Batch Jobs Using Positional Scheduling Policies of Mobile Devices

• US 20140149987A1
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Perrone, Antonio, Barillari, Fabio, Gari, Federica
• Granted Patent: US 9,195,499 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/101
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/482 Application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Mechanisms are provided for executing a batch job associated with a mobile device. A batch job data structure is retrieved that defines a batch job having a plurality of operations to be executed and a scheduling rule having one or more criteria is retrieved. The one or more criteria comprises at least one of a geographical position criteria or a geographical movement criteria for defining a position or path of motion of the mobile device required for initiating execution of the batch job. A determination is made as to whether one of current or predicted future position or path of motion of the mobile device satisfies the criteria of the scheduling rule. In response to the current or predicted future position or path of motion of the mobile device satisfying the criteria of the scheduling rule, execution of the batch job is initiated.

Claims

1. A method, in a data processing system, for executing a batch job associated with a mobile device, comprising:

retrieving, by the data processing system, a batch job data structure defining a batch job having a plurality of operations to be executed;

retrieving, by the data processing system, a scheduling rule having one or more criteria, wherein the one or more criteria comprises at least one of a geographical position criteria or a geographical movement criteria for defining a position or path of motion of the mobile device required for initiating execution of the batch job;

determining, by the data processing system, if one of a current or predicted future position or path of motion of the mobile device satisfies the criteria of the scheduling rule; and

in response to the current or predicted future position or path of motion of the mobile device satisfying the criteria of the scheduling rule, initiating execution of the batch job by the data processing system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if one of a current or predicted future position or path of motion of the mobile device satisfies the criteria of the scheduling rule comprises:

predicting one or more future positions and a timing of the one or more future positions of the mobile device based on previously stored position information; and

comparing the one or more predicted future positions and timing of the one or more future positions with the one or more criteria of the scheduling rule.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein predicting one or more future positions and timing of the one or more future positions comprises determining a speed and path of motion of the mobile device based on the previously stored position information, and determining a destination location based on the speed, path of motion, and recent destination location information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of operations comprises an ordered sequence of operations in which subsequent operations are not executed unless prior operations in the ordered sequence are completed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria further comprises at least one of a time criteria, a calendar criteria, and a resource availability criteria.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria further comprises at least one of time period conditions specifying a repeating period of time at which the batch job is to be executed, a point-and-radius condition specifying a geographic point and a geographic radius about the geographic point defining a region such that in response to the mobile device entering the region, execution of the batch job is initiated, a polygonal geographical region condition defining a polygonal region such that in response to the mobile device entering the polygonal region, execution of the batch job is initiated.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, by the data processing system, if one of a current or predicted future position or path of motion of the mobile device satisfies the criteria of the scheduling rule comprises determining if the mobile device is predicted to be within a geographical region specified by the criteria of the scheduling rule at a future time corresponding to a time criteria specified by the criteria of the scheduling rule, and determining that particular resources specified in the criteria of the scheduling rule are predicted to be available at the future time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data processing system is the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data processing system is a separate computing device different from the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is one of a smart phone or a tablet computing device.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

retrieve a batch job data structure defining a batch job having a plurality of operations to be executed;

retrieve a scheduling rule having one or more criteria, wherein the one or more criteria comprises at least one of a geographical position criteria or a geographical movement criteria for defining a position or path of motion of a mobile device required for initiating execution of the batch job;

determine if one of a current or predicted future position or path of motion of the mobile device satisfies the criteria of the scheduling rule; and

initiate, in response to the current or predicted future position or path of motion of the mobile device satisfying the criteria of the scheduling rule, execution of the batch job by the computing device.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein determining if one of a current or predicted future position or path of motion of the mobile device satisfies the criteria of the scheduling rule comprises:

predicting one or more future positions and a timing of the one or more future positions of the mobile device based on previously stored position information; and

comparing the one or more predicted future positions and timing of the one or more future positions with the one or more criteria of the scheduling rule.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein predicting one or more future positions and timing of the one or more future positions comprises determining a speed and path of motion of the mobile device based on the previously stored position information, and determining a destination location based on the speed, path of motion, and recent destination location information.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the plurality of operations comprises an ordered sequence of operations in which subsequent operations are not executed unless prior operations in the ordered sequence are completed.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the one or more criteria further comprises at least one of a time criteria, a calendar criteria, and a resource availability criteria.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the one or more criteria further comprises at least one of time period conditions specifying a repeating period of time at which the batch job is to be executed, a point-and-radius condition specifying a geographic point and a geographic radius about the geographic point defining a region such that in response to the mobile device entering the region, execution of the batch job is initiated, a polygonal geographical region condition defining a polygonal region such that in response to the mobile device entering the polygonal region, execution of the batch job is initiated.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein determining if one of a current or predicted future position or path of motion of the mobile device satisfies the criteria of the scheduling rule comprises determining if the mobile device is predicted to be within a geographical region specified by the criteria of the scheduling rule at a future time corresponding to a time criteria specified by the criteria of the scheduling rule, and determining that particular resources specified in the criteria of the scheduling rule are predicted to be available at the future time.

18. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computing device is the mobile device.

19. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computing device is a separate computing device different from the mobile device.

20. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the mobile device is one of a smart phone or a tablet computing device.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

retrieve a batch job data structure defining a batch job having a plurality of operations to be executed;

retrieve a scheduling rule having one or more criteria, wherein the one or more criteria comprises at least one of a geographical position criteria or a geographical movement criteria for defining a position or path of motion of a mobile device required for initiating execution of the batch job;

determine if one of a current or predicted future position or path of motion of the mobile device satisfies the criteria of the scheduling rule; and

initiate, in response to the current or predicted future position or path of motion of the mobile device satisfying the criteria of the scheduling rule, execution of the batch job by the computing device.