Method, System, and Program for Integrating Disjoined but Related Network Components into Collaborative Communities

• US 20080177839A1
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chia Hao Chang, Man-Tsz Lan
• Original Assignee: Chia Hao Chang, Man-Tsz Lan
• Inventors: Chang, Chia Hao, Lan, Man-Tsz
• Granted Patent: US 7,949,711 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• 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 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

A system for integrating disjoined but related network components is presented. The system includes a network including a plurality of integrated collaborators where at least one of the integrated collaborators is designated as a head, at least one of integrated collaborators is designated as a parent and at least one of integrated collaborators is designated as a child. The head, parent and child are connected by a plurality of links. The integrated collaborators are grouped into clusters where one or more clusters form a cluster cloud. The integrated collaborators are configured to receive a data set, from a connected member, in a pre-determined format and deliver the data set in an acceptable format to a receiving member over the network. If necessary, at least one integrated collaborator converts the pre-determined format to the acceptable format such that the network components communicate with each other and conduct collaborative activities.

Claims

1. A method for integrating disjoined but related network components, the method comprising the steps of:

sending a data set having a pre-determined format to an integrated collaborator for delivery to at least one receiving member over a network comprising a plurality of integrated collaborators grouped into at least one or more clusters where one or more clusters form a cluster cloud; and

receiving from one of said plurality of integrated collaborators said data set in an acceptable format where, if necessary, at least one integrated collaborator has converted said pre-determined format to said acceptable format whereby the network components communicate with each other and conduct collaborative activities.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of specifying a format key corresponding to said pre-determined format allowing said integrated collaborator to indicate if conversion of said pre-determined format to said acceptable format is required.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising the step of specifying a destination address allowing said integrated collaborator to determine an optimal path by which said data set will travel over said network and which of said plurality of integrated collaborators can perform said conversion if said conversion is indicated.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of indicating a delivery option for said data set where delivery options comprise point-to-point and broadcast with scopes of downstream and upstream.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of specifying if a copy of said data set is to be retained on said network after said data set is delivered.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of including with said data set an indication of the intent of said data set.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said data set comprises a unit of work (UOW).

8. A system for integrating disjoined but related network components, the system comprising:

a network comprising a plurality of integrated collaborators where at least one of said plurality of integrated collaborators is designated as a head, at least one of said plurality of integrated collaborators is designated as a parent and at least one of said plurality of integrated collaborators is designated as a child, said head, parent and child being connected by a plurality of links, said plurality of integrated collaborators being grouped into at least one or more clusters where one or more clusters form a cluster cloud where said plurality of links connect said clusters and said cluster clouds, said integrated collaborators configured to receive a data set, from a member connected to a one of said plurality of integrated collaborators, in a pre-determined format and deliver said data set in an acceptable format to at least one receiving member over said network comprising, where, if necessary, at least one integrated collaborator has converted said pre-determined format to said acceptable format such that the network components communicate with each other and conduct collaborative activities.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein said clusters are dynamic and can grow, shrink and self-heal, where, when said cluster grows, said dynamic mapping is updated and visible to said integrated collaborators, where, when said at least one of said parents is removed, said at least one child adopts the parent of the removed parent integrated collaborator as their new parent and said dynamic mapping is updated and visible to said integrated collaborators and where, when said at least one of said parents fails, said at least one child adopts the parent of the failed parent integrated collaborator as their new parent and said dynamic mapping is updated and visible to said integrated collaborators.

10. The system as recited in claim 8, where said head comprises a dynamic mapping of relations of integrated collaborators within said cloud such that a destination path for said data set can be determined.

11. The system as recited in claim 8, further comprising a mapping profile for converting from said pre-determined format to said acceptable format and said mapping profile is shared by said integrated collaborators.

12. The system as recited in claim 8, further comprising a search method for collaborative business activities, the method comprising the steps of:

submitting a query indicating search criteria, including services or merchants, and scopes, including local, cluster-wide or inter-cluster, to a collaborator, by a requester;

parsing said query, retrieving matched records, and returning said records with their global unique addresses of business partners and merchants, by said collaborator, if said scope is local;

or

parsing said query and forwarding said query to the head of a cluster by said collaborator. With shared category structures, parsing said query, retrieving matched records from its clustered collaborators, and returning said records with their global unique addresses, by said head of said cluster, if said scope is cluster-wide;

or parsing said query, convert said query based on a category structure of another cluster head and forwarding said converted query to said cluster head by said requesting cluster head;

Upon receiving results from said requested cluster head, said results are converted based on said category structure of said requested cluster head to said category structure of said requesting cluster head and returning said converted records back to said requesting collaborator, if said scope is inter-cluster;

receiving said search result by said requester;

navigating said search result, indicating intents on said result, and summiting said result with said intents to said collaborator, by said requester;

grouping said result with said intents and said global unique addresses of business partners and merchants recorded in said result, and business transaction being created and forwarded to said business partners, by said collaborator; and

therefore, collaborative business activities are being initiated.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein said global unique address is assigned to every addressable object in said collaborative transaction system.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein said category structure is shared within said cluster.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein said inter-cluster transaction uses category structure map to convert category structures among said clusters

16. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein said global unique address is an address sequence constructed by using a multiple-notation address locating method to indicate a relationship of said cross clusters and said collaborators to said addressable object.

17. An address locating method for an integrated collaborative network across multiple domains, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a first notation;

indicating a first addressable identification of an addressable object in a sequence for a destination address of a destination object;

if additional addressable objects are required to be traversed in a first domain, indicating said first notation and additional addressable identifications of said addressable objects in said sequence, each of said additional addressable identifications concatenated by said first notation;

obtaining a second notation; and

if additional addressable objects are required to be traversed in a second domain, indicating said second notation and indicating said additional addressable identifications of said addressable objects in said sequence, each of said additional addressable identifications concatenated by said second notation;

indicating said second notation in said sequence; and

repeating the steps of obtaining a new notation, indicating said new notation, and indicating said additional addressable identifications of said addressable objects in the said sequence, each of said additional addressable identification concatenated by said new notation, for every domain required to be traversed;

indicating said new notation in said sequence; and

indicating a addressable identification of said destination address in said sequence completing said sequence for said destination address of said destination object.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein said notations denote the boundaries of said domains.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein addressable identifications of addressable objects of the same domain are concatenated using the same notation.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein a supplemental address sequence can be inserted into said sequence to describe said addressable identification it follows.