MULTI-TENANT CLOUD-BASED QUEUING SYSTEMS

• US 20180375964A1
• Filed: 08/03/2018
• Published: 12/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Jan, Wai, Cook, Gregory, Irvin, Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 10,397,375 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/548 Queue
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for multi-tenant cloud-based queuing. Certain techniques are disclosed herein that provide for interactions and observability between tenant queues within a multi-tenant cloud-based queuing database. In some embodiments, the queues may be utilized by both users and merchants for both online and point-of-service interactions. Multiple queues for multiple tenants are hosted by a cloud computing system. Each queue may include one more queue entries, each of which includes a ticket value, and may further include a ticket alias. The ticket values and/or ticket aliases may be decoupled from a queue position for the entry. In some embodiments, the queue entries may be swapped within a queue or between queues, and the system may enable searching in or automated actions between queues and/or tenants based in part upon queue conditions.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a server computer of a queue management system, a first queue insertion request to insert a first entry into a first queue associated with a first merchant;

inserting, by the server computer, the first entry into the first queue;

receiving, at the server computer, a second queue insertion request to insert a second entry into a second queue associated with a second merchant;

inserting, by the server computer, the second entry into the second queue;

receiving, at the server computer, from a first client device, a swap request to swap the first entry in the first queue with the second entry in the second queue, wherein the swap request includes a set of queue swap criteria;

determining, by the server computer, that the set of queue swap criteria is satisfied by the second entry;

upon determining that the set of queue swap criteria is satisfied by the second entry, sending, by the server computer, to a second client device, a request to accept the request to swap the first entry in the first queue with the second entry in the second queue, wherein the server computer facilitates communication between the first client device and the second client device that utilize different communication protocols;

receiving, at the server computer, from the second client device, a response indicating an acceptance of the request to swap the first entry in the first queue with the second entry in the second queue; and

based on receiving the response indicating the acceptance from the second client device, updating, by the server computer, the first entry and the second entry to cause the first client device to be associated with the second entry and the second client device to be associated with the first entry.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first queue insertion request is received at the server computer from the first client device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, at the server computer from a first merchant device of the first merchant, a plurality of queue insertion requests to insert a plurality of entries the first queue.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first entry is inserted into the first queue at a first position, and wherein the method further comprises:

updating, by the server computer, the first queue to cause the first entry to be associated with a second position; and

responsive to a communication from the first client device, updating, by the server computer, the first queue to cause the first entry to be associated with a third position.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the server computer, to each of the first client device and the second client device, a swap notification message based upon the updating of the first entry and the second entry, the swap notification message indicating that the first client device is associated with the second entry and the second client device is associated with the first entry.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the server computer, a ticket value, wherein the ticket value is associated with the first entry of the first queue;

transmitting, by the server computer, the ticket value to first client device; and

transmitting, by the server computer, a ticket alias of a ticket queue value to a first merchant device of the first merchant or to a second merchant device of the second merchant.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, at the server computer from the second merchant device of the second merchant, an authentication request including the ticket value and further including a first value that is generated based upon a first token of the first client device;

determining, by the server computer, an authentication result based upon transforming the first value using a second token of the first client device; and

transmitting, by the server computer to the second merchant device of the second merchant, an authentication response including the authentication result.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein updating the first entry and the second entry comprises:

associating, by the server computer, the ticket value with the second entry; and

disassociating, by the server computer, the ticket value with the first entry.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the server computer, a queue request including a criterion;

determining, by the server computer, that a set of merchants satisfy the criterion, wherein the set of merchants includes the first merchant and the second merchant;

determining, by the server computer, that the first queue of the first merchant has a smallest current utilization or a largest current utilization of a set of queues associated with the set of merchants; and

transmitting a queue response message that includes an identifier of the first merchant.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at a server computer, a third queue insertion request to insert a third entry into the first queue associated with the first merchant; and

responsive to determining that a current utilization of the first queue meets or exceeds a threshold value, automatically inserting the third entry into a third queue associated with a third merchant.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the server computer is part of a cloud-based system operated by a third party on behalf of the first merchant and the second merchant.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first queue and second queue are maintained by the server computer in corresponding pluggable databases within a single multi-tenant container database.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a server computer, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at the server computer, a first queue insertion request to insert a first entry into a first queue associated with a first merchant;

inserting, by the server computer, the first entry into the first queue;

receiving, by the server computer, a second queue insertion request to insert a second entry into a second queue associated with a second merchant;

inserting, by the server computer, the second entry into the second queue;

receiving, by the server computer from a first client device, a swap request to swap the first entry in the first queue with the second entry in the second queue, wherein the swap request includes a set of queue swap criteria;

determining, by the server computer, that the set of queue swap criteria is satisfied by the second entry;

upon determining that the set of queue swap criteria is satisfied by the second entry, sending, by the server computer to a second client device, a request to accept the request to swap the first entry in the first queue with the second entry in the second queue, wherein the server computer facilitates communication between the first client device and the second client device that utilize a different communication protocol;

receiving, at the server computer, from the second client device, a response indicating an acceptance of the request to swap the first entry in the first queue with the second entry in the second queue; and

based on receiving the response indicating the acceptance from the second client device, updating, by the server computer, the first entry and the second entry to cause the first client device to be associated with the second entry and the second client device to be associated with the first entry.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first queue insertion request is received at the server computer from the first client device, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, at the server computer from a first merchant device of the first merchant, a plurality of queue insertion requests to insert a plurality of entries the first queue.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first entry is inserted into the first queue at a first position, and wherein the operations further comprise:

updating, by the server computer, the first queue to cause the first entry to be associated with a second position; and

responsive to a communication from the first client device, updating, by the server computer, the first queue to cause the first entry to be associated with a third position.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting, by the server computer, to each of the first client device and the second client device, a swap notification message based upon the updating of the first entry and the second entry, the swap notification message indicating that the first client device is associated with the second entry and the second client device is associated with the first entry.

17. A server computing device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first queue insertion request to insert a first entry into a first queue associated with a first merchant;

inserting the first entry into the first queue;

receiving a second queue insertion request to insert a second entry into a second queue associated with a second merchant;

inserting the second entry into the second queue;

receiving, from a first client device, a swap request to swap the first entry in the first queue with the second entry in the second queue, wherein the swap request includes a set of queue swap criteria;

determining that the set of queue swap criteria is satisfied by the second entry;

upon determining that the set of queue swap criteria is satisfied by the second entry, sending, to a second client device, a request to accept the request to swap the first entry in the first queue with the second entry in the second queue, wherein the server computing device facilitates communication between the first client device and the second client device that utilize a different communication protocol;

receiving, from the second client device, a response indicating an acceptance of the request to swap the first entry in the first queue with the second entry in the second queue; and

based on receiving the response indicating the acceptance from the second client device, updating the first entry and the second entry to cause the first client device to be associated with the second entry and the second client device to be associated with the first entry.

18. The server computing device of claim 17, wherein the first entry is inserted into the first queue at a first position, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, at the one or more processors from a first merchant device of the first merchant, a plurality of queue insertion requests to insert a plurality of entries the first queue.

19. The server computing device of claim 17, wherein the first entry is inserted into the first queue at a first position, and wherein the operations further comprise:

updating the first queue to cause the first entry to be associated with a second position; and

responsive to a communication from the first client device, updating the first queue to cause the first entry to be associated with a third position.

20. The server computing device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting, to each of the first client device and the second client device, a swap notification message based upon the updating of the first entry and the second entry, the swap notification message indicating that the first client device is associated with the second entry and the second client device is associated with the first entry.