Methods, systems and apparatuses for scalable electronic data interchange communications with smart web forms

• US 9,946,694 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2012
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dicentral Corporation
• Original Assignee: Dicentral Corporation
• Inventors: Mai, Thuy Quang, Mai, Binh Quang, Pham, Hung Van
• Primary Examiner(s): Paula, Cesar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huang, Jian
• Application Number:
  US13/675,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20140136961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,981 Days
• Field of Search: 715249, 705 261, 705 2661, 705 2662, 709203, 709219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are disclosed for a computer-implemented method for facilitating electronic data interchange (“EDI”) communication. An EDI document from a first trading partner is in a first format, with data in a plurality of fields. The fields are mapped to fields of an EDI standard. The data in the mapped fields are translated to an intermediate format to create an intermediate format file. Rules, which may be customized, may be applied to the intermediate format file. The rules may include business rules customized for the first trading partner, math rules and/or logic rules. The intermediate format file may be verified to determine whether it complies with the EDI standard and/or the business rules of the first trading partner. The data from the intermediate format to a second format compatible with a computer system of a second trading partner, to create a second format file.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating electronic data interchange (“

EDI”

), comprising;

receiving, at an intermediate computer system, an EDI document in a first format having data in a plurality of fields from a first computer system of a first trading partner;

facilitating mapping of the fields of the EDI document to a plurality of EDI standard fields of an EDI standard, the mapping facilitated by one or more processors of the intermediate computer system;

translating the data in the mapped fields to create data in an intermediate format;

translating the data from the intermediate format to a second format compatible with a second computer system of a second trading partner, to create a second format file;

processing the second format file at the intermediate computer system to generate a smart web form; and

sending, via a communication network communicatively coupling the intermediate computer system and the second computer system, the generated smart web form to the second computer system,

permitting the second trading partner to view and interact with the second format file using the smart web form, comprising;

creating responsive documentation using the smart web form, the responsive documentation responsive to the EDI document,

wherein the smart web form verifies that the responsive documentation complies with EDI standards and business rules of the first trading partner as the responsive documentation is created.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first trading partner is a buyer and the second trading partner is a seller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the EDI document contains business information, transportation information, medical information, scientific information, or engineering information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the EDI standard is the American National Standards Institute (“

ANSI”

) Accredited Standards Committee (“

ASC”

) X12 standard.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping facilitated by the one or more processors comprises the one or more processors receiving information provided via a drop and drag functionality of a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

).

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding at least one tag to the data while translating the data in the mapped fields to an intermediate format.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying at least one rules component to the data in the intermediate format.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one rules component includes a business rules component, which includes at least one business requirement of the first trading partner.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one rules component includes a logical rules component or a mathematical rules component.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the intermediate format is a universal EDI format.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining whether the data in the intermediate format meets the at least one business requirement of the first trading partner.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein if the business requirement is violated, an alert is sent to the first computer system of the first trading partner.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the responsive documentation in the second format, via the communication network, from the second computer system, the responsive documentation having a plurality of second fields, at least one second field containing responsive data.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising mapping the plurality of second fields in the responsive documentation to fields of the EDI standard.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising translating the responsive documentation to the first format.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending the responsive documentation in the first format to the first computer system.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the smart web form is generated by the intermediate computer system after receiving the EDI document from the first computer system.

17. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions to configure a processor-based system to:

receive, from a first computer system associated with a first trading partner, an electronic data interchange (“

EDI”

) document in a first format, the EDI document having data in a plurality of fields;

facilitate mapping of the fields of the EDI document to a plurality of standard fields of an EDI standard;

translate the data in the mapped fields to create data in an intermediate format;

translate the data from the intermediate format to a second format compatible with a second computer system of a second trading partner, to create a second format file;

process the second format file to generate a smart web form; and

send, via a communication network communicatively coupling the processor-based system and the second computer system, the generated smart web form to the second computer system,

permit the second trading partner to view and interact with the second format file using the smart web form to;

create responsive documentation using the smart web form, the responsive documentation responsive to the EDI document,

wherein the smart web form verifies that the responsive documentation complies with EDI standards and business rules of the first trading partner as the responsive documentation is created.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the EDI document contains business information, transportation information, medical information, scientific information, or engineering information.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the mapping of the fields from the EDI document to the plurality of standard fields of an EDI standard includes receiving information provided via a drop and drag functionality of a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

).

20. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the instructions to configure the processor-based system further comprise instructions to configure the processor-based system to add at least one tag to the data while translating the data in the mapped fields to an intermediate format.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the instructions to configure the processor-based system further comprise instructions to configure the processor-based system to:

apply at least one rules component to the data in the intermediate format.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the at least one rules component is selected from the group consisting of a business rules component, a logical rules component and a mathematical rules component.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the intermediate format is a universal EDI format and wherein the instructions to configure the processor-based system further comprise instructions to configure the processor-based system to verify that the data in the intermediate format meets the at least one rules component, the at least one rules component comprising at least one business requirement of the first trading partner.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the instructions to configure the processor-based system further comprise instructions to configure the processor-based system to:

receive the responsive documentation in the second format, via the communication network, from the second computer system, the responsive documentation having a plurality of second fields, at least one second field containing responsive data;

map the plurality of second fields in the responsive documentation to fields of the EDI standard;

translate the responsive documentation to the first format; and

send the responsive documentation in the first format to the first computer system.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor communicatively coupled to at least one bus, at least one network communication interface, an input device, and at least one memory, the processor configured to receive, via the at least one network communication interface, an electronic data interchange (“

EDI”

) document in a first format from a first computer system, the EDI document having a plurality of fields;

a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) component having a drag and drop functionality configured to allow a user interacting with the input device to map a plurality of fields of the EDI document in the first format to standard fields of an EDI standard using the drag and drop functionality;

a main translator component configured to receive input from the GUI component, the main translator component being further configured to translate data in the mapped fields of the EDI document to an intermediate format to create an intermediate file, wherein translating the data in the mapped fields comprises using information provided via the GUI component, and wherein the translating of the data occurs after the EDI document is received from the first computer system; and

an EDI mini-translator engine configured to translate the intermediate file to a secondary format to create a second format file, create a smart web form using the second format file as input, make the smart web form accessible to a second computer system of a second trading partner, permit the second trading partner to view and interact with the second format file using the smart web form to;

create responsive documentation using the smart web form, the responsive documentation responsive to the EDI document, wherein the smart web form verifies that the responsive documentation complies with EDI standards and business rules of a first trading partner as the responsive documentation is created.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

an EDI transformation component configured to interface with the main translator component and append at least one rules component to the intermediate file.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the at least one rules component is a business rules component and the EDI transformation component is further configured to initiate transmission of an alert to the first computer system if the business rules component is violated.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the at least one rules component is selected from the group consisting of a business rules component, a logical rules component and a mathematical rules component.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein EDI main translator is further configured to:

receive a responsive documentation in the second format, the responsive documentation having a plurality of second fields, at least one second field containing responsive data;

map the plurality of second fields in the responsive documentation to fields of the EDI standard;

translate the responsive documentation to the first format; and

initiate transmission of the responsive documentation in the first format to the first computer system.

30. A computing system configured to facilitate electronic data interchange (“

EDI”

) communication between at least two remote computer systems, the computing system comprising;

a processor communicatively coupled to at least one network communication interface, an input device, a memory, and a bus, the processor configured to receive, via the at least one network communication interface, an EDI document in a first format from a first computer system;

a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) component having a drag and drop functionality configured to allow a user, acting through the input device, to map a plurality of fields of the EDI document in the first format to standard fields of an EDI standard using the drag and drop functionality;

a main translator component configured to receive input from the GUI component, the main translator component being further configured to translate data in the mapped fields of the EDI document to an intermediate format to create an intermediate file, wherein translating the data in the mapped fields comprises using information provided via the GUI component, and wherein the translating of the data occurs after the EDI document is received from the first computer system; and

an EDI mini-translator engine configured to translate the intermediate file to a secondary format to create a second format file, create a smart web form using the second format file as input, make the smart web form accessible to a second computer system of a second trading partner, and permit the second trading partner to view and interact with the second format file using the smart web form to;

create responsive documentation using the smart web form, the responsive documentation responsive to the EDI document, wherein the smart web form verifies that the responsive documentation complies with EDI standards and business rules of a first trading partner as the responsive documentation is created.

31. The computing system of claim 30, wherein the main translator component is further configured to:

receive a responsive documentation in the second format, the responsive documentation having a plurality of second fields, at least one second field containing responsive data;

map the plurality of second fields in the responsive documentation to the standard fields of the EDI standard;

translate the responsive documentation to the first format; and

initiate transmission of the responsive documentation in the first format to the first computer system.

32. The computing system of claim 30, further comprising:

an EDI transformation component configured to;

interface with the main translator component;

append at least a business rules component to the intermediate file;

determine whether the intermediate file complies with the business rule; and

initiate transmission of an alert to the first computer system if the intermediate file does not comply with the business rule.