Systems and methods for a real-time workflow platform using Petri net model mappings

• US 8,751,284 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Goja, Asheesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Koneru, Sujay
• Application Number:
  US12/433,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20100280865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,867 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742
• US Class Current: 705/7.27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for enabling design, generation, and execution of real-time workflows. Such embodiments provide a graphical designer including a plurality of shapes representing the various objects of a workflow that are used to model the workflow. In addition, various embodiments of the graphical designer provide shapes to model aspects of the workflow not found in previous graphical designers. Various embodiments also provide a code generator that converts the representation of the workflow into executable code for multiple target languages. Various embodiments also provide a workflow engine based on a Petri net model responsible for executing the workflow and for delegating tasks to be performed for the workflow to an operating system. In various embodiments, the workflow engine further includes a platform abstraction layer that provides a transition layer from the Petri net language to the operating system language.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing code executable by a computer processor to generate a workflow engine comprising:

a Petri net domain model comprising a set of objects comprising a token object, a place object, an arc object, a transition object, and one or more trigger objects, wherein (a) each object represents a particular type of element of a Petri net model and (b) the one or more trigger objects represent triggering a transition object based at least in part on stimuli external to the workflow engine; and

one or more runtime components configured for;

reading source code representing a particular workflow, wherein the source code indicates elements of the particular workflow and connectors between elements of the particular workflow to sequence the elements of the particular workflow;

loading the particular workflow into memory by mapping each element of the particular workflow to one or more objects of the set of objects and by mapping each connector of the particular workflow to one or more objects of the set of objects based on rules governing the Petri net model; and

executing the particular workflow loaded into the memory,

wherein the workflow engine further comprises one or more abstraction layer components comprising a transition layer from the Petri net domain model to an operating system, the abstraction layer configured to delegate one or more tasks associated with elements of the particular workflow of the Petri net domain to the operating system, via the transition layer, the delegated tasks to be performed by the operating system.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the set of objects of the Petri net domain model further comprises one or more guard objects to represent conditional logic placed on one or more objects representing one or more connectors of the particular workflow.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein each object of the set of objects is a class in a computer programming language.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 3 wherein the computer programming language is C++.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the Petri net model is a single token, non-color Petri net.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein prior to loading the particular workflow, the one or more runtime components are further configured to:

sequence the elements of the particular workflow using one or more Petri net microkernel components.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the one or more abstraction layer components comprise one or more delegate components comprising one or more pointers to source code for the one or more tasks.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the one or more runtime components are further configured to pass the one or more delegate components to the operating system so that the operating system can use the one or more pointers to access the source code to execute the source code to perform the one or more tasks.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the particular workflow represents a progression of physical work to perform.

10. A system for executing a workflow comprising:

memory configured to store a workflow engine module; and

a processor in communication with the memory and configured to execute the workflow engine module stored in memory, wherein;

the workflow engine module comprises a Petri net domain model comprising a set of objects comprising a token object, a place object, an arc object, a transition object, and one or more trigger objects, wherein (a) each object represents a particular type of element of a Petri net model and (b) the one or more trigger objects represent triggering a transition object based at least in part on stimuli external to the workflow engine; and

is configured for execution by the processor to;

read source code representing a particular workflow wherein the source code indicates elements of the particular workflow and connectors between elements of the particular workflow to sequence the elements of the particular workflow;

load the particular workflow into the memory by mapping each element of the particular workflow to one or more objects of the set of objects and by mapping each connector of the particular workflow to one or more objects of the set of objects based on rules governing the Petri net model; and

execute the particular workflow loaded into the memory,

wherein the workflow engine further comprises one or more abstraction layer components comprising a transition layer from the Petri net domain model to an operating system, the abstraction layer configured to delegate one or more tasks associated with elements of the particular workflow of the Petri net domain to the operating system, via the transition layer, the delegated tasks to be performed by the operating system.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the set of objects of the Petri net domain model further comprises one or more guard objects to represent conditional logic placed on one or more objects representing one or more connectors of the particular workflow.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein each object of the set of objects is a class in a computer programming language.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the computer programming language is C++.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the Petri net model is a single token, non-color Petri net.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein prior to load the particular workflow, the workflow engine module is further configured for execution by the processor to:

sequence the elements of the particular workflow using one or more Petri net microkernel components.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the one or more abstraction layer components comprise one or more delegate components comprising one or more pointers to source code for the one or more tasks.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the workflow engine module is further configured for execution by the processor to pass the one or more delegate components to the operating system so that the operating system can use the one or more pointers to access the source code to execute the source code to perform the one or more tasks.

18. The system of claim 10 wherein the particular workflow represents a progression of physical work to perform.

19. A computer-implemented method for executing a workflow, the method comprising the steps of:

developing a Petri net domain model comprising a set of objects comprising a token object, a place object, an arc object, a transition object, and one or more trigger objects, wherein (a) each object represents a particular type of element of a Petri net model and (b) the one or more trigger objects represent triggering a transition object based at least in part on stimuli external to the workflow engine;

reading source code representing a particular workflow by executing a workflow engine residing on a computing device, wherein the source code indicates elements of the particular workflow and connectors between elements of the particular workflow to sequence the elements of the particular workflow;

loading the particular workflow into memory by mapping each element of the particular workflow to one or more objects of the set of objects and by mapping each connector of the particular workflow to one or more objects of the set of objects based on rules governing the Petri net model; and

executing the particular workflow loaded into the memory by using the workflow engine,

wherein the workflow engine further comprises one or more abstraction layer components comprising a transition layer from the Petri net domain model to an operating system, the abstraction layer configured to delegate one or more tasks associated with elements of the particular workflow of the Petri net domain to the operating system, via the transition layer, the delegated tasks to be performed by the operating system.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the set of objects of the Petri net domain model further comprises one or more guard objects to represent conditional logic placed on one or more objects representing one or more connectors of the particular workflow.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein each object of the set of objects is a class in a computer programming language.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the computer programming language is C++.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the Petri net model is a single token, non-color Petri net.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein prior to loading the particular workflow, the method further comprising:

sequencing the elements of the particular workflow using one or more Petri net microkernel components.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein delegate comprises the workflow engine passing one or more delegate components comprising one or more pointers to source code for one or more tasks associated with one or more elements of the particular workflow to the operating system so that the operating system can use the one or more pointers to access the source code to execute the source code to perform the one or more tasks.

26. The method of claim 19 wherein the particular workflow represents a progression of physical work to perform.