Mapping actions to tasks within customer service processing systems

• US 6,898,790 B1
• Filed: 05/11/2000
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bresil, Roberto, Cheong, Toong Choon, Plumpton, David James
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Al T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ali, Syed J
• Application Number:
  US09/569,221
• Time in Patent Office: 1,839 Days
• Field of Search: 718/100, 718/102, 718/104, 718107-108, 709200-203, 709/100, 709/102, 709/104, 709/108, 709/107, 709/109, 709/21.23, 705/80, 705/500
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for mapping an action, occurring within a customer servicing computer system, from a meta-level domain to tasks within a system-level domain are described. The actions are defined to have a plurality of data-fields, each of which has attributes. For a subset of the meta-data fields, and for each field within the subset, the mapper key is formed from a portion of the attributes. Each mapper key is compared with a set of task templates. The task templates define a sequence of system-level domain tasks. If there is a match of all the mapper keys with a respective template, then a system-level domain task sequence is formed to give effect to the action as the collective tasks of all task templates.

Claims

1. A method for mapping an action, occurring within a customer servicing computing system, from a meta-level domain to tasks within a system-level domain, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) defining an action to have a plurality of meta-data fields, each said meta-data field having attributes;

(b) defining a set of task templates in said system-level domain, each template defining a sequence of tasks;

(c) for a subset of said meta-data fields, and for each field within said subset, forming a mapper key from a portion of said attributes;

(d) comparing each said mapper key with said set of templates existing in the system-level domain to identify a match; and

(e) forming a system-level task sequence to give effect to said action as the collective tasks of each matched template, whereby, for at least said subset of meta-data fields, at least one said attribute of each meta-data field describes a mandatory value, and said comparing step (d) is performed such that, if a direct match is not obtained, then the number of attributes is reduced and the comparison is repeated until there is a match, the minimum number of attributes that can achieve a match being said mandatory value.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of:

if there is no match achieved, choosing a default task template for the relevant meta-field in question.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising the further step of said computer system executing said task sequence.

4. The method of claim 3, whereby said task sequence is arranged as a single sequence in which a task can only be executed if all preceding tasks have been executed.

5. A customer servicing computer system, comprising:

(a) a plurality of client machines running provisioning application software;

(b) a plurality of server machines also running said application software; and

(c) a network connecting said client machines to said server machines; and

wherein, on said computer system, actions are mapped from meta-level domain to tasks within a system-level domain such that, for each action, there exists a plurality of meta-data fields, each said meta-data field having attributes, and a set of task templates in said system-level domain, each template defining a sequence of tasks, and said system being operable to, for a subset of said meta-data fields and for each field within said subset, form a mapper key from a portion of said attributes, to compare each said mapper key with said set of templates to identify a match, and to form a system-level task sequence to give effect to said action as the collective tasks of each matched task template, wherein, for at least said subset of meta-data fields, at least one said attributes of each meta-data field describes a mandatory value, and said comparison is performed such that, if a direct match is not obtained, then the number of attributes is reduced and the comparison is repeated until there is a match, the minimum number of attributes that can achieve a match being said mandatory value.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein if no match achieved, a default task template for the relevant meta-field in question is chosen.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein said computer system executes said task sequence.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein said task sequence is arranged as a single sequence in which a task can only be executed if all preceding tasks have been executed.

9. A system, for mapping an action from a meta-level domain to tasks within a system-level domain, comprising:

memory means storing said mete-level domain actions, each of which has a plurality of meta-data fields, each said meta-data field having attributes, and a set of system-level domain task templates, each template defining a sequence of tasks; and

processor means, coupled to said memory means, and operable, for a subset of said meta-data fields and for each field within said subset, to form a mapper key from a portion of said attributes, to compare each said mapper key with said set of templates to identify a match, and to form a system-level task sequence to give effect to said action as the collective tasks of each matched task template, wherein, for at least said subset of meta-data fields, at least one said attributes of each meta-data field describes a mandatory value, and said comparison is performed such that, if a direct match is not obtained, then the number of attributes is reduced and the comparison is repeated until there is a match, the minimum number of attributes that can achieve a match being said mandatory value.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein if no match is achieved, a default task template for the relevant meta-field in question is chosen.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said computer system executes said task sequence.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said task sequence is arranged as a single sequence in which a task can only be executed if all preceding tasks have been executed.