System and method for exchanging information among exchange applications

• US 8,838,737 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2011
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FireStar Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: FireStar Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Oancea, Gabriel, Eisner, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): VOSTAL, ONDREJ C
• Application Number:
  US13/212,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20120023193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/548 Queue
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/027 involving a payment switch or gateway
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/223 based on the use of peer-to-peer networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3009 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/309 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9042 Separate storage for different parts of the packet, e.g. header and payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/147 Signalling methods or messages providing extensions to protocols defined by standardisation
• 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 67/561 : Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 : Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 : Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system and method for communicating transaction information includes a plurality of client application devices distributed among one or more local client application devices and one or more remote client application devices, and a plurality of gateways distributed among one or more local gateways and one or more remote gateways. The one or more local gateways are configured to communicate the transaction information with the one or more local client application devices, with which the one or more local gateways are associated, using one or more local data formats. The one or more remote gateways are configured to communicate the transaction information with the one or more remote client application devices, with which the one or more remote gateways are associated, using one or more remote data formats. The one or more local gateways are configured to transform the transaction information in the one or more local data formats into one or more common data formats that are shared with the one or more remote gateways. The one or more remote gateways are configured to transform the transaction information in the one or more common data formats into the one or more remote data formats. The transaction information from the one or more local client application devices is communicated to the one or more remote client application devices for completing a transaction.

Claims

1. A system for receiving, processing and sending business transaction information,

wherein said information is part of a business transaction application, comprising:

a plurality of distributed gateways,

wherein each gateway can receive transaction information from another gateway, can process transaction information, and send transaction information to another gateway, said transaction information being communicated by a gateway using a shared common data structure,

wherein said shared common data structure is based on a domain specific normative data model configured to generate normative transaction information,

wherein each gateway has one or more associated local client application devices to which the gateway can send transaction information and from which the gateway can receive transaction information, using one or more local data formats,

wherein each gateway is configured to transform the transaction information in the one or more local data formats into one or more common data structures, and to transform the one or more common data structures into the one or more local data formats,

wherein the gateway can complete a transaction, said transaction being part of a business transaction application, by processing the transaction information and by sending or receiving transaction information to an associated local application device;

wherein each gateway comprises a message processing module configured to generate a gateway message comprising the transaction information by providing an envelope for the normative transaction information, wherein the envelope of the normative transaction information identifies a transaction type;

wherein customized processes are associated with one or more transactions; and

wherein the transaction information contains information about what standard processes and what customized processes, from a plurality of processes, are to be processed to execute the transaction represented by the transaction information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a gateway can suspend a transaction, preserving said transactions state, until a predetermined condition is satisfied and then completing the transaction.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein a gateway can determine the state of the transaction and the state of the business transaction application of which said transaction is a part.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein each gateway can exchange status information with associated gateways.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a gateway can initiate a business transaction application based on transaction information received from another gateway, or transaction information received from an associated local application, or on status information.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the business transaction application is associated with at least one of a commercial transaction, a legal transaction, a financial transaction, a governmental transaction, a medical transaction, a civic transaction, and a social transaction.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the transaction is associated with at least one of a banking industry, a trading/securities/financial industry, a healthcare industry, a telecommunication industry, and a satellite service industry.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the transaction is associated with at least one of an energy industry, a utility industry, a manufacturing industry, an automotive industry, and a pharmaceutical industry.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of gateways are associated with a transaction administrator, said transaction administrator comprising a gateway and an associated local administrator application, wherein the transaction administrator is configured to remotely administer each gateway via administrative transactions.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each gateway comprises processing modules, said processing modules can be updated using secure administrative transactions.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein each gateway contains configuration information, said configuration information can be updated using the secure administrative transactions.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein transaction information passed between the plurality of gateways includes a unique business transaction application instance ID, a unique transaction ID tag, or a unique transaction instance ID.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein an administrative transaction can be configured to query one or more gateways to ascertain a status, based on at least one of the unique business transaction application instance ID, the unique transaction ID, and the unique transaction instance ID, said administrative transaction being sent either by a gateway or by the transaction administrator.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein each gateway includes a datastore, said datastore configured to contain persisted transaction information, configuration data, metadata and other information required or useful.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein an administrative transaction can be configured to query one or more gateway data stores, said administrative transaction can be sent from a gateway or from the transaction administrator.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein information from an administrative transaction query is generated into a standardized document.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein standardized documents generated from information contained in two or more gateways are combined into one standardized document.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the document generated contains the transaction information for one or more transactions associated with a business transaction application;

wherein said document can be digitally signed by the querying gateway and used for non-repudiation of a business transaction.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein customized processes are associated with one or more transactions, and wherein the customized process modules are distributed via administrative messages and the gateway is configured to utilize said customized process modules.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more parts of the transaction information can be encrypted or digitally signed by a gateway and, wherein the gateway will then include in the transaction information additional information so that another gateway can process the securitized information.

