Workflow decision management with derived scenarios and workflow tolerances

• US 9,489,645 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2004
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, William Anthony, Muirhead, Richard William, Reddington, Francis Xavier
• Primary Examiner(s): Gami, Tejal
• Application Number:
  US10/844,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20050267788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,562 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 700/100, 718/106, 370/395.53, 709/224, 717/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for workflow decision management. Embodiments include maintaining a device state history; identifying a device usage pattern in dependence upon the device state history; and identifying a derived scenario in dependence upon the device usage pattern. The derived scenario has a tolerance. Embodiments also include identifying a workflow in dependence upon the derived scenario and executing the workflow in dependence upon the tolerance.

Claims

1. A computer system for workflow decision management, the computer system comprising:

a computer processor, a computer memory, and a computer readable storage device;

first program instructions to maintain a device state history, the device state history including a history of values of one or more attributes of a plurality of disparate devices in a networked environment;

second program instructions to identify a device usage pattern in dependence upon the device state history, wherein the device usage pattern represents a predetermined pattern of device usage for one or more devices, and wherein identifying the device usage pattern in dependence upon the device state history comprises comparing the device state history with a plurality of device usage patterns records;

third program instructions to identify a derived scenario in dependence upon the device usage pattern and a rule, wherein the derived scenario is created in dependence upon actual past device usage within the networked environment, wherein the derived scenario represent a scenario of device usage of more than one of the plurality of disparate devices, and wherein the rule governs identifying a particular derived scenario among a plurality of derived scenarios associated with a single device usage pattern;

fourth program instructions to identify a tolerance of the derived scenario that prevents damage to devices within the networked environment during the execution of workflows, wherein the tolerance includes a range of acceptable attribute values that the one or more devices support;

fifth program instructions to identify a workflow in dependence upon the derived scenario; and

sixth program instructions to execute the workflow in dependence upon the tolerance including executing a device controlling action that changes the values of the one or more attributes of two or more of the plurality of disparate devices,

wherein changing the values of the one or more attributes of two or more of the plurality of disparate devices comprises using a protocol associated with the two or more of the plurality of disparate devices, and

wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage device for execution by the computer processor via the computer readable memory.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the first program instructions to maintain the device state history record a plurality of attribute values for a device.

3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the third program instructions to identify the derived scenario in dependence upon the device usage pattern and the rule retrieve a derived scenario ID from a derived scenario table.

4. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the fifth program instructions to identify the workflow in dependence upon the derived scenario retrieve a workflow ID from a derived scenario record.

5. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the sixth program instructions to execute the workflow in dependence upon the tolerance send a message to a device.

6. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the sixth program instructions to execute the workflow in dependence upon the tolerance call a member method in a device object.

19. The computer system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of disparate devices is one selected from a group consisting of automatic shades and a lamp.

7. A computer program product for workflow decision management, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage device;

first program instructions to maintain a device state history, the device state history including a history of values of one or more attributes of a plurality of disparate devices in a networked environment;

second program instructions to identify a device usage pattern in dependence upon the device state history, wherein the device usage pattern represents a predetermined pattern of device usage for one or more devices, and wherein identifying the device usage pattern in dependence upon the device state history comprises comparing the device state history with a plurality of device usage patterns records;

third program instructions to identify a derived scenario in dependence upon the device usage pattern and a rule, wherein the derived scenario is created in dependence upon actual past device usage within the networked environment, wherein the derived scenario represent a scenario of device usage of more than one of the plurality of disparate devices, and wherein the rule governs identifying a particular derived scenario among a plurality of derived scenarios associated with a single device usage pattern;

fourth program instructions to identify a tolerance of the derived scenario that prevents damage to devices within the networked environment during the execution of workflows, wherein the tolerance includes a range of acceptable attribute values that the computer readable storage device supports;

fifth program instructions to identify a workflow in dependence upon the derived scenario; and

sixth program instructions to execute the workflow in dependence upon the tolerance including executing a device controlling action that changes the values of the one or more attributes of two or more of the plurality of disparate devices,

wherein changing the values of the one or more attributes of two or more of the plurality of disparate devices comprises using a protocol associated with the two or more of the plurality of disparate devices, and

wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage device.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the first program instructions to maintain the device state history record a plurality of attribute values for a device.

9. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the third program instructions to identify the derived scenario in dependence upon the device usage pattern and the rule retrieve a derived scenario ID from a derived scenario table.

10. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the fifth program instructions to identify the workflow in dependence upon the derived scenario retrieve a workflow ID from a derived scenario record.

11. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the sixth program instructions to execute the workflow in dependence upon the tolerance send a message to a device.

12. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the sixth program instructions to execute the workflow in dependence upon the tolerance call a member method in a device object.

13. A method for workflow decision management, the method comprising:

maintaining a device state history, the device state history including a history of values of one or more attributes of a plurality of disparate devices in a networked environment;

identifying a device usage pattern in dependence upon the device state history, wherein the device usage pattern represents a predetermined pattern of device usage for one or more devices, and wherein identifying the device usage pattern in dependence upon the device state history comprises comparing the device state history with a plurality of device usage patterns records;

identifying a derived scenario in dependence upon the device usage pattern and a rule, wherein the derived scenario is created in dependence upon actual past device usage within the networked environment, wherein the derived scenario represent a scenario of device usage of more than one of the plurality of disparate devices, and wherein the rule governs identifying a particular derived scenario among a plurality of derived scenarios associated with a single device usage pattern;

identifying a tolerance of the derived scenario that prevents damage to devices within the networked environment during the execution of workflows, wherein the tolerance includes a range of acceptable attribute values that the one or more devices support;

identifying a workflow in dependence upon the derived scenario; and

executing the workflow in dependence upon the tolerance including executing a device controlling action that changes the values of the one or more attributes of two or more of the plurality of disparate devices,

wherein changing the values of the one or more attributes of two or more of the plurality of disparate devices comprises using a protocol associated with the two or more of the plurality of disparate devices.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the maintaining the device state history further comprises recording a plurality of attribute values for a device.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the identifying the derived scenario in dependence upon the device usage pattern and the rule further comprises retrieving a derived scenario ID from a derived scenario table.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the identifying the workflow in dependence upon the derived scenario comprises retrieving a workflow ID from a derived scenario record.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the executing the workflow in dependence upon the tolerance further comprises sending a message to a device.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the executing the workflow in dependence upon the tolerance further comprises calling a member method in a device object.