System and method for improved treatment of error conditions in transaction systems

• US 7,681,786 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deem, Incorporated (Jack Taylor Family Voting Trust U A D 4 14 99)
• Original Assignee: Rearden Commerce Inc
• Inventors: Chakravarthy, Sriram
• Primary Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US11/395,020
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40

Abstract

A method, that may be implemented on a system, for improved treatment of error conditions in transactions systems, is described. One embodiment includes providing a transaction form to a user in response to receiving a user requests for a transaction form; in response to receiving a form at least partially completed by the user, storing on a data storage unit data entered on the form; informing the user of an error associated with submission of the form; providing the user with a first option of retrying to submit the form; and in response to the user opting to retry submission of the form, reposting from the data storage unit the data from the user previously entered on the form.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

providing, via a computing device, a transaction form from a transaction system;

receiving, via the computing device, data from a user for at least partially completing the form;

causing, via the computing device, the data from the user to be stored on a local data storage unit;

receiving, via the computing device, the form with the data at the transaction system;

informing, via the computing device, the user of an error associated with submission of the form;

providing, via the computing device, the user with a first option of retrying to submit the form;

in response to the user opting to retry submission of the form, causing, via the computing device, the data from the local data storage unit to be reposted and receiving a resubmitted form at the transaction system;

receiving, via the computing device, selection by the user of a pre-determined period of delay; and

following the pre-determined period of delay elapsing, automatically causing, via the computing device, the data from the local data storage unit to be reposted and receiving the resubmitted form, without user intervention.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first option of retrying to submit the form is to be performed immediately.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing the user with a second option of automatically retrying to submit the form following a delay.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising informing the user the error is related to a problem in a communication media.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting the user to select a period of delay to elapse prior to retrying submission of the form.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, following elapse of the period of delay, continually repeating the automatically causing the reposting the data and the receiving the resubmitted form.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing the user information about a nature of the error and an anticipated delay until the error is corrected.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising notifying the user when submission of the form is successful.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the user with a second option of, in response to detecting that the error is resolved, automatically reposting the data from the local data storage unit and resubmitting the form.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the period of delay is selected based on historical downtime data.

11. A machine readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions which, when executed, perform a method comprising:

providing a transaction form from a transaction system;

receiving data from a user for at least partially completing the form;

causing the data from the user to be stored on a local data storage unit;

receiving the form with the data at the transaction system;

informing the user of an error associated with submission of the form;

providing the user with a first option of retrying to submit the form;

in response to the user opting to retry submission of the form, causing the data from the local data storage unit to be reposted and receiving a resubmitted form at the transaction system;

receiving selection by the user of a pre-determined period of delay; and

following the pre-determined period of delay elapsing, automatically causing, via the computing device, the data from the local data storage unit to be reposted and receiving the resubmitted form, without user intervention.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first option of retrying to submit the form is to be performed immediately.

13. The machine readable medium of claim 12, further comprising providing the user with a second option of automatically retrying to submit the form following a delay.

14. The machine readable medium of claim 13, further comprising, following elapse of the delay, reposting the data from the local data storage unit and receiving the resubmitted the form.

15. The machine readable medium of claim 14, further comprising prompting the user to select a period of delay to elapse prior to retrying submission of the form.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 13, further comprising informing the user the error is related to a problem in a communication media.

17. A computer system comprising:

at least one server for;

providing a transaction form from a transaction system;

receiving data from a user for at least partially completing the form;

causing the data from the user to be stored on a local data storage unit;

receiving the form with the data at the transaction system;

informing the user of an error associated with submission of the form;

providing the user with a first option of retrying to submit the form;

in response to the user opting to retry submission of the form, causing the data from the local data storage unit to be reposted and receiving a resubmitted form at the transaction system;

receiving selection by the user of a pre-determined period of delay; and

following the pre-determined period of delay elapsing, automatically causing, via the computing device, the data from the local data storage unit to be reposted and receiving the resubmitted form, without user intervention.

18. A computer implemented method comprising:

providing, via a computing device, a transaction form from a transaction system;

receiving, via the computing device, data, entered by a user, for the transaction form;

causing, via the computing device, the data to be stored on a local data storage unit;

receiving, via the computing device, a transaction request with the data at the transaction system;

informing, via the computing device, the user of an error associated with the transaction request;

providing, via the computing device, the user with an option of retrying the transaction request;

in response to the user accepting the option, causing, via the computing device, the data from the local data storage unit to be reposted and receiving resubmitted data at the transaction system;

receiving, via the computing device, selection by the user of a pre-determined period of delay; and

following the pre-determined period of delay elapsing, automatically causing, via the computing device, the data from the local data storage unit to be reposted and receiving the resubmitted form, without user intervention.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the reposting the data and the resubmitting the data are performed after a period of delay selected by the user.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the reposting the data comprises repeatedly reposting the data from the local data storage unit and resubmitting the data to the transaction system based on a time interval.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the time interval is selected by the user.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the time interval is based on historical provider downtime data.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising presenting information to the user comprising a nature of the error and an anticipated delay until the error is corrected.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the error is one or more of a downed communication line or a downed server.