21. A gateway, comprising:

an information queue module, wherein the information queue module is configured to communicate transaction information in one or more local data formats with one or more local client applications;

a formatter module in communication with the information queue module, wherein the formatter module is configured to transform the transaction information in the one or more local data formats into a data format associated with the gateway;

a mapping module in communication with the formatter module, wherein the mapping module is configured to convert the transaction information in the data format associated with the gateway into a common data structure that is shared with at least one other gateway, using a domain specific normative data model configured to generate normative transaction information;

a message processing module in communication with the mapping module, wherein the message processing module is configured to generate a gateway message containing transaction information by providing an envelope for the normative transaction information in the common data format;

said envelope containing blocks of information, both standard and customized that provide information for another gateway to process the transaction information, wherein the envelope of the normative transaction information identifies one or more transaction types; and

one or more communication modules in communication with the message processing module, wherein the one or more communication modules are configured to communicate the gateway message with at least one other gateway,

wherein customized processes are associated with one or more transactions, and

wherein the transaction information contains information about what standard processes and what customized processes, from a plurality of processes, are to be processed to execute the transaction represented by the transaction information.

22. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the mapping module is configured to convert the normative transaction information in the common data structure into a non-normative data structure associated with gateway local data format.

23. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the formatter module is configured to transform the transaction information in a non-normative data structure associated with a local data format into the local data format.

24. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the one or more communication modules are configured to receive a gateway message provided by another gateway.

25. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the message processing module executes the processes indicated in the envelope for the normative transaction information, wherein the zero or more arguments for each said process are contained in the envelope.

26. The gateway of claim 21, comprising:

a first custom processor module in communication between the information queue module and the formatter module, wherein the first custom-processor module is configured to process transaction information received from a associated local application, said information using a local application data format.

27. The gateway of claim 21, comprising:

a second custom-processor module in communication between the formatter module and the mapping module, wherein the second custom-processor is configured to process transformed non-normative transaction information.

28. The gateway of claim 21, comprising:

a validation module in communication between the mapping module and the message processing module, wherein the validation module is configured to validate the normative transaction information.

29. The gateway of claim 28, wherein the validation module is configured to validate the normative transaction information to ensure that the normative transaction information includes data required by mandatory data fields.

30. The gateway of claim 28, wherein the validation module is configured to validate the normative transaction information to ensure that the normative transaction information includes data required by cross-data field constraints.

31. The gateway of claim 28, comprising:

a data enrichment module in communication between the validation module and the message processing module, wherein the data enrichment module is configured to customize the validated normative transaction information to generate enriched normative transaction information.

32. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the one or more communication modules are configured to record and store in the datastore transmitted gateway messages and transaction states of the transmitted gateway messages.

33. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the one or more communication modules are configured to record and store in the data store received gateway messages and transaction states of received gateway messages.

34. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the gateway is configured to notify the information queue module that a gateway message has been transmitted.

35. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the gateway is configured to encrypt one or more fields of normative transaction information, and wherein the envelope is configured to provide descriptive information of the encryption.

36. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the gateway is configured to digitally sign the one or more fields of normative transaction information, and wherein the envelope is configured to provide descriptive information of the digital signature.

37. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the envelope of the normative transaction information includes message processing history for the gateway message.

38. The gateway of claim 37 wherein the message processing history includes a record of a change in state of the gateway message.

39. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the envelope of the normative transaction information includes addressing and routing information for the transaction to which the gateway message is a part, said routing including an address of a target gateway and an address of zero or more intermediate service stops.

40. A gateway, comprising:

a mapping module configured to convert transaction information in a data format associated with the gateway into a common data structure that is shared with at least one other gateway, using a domain specific normative data model configured to generate normative transaction information;

a message processing module in communication with the mapping module, wherein the message processing module is configured to generate a gateway message containing the transaction information by providing an envelope for the normative transaction information in the common data format;

said envelope containing blocks of information, both standard and customized that provide information for another gateway to process the transaction information, wherein the envelope of the normative transaction information identifies one or more transaction types; and

one or more communication modules in communication with the message processing module, wherein the one or more communication modules are configured to communicate the gateway message with at least one other gateway,

wherein the gateway is configured to encrypt or digitally sign one or more fields of the normative transaction information,

wherein the envelope is configured to provide descriptive information of the encryption or the digital signature,

wherein customized processes are associated with one or more transactions, and

wherein the transaction information contains information about what standard processes and what customized processes, from a plurality of processes, are to be processed to execute the transaction represented by the transaction information.