Method and middleware for standards agnostic transaction processing

• US 20080106417A1
• Filed: 10/14/2006
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rocky Mountain Tracking Incorporated (Imerjn, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rfideaworks Corporation
• Inventors: Bradley, Gerald W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,737,848 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method and middleware is provided for information processing includes an input thread module (210), a ware thread module (220) and an output thread module (230). The input thread module (210) selects input thread messages from first data (520), the first data derived from information received by an input device (110) coupled to the input thread module (210). The ware thread module (220) is coupled to the input thread module (210) and generates ware thread messages corresponding to the input thread messages in response to the input thread messages to generate second data (620) and data processes the ware thread messages independently from one another (630). And the output thread module (230) is coupled to the ware thread module (220) and generates output thread messages from and in response to the second data (720) and provides the output thread messages independently from one another for writing to one or more output devices in accordance with the second data (730).

Claims

1. A method for radio frequency identification (RFID) tag processing comprising:

selecting input thread messages from tag information in accordance with customer data structure definitions; and

providing the input thread messages independently from one another for subsequent processing.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the step of selecting input thread messages comprises the step of selecting input thread messages from the tag information and from other inputted data.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising the step of creating a free list message pool including a plurality of messages, wherein the step of selecting input threads comprises the steps of:

assigning unused ones of the plurality of messages as input thread messages; and

configuring the input thread messages in accordance with the tag information by selecting first data from the tag information.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the step of selecting input thread messages comprises the step of selecting input thread messages from tag information corresponding to one or more of a plurality of tag coding schemes in accordance with the customer data structure definitions.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising the step of inputting the customer data structure definitions, wherein the tag information comprises a plurality of fields and wherein the customer data structure definitions specify which of the plurality of fields to extract from the tag information for the input thread messages.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

generating ware thread messages corresponding to the input thread messages in response to the input thread messages; and

processing the ware thread messages independently from one another in accordance with the customer data structure definitions.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6 wherein the processing includes one or more of data capture, database update, standard selection, data normalization, and transaction creation.

8. The method in accordance with claim 6 wherein the step of processing comprises the step of data processing the ware thread messages to generate second data, and wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

generating output thread messages in response to the second data; and

providing the output thread messages independently from one another for writing to one or more output devices.

9. The method in accordance with claim 8 wherein the step of providing the output thread messages to one or more output devices comprises the step of providing the output thread messages independently from one another for writing at least portions of the second data to one or more databases in accordance with the output thread messages.

10. The method in accordance with claim 8 wherein the steps of providing the input thread messages, data processing the ware thread messages and providing the output thread messages are all performed independent of one another.

11. An apparatus for radio frequency identification (RFID) tag processing comprising:

an input thread module for selecting input thread messages from tag information received by one or more input devices coupled to the input thread module; and

a ware thread module coupled to the input thread module and receiving the input thread messages for subsequent processing as ware thread messages independently from one another.

12. The apparatus in accordance with claim 11 further comprising an executive control module creating a free list message pool including a plurality of messages, wherein the input thread module assigns unused ones of the plurality of messages as input thread messages, the input thread messages configured in accordance with the tag information by selecting first data from the tag information.

13. The apparatus in accordance with claim 11 further comprising a customer module storing customer data structure definitions and coupled to the input thread module, the customer data structure definitions specifying which of the plurality of fields to extract from the tag information for the input thread messages, and wherein the input thread module selects the input thread messages from the plurality of fields of the tag information in response to the customer data structure definitions.

14. The apparatus in accordance with claim 13 wherein the customer data structure definitions further define processing of one or more of the plurality of fields of the tag information, and wherein the ware thread module is coupled to the customer module and the input thread module for processing the ware thread messages independently from one another in response to the customer data structure definitions to generate second data.

15. The apparatus in accordance with claim 14 further comprising an output thread module coupled to the ware thread module and the customer module and defining output thread messages from and in response to the second data and providing the output thread messages independently from one another for writing to one or more output devices in accordance with the customer data structure definitions.

16. The apparatus in accordance with claim 15 wherein the output thread module provides the output thread messages independently from one another for writing at least a portion of the second data to one or more databases in accordance with the output thread messages and the customer data structure definitions.

17. The apparatus in accordance with claim 15 further comprising an executive program module creating a free list message pool of a plurality of messages, wherein the input thread module assigns unused ones of the plurality of messages as input thread messages, the input thread module, the ware thread module and the output thread module operating independently from one another and the plurality of messages determining the number of input thread messages, ware thread messages and output thread messages that can be processed simultaneously.

18. An apparatus for information processing comprising:

an input thread module for selecting input thread messages from first data, the first data derived from information received by an input device coupled to the input thread module;

a ware thread module coupled to the input thread module and generating ware thread messages corresponding to the input threads in response to the input thread messages and data processing the ware thread messages independently from one another to generate second data; and

an output thread module coupled to the ware thread module and generating output thread messages from and in response to the second data and providing the output thread messages independently from one another for writing to one or more output devices in accordance with the second data.

19. The apparatus in accordance with claim 18 further comprising a customer module storing customer data structure definitions and coupled to the input thread module, the ware thread module and the output thread module, the input thread module selecting the input thread messages from the first data in response to the customer data structure definitions, the ware thread module processing the ware thread messages in response to the customer data structure definitions, and the output thread module outputting the output thread messages in accordance with the customer data structure definitions.

20. The apparatus in accordance with claim 18 further comprising an executive control module creating a free list message pool including a plurality of messages, wherein the input thread module is coupled to the executive program module and assigns unused ones of the plurality of messages as input thread messages, the input thread module, the ware thread module and the output thread module operating independently from one another and the plurality of message threads determining the number of input thread messages, ware thread messages and output thread messages that can be processed simultaneously.