Architecture, programming model and API'S

• US 20060058987A1
• Filed: 03/01/2005
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Agarwal, Abhishek, Sriram, Balasubramanian, Ahmed, Mohamed Fakrudeen Ali, Goteti, Janaki Ram, Venkatesh, Ramachandran, Kumar, Anush
• Granted Patent: US 7,295,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

The subject invention provides a system and/or a method that facilitates employing a model based at least upon a framework, wherein the model can be utilized to build an RFID application. A receiver component can receive data, wherein a model component can create a model based at least in part upon the received data that facilitates creating and/or executing the RFID application. The framework can be, but is not limited to, an entity, a framework class, a hierarchical framework of at least one class, an interface, an exception, a component architecture, a schema, an object model, and/or an API. The model can be utilized to create, deploy, manage, and/or execute the RFID application to provide a generic operation and/or a business specific scenario.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates utilizing an RFID process, comprising:

a component that receives data related to at least one of a device, a programmable input; and

a model component that utilizes the received data to create a framework to build the RFID process at design time and execute the RFID process at run time, the framework includes at least one of an entity, an object model, a class hierarchical structure, and an API.

2. The system of claim 1, the entity is at least one of the following:

a logical source;

a logical source including a device;

a device;

a filter policy;

an alert policy;

an event handler;

a write handler;

a store; and

the RFID process.

3. The system of claim 2, the device is at least one of the following:

an RFID reader;

an RFID writer;

an RFID printer;

a printer;

a reader;

a writer;

an RFID compatible device;

an RFID transmitter;

an antenna;

a sensor, a real time device; and

an RFID receiver.

4. The system of claim 2, the logical source combines at least one of a device collection, a filter, an alert, an event handler, and an additional logical source.

5. The system of claim 2, the logical source represents at least one of the following:

a stream of data from a physical device on a server common to the at least one entity, and a processing of tag data within the RFID process.

6. The system of claim 2, the filter policy is a group of logical constructs executed on incoming raw data stream specified on the logical source via a set of logical rules that can allow a list of valid tags.

7. The system of claim 2, the alert policy is a group of logical rule sets that are evaluated against a data stream to enact at least one action, wherein the action is at least one of the following:

execute an alarm;

alert an appropriate authority;

lock a location;

execute an audible siren;

execute a text message;

execute an email;

execute a light;

execute a motion; and

execute a video.

8. The system of claim 1, the framework provides the definition of a logical layout of processing that represents a logical process, wherein the logical process can bind to a physical device at runtime to provide a clean separation of a logical model and physical model.

9. The system of claim 2, the event handler handles an event from the logical source to provide at least one of the following:

enrich an event stream; and

generate an additional event with a business context.

10. The system of claim 2, the write handler provides the RFID process to send a command to a device one of the following:

an external input and an event from the logical source.

11. The system of claim 2, the store represents a mechanism to contain the entity, the RFID process, and a mapping from the entity in the RFID process to the device.

12. The system of claim 1, the object model is at least one of the following:

an RFID process definition object model (OM) that allows the creation and storage of the RFID process;

a discovery OM that obtains meta data of a device of various types of a provider in a form of property meta data and verifies a device validity;

an RFID process execution OM that allows the deployment of the RFID process;

a store OM that provides a uniform API to store, retrieve, and delete a stored entity;

a server manager OM that provides modification to at least one setting of a server; and

an authorization OM that provides authorization in relation to access of one of the RFID process and the device.

13. The system of claim 1, the model further comprising at least one of the following:

an exception;

a timeout;

a security component that provides a security service based on a user account and an associated privilege on an operating system service;

a handler interface that employs an interface that can be utilized to implement one of sending a command to a device to write, and handling an event from a logical source; and

a service API component.

14. The system of claim 13, the service API component that defines at least one of the following API'"'"'s in the model to be exposed as a web service:

a store;

a device handler;

a process manager;

a server manager;

a provider manager; and

a component manager.

15. A computer readable medium having stored thereon the components of the system of claim 1.

16. A computer-implemented method that facilitates utilizing an RFID process, comprising:

instantiating a framework utilizing a received data and a framework concept;

developing the RFID process utilizing the framework at design time;

deploying and maintaining the RFID process via the framework; and

executing the RFID process with the framework at run time.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

obtaining a device;

configuring the device;

mapping data collection from the device;

creating the RFID process by combining a logical source and the device to represent a single entity; and

setting the mapping from the entity in the RFID process to a physical device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

discovering the device of interest by one of an automatic discovery and a manual discovery;

configuring one of a filter, an alert, an event handler, and a write handler; and

saving the RFID process.

19. A data packet that communicates between a receiver component and the model component, the data packet facilitates the method of claim 16.

20. A computer-implemented system that facilitates implementing an RFID process, comprising:

means for receiving data related to one of a device, a provider, a programmable input;

means for creating a model based upon the received data that can be utilized to build an RFID process at design time; and

means for utilizing the model to execute the RFID process at run time.