Method, system, and program for integrating disjoined but related network components into collaborative communities

• US 7,949,711 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chia Hao Chang, Man-Tsz Lan, Ypaul L. Chang
• Original Assignee: Chia Hao Chang, Man-Tsz Lan, Ypaul L. Chang
• Inventors: Chang, Chia Hao, Lan, Man-Tsz, Chang, YPaul L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore; Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, JENEE LAUREN
• Application Number:
  US12/061,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20080177839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 709/209, 709/205, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

A system for integrating disjoined but related network components is presented. The system includes a network including a plurality of integrated collaborators where at least one of the integrated collaborators is designated as a head, at least one of integrated collaborators is designated as a parent and at least one of integrated collaborators is designated as a child. The head, parent and child are connected by a plurality of links. The integrated collaborators are grouped into clusters where one or more clusters form a cluster cloud. The integrated collaborators are configured to receive a data set, from a connected member, in a pre-determined format and deliver the data set in an acceptable format to a receiving member over the network. If necessary, at least one integrated collaborator converts the pre-determined format to the acceptable format such that the network components communicate with each other and conduct collaborative activities.

Claims

1. A system for integrating disjoined but related network components, the system comprising:

a network comprising a plurality of computer systems processing a plurality of integrated collaborators where at least one of said plurality of integrated collaborators is designated as a head of a cluster and in charge of tracking cluster topology, synchronizing directories, making cluster-wide parameters and extending communication channels across clusters, at least one of said plurality of integrated collaborators is designated as a parent and at least one of said plurality of integrated collaborators is designated as a child, said head, parent and child being connected by a plurality of links, each of said integrated collaborators serving at least one community member, said plurality of integrated collaborators being grouped into at least one or more clusters where one or more clusters form a cluster cloud where said plurality of links connect said clusters and said cluster clouds, said integrated collaborators configured to receive a data set, from a community member connected to a one of said plurality of computer systems, having contents in a pre-determined format and deliver, to at least one receiving community member over said network, said data set in an acceptable format for a data processing application of said at least one receiving community member, where at least one integrated collaborator has converted said contents of said data set in said pre-determined format to said acceptable format such that the network components communicate with each other and conduct collaborative activities; and

in which the plurality of computer systems process a search for collaborative business activities,

by submitting a query, for business partners and merchants served by said network as community members, from a community member to an integrated collaborator, said query indicating search criteria, including product type, services or merchants, and searching scopes, including local, cluster-wide or inter-cluster

wherein the local searching scope, is to target the business partners served by the same collaborators as the collaborators serving the community members that submitted the query, and at least some of the business partners served by the child collaborators of said same collaborators serving said community members,

wherein the cluster-wide searching scope, is to target the business partners served by said collaborators sharing at least some of the same head collaborators as that belonging to said collaborators serving said community members, which include all business partners served by all collaborators within a cluster, and

wherein the inter-cluster searching scope, is to target the business partners including those at the cluster-wide searching scope, and business partners served by different clusters;

if said scope is local, parsing said query, retrieving matched records, and returning search results comprising said matched records with their global unique addresses of business partners and merchants, by said integrated collaborator;

if said scope is cluster-wide, parsing said query and forwarding said query to a head of said integrated collaborator'"'"'s cluster by said integrated collaborator, said head parsing said query, retrieving matched records and returning search results comprising said matched records with their global unique addresses of business partners and merchants;

if said scope is inter-cluster, parsing said query, converting said query based on a category structure of an other cluster head and forwarding said converted query to said other cluster head by said integrated collaborator'"'"'s cluster head, receiving search results comprising matched records with their global unique addresses of business partners and merchants from said other cluster head, converting said search results based on said category structure of said other cluster head to a category structure of said integrated collaborator'"'"'s cluster head, and returning said converted search results back to said integrated collaborator;

by, receiving said search results by said community member;

by, navigating said search results, indicating intended transactions on said search results, and submitting said search results with said intended transactions to said integrated collaborator, by said community member;

by, grouping said results by said global unique addresses of business partners and merchants, compiling the grouped results into at least one standard business document and forwarding said at least one standard business document to one or more integrated collaborators serving said business partners and merchants, by said integrated collaborator;

by, receiving said at least one standard business document, editing and submitting the standard business document back to said integrated collaborators for delivery to said community member, by said business partner; and

by, receiving and forwarding the edited standard business to said community member by said integrated collaborator, thereby initiating collaborative business activities.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising specifying a format key corresponding to said pre-determined format allowing said integrated collaborator to indicate if conversion of contents of said data set in said pre-determined format to said acceptable format is required.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising specifying a destination address allowing said integrated collaborator to determine an optimal path by which said data set will travel over said network and which of said plurality of integrated collaborators can perform said conversion if said conversion is indicated.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising indicating a delivery option for said data set where delivery options comprise point-to-point and broadcast with scopes of downstream and upstream.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising specifying if a copy of said data set is to be retained on said network after said data set is delivered.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising including with said data set an indication of an intended transaction for said contents of said data set.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said data set comprises a unit of work (UOW).

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said clusters are dynamic and can grow, shrink and self-heal, when said cluster grows, a dynamic mapping is updated and visible to said integrated collaborators, when said at least one of said parents is removed, said at least one child adopts the parent of the removed parent integrated collaborator as their new parent and said dynamic mapping is updated and visible to said integrated collaborators and, when said at least one of said parents fails, said at least one child adopts the parent of the failed parent integrated collaborator as their new parent and said dynamic mapping is updated and visible to said integrated collaborators.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, where said head comprises a dynamic mapping of relations of integrated collaborators within said cloud and a destination path for said data set can be determined.

10. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a mapping profile for converting from said pre-determined format to said acceptable format and said mapping profile is shared by said integrated collaborators.

11. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein a global unique address is assigned to every addressable object in said system.

12. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said category structure is shared within said cluster.

13. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein inter-cluster transaction use a category structure map to convert category structures among said clusters.

14. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein said global unique address is an address sequence constructed by using a multiple-notation address locating method to indicate a relationship of clusters and said integrated collaborators to said addressable object.