Method and apparatus for conducting electronic commerce

• US 6,286,028 B1
• Filed: 12/01/1998
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cohen, Mitchell Adam, Walters, James Allen, Sturzenbecker, Martin Clarence, Harris, Tracy Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, TE Y
• Application Number:
  US09/203,280
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 709/202, 709/317, 717/1, 345/335, 707/1, 707/101
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A generic interface between an electronic commerce frontend and a business management backend is provided via an object oriented computer program product. In operation, the program creates one or more specific business objects from a plurality of specific business object classes. The program also provides a framework within which the business objects travel. A first framework instance is coupled to the frontend, and a second framework instance is coupled to the backend. In response to a request from the frontend or backend, the framework instance coupled to the requesting end creates a specific business object to perform the requested operation. Specific Business Objects are derived from a common class containing the methods required by the framework, a specific business object class containing the methods for performing a specific business function (e.g., order, provide production information, etc.), a frontend adapter class containing the methods for mapping data from the frontend to the business object, and a backend adapter class containing the methods for mapping data from the business object to a backend.

Claims

1. An object-oriented computer program product for providing a generic interface between an electronic commerce frontend and a business management backend, comprising:

a medium readable by a computer, the computer readable medium having;

means for providing a plurality of business object classes, each business object class for providing a business object having;

means for mapping data between the frontend and the backend; and

means for transferring data between the frontend and the backend by transferring the business object therebetween.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the mapping means comprises a frontend adapter class for inheritance by each business object class and a backend adapter class for inheritance by each business object class.

3. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the transfer means comprises a state mechanism.

4. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the plurality of business object classes comprises at least one each of an order business object class, a customer information business object class, a product information business object class, a product availability business object class, and an order status business object class.

19. The computer program product of claim 1 further comprising:

means for providing a framework having;

an environment means for providing data relevant to performing business data manipulations within the framework;

a listener object coupled to the environment means, for coupling to the frontend or the backend, for receiving an operation ID from the frontend or the backend, for accessing the environment means to determine a business object class identified by the operation ID, and for creating a business object of the identified business object class;

at least one business framework object operatively coupled to both the listener object and the environment means for receiving business objects created by the listener object and for executing methods of each received business object; and

a communications object operatively coupled to the at least one business framework object and to the environment means, for sending and receiving business objects to and from both the at least one business framework object and a remote framework.

5. An object-oriented computer program product for providing a generic interface between an electronic commerce frontend and a business management backend, comprising:

a medium readable by a computer, the computer readable medium having;

a framework having;

an environment means for providing data relevant to performing business data manipulations within the framework;

a listener object coupled to the environment means, for coupling to the frontend or the backend, for receiving an operation ID from the frontend or the backend, for accessing the environment means to determine a business object class identified by the operation ID, and for creating a business object of the identified business object class;

at least one business framework object operatively coupled to both the listener object and the environment means for receiving business objects created by the listener object and for executing methods of each received business object; and

a communications object operatively coupled to the at least one business framework object and to the environment means, for sending and receiving business objects to and from both the at least one business framework object and a remote framework.

6. The computer program product of claim 5 wherein the at least one business framework object is for executing both an inbound and an outbound method of the created business object.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the at least one business framework object comprises:

a first framework object coupled to the listener object for receiving from the listener object;

a) the created business object; and

b) a handle to the frontend or the backend that transmitted the operation ID;

and for executing a load method of the created business object to load, from the transmitting frontend or backend, a key which identifies the location of business data to be transported by the created business object.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the at least one business framework object further comprises:

a second framework object coupled to the first framework object and to the communications object for executing the business object'"'"'s inbound method, and wherein the business object'"'"'s inbound method uses the key to import data required by the created business object from the frontend or the backend location identified by the key.

9. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the at least one business framework object further comprises:

a second framework object coupled to the first framework object and to the communications object for executing the business object'"'"'s outbound method.

10. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the communications object is for serializing business objects to be sent to a remote framework, and for deserializing business objects received from a remote framework.

20. The computer program product of claim 5 further comprising:

a common business object class containing methods required by the framework within which the business object is to travel;

at least one specific business object class containing data variables and methods specific to the operation to be performed by a business object of the specific business object class;

a frontend adapter class containing methods for adapting to a specific frontend;

a backend adapter class containing methods for adapting to a specific backend; and

means for creating a business object derived from the common business object class, the specific business object class, the frontend adapter class and the backend adapter class.

11. An object-oriented computer program product for forming a business object to be used within a generic framework interface between an electronic commerce frontend and a business management backend, comprising:

a medium readable by a computer, the computer readable medium having;

a common business object class containing methods required by the framework within which the business object is to travel;

at least one specific business object class containing data variables and methods specific to the operation to be performed by a business object of the specific business object class;

a frontend adapter class containing methods for adapting to a specific frontend;

a backend adapter class containing methods for adapting to a specific backend; and

means for creating a business object derived from the common business object class, the specific business object class, the frontend adapter class and the backend adapter class.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the common business object class comprises a state mechanism and a method for adding business object threads.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the at least one specific business object class comprises a state mechanism for executing the operation to be performed by a business object of the specific business object class.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the state mechanism accesses an environment means which contains data relevant to performing the operation of a business object of the specific business object class.

15. A computer based method for creating by inheritance a generic business object to interface between an electronic commerce frontend and a business management backend, comprising:

inheriting a common business object class containing methods required by a framework within which business objects are to travel;

inheriting a plurality of specific business object classes, each specific business object class having data variables and methods specific to an operation to be performed by business objects of the specific business object class;

inheriting a frontend adapter class for mapping data from the frontend or the backend to a business object; and

inheriting a backend adapter class for mapping data from a business object to the frontend or the backend.

16. The computer based method of claim 15 further comprising creating a plurality of base adapter classes by inheriting each possible permutation of specific business object classes, frontend adapter classes and backend adapter classes.

17. A computer based method for providing a generic interface between an electronic commerce frontend and a business management backend, comprising:

receiving an operation ID from the frontend or the backend;

determining a business object class identified by the operation ID;

creating a business object of the identified business object class by;

inheriting a common business object class containing methods required by a framework within which the created business objects is to travel;

inheriting a specific business object class having data variables and methods specific to an operation to be performed by the created business object;

inheriting an inbound adapter class for mapping data from the frontend or the backend to the created business object; and

inheriting an outbound adapter class for mapping data from the created business object to the frontend or the backend; and

transporting the created business object to a remote framework instance.

18. The computer based method of claim 17 further comprising:

receiving from the frontend or the backend which transmitted the operation ID, a key identifying the location of data required by the created object'"'"'s data variables; and

loading the data into the created business object.