow system further comprises means for receiving the document within the complex workflow system.

14. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 13, wherein the means for receiving comprises an interface with a communication network.

15. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 4 or 14, wherein the communication network comprises a network selected from the group comprising:

an intranet, an extranet, a local area network, a wide area network, a public network, and a private network.

16. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 14, wherein the document is input into the complex workflow system through a first user interface device, wherein the first user interface device is connected to the complex workflow system via the communication network.

17. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 16, wherein the processing results are provided by the complex workflow system to a second user interface device, wherein the second user interface device is connected to the complex workflow system via the communication network.

18. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 16, wherein

a second user interface device is connected to the complex workflow system via the communication network;

and

the processing component is connected to the second user interface device.

19. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 14, wherein the processing results are provided by the complex workflow system to a user interface device, wherein the user interface device is connected to the complex workflow system via the communication network.

20. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 1 or 11, wherein the data-type definition information comprises information selected from the group comprising:

document identification information, input parameter information, output parameter information, address information, and profile information.

21. The dynamic processing component instantiation system of claim 1, wherein the processing component comprises a component selected from the group comprising:

an executable software object, a relational database program, a processor, and a hardware component.

22. A method for dynamically instantiating a processor component for processing at least one document, wherein the document is present within a complex workflow system, the document comprising data-type definition information, the method comprising:

accessing the document from the complex workflow system;

determining a processing requirement of the document as a function of the data-type definition information;

associating correlative processing instructions with the document;

selecting a processor component capable of implementing the processing instructions;

routing the document and processing instructions to the processor component, wherein

the processing component processes the document according to the instructions to generate processing results related to the document for use within the complex workflow system.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising monitoring the complex workflow system for the presence of the document within the complex workflow system.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein

the processor component is external to the complex workflow system;

and

the processor component is connected to the complex workflow system via a communication network; and

wherein

the step of routing further comprises interfacing with the communication network.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising storing the document in a memory until the processing results are required by the complex workflow system.

26. The method of claim 22 further comprising receiving the processing results after the document is processed by the processor component.

27. The method of claim 24 further comprising receiving the processing results via the communication network after the document is processed by the processor component.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the processor component is a component of the complex workflow system.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein

the at least one document comprises a first document and a second document;

and wherein the method further comprises;

interfacing with the complex workflow system to determine a document processing requirement; and

coordinating an order of processing between the first document and the second document based upon the document processing requirement.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the instructions comprise data-type definition information.

31. The method of claim 22 or 30, wherein the data-type definition information comprises information selected from the group comprising:

document identification information, input parameter information, output parameter information, address information, and profile information.

32. The method of claim 22, wherein the document comprises a selection from the group comprising:

a collection of data, an executable software object, an executable software application, and a relational data structure.

33. The method of claim 22, wherein the processor component comprises a component selected from the group comprising:

an executable software object, a relational database program, a processor, and a hardware component.

34. The method of claim 22 further comprising receiving the document as input from a first user interface device, wherein the first user interface device is connected to the complex workflow system via a communication network.

35. The method of claim 34 further comprising providing the processing results to a second user interface device, wherein the second user interface device is connected to the complex workflow system via the communication network.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein

the processing component is connected to a second user interface device;

and

the second user interface device is connected to the complex workflow system via the communication network; and

wherein

the step of routing further comprises routing the document to the second user interface device via the communication network.

37. The method of claim 27, further comprising providing the processing results to a user interface device, wherein the user interface device is connected to the complex workflow system via the communication network.

38. The method of claim 24 or 34, wherein the communication network comprises a network selected from the group comprising:

an intranet, an extranet, a local area network, a wide area network, a public network, and a private network.

40. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the computer readable program code further comprises instructions for causing the computer processor to monitor the complex workflow system for the presence of the document within the complex workflow system.

41. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein

the processor component is external to the complex workflow system;

and

the processor component is connected to the complex workflow system via a communication network; and

wherein

the computer readable program code further comprises instructions for causing the computer processor to interface with the communication network in order to route the document and processing instructions to the processor component.

42. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the computer readable program code further comprises instructions for causing the computer processor to store the document in a memory until the processing results are required by the complex workflow system.

43. The computer program product of claim 39 wherein the computer readable program code further comprises instructions for causing the computer processor to receive the processing results after the document is processed by the processor component.

44. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the computer readable program code further comprises instructions for causing the computer processor to receive the processing results via the communication network after the document is processed by the processor component.

45. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein

the at least one document comprises a first document and a second document;

and wherein the computer readable program code further comprises instructions for;

causing the computer processor to interface with the complex workflow system to determine a document processing requirement; and

causing the computer processor to coordinate an order of processing between the first document and the second document based upon the document processing requirement.

46. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the instructions comprise data-type definition information.

47. The computer program product of claim 39 or 46, wherein the data-type definition information comprises information selected from the group comprising:

document identification information, input parameter information, output parameter information, address information, and profile information.

48. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the document comprises a selection from the group comprising:

a collection of data, an executable software object, an executable software application, and a relational data structure.

49. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the processor component comprises a component selected from the group comprising:

an executable software object, a relational database program, a processor, and a hardware component.

39. A computer program product for instructing a computer processor within a complex workflow system to dynamically instantiate a processor component for processing at least one document, wherein the document is present within a complex workflow system, the document comprising data-type definition information, the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for controlling the complex workflow system, the computer readable program code comprising instructions for:

causing the computer processor to access the document from the complex workflow system;

determine a processing requirement of the document as a function of the data-type definition information;

causing the computer processor to associate correlative processing instructions with the document;

causing the computer processor to select a processor component capable of implementing the processing instructions;

causing the computer processor to route the document and processing instructions to the processor component, wherein

the processing component processes the document according to the instructions to generate processing results related to the document for use within the complex workflow system.