Generating combinations of offers and using action identifiers from the offers to obtain performance of combinations of actions

• US 6,732,361 B1
• Filed: 07/28/1999
• Issued: 05/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Pacull, François, Meunier, Jean-Luc, Andreoli, Jean-Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Al T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, ANDY
• Application Number:
  US09/363,308
• Time in Patent Office: 1,742 Days
• Field of Search: 709/315, 709/313, 705/5, 705/6, 705/53
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/01 Dynamic search techniques; Heuristics; Dynamic trees; Branch-and-bound
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation

Abstract

In obtaining performance of a combination of actions, such as in a coordination or scheduling application, combination data indicating a combination of two or more action types can be obtained. The combination data could, for each action type, identify a service that can be performed by a networked server to provide an instance of the action type. Combinations of offers can be generated, with the offers in each combination together offering the combination of action types indicated by the combination data. In generating the combinations, inquiries can be provided to the servers or other sources of actions, with an inquiry indicating an action type and requesting offers offering to perform an action and indicating an action identifier for the offered action. The action identifiers from the offers in any of the generated combinations can be used to obtain performance of that combination of actions. Search engine operations can generate the combinations of offers, and transaction engine operations can use the action identifiers to obtain performance. The services can have variables that can be instantiated, and two services can share one or more variables, making them interdependent. An inquiry can be provided to obtain an offer to perform one of the services with values for the shared variables, and another inquiry can then be provided to obtain offers to perform the other service with the same values for the shared variables.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of obtaining performance of combinations of actions, the method comprising:

(a) obtaining combination data indicating a combination of two or more action types;

(b) generating one or more combinations of offers, the offers in each combination together offering the combination of action types indicated by the combination data;

the act of generating combinations of offers comprising;

providing inquiries to sources of actions, each inquiry indicating at least one of the action types in the combination, each inquiry further requesting offers that offer to perform actions of the indicated type and that each indicate an action identifier identifying the offered action; and

using offers received in response to the inquiries to generate the combinations of offers; and

(c) using action identifiers from the offers in any of the generated combinations to obtain performance of that combination of actions by the sources.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the sources of actions are servers and in which the combination data indicate, for each action type in the combination of action types, at least one service identifier, each service identifier identifying a service that can be performed by a server to provide an instance of the action type.

3. The method of claim 2 in which the servers are accessible through a network and in which the servers perform the services by executing instructions.

4. The method of claim 2 in which the combination of action types is a conjunction and in which (b) comprises:

(b1) associating action identifiers indicated by offers with service identifiers that are indicated by the combination data; and

(b2) determining whether all service identifiers indicated by the combination data have associated action identifiers.

5. The method of claim 2 in which the combination data further indicate, for each service identifier, a set of one or more variable identifiers, each variable identifier identifying a variable that is applicable to the service identified by the service identifier, the sets of variable identifiers for first and second service identifiers both including one or more shared variable identifiers identifying shared variables that are applicable both to a first service identified by the first service identifier and to a second service identified by the second service identifier.

6. The method of claim 5 in which (b) comprises:

(b3) providing a first inquiry to a first set of servers, each of which can perform the first service;

the first inquiry indicating the first service with the shared variables unspecified and requesting that the servers in the first set provide offers that offer to perform the first service;

(b4) receiving at least one offer in response to the first inquiry, each offer offering to perform the first service with specified values of the shared variables; and

(b5) for at least one offer received in (b4), providing a second inquiry to a second set of servers, each of which can perform the second service, the second inquiry indicating the second service with the specified values of the shared variables from the received offer and requesting that the servers in the second set provide offers that offer to perform the second service with the specified values of the shared variables from the received offer.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the combination of action types is a conjunction and in which (c) comprises:

(c1) for each offer in the generated combination, providing a reserve request to the source of the offer;

the reserve request signal indicating the offer'"'"'s action identifier, the reserve request requesting a return communication indicating whether the offer is available and reserved; and

(c2) if return communications are received indicating that all the offers in the generated combination are available and reserved, providing a perform request to the source of each offer, each perform request indicating the offer'"'"'s action identifier and requesting performance of the identified action.

8. The method of claim 7 in which the reserve request also indicates a requester identifier and requests that the source reserve the action identified by the action identifier for the identified requester.

9. A system for obtaining performance of combinations of actions, the system comprising:

processing circuitry; and

connecting circuitry for connecting the processing circuitry to sources of action;

the processing circuitry;

(A) obtaining combination data indicating a combination of two or more action types;

(B) generating one or more combinations of offers, the offers in each combination together offering the combination of action types indicated by the combination data;

the processing circuitry, in generating the combinations of offers;

providing inquiries to the sources of actions through the connecting circuitry, each inquiry indicating at least one of the action types in the combination, each inquiry further requesting offers that offer to perform actions of the indicated type and that each indicate an action identifier identifying the offered action; and

using offers received through the connecting circuitry in response to the inquiries in generating the combinations of offers; and

(C) using action identifiers from the offers in any of the generated combinations in obtaining performance of a combination of actions by the sources.

