×

Unified model for authoring and executing flow-based and constraint-based workflows

  • US 7,805,324 B2
  • Filed: 01/31/2005
  • Issued: 09/28/2010
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2004
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A computer-implemented system representing a workflow model, said computer-implemented system comprising:

  • a system memory for storing data associated with a structured plurality of activities and an unstructured plurality of activities; and

    a processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions for;

    a workflow having the structured plurality of activities and the unstructured plurality of activities, said structured plurality of activities being different from said unstructured plurality of activities, said unstructured plurality of activities each having a constraint associated therewith from a user, said associated constraint including a function that enables the associated unstructured activity for execution when the constraint is satisfied, wherein the structured plurality of activities are well-defined control flow activities that are executed based on a flow sequence and the structured plurality of activities are complete when an endpoint for the structured plurality of activities is reached, and wherein each of the unstructured plurality of activities is an activity that is executed not based on the flow sequence, is executed in any order, and is executed whenever the associated constraint of an unstructured activity of the unstructured plurality of activities is satisfied;

    a merged workflow, created by merging the structured plurality of activities and the unstructured plurality of activities, wherein the processor groups said merged workflow as a grouping of activities from the structured plurality of activities and the unstructured plurality of activities, wherein a course of execution of the unstructured plurality of activities is guided by the constraints associated with the unstructured plurality of activities;

    a constrained activity group (CAG) including one or more of the unstructured plurality of activities, said CAG defining at least one of the following conditions for the one or more of the unstructured plurality of activities in the CAG;

    the associated constraint can be disabled at any time after the constraint has been enabled;

    when an enabled constraint becomes true, the enabled constraint declares that the associated activity is ready for execution and must be enabled;

    when a completion condition of an executing activity is evaluated to be true at any time, any and all executing activities contained within the CAG are immediately cancelled; and

    a runtime engine, said runtime engine;

    executing the structured plurality of activities in the merged workflow according to the flow sequence;

    during executing the structured plurality of activities, determining a change in the constraints for the unstructured plurality of activities in the merged workflow, said change resulting from changes to data in the function included in the associated constraint;

    enabling the execution of each of the unstructured plurality of activities in the CAG when the associated constraint is satisfied as a function of the determined change; and

    executing each of the unstructured plurality of activities in the CAG as a function of the enabling, wherein the execution of the structured plurality of activities and the unstructured plurality of activities in the merged workflow is complete when all of the unstructured plurality of activities are in a complete or cancelled state as a function of the executing.

View all claims
  • 2 Assignments
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×