Multilevel queuing system for distributing tasks in an enterprise-wide work flow automation

• US 7,010,602 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2001
• Issued: 03/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Filenet Corporation (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Seidman, Glenn R., Waddington, Bruce A., Poindexter, Luen Kimball, Timm, Stephen R.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/989,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20020059466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,569 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/223, 709/224, 709/226, 718/101, 718/102, 718/104, 718/105
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for a enterprise-wide work flow system that may encompass multiple geographically separate sites. The sites may be either permanently or transiently linked. A single computer network may accommodate multiple work flow systems and a single work flow system may be distributed over multiple local area networks. The system maintains the paradigm of one global queue per service and provides for individual work flow systems to export services to one another in an enterprise.

Claims

1. A multilevel queuing system configured to selectively distribute work tasks for workers on an enterprise-wide scale, the system comprising:

a first queue level, including a first logical work queue that acts as an enterprise-level queue for a plurality of work flow systems, wherein the first logical work queue is associated with a work performer class representing a task necessitating at least human interaction, and wherein the first logical work queue is configured to accept work tasks destined for workers associated with the work performer class;

a second queue level, including a plurality of second level work performer queues associated with the first logical work queue and with corresponding workers, wherein at least a first of the work tasks in the first logical work queue is assigned to a first of the plurality of second level work performer queues based on at least a first property of the first work task; and

a plurality of expressions configured to evaluate the first property, the plurality of expressions corresponding to the plurality of second level work performer queues, wherein;

if only one of the plurality of expressions is satisfied, the work task is assigned to the second level work performer queue corresponding to the satisfied expression;

if more than one of the plurality of expressions is satisfied, the work task is assigned to one of the second level work performer queues based at least in part on one of queue throughput statistics, locality, and a weighting factor.

2. The multilevel queuing system as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the first logical work queue is associated with a loan officer class of work performers,

the first work task is loan-related,

and the first work task is selectively assigned to one of the plurality of second level work performer queues based at least in part on a characteristic of the loan.

3. The multilevel queuing system as defined in claim 1, wherein the second queue level includes a work performer queue associated with a local work flow system and a work performer queue associated with a remote work flow system.

4. The multilevel queuing system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first of the plurality of second level work performer queues is a physical queue.

5. The multilevel queuing system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first queue level further includes a second logical work queue associated with a second work performer class that represents an automated task.

6. A method of distributing tasks in a work flow system using multilevel queues, comprising:

defining a first queue level, including a first logical work queue corresponding to a first work performer class representing at least a task requiring human interaction, wherein the first logical work queue is configured to accept work tasks destined for work performers associated with the work performer class; and

defining a second queue level, including a plurality of second level work performer queues associated with the first logical work queue and with corresponding work performers, wherein at least a first of the work tasks in the first logical work queue is assigned to a first of the plurality of second level work performer queues based on at least a first characteristic of the first work task; and

distributing work tasks to second level work performer queues based at least in part upon at least one of queue throughout statistics, locality, and/or a probability distribution.

7. The method as defined in claim 6, further comprising providing the first work task to a first worker.

8. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the second queue level includes a work performer queue associated with a local work flow system and a work performer queue associated with a remote work flow system.

9. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the first logical work queue appears to a business process to be an enterprise-level queue for a plurality of work flow systems.

10. A method of distributing tasks in a work flow system using multilevel queues, comprising:

defining a first queue level, including a first logical work queue corresponding to a first work performer class representing at least a task requiring human interaction, wherein the first logical work queue is configured to accept work tasks destined for work performers associated with the work performer class;

defining a second queue level, including a plurality of second level work performer queues associated with the first logical work queue and with corresponding work performers, wherein at least a first of the work tasks in the first logical work queue is assigned to a first of the plurality of second level work performer queues based on at least a first characteristic of the first work task; and

evaluating a second characteristic of a second work task using a plurality of expressions corresponding to the plurality of second level work performer queues;

determining tat more than one of the plurality of expressions is satisfied;

using additional criteria to selectively assign the second work task to a second of the plurality of second level work performer queues.

11. A method of distributing tasks in a work flow system using multilevel queues, comprising:

defining a first queue level, including a first logical work queue corresponding to a first work performer class representing at least a task requiring human interaction, wherein the first logical work queue is configured to accept work tasks destined for work performers associated with the work performer class;

defining a second queue level, including a plurality of second level work performer queues associated with the first logical work queue and with corresponding work performers, wherein at least a first of the work tasks in the first logical work queue is assigned to a first of the plurality of second level work performer queues based on at least a first characteristic of the first work task; and

determining that a first worker associated with the first of the plurality of second level work performer queues is unavailable based on at least one of queue size and/or elapsed time in the first of the plurality of second level work performer queues, and based at least in part on the determination, assigning a second task to a second of the plurality of second level work performer queues.