System and method for establishing electronic business systems for supporting communications services commerce
First Claim
1. An electronic business support system, comprising a smart component server, wherein said smart component server comprises:
- a plurality of activity smart components, each of which performs a specific business logic;
a plurality of service smart components which provide common infrastructure capabilities required by said activity smart components;
a plurality of communications messaging interfaces that transport messages from said support system to external systems;
a plurality of transport adapters, which facilitate connectivity with external systems;
an administrator console, which is a Java-based tool that uses XML files to map object attributes to a database which is associated with said electronic business support system;
wherein said smart components are implemented as stateless session enterprise Java beans;
wherein said activity smart components comprise;
an offer management server, which provides services for creating and presenting a collection of offer instances;
a quote management server, which provides services for creating a quote upon placing said collection of offer instances into a shopping cart; and
an order management server, which provides services for creating an order upon quoting all quote items.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A comprehensive electronic business support system comprises three layers: (1) the business layer, including various smart components which unify data and business processes across all customer interactions; (2) the integration layer, including various communications messaging interfaces and enterprise application integration adapters, which provide a flexible, automated, and process driven solution for integrating across business applications and operations support systems; and (3) the presentation layer, including various customer views, which are presented via particular business portals. A smart component server provides the core services and comprehensive business process logic required to successfully conduct business online. The communications messaging interfaces integrate with back-office systems for functions such as billing, provisioning, and interconnection.
102 Citations
64 Claims
-
1. An electronic business support system, comprising a smart component server, wherein said smart component server comprises:
-
a plurality of activity smart components, each of which performs a specific business logic; a plurality of service smart components which provide common infrastructure capabilities required by said activity smart components; a plurality of communications messaging interfaces that transport messages from said support system to external systems; a plurality of transport adapters, which facilitate connectivity with external systems; an administrator console, which is a Java-based tool that uses XML files to map object attributes to a database which is associated with said electronic business support system; wherein said smart components are implemented as stateless session enterprise Java beans; wherein said activity smart components comprise; an offer management server, which provides services for creating and presenting a collection of offer instances; a quote management server, which provides services for creating a quote upon placing said collection of offer instances into a shopping cart; and an order management server, which provides services for creating an order upon quoting all quote items. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. An electronic business support system, comprising a smart component server, wherein said smart component server comprises:
-
a plurality of activity smart components, each of which performs a specific business logic; a plurality of service smart components which provide common infrastructure capabilities required by said activity smart components; a plurality of communications messaging interfaces that transport messages from said support system to external systems; a plurality of transport adapters, which facilitate connectivity with external systems; an administrator console, which is a Java-based tool that uses XML files to map object attributes to a database which is associated with said electronic business support system; wherein said smart components are implemented as stateless session enterprise Java beans; wherein said service smart components comprise; a database access service, which includes a plurality of value objects and a data cursor service; an interconnect service, which uses said communications messaging interfaces and said transport adapters connecting said activity smart components with external systems; a security service, which uses standard Internet security protocols to ensure browser to server security and server to server security; a logging service, which creates files that report on specific actions within the electronic business support system; and a sequence service, which establishes default sequences for page flows; wherein said value objects include domain objects, which represent a specific row in a database table, and display objects, which are containers that deliver attribute values to JSP pages. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. An electronic business support system, comprising a smart component server, wherein said smart component server comprises:
-
a plurality of activity smart components, each of which performs a specific business logic; a plurality of service smart components which provide common infrastructure capabilities required by said activity smart components; a plurality of communications messaging interfaces that transport messages from said support system to external systems; a plurality of transport adapters, which facilitate connectivity with external systems; an administrator console, which is a Java-based tool that uses XML files to map object attributes to a database which is associated with said electronic business support system; wherein said smart components are implemented as stateless session enterprise Java beans; wherein said transport adapters comprise; a file adapter, which prints out all information that it receives from a corresponding communications messaging interface; a business rules adapter, which determines and displays valid attachment points in a quote process; an electronic mail adapter, which sends electronic mail messages based on a corresponding communications messaging interface; an enterprise application integration adapter, which facilitates connection between said electronic business support system with an external system; and an open adapter, which is to be configured by the user according to a particular communications messaging interface. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
-
28. An electronic business portal for an electronic business support system, comprising a smart component server, wherein said smart component server comprises:
-
a plurality of activity smart components, each of which performs a specific business logic; a plurality of service smart components which provide common infrastructure capabilities required by said activity smart components; a plurality of communications messaging interfaces that transport messages from said support system to external systems; a plurality of transport adapters, which facilitate connectivity with external systems; an administrator console, which is a Java-based tool that uses XML files to map object attributes to a database which is associated with said electronic business support system; wherein said smart components are implemented as stateless session enterprise Java beans; wherein the portal comprises; a plurality of JSP pages for dynamic content in a Web site; a plurality of display policy interfaces that access and manipulate data for display; a Web session controller which maintains user session state; a plurality of page transition policies which determine navigation logic through said Web site; and a plurality of resource bundles which display values or messages corresponding to codes in constant classes. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
-
-
37. An electronic business support system, comprising a smart component
server, wherein said smart component server comprises: -
a plurality of activity smart components which encapsulate communications-specific functionality and business logic; a plurality of service smart components which provide common infrastructure capabilities required by said activity smart components; a plurality of communications messaging interfaces that transport messages from said support system to external systems; a plurality of transport adapters, which facilitate connectivity with external systems; an administrator console, which is a Java-based tool that uses XML files to map object attributes to a database which is associated with said electronic business support system; wherein said activity smart components include an offer management server which enables a user to present an offer collection; wherein said offer collection includes a set of determinants; wherein each of said determinants is represented by a page which includes a plurality of determinant items; and wherein each of said determinant items represents an offer on a determinant; wherein each offer instance is created by a users each selection of a determinant item to a temporary collection object; wherein the users determination of all selections constitutes a collection of offer instances to be added in a shopping cart; and wherein said offer collection has an associated sequence that establishes a default order in which said determinants are displayed within offer collection.
