System and method for implementing an interface between an external process and transaction processing system
First Claim
1. A method for implementing an interface system between an external process that sends an input message and a transaction processing system that receives and processes the input message, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving at the interface system the input message from the external process;
(b) creating a control record which is indicative of the input message received by the interface system;
(c) writing said control record to an interface system log file in the interface system to log receipt of the input message by the interface system;
(d) confirming receipt of the input message to the external process to indicate that the input message has been received and logged by the interface system;
(e) scanning said interface system log file to detect said control record and triggering the transaction processing system in response to said detection of said control record; and
(f) providing, via said control record, data from the input message to the transaction processing system so that the transaction processing system can receive and act on the input message.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for interfacing external processes to a transaction processing system. An interface system is provided that accepts input messages from external processes wherein in the input messages are to be processed by a transaction processing system. The interface system logs received messages and notifies the transaction processing system that a message has been received for processing. The interface system sends a confirmation to the external process indicating that the message has been received. The interface system periodically examines the status of each message as it is being processed by the transaction processing system. Output status messages indicative of such status are created, stored, and sent to an external destination for informational purposes. Outbound data messages are created, stored and sent to an external application. The interface system is event driven, but includes a monitor subsystem to time the start-up of certain processes at periodic intervals.
100 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method for implementing an interface system between an external process that sends an input message and a transaction processing system that receives and processes the input message, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving at the interface system the input message from the external process; (b) creating a control record which is indicative of the input message received by the interface system; (c) writing said control record to an interface system log file in the interface system to log receipt of the input message by the interface system; (d) confirming receipt of the input message to the external process to indicate that the input message has been received and logged by the interface system; (e) scanning said interface system log file to detect said control record and triggering the transaction processing system in response to said detection of said control record; and (f) providing, via said control record, data from the input message to the transaction processing system so that the transaction processing system can receive and act on the input message. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for implementing an interface system between an external process that sends an input message and a transaction processing system that receives and processes the input message, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving at the interface system the input message from the external process; (b) creating a control record which is indicative of the input message received by the interface system; (c) writing said control record to an interface system log file in the interface system to log receipt of the input message by the interface system; (d) confirming receipt of the input message to the external process to indicate that the input message has been received and logged by the interface system; (e) scanning said interface system log file to detect said control record and triggering the transaction processing system in response to said detection of said control record; (f) providing, via said control record, data from the input message to the transaction processing system so that the transaction processing system can receive and act on the input message; (g) receiving at the interface system a processing status message from the transaction processing system to indicate a processing status of the input message in the transaction processing system; (h) updating said interface system log file based on said processing status message received by the interface system; (i) reading said control record in said interface system log file to determine a processing status of the input message and to determine if an output message is to be sent by the interface system; (j) storing an outbound control record in a communications log file in the interface system based on said step (i); (k) transmitting said output message from the interface system to a destination designated by said outbound control record, wherein said output message includes one of an output data message and an output status message; (l) browsing a transaction processing system log file in the interface system in an area defined by a previous end-of-file marker and a current end-of-file marker to find a transaction record corresponding to said control record; and (m) adding a match record which contains an address of said found transaction record to a match file in the interface system. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 16, 17)
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12. A method for implementing an interface system between an external process that sends an input message and a transaction processing system that receives and processes the input message, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving at the interface system the input message from the external process; (b) creating a control record which is indicative of the input message received by the interface system; (c) writing said control record to an interface system log file in the interface system to log receipt of the input message by the interface system; (d) confirming receipt of the input message to the external process to indicate that the input message has been received and logged by the interface system; (e) scanning said interface system log file to detect said control record and triggering the transaction processing system in response to said detection of said control record; (f) providing, via said control record, data from the input message to the transaction processing system so that the transaction processing system can receive and process the input message; (g) receiving at the interface system a processing status message from the transaction processing system to indicate a processing status of the input message in the transaction processing system; (h) updating said interface system log file based on said processing status message received by the interface system; (i) reading said control record in said interface system log file to determine a processing status of the input message and to determine if an output message is to be sent by the interface system; (j) storing an outbound control record in a communications log file in the interface system based on said step (i); and (k) transmitting said output message from the interface system to a destination designated by said outbound control record, wherein said output message includes one of an output data message and an output status message; wherein said step (k) comprises the steps of; receiving at the interface system one of said output data record and said output control record from the transaction processing system; adding said received output control record to said interface system log file; changing an interface system status code and a file type of said output control record to create a finished output control record; writing said finished output control record as an outbound control record to an outbound communications log file in the interface system; browsing said outbound communications log file to find said outbound control record; establishing a communications link between the interface system and a destination node addressed by said outbound control record; sending said outbound control record from the interface system to said destination node; and
sending said output data record from the interface system to said destination node.
