Web Service Architecture for Product Version Retrieval

• US 20090106129A1
• Filed: 10/20/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Singhal, Ashish, Lu, Hang, Varmaraja, Muralidhara, Chikovani, Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 8,788,370 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Various techniques for providing product versioning as a Web Service are disclosed. One method involves receiving a Web Service signature requesting access to a product model. In response to receipt of that Web Service signature, a product model that includes several versions of a product is accessed, and the current version of the product is selected from the product model. The product model can include future versions of he product that are not yet effective; such versions will not be selected as the current model prior to becoming effective. Information representing the current version can then be returned to the request in a second Web Service signature. A single object broker can respond to Web Service signatures requesting access to the product model from various different sales channels.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a Web Service signature requesting access to a product model;

accessing the product model, in response to receipt of the Web Service signature,

wherein the product model comprises information identifying a plurality of versions of a product; and

selecting a current version of the plurality of versions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a second Web Service signature, wherein the second Web Service signature comprises information indicative of the current version of the product; and

sending the second Web Service signature to an application, wherein the Web Service signature is received from the application.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second Web Service signature requesting access to the product model,

wherein the Web Service signature is received from a first sales channel module in a first sales channel, and

wherein the second Web Service signature is received from a second sales channel module in a second sales channel; and

repeating the accessing and the selecting, in response to receipt of the second Web Service signature.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of versions comprises a future version, wherein a beginning effective date of the future version has not yet occurred.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of versions is associated with a respective beginning effective date and with a respective ending effective date.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting the current version of the plurality of versions comprises identifying the current version as having a beginning effective date that is prior to the current date and identifying the current version as having an ending effective date that is subsequent to the current date.

7. A computer readable storage medium storing program instructions executable to:

access a product model, in response to receipt of a Web Service signature requesting access to the product model, wherein the product model comprises information identifying a plurality of versions of a product; and

select a current version of the plurality of versions.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the program instructions are further configured to:

generate a second Web Service signature, wherein the second Web Service signature comprises information indicative of the current version of the product; and

send the second Web Service signature to an application, wherein the Web Service signature is received from the application.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the program instructions are further configured to:

access the product model and select the current version, in response to receipt of a second Web Service signature,

wherein the second Web Service signature requests access to the product model,

wherein the Web Service signature is received from a first sales channel module in a first sales channel, and

wherein the second Web Service signature is received from a second sales channel module in a second sales channel.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the plurality of versions comprises a future version, wherein a beginning effective date of the future version has not yet occurred.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of versions is associated with a respective beginning effective date and with a respective ending effective date.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein selecting the current version of the plurality of versions comprises identifying the current version as having a beginning effective date that is prior to the current date and identifying the current version as having an ending effective date that is subsequent to the current date.

13. A system comprising:

computer readable storage means for storing a product model, wherein the product model comprises information identifying a plurality of versions of a product; and

object broker means for;

accessing the product model, in response to receipt of a Web Service signature requesting access to the product model; and

selecting a current version of the plurality of versions.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

means for generating a second Web Service signature, wherein the second Web Service signature comprises information indicative of the current version of the product, wherein the second Web Service signature is sent to an application, wherein the Web Service signature is received from the application.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the object broker means are further for:

repeating the accessing and the selecting, in response to receipt of a second Web Service signature requesting access to the product model,

wherein the Web Service signature is received from a first sales channel module in a first sales channel, and

wherein the second Web Service signature is received from a second sales channel module in a second sales channel.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of versions comprises a future version, wherein a beginning effective date of the future version has not yet occurred.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of versions is associated with a respective beginning effective date and with a respective ending effective date.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the selecting the current version of the plurality of versions comprises identifying the current version as having a beginning effective date that is prior to the current date and identifying the current version as having an ending effective date that is subsequent to the current date.