Dynamic interface between BPSS conversation management and local business management

• US 8,301,573 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Original Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Inventors: Chen, Qiming, Hsu, Meichun, Mehta, Vinkesh Omprakash
• Primary Examiner(s): Vig, Naresh
• Application Number:
  US12/789,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20100235176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 705/301
• US Class Current: 705/301
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

The present invention relates to devices and methods that coordinate an external conversation process between entities with an internal workflow of one of the entities. More particularly, it relates to devices and methods that are compliant with an inter-enterprise conversation process standard for routing electronic commerce documents between enterprises. Particular aspects of the present invention are described in the claims, specification and drawings.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine readable storage media impressed with program instructions that, when executed by a processor for a second party, enable the processor to coordinate a choreographed exchange of messages in an electronic commerce conversation between a first party and the second party with a workflow process associated with the second party, wherein the coordination of the choreographed exchange comprises:

the second party receiving a message in the conversation, the conversation conforming to an electronic commerce conversation process standard;

verifying that the message conforms to the conversation process standard and to a history of the conversation;

reporting the message to a task activation data structure, wherein the data structure is shared with the workflow processor associated with the second party, whereby the workflow processor uses the data structure to asynchronously activate tasks;

receiving a workflow message and using the workflow message to prepare a response to the message; and

updating the history of the conversation one or more times.

2. The non-transitory machine readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the program instructions further included verifying that the message and the history of the conversation conform to requirements for message sequencing and dependency on earlier messages.

3. The non-transitory machine readable storage media of claim 2, wherein the requirements for the message sequencing and dependency on earlier messages are sent by a machine readable conversation proof agreement.

4. A non-transitory machine readable storage media impressed with program instructions that, when executed by a processor, enable the processor to communicate status information between a choreographed electronic commerce conversation process and an asynchronously operating workflow process, wherein the coordination of the choreographed exchange comprises:

receiving and posting at least one message from a conversation process to a task activation data structure accessible in memory, wherein the message has been verified to conform to a history of the conversation and to an electronic commerce conversation standard;

evaluating the posted message, asynchronously from the conversation process, as satisfying at least one task activation condition;

activating at least one workflow task; and

sending a workflow message from the workflow process to the conversation process corresponding to the activated workflow task.

5. The non-transitory machine readable storage media of claim 4, wherein the program instructions further included verifying that the message and the history of the conversation conform to requirements for message sequencing and dependency on earlier messages.

6. The non-transitory machine readable storage media of claim 4, wherein the requirements for the message sequencing and dependency on earlier messages are sent by a machine readable conversation proof agreement.

7. A method of coordinating a choreographed exchange of electronic messages that have a required sequence and dependency on earlier messages, called a conversation between servers, between a first server and a second server, the second server being associated with a workflow processor and process, the method including:

the second server receiving a message from the first server and verifying that the message conforms to the conversation process agreement and to a recorded history of messages exchanged during the conversation between servers;

reporting the message for posting to a task activation data structure hosted by the workflow processor associated with the second server, whereby the second server relies on the workflow processor to use the data structure to activate tasks in a workflow process;

the second server receiving a workflow message from the workflow processor and using the workflow message to prepare a response to the message from the first server; and

updating the history of the conversation between servers one or more times to reflect the message and the response.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein the program instructions further included verifying that the message and the history of the conversation conform to requirements for message sequencing and dependency on earlier messages.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the requirements for the message sequencing and dependency on earlier messages are sent by a machine readable conversation proof agreement.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the message in the conversation further conforms to a conversation process agreement between a first party controlling the first server and a second party controlling the second server.

11. A method of communicating status information between a conversation server, which participates in an exchange of electronic messages with a first server, called a conversation between servers, and a workflow processor operating a workflow process, including:

a workflow processor receiving from a conversation server a posting of at least one message from the conversation between servers for a task activation data structure hosted by the workflow processor, wherein the workflow processor relies on the conversation server to have verified that the message conforms to a history of messages exchanged during the conversation between servers and to a conversation process standard;

the workflow processor evaluating the posted message as satisfying at least one task activation condition;

the workflow processor activating at least one workflow task based on the satisfaction of the task activation condition; and

the workflow processor sending a workflow message to the conversation server corresponding to the activated workflow task.

12. A computer implemented method of coordinating an electronic commerce conversation between a conversation server and a first server that have a required sequence and dependency on earlier messages, called a conversation between servers, with a workflow processor associated with one of the servers, the method including:

a conversation server processing a plurality of messages in the conversation between servers in accordance with an electronic commerce conversation process standard;

for at least one message, the conversation server sending at least a portion of the message from a conversation management process to be posted to a task activation data structure in memory accessible to a workflow processor;

the workflow processor using the data structure to track status of actions in a workflow;

the workflow processor activating at least one action in the workflow when the posted portion of the message satisfies a task activation condition; and

the workflow processor sending one or more messages to the conversation server corresponding to the activated action.

13. The method of claim 12, further including, prior to the sending step, verifying that the message and history of the conversation conforms to message sequence and dependency requirements.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the message sequence and dependency requirements are specified by a conversation process agreement between the enterprises.

15. A method of coordinating an exchange of electronic messages between a conversation server and a first server that have a required sequence and dependency on earlier messages, called a conversation between servers, with a workflow processor associated with one of the servers, the method including:

a conversation server processing a plurality of messages in the conversation between servers in accordance with an electronic commerce conversation process standard;

for at least one message, the conversation server posting at least a portion of the message from a conversation management process to the workflow processor and a task activation data structure in memory accessible to a workflow processor;

the workflow processor using the data structure to track status of actions in a workflow;

the workflow processor activating at least one action in the workflow when the posted portion of the message satisfies a task activation condition; and

the workflow processor sending one or more messages to the conversation server corresponding to the activated action.

16. The method of claim 15, further including, prior to the posting step, the conversation server verifying that the message conforms to the conversation process standard and to a history of the conversation.

17. The method of claim 15, further including, prior to the posting step, the conversation server verifying that the message conforms to a conversation process agreement between the servers, thereby ensuring that the message satisfies message sequence and dependency requirements set by the conversation process agreement.