Workflow manager for a distributed system

• US 8,171,117 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2008
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Rhodes, Bradley J., Chemishkian, Sergey, Schwartz, Edward, McFarland, Max E., Phillips, Daja, Mariotti, Andrea, Yu, Haixia, Griffin, Michael G. E., Savitzky, Stephen R., Wolff, Gregory J., Case, Patty
• Primary Examiner(s): Won, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/135,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20090077165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/220, 709/223, 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A workflow manager handles the communication between a workflow-enabled provider and a workflow-enabled client. The workflow manager maintains a directory of clients, translates a transaction from a provider into multiple transactions suitable for the client, and handles security. In one embodiment, the workflow manager connects with the workflow-enabled client by registration and with the workflow-enabled provider by advertising and activation. Subsequent communications between the workflow manager and the workflow-enabled provider and the workflow-enabled client are with a request/response protocol. The workflow manager also comprises data storage for storing data for transmission to the workflow-enabled client or the workflow-enabled provider, and workflow storage for storing information related to registered clients. The present invention also includes a number of novel methods including a method for a method for registering a client and a method for activating a provider.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transferring data and commands between a workflow-enabled client and a workflow-enabled provider, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a registration module stored on a memory and executable by the processor, the registration module for registering the workflow-enabled client including receiving information and a parameter for execution of a workflow service, the registration module adapted for communication with the workflow-enabled client, generating a unique identifier and a location identifier, each of which is specific to the workflow-enabled client and sending the unique identifier and the location identifier to the workflow-enabled client;

a client response module stored on the memory and executable by the processor, the client response module for sending information or a result of the workflow service to the workflow-enabled client, the client response module adapted for communication with the workflow-enabled client;

a provider response module stored on the memory and executable by the processor, the provider response module for sending information received from the workflow-enabled client to the workflow-enabled provider, the provider response module adapted for communication with the workflow-enabled provider; and

an advertising module stored on the memory and executable by the processor, the advertising module for sending a message indicating a presence of a registered workflow-enabled client, the advertising module adapted for communication with a network and the workflow-enabled provider.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the registration module, the client response module, and the provider response module are software operating on an HTTP server.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the location identifier identifies a location that is specific to the workflow-enabled client for at least one of retrieving data and submitting requests.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the registration module also generates a second identifier for the workflow-enabled client and broadcasts the second identifier to the workflow-enabled provider for use when interacting with the provider response module.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the registration module receives and processes a registration request from the workflow-enabled client, the registration request including a workflow-enabled client name and one from the group of a file, a persistent flag, a personal identification number, additional user interface information, a provider requirement, a scan operation and a scan location.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising an information directory stored on the memory for storing information for delivery to the workflow-enabled provider or the workflow-enabled client.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the information directory is a client information directory for storing information about registered workflow-enabled clients.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the information directory is a provider information directory for storing information about workflow-enabled providers including a list of workflow-enabled providers that have activated workflow-enabled clients.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the client response module retrieves information from storage, and generates and sends an HTTP response to request from the registered workflow-enabled clients.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the advertising module sends the message indicating presence of the registered workflow-enabled client over the network using DNS - based Service Discovery.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the message indicating a presence of the registered workflow-enabled client specifies a user name, a client name under which it should be listed and an action it automates.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the provider response module retrieves information from storage, and generates and sends an HTTP response to request from the workflow-enabled provider.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the provider response module sends a first response to the workflow-enabled provider and upon receiving an activation request sends a second response to the workflow-enabled provider.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the provider response module receives an HTTP request with a parameter “

op=hello”

as a notification about the workflow service and wherein the provider response module receives an HTTP request with a parameter “

op=activate”

to activate the workflow service.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the provider response module determines whether authorization is required and includes in the first response a request for a password or a personal identification number.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a response data storage for storing processing results from the workflow-enabled provider or input data for the workflow service, the response data storage coupled to the workflow-enabled provider and the workflow-enabled client.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a security and logging module stored on the memory and executable by the processor, the security and logging module for generating and maintaining logs of transactions performed by the apparatus, the security and logging module adapted for communication with the workflow-enabled provider and the workflow-enabled client.

18. A method for transferring data and commands between a workflow-enabled client and a workflow-enabled provider, the method comprising:

receiving a registration request from the workflow-enabled client;

generating a unique identifier and a location identifier, each of which is specific to the workflow-enabled client;

sending the unique identifier and the location identifier to the workflow-enabled client;

broadcasting an advertisement for the registered workflow-enabled client on a network;

receiving a request for workflow service information from the workflow-enabled provider; and

sending a response to the workflow enabled provider according to the workflow service.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the request for workflow service information from the workflow-enabled provider includes information about the workflow-enabled provider and the method comprises storing the information about the workflow-enabled provider.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the request for workflow service information from the workflow-enabled provider is an HTTP request with a parameter “

op=hello”

as a notification about the workflow service.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the request for workflow service information from the workflow-enabled provider also includes an HTTP request with a parameter “

op=activate”

to activate the workflow service.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the response to the workflow-enabled provider includes a request for authorization information.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the response to the workflow-enabled provider includes a file for printing.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the response to the workflow-enabled provider includes a request for the workflow-enabled provider to perform an action.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the action is scanning or printing.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the response to the workflow-enabled provider includes a series of operations to be performed by the workflow-enabled provider.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the response to the workflow-enabled provider includes information for presentation as part of a user interface.

28. The method of claim 18, wherein the advertisement includes information for display in the user interface by the workflow-enabled provider, and an identifier for communicating with the workflow manager.

29. The method of claim 18 comprising receiving a second request from the workflow-enabled provider.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the second request includes processing results produced by the workflow-enabled provider.

31. The method of claim 30 comprising storing the second request at the workflow manager.

32. The method of claim 29 comprising sending a second response to the workflow-enabled provider, the second response acknowledging receipt of scan data, acknowledging answers to questions, including print data or including a print location.

33. The method of claim 18 comprising

receiving a request for the location identifier sent to the workflow-enabled client;

determining the workflow-enabled client associated with the location identifier; and

sending processing results received from the workflow-enabled provider to the workflow-enabled client.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the processing results are scanned data or answers.

35. The method of claim 33 comprising:

receiving the processing results from the workflow-enabled provider; and

storing the processing results from the workflow-enabled provider.

36. The method of claim 35 comprising creating a log entry using the processing results from the workflow-enabled provider.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the log entry includes a first cryptographic hash of the processing results plus a second cryptographic hash of the previous entry in the log.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein sending the processing results includes sending the log entry.

39. The method of claim 18 wherein the registration request includes a workflow-enabled client name and one from the group of a form with a scan request, a form with questions, a persistence Boolean, authorization information, print data, a location of print data, and requirements for the workflow-enabled providers.

40. The method of claim 18 comprising removing the advertisement after receiving the request for workflow service information from the workflow-enabled provider.