Method for mapping business processes using an emergent model on a computer network

• US 7,131,107 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2001
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: S Aqua Semiconductor LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Oculus Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Wall, Matthew B., Wall, Timothy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam, Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUTTEN, JAMES D
• Application Number:
  US09/898,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20020069401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,946 Days
• Field of Search: 717/104, 717/105, 345/751, 345/964, 345/967
• US Class Current: 717/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24565 Triggers; Constraints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/04 Constraint-based CAD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

Mapping business and engineering processes is accomplished by giving users access to a system for generating an emergent model and publishing inputs and/or outputs of models generated by the users. Published inputs and/or outputs of models generated are subscribed to by the users, thereby creating a network of linked inputs and/or outputs. The network of linked inputs and/or outputs are analyzed and displayed, resulting in a map of the business and engineering processes. The models generated are used in business and engineering processes.

Claims

1. A method for mapping business and engineering processes, comprising the steps of:

giving users access to a system for generating an emergent model, the emergent model including one or more models having computer instructions and data the describe behavior of a system being modeled and/or evaluate the system being modeled;

independently publishing, using a computing device, inputs and/or outputs of data objects and/or function objects generated by the users, at least some of the data objects and/or function objects being model inputs and/or model outputs, at least some of the function objects defining interdependencies within the one or more models by providing solvable expressions that relate data objects and/or function objects;

independently subscribing to the published inputs and/or outputs of data objects and/or function objects generated by the users from at least one computing device on a computer network through the system for generating an emergent model, thereby creating a network of linked inputs and/or outputs of data objects and/or function objects without a predefined or global definition of the emergent model;

analyzing and displaying, using a computing device, the network of linked inputs and/or outputs, resulting in a map of the business and engineering processes;

wherein the network of linked inputs and/or outputs of data objects and/or function objects is created in a manner free of a central coordinating computing device and in a manner free of a predefined or global definition of the emergent model; and

wherein the data objects and/or function objects generated are used in business and engineering processes.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a part of the configuration of the network of linked inputs and/or outputs of data objects and/or function objects is predefined and used to determine which data objects and/or function objects are generated on which of the computing devices in the computer network.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a user interface is defined that displays the data objects and/or function objects on a computing device on the computer network using a client process that communicates with a server process wherein the data objects and/or function objects can be viewed on any computing device connected to the computer network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the data objects and/or function objects are stored in logical groups.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein references to the data objects and/or function objects are published using electronic media, print media or human conversation.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of generating the data objects and/or function objects provides an interface mapping for data objects and/or function objects stored in application programs, databases or computer code libraries.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the function objects are implemented by computer code that is compiled, dynamically linked and evaluated at runtime.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the function objects are implemented by computer code that is interpreted and evaluated at runtime.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of sending or receiving messages between the linked inputs and/or outputs of data objects and/or function objects.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the sending or receiving messages can be enabled or disabled based on predefined criteria.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the predefined criteria is based upon message source, message destination or message contents.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a user of the emergent model and assigning appropriate read, write, execute and administrative permissions to the user on a per data objects and/or function objects basis, the permissions being used to limit access to a specific subset of the data objects and/or function objects.