Enterprise interaction hub for managing an enterprise web system

• US 6,085,220 A
• Filed: 09/28/1998
• Issued: 07/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Global Session Holdings SRL (Global Sessions LP)
• Original Assignee: i2 Technologies Incorporated (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Macartney-Filgate, Bruce C., Dunn, Craig L., Huddleston, Erik L., Courts, Howard R., Poorte, Jacob P., Huddleston, Brian J., McHyde, Timothy J., Dholakia, Neil K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Geckil, Mehmet B.
• Application Number:
  US09/162,221
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/105, 709/246, 709/224, 707/1, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• 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 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An enterprise interaction hub (10) is disclosed which includes a number of layers that interact to manage an enterprise web system. An interaction layer (12) receives requests to the enterprise web system and returns responsive web pages. A presentation layer (14) is coupled to the interaction layer (12) and generates the responsive web pages. A business layer (16) is coupled to the presentation layer (14) and provides business logic for use by the presentation layer (14) in generating the responsive web pages. An integration layer (18) is coupled to the business layer (16) and interfaces with existing legacy data to provide the legacy data to the business layer (16). A trend collection layer (32) monitors and accumulates historical information from the interaction layer (12), the presentation layer (14), the business layer (16) and the integration layer (18). The trend collection layer (32) also stores the historical information in a trend database (36). A profile database (38), accessible by the presentation layer (14) and the business layer (16), stores profile data, including data mined from the trend database (36), that characterizes individual user access to the enterprise web system. The profile data is used by the presentation layer (14) and the business layer (16) to provide customized dynamic content in the generated web pages.

Claims

1. An enterprise interaction hub for managing an enterprise web system, comprising:

an interaction layer that receives requests to the enterprise web system and returns responsive web pages;

a presentation layer coupled to the interaction layer, the presentation layer generating the responsive web pages;

a business layer coupled to the presentation layer, the business layer providing business logic for use by the presentation layer in generating the responsive web pages;

an integration layer coupled to the business layer, the integration layer interfacing with existing legacy data to provide the legacy data to the business layer;

a trend collection layer operating to monitor and accumulate historical information from the interaction layer, the presentation layer, the business layer and the integration layer and operating to store that historical information in a trend database; and

a profile database, accessible by the presentation layer and the business layer, that stores profile data, including data mined from the trend database, the profile data characterizing individual user access to the enterprise web system;

the profile data used by the presentation layer and the business layer to provide customized dynamic content in the generated web pages.

2. The enterprise interaction hub of claim 1, wherein the profile data characterizes typical interactions of individual users with the enterprise web system and the products and services that interest the individual users.

3. The enterprise interaction hub of claim 1, further comprising a console that provides a control center for the enterprise web system.

4. The enterprise interaction hub of claim 1, wherein the presentation layer is implemented using render objects each of which is instantiated to handle generation of one responsive web page.

5. The enterprise interaction hub of claim 1, wherein the business layer is implemented using business objects each of which is instantiated to handle a business logice function.

6. The enterprise interaction hub of claim 1, wherein the integration layer is implemented using communication objects each of which is instantiated to interface with a legacy application or legacy database.

7. The enterprise interaction hub of claim 1, wherein the communication objects can further interface with applications from independent software vendors.

8. A web system implemented using an enterprise interaction hub, the web system comprising:

a plurality of physical computer system for independently processing user requests;

each physical computer system comprising;

a server that receives user requests; and

a broker that receives the user requests from the server and returns responsive web pages to the server;

the broker instantiating, for each request, an engine manager to service the request;

each engine manager instantiating render engines to generate content responsive to the request being serviced;

the render engines accessing session state information relevant to the user request being serviced; and

the engine manager returning to the broker a web page responsive to the request being serviced and including the generated content;

wherein each engine manager and the render engines terminate after the web page responsive to the request being serviced is returned to the broker.

9. The web system of claim 8, further comprising a load distribution unit that receives user requests and distributes each user request to one of the plurality of physical computer systems for processing.

10. The web system of claim 9, wherein the load distribution unit comprises a CISCO Front End Local Director.