Dynamic component management

• US 7,389,921 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Goebel, Steffen, Lin, Tao
• Primary Examiner(s): ST CYR, DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US11/067,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20060195473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 235/451, 235/375, 3405721-5724, 340/447, 705/28, 705 22- 23, 705/29, 705/56, 705/58
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

An auto-identification system is described that includes a plurality of distributed auto-id nodes that are operable to track physical objects as they move through an operation of an enterprise, such as, for example, a supply chain network or a sales network. The auto-id nodes are distributed across sites of the network, and are in communication with enterprise application systems and/or data acquisition systems such as RFID readers or sensor devices. By focusing on their respective sites, the auto-id nodes minimize the amount of data tracked by their respective enterprise applications. The auto-id node may include a component manager that dynamically loads components for use in the auto-id node, without disrupting an operation of the auto-id node. For example, the component manager may be operable to add a new adaptor component that communicates with a new type of device, without needing to stop and restart the auto-id node.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at an auto-ID node and from an adapter, a request to process item data that tracks a status of an item in a supply chain;

selecting adaptor, communicator, and converter components for the adapter based on receiving the item data;

determining, based on limits associated with a quantity of active instances of the selected components, whether active instances of the selected components may be instantiated;

dynamically instantiating, if determining that the active instances of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components may be instantiated, an active instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components;

dynamically instantiating, if determining that the active instances of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components may not be instantiated, a passive instance of the selected adaptor, communicator or converter components;

swapping the passive instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components to an active instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter component, when a respective active instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components finishes processing;

processing the event using the active instances of the selected components;

outputting the processed item data; and

de-instantiating the active instances of the adaptor, communicator, and converter components based on processing the event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the adapter comprises a radio frequency identification device (RFID) reader, a barcode scanner, a smart card, a voice recognition system, an optical character recognition system a biometric system, a device controller, a device manager, a second auto-ID node, a backend system, a generic adapter, or a user interface.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the adaptor component handles communications between the auto-ID node and the adapter using the communicator and converter components,

wherein the communicator component handles a data transport aspect of the communications using a variety of different types of communication protocols, communication modes, and communication channels, and

wherein the converter component handles a data conversion aspect of the communications, converting the item data into an internal message format used by the auto-ID node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the active instances of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components are dynamically instantiated at run time without disrupting an operation of the auto-ID node.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the selected adaptor, commumcator, and converter component in a component repository that stores a pool of adaptor, communicator, and converter components,

wherein the selected adaptor, communicator, and converter components are selected from the pool of adaptor, communicator, and converter components.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing a pool of activity handles, rules, and rule sets in the component repository.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein a hyper-text transfer protocol (HTTP) communicator component is selected based on the item data being received via a Service Oriented Architecture Protocol (SOAP), and

wherein a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) communicator component is selected based on the item being received via a socket message.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering a version, a location and configuration data of the adaptor, communicator, and converter components in a configuration settings file.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the adaptor, communicator, and converter components further comprises:

selecting the adaptor component for the adapter based on the adapter;

accessing a dependent components portion of a configuration setting file;

selecting the communicator and converter components associated with the selected adaptor component based on accessing the dependent components portion.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the passive instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components includes state information of the respective active instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components.

11. The method of claim 1,

wherein the active instances are executing instances, and

wherein the passive instances are stored, non-executing instances.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically configuring the limits associated with the quantity of active instances of the selected components.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the limits are dynamically configured based on a load of the auto-ID node, based on the respective active instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components finishing processing, or based on a dynamically instantiating the active instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein dynamically configuring the limits associated with the quantity of active instances of the selected components further comprises:

increasing the limit prior to swapping the passive instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components; and

decreasing the limit after swapping the passive instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the active instances of the selected components may be instantiated further comprises whether any active instances of the selected components are instantiated.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the passive instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter component is dynamically instantiated only if the quantity of active instances reaches the limits.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the passive instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter component is dynamically instantiated when the respective active instance finishes processing.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein de-instantiating the active instances further comprises unloading the active instances.

19. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a machine-readable medium, the computer program product comprising instructions that, when read by a machine, operate to cause data processing apparatus to:

receive, at an auto-ID node and from an adapter, a request to process item data that tracks a status of an item in a supply chain;

select adaptor, communicator, and converter components for the adapter based on receiving the item data;

determine, based on limits associated with a quantity of active instances of the selected components, whether active instances of the selected components may be instantiated;

dynamically instantiate, if determining that the active instances of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components may be instantiated, an active instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components;

dynamically instantiate, if determining that the active instances of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components may not be instantiated, a passive instance of the selected adaptor, communicator or converter components;

swap the passive instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components to an active instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter component, when a respective active instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components finishes processing;

process the event using the active instances of the selected components;

output the processed item data; and

de-instantiate the active instances of the adaptor, communicator, and converter components based on processing the event.

20. A device comprising:

a component loader of an auto-ID node, the component loader configured to;

receive, from an adapter, a request to process item data that tracks a status of an item in a supply chain,

select adaptor, communicator, and converter components for the adapter based on receiving the item data,

dynamically instantiate, if determining that active instances of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components may be instantiated, an active instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components,

dynamically instantiate, if determining that the active instances of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components may not be instantiated, a passive instance of the selected adaptor, communicator or converter components,

swap the passive instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components to an active instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter component, when a respective active instance of the selected adaptor, communicator, or converter components finishes processing, and

de-instantiate the active instances of the adaptor, communicator, and converter components based on processing the event;

an instance manager configured to determine, based on limits associated with a quantity of active instances of the selected components, whether the active instances of the selected components may be instantiated; and

a core services module configured to;

processing the event using the active instances of the selected components, and

outputting the processed item data.