10. The system of claim 9 in which the connecting circuitry includes circuitry for connecting the processing circuitry to the Internet.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

memory circuitry connected for access by the processing circuitry;

the memory circuitry storing instruction data defining instructions the processing circuitry can execute;

the instructions including search engine instructions that the processing circuitry executes to perform (B) and transaction engine instructions that the processing circuitry executes to perform (C).

12. The system of claim 9 in which the sources of actions are servers and in which the combination data indicate, for each action type in the combination of action types, at least one service identifier, each service identifier identifying a service that can be performed by a server to provide an instance of the action type, the system further comprising:

memory circuitry connected for access by the processing circuitry;

the memory circuitry storing a set of service combination data items;

each service combination data item indicating a combination of service identifiers that could be an instance of the combination of action types indicated by the combination data.

13. The system of claim 12 in which (B) includes:

(B1) updating the set of service combination data items by associating action identifiers indicated by offers with service identifiers; and

(B2) using the set of service combination data items in determining whether all service identifiers indicated by the combination data have associated action identifiers.

14. The system of claim 13 in which the memory circuitry further stores a set of trigger data items, each trigger data item indicating an action identifier indicated by an offer received in response to an inquiry;

and in which (B1) includes;

for one of the trigger data items, creating a new service combination data item in which the action identifier from the trigger data item is associated with the service identifier indicated by the inquiry.

15. The system of claim 14 in which (B2) includes:

for one of the service combination data items that indicates a service identifier that does not have an associated action identifier, providing an inquiry that indicates the service identifier and, for each offer received in response to the inquiry, creating a trigger data item that indicates the action identifier indicated by the offer.

16. The system of claim 13 in which (C) includes:

for one of the service combination data items in which each service identifier has an associated action identifier, using the action identifiers associated with the service identifiers in obtaining performance of a combination of actions by the sources.

17. The system of claim 16 in which the memory circuitry further stores a set of invalid action data items;

each invalid action data item indicating an action identifier; and

in which (C) further includes;

for each of the action identifiers used in obtaining performance, creating in the set of invalid action data items an invalid action data item that indicates the action identifier; and

for each invalid action data item in the set, using the action identifier indicated by the invalid action data item to remove service combination data items having service identifiers with which the action identifier is associated.

18. The system of claim 9 in which (C) includes:

providing perform requests to the sources that provided the generated set of offers, each perform request indicating an offer'"'"'s action identifier and requesting performance of the identified action;

the system further comprising;

a set of servers that are the sources of actions;

each server being connected to the processing circuitry through the connecting circuitry;

each server responding to an inquiry by determining whether to provide an offer and, if so, providing an offer that indicates an action identifier;

each server responding to a perform request that indicates an action identifier by performing the action identified by the indicated action identifier.

19. An article of manufacture for use in a system that includes:

a storage medium access device for accessing data on storage media; and

a processor for accessing data on storage media using the storage medium access device; and

connecting circuitry for connecting the processor to sources of actions;

the article of manufacture comprising;

a storage medium;

instruction data stored on the storage medium, the instruction data defining a sequence of instructions that can be accessed by the processor using the storage medium access device;

the processor, in executing the sequence of instructions, obtaining performance of combinations of actions by;

obtaining combination data indicating a combination of two or more action types;

generating one or more combinations of offers, the offers in each combination together offering the combination of action types indicated by the combination data;

the processor, in generating the combinations of offers;

providing inquiries to the sources of actions through the connecting circuitry, each inquiry indicating at least one of the action types in the combination, each inquiry further requesting offers that offer to perform actions of the indicated type and that each indicate an action identifier identifying the offered action; and

using action identifiers indicated by offers received through the connecting circuitry in response to the inquiries in generating the combinations of offers; and

using offers in any of the generated combinations in obtaining performance of a combination of actions by the sources.

20. A method of operating a first machine to transfer data to a second machine over a network, the second machine including:

at least one device that can be used to access resources;

each device, when used by a person, providing identity information indicating the person'"'"'s identity;

a memory for storing instruction; and

a processor connected for receiving the identity information and the content of the accessed resources and for accessing the memory;

the method comprising;

establishing a connection between the first and second machines over the network; and

operating the first machine to transfer instruction data to the memory of the second machine;

the instruction data indicating instructions the processor can execute;

the processor, in executing the sequence of instructions, obtaining performance of combinations of actions by;

obtaining combination data indicating a combination of two or more action types;

generating one or more combinations of offers, the offers in each combination together offering the combination of action types indicated by the combination data;

the processor, in generating the combinations of offers;

providing inquiries to the sources of actions through the connecting circuitry, each inquiry indicating at least one of the action types in the combination, each inquiry further requesting offers that offer to perform actions of the indicated type and that each indicate an action identifier identifying the offered action; and

using offers received through the connecting circuitry in response to the inquiries in generating the combinations of offers; and

using action identifiers from the offers in any of the generated combinations in obtaining performance of a combination of actions by the sources.