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13. A method for implementing an interface system between an external process that sends an input message and a transaction processing system that receives and processes the input message, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving at the interface system the input message from the external process; (b) creating a control record which is indicative of the input message received by the interface system; (c) writing said control record to an interface system log file in the interface system to log receipt of the input message by the interface system; (d) confirming receipt of the input message to the external process to indicate that the input message has been received and logged by the interface system; (e) scanning said interface system log file to detect said control record and triggering the transaction processing system in response to said detection of said control record; (f) providing, via said control record, data from the input message to the transaction processing system so that the transaction processing system can receive and process the input message; (g) receiving at the interface system a processing status message from the transaction processing system to indicate a processing status of the input message in the transaction processing system; (h) updating said interface system log file based on said processing status message received by the interface system; (i) reading said control record in said interface system log file to determine a processing status of the input message and to determine if an output message is to be sent by the interface system; (j) storing an outbound control record in a communications log file in the interface system based on said step (i); and (k) transmitting said output message from the interface system to a destination designated by said outbound control record, wherein said output message includes one of an output data message and an output status message; wherein said step (k) comprises the steps of; creating and storing said outbound control record in said communications log file; determining whether a destination address field of said outbound control record contains a direct address; establishing a link between the interface system and an external process designated by said address; creating an output message based on said outbound control record; and sending from the interface system said output message to said external process. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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18. A method for implementing an interface system between an external process that sends an input message and a transaction processing system that receives and processes the input message, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving at the interface system the input message from the external process; (b) creating a control record which is indicative of the input message received by the interface system; (c) writing said control record to an interface system log file in the interface system to log receipt of the input message by the interface system; (d) confirming receipt of the input message to the external process to indicate that the input message has been received and logged by the interface system; (e) scanning said interface system log file to detect said control record and triggering the transaction processing system in response to said detection of said control record; (f) providing, via said control record, data from the input message to the transaction processing system so that the transaction processing system can receive and process the input message; (g) receiving at the interface system a processing status message from the transaction processing system to indicate a processing status of the input message in the transaction processing system; (h) updating said interface system log file based on said processing status message received by the interface system; (i) reading said control record in said interface system log file to determine a processing status of the input message and to determine if an output message is to be sent by the interface system; (j) storing an outbound control record in a communications log file in the interface system based on said step (i); and (k) transmitting said output message from the interface system to a destination designated by said outbound control record, wherein said output message includes one of an output data message and an output status message; (l) browsing said communications log file to search for said outbound control record; (m) checking a master control record to determine whether a number of communications tasks has exceeded a threshold, if said outbound control record is found; (n) checking whether a communications node pointed to by said outbound control record is available; and (o) starting a communications process in the interface system for said communications node.
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19. A system for interfacing an external process that sends an input message and a transaction processing system that receives and processes the input message, the system comprising:
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(a) a log file for storing a control record and for providing, via said control record, data from the input message to the transaction processing system; (b) first means, coupled to said log file, for receiving the input message from the external process and for logging receipt thereof to said log file; (c) second means, coupled to said log file, for providing a trigger message to the transaction processing system to indicate that the input message has been received and logged by said first means; (d) third means, coupled to said log file, for determining a processing status of the input message in the transaction processing system and for generating an outbound control record as a function of said status; and (e) fourth means, coupled to said third means, for creating an output message as a result of said outbound control record and for transmitting said output message to a destination. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A system for interfacing an external process to a transaction processing system:
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(a) a first log file; (b) a second log file; (c) an input receive subsystem, coupled to said first log file, operable to receive an input message from the external process, to log a control record of such receipt onto said first log file, and to send a confirmation to the external process confirming receipt of said input message; (d) a trigger subsystem, coupled to said first log file, operable to browse said first log file to search for said control record, and to provide a trigger message to the transaction processing system indicating an input message has been received and is ready for processing by the transaction processing system; (e) a status subsystem, coupled to said first log file, operable to retrieve a processing status message from the transaction processing system and to update control record information on said first log file; (f) an acknowledgement subsystem, coupled to said first log file and to said second log file, operable to determine a processing status of the input message by reading control records updated by said status subsystem, and to provide an outbound control record to said second log file for control records indicating that an acknowledgment is requested; and (g) a communications subsystem, coupled to said second log file, operable to retrieve said outbound control record and from said second log file, operable to create an output message from said outbound control record, and to send said output message to an external destination. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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30. A method for implementing an interface system between an external process that sends an input message and a transaction processing system that receives and processes an input message, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving at the interface system the input message from the external process; (b) creating a control record which contains a header used to control processing of the input message and one of data from the input message and a pointer to said data; (c) writing said control record to an interface system log file in the interface system to log receipt of the input message by the interface system; (d) confirming receipt of the input message to the external process to indicate that the input message has been received and logged by the interface system; (e) scanning said interface system log file to detect said control record and triggering the transaction processing system in response to said detection of said control record; and (f) providing, via said control record, said data to the transaction processing system so that the transaction processing system can process the input message without requiring further action by the external process.
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Specification