Systems and methods for facilitating call request aggregation over a network

• US 8,683,498 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2009
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Shafi, Mohammed Saleem, Erwa, Elmustafa E
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Andy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kraft, Shih-Wei
• Application Number:
  US12/639,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20110145844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/541 Client-server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A method is disclosed for facilitating electronic commerce over a network includes identifying input dependencies for a call request based on information passed with the call request, identifying state dependencies for the call request based on information passed with the call request, parallelizing calls from the call request based on at least one of the identified input dependencies and the identified state dependencies, developing a service execution map by grouping calls in an execution order including parallelized calls, and processing the service execution map by executing grouped calls in the execution order including parallelized calls.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating electronic commerce over a network, the method comprising:

receiving a call request from a user via communication with a user device over the network;

identifying one or more input dependencies for the call request based on information passed with the call request;

identifying one or more state dependencies for the call request based on information passed with the call request including meta-data related to the calls request;

parallelizing calls from the call request based on at least one of the identified input dependencies and the identified state dependencies;

developing a service execution map by grouping calls in an execution order including parallelized calls, wherein the developing comprises identifying an empty field in the call request, searching one or more previous calls for data necessary for the empty field, and selecting a call having the data necessary with a highest group number, wherein a group number is set to zero when starting the service execution map;

processing the service execution map by executing grouped calls in the execution order including parallelized calls comprising a call to identify a payment sender identifier, a payment recipient identifier, a payment amount, and a payment currency, followed by a call to set cobranding options and a call to set an initiator performed in parallel, followed by a call to execute a payment request, followed by call to get payment details; and

returning responses to the user for the executed calls.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the call request includes a batch call having multiple calls grouped together in a batch, and

the service execution map is developed based on a list of call requests in the batch call.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

input dependencies refer to a dependence of data for a present call on data from a previous call,

identifying the input dependencies allows automatic population of dependent data for a present call with data from a previous call, and

input dependencies affect a concurrency of call execution.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

state dependencies refer to a behavioral effect of present call data on data for a subsequent call,

state dependencies are semantic,

state dependencies are defined between at least two operations, and

state dependencies have shared data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

state dependencies refer to a dependent call occurring after executing at least one other call, and

if two calls have an input dependency on a same data, then the two calls have a shared input dependency.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

calls having an input dependency or a state dependency are executed in sequence, and

call having no input dependencies or no state dependencies are executed in parallel.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

batching invocation patterns based on at least one of the identified input dependencies, the identified state dependencies, and the parallelized calls,

wherein batching invocation patterns refers to populating data for a present call with data from a previous call.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the service execution map is developed based on at least one of the identified input dependencies, the identified state dependencies, and the parallelized calls.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein developing the service execution map further comprises:

initializing a group number;

analyzing the input dependencies;

identifying a source call;

analyzing a call list;

analyzing the state dependencies; and

assigning calls to a group.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the service execution map is processed based on one or more dependency definitions defined by at least one of the identified input dependencies, the identified state dependencies, and the parallelized calls.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the network comprises at least one of a mobile communication network and an Internet, and

the user device comprises a mobile communication device including a cellular phone.

12. A system for facilitating electronic commerce over a network, the system comprising:

means for receiving a call request from a user via communication with a user device over the network;

means for identifying one or more input dependencies for the call request based on information passed with the call request;

means for identifying one or more state dependencies for the call request based on information passed with the call request;

means for parallelizing calls from the call request based on at least one of the identified input dependencies and the identified state dependencies;

means for developing a service execution map by grouping calls in an execution order including parallelized calls, wherein the developing comprises identifying an empty field in the call request, searching one or more previous calls for data necessary for the empty field, and selecting a call having the data necessary with a highest group number, wherein a group number is set to zero when starting the service execution map;

means for processing the service execution map by executing grouped calls in the execution order including parallelized calls comprising a call to identify a payment sender identifier, a payment recipient identifier, a payment amount, and a payment currency, followed by a call to set cobranding options and a call to set an initiator performed in parallel, followed by a call to execute a payment request, followed by a call to get payment details; and

means for returning responses to the user for the executed calls.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the call request includes a batch call having multiple calls grouped together in a batch, and

the service execution map is developed based on a list of call requests in the batch call.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein:

input dependencies refer to a dependence of data for a present call on data from a previous call,

means for identifying the input dependencies allows automatic population of dependent data for a present call with data from a previous call, and

input dependencies affect a concurrency of call execution.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein:

state dependencies refer to a behavioral effect of present call data on data for a subsequent call,

state dependencies are semantic,

state dependencies are defined between at least two operations, and

state dependencies have shared data.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein:

state dependencies refer to a dependent call occurring after executing at least one other call, and

if two calls have an input dependency on a same data, then the two calls have a shared input dependency.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein:

calls having an input dependency or a state dependency are executed in sequence, and

call having no input dependencies or no state dependencies are executed in parallel.

18. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

means for batching invocation patterns based on at least one of the identified input dependencies, the identified state dependencies, and the parallelized calls,

wherein batching invocation patterns refers to populating data for a present call with data from a previous call.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the service execution map is developed based on at least one of the identified input dependencies, the identified state dependencies, and the parallelized calls.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein means for developing the service execution map comprises:

means for initializing a group number;

means for analyzing the input dependencies;

means for identifying a source call;

means for analyzing a call list;

means for analyzing the state dependencies; and

means for assigning calls to a group.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the service execution map is processed based on one or more dependency definitions defined by at least one of the identified input dependencies, the identified state dependencies, and the parallelized calls.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the network comprises at least one of a mobile communication network and an Internet, and

the user device comprises a mobile communication device including a cellular phone.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium on which are stored computer readable instructions and when executed operable to:

receive a call request from a user via communication with a user device over the network;

identify one or more input dependencies for the call request based on information passed with the call request;

identify one or more state dependencies for the call request based on information passed with the call request;

parallelize calls from the call request based on at least one of the identified input dependencies and the identified state dependencies;

develop a service execution map by grouping calls in an execution order including parallelized calls comprising identifying an empty field in the call request, searching one or more previous calls for data necessary for the empty field, and selecting a call having the data necessary with a highest group number, wherein a group number is set to zero when starting the service execution map;

process the service execution map by executing grouped calls in the execution order including parallelized calls comprising a call to identify a payment sender identifier, a payment recipient identifier, a payment amount, and a payment currency, followed by a call to set cobranding options and a call to set an initiator performed in parallel, followed by a call to execute a payment request, followed by a call to get payment details; and

return responses to the user for the executed calls.