-
-
38. An electronic business support system, comprising a smart component
server, wherein said smart component server comprises: -
a plurality of activity smart components which encapsulate communications-specific functionality and business logic; a plurality of service smart components which provide common infrastructure capabilities required by said activity smart components; a plurality of communications messaging interfaces that transport messages from said support system to external systems; a plurality of transport adapters, which facilitate connectivity with external systems; an administrator console, which is a Java-based tool that uses XML files to map object attributes to a database which is associated with said electronic business support system; wherein said activity smart components include an offer management server which enables a user to present an offer collection; wherein said offer collection includes a set of determinants; wherein each of said determinants is represented by a page which includes a plurality of determinant items; and wherein each of said determinant items represents an offer on a determinant; wherein each of said determinants is selected from a group of determinant types comprising; fixed type, which is used when a collection is fixed; choose one type, which is used when the user must select one item from a list of items; choose multiple type, which is used when the user can select more than one item; and information request type, which is used to collect specific information form the user.
-
-
39. An electronic business support system, comprising a smart component server, wherein said smart component server comprises:
-
a plurality of activity smart components which encapsulate communications-specific functionality and business logic; a plurality of service smart components which provide common infrastructure capabilities required by said activity smart components; a plurality of communications messaging interfaces that transport messages from said support system to external systems; a plurality of transport adapters, which facilitate connectivity with external systems; an administrator console, which is a Java-based tool that uses XML files to map object attributes to a database which is associated with said electronic business support system; and wherein said smart component server organizes billing point objects and assigned product objects on an object hierarchy, said object hierarchy comprising; a root object, which is created during registration; a plurality of billing point objects, each of which is associated with said root object; and a plurality of assigned product objects, each of which is associated with one of said billing point objects; wherein each of said billing point object stores all information that is needed for billing purposes; wherein each of said assigned product objects is associated with an offer instance that is created by the user'"'"'s selection of said product from a determinant; and wherein each of said objects has a specific object state that is maintained by said smart component server through API calls to a particular smart component. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
-
-
45. An electronic business support system, comprising a smart component server, wherein said smart component server comprises:
-
a plurality of activity smart components which encapsulate communications-specific functionality and business logic; a plurality of service smart components which provide common infrastructure capabilities required by said activity smart components; a plurality of communications messaging interfaces that transport messages from said support system to external systems; a plurality of transport adapters, which facilitate connectivity with external systems; an administrator console, which is a Java-based tool that uses XML files to map object attributes to a database which is associated with said electronic business support system; wherein said activity smart components include a quote management server which enables a user to create a quote upon placing a collection of offer instances into a shopping cart; wherein each offer instance is associated with a quote item; wherein each quote item is associated with the root object in a current object hierarchy in a session; wherein said quote management server displays charges for all items in said quote; and wherein said quote has a specific quote state that is maintained by said smart component server via API calls to said quote management server. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62)
-
-
63. An electronic business support system, comprising a smart component server, wherein said smart component server comprises:
-
a plurality of activity smart components which encapsulate communications-specific functionality and business logic; a plurality of service smart components which provide common infrastructure capabilities required by said activity smart components; a plurality of communications messaging interfaces that transport messages from said support system to external systems; a plurality of transport adapters, which facilitate connectivity with external systems; an administrator console, which is a Java-based tool that uses XML files to map object attributes to a database which is associated with said electronic business support system; wherein said activity smart components include an order management server which enables a user to create an order upon quoting all quote items; wherein each of said quote items is associated with an order item; wherein said order is associated with the same hierarchy root object in a session as the user is associated with; and wherein said order has a specific object state that is maintained by said smart component server via API calls to said order management server; wherein said object state for an order is selected front a group of state types consisting of; new, which indicates that a quote is ordered; pending dispatch, which indicates that all order items are created; dispatched, which indicates that an order is dispatched to a provisioning system; completed, which indicates that an order is provisioned; rejected, which indicates that an order is rejected; pending cancellation, which indicates that a request is submitted to cancel an order; and supplemented, which indicates that a user changed an order by creating a supplemental order.
-
-
64. An electronic business support system, comprising a smart component server, wherein said smart component server comprises:
-
a plurality of activity smart components which encapsulate communications-specific functionality and business logic; a plurality of service smart components which provide common infrastructure capabilities required by said activity smart components; a plurality of communications messaging interfaces that transport messages from said support system to external systems; a plurality of transport adapters, which facilitate connectivity with external systems; an administrator console, which is a Java-based tool that uses XML files to map object attributes to a database which is associated with said electronic business support system; wherein said activity smart components include an order management server which enables a user to create an order upon quoting all quote items; wherein each of said quote items is associated with an order item; wherein said order is associated with the same hierarchy root object in a session as the user is associated with; and wherein said order has a specific object state that is maintained by said smart component server via API calls to said order management server; wherein each order item has a specific object state that is maintained by said smart component server via API calls to said order management server; and wherein said object state for an order item is selected from a group of state types consisting of; new, which indicates that a quote item is ordered and is now an order item; dispatched, which indicates that an order item is dispatched to a provisioning system; completed, which indicates that an order item is provisioned; rejected, which indicates that an order item is rejected; pending cancellation, which indicates that a request is submitted to cancel an order; canceled, which indicates that an order item is canceled; and supplemented, which indicates that an order has been replaced by an order which is created through a supplemental quote.
-
Specification