MULTI-TENANT CLOUD-BASED QUEUING SYSTEMS

• US 20160205180A1
• Filed: 01/14/2015
• Published: 07/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Cook, Gregory, Jan, Wai, Irvin, Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 10,063,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/548 Queue
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for multi-tenant cloud-based queuing. Certain techniques are disclosed herein that provide for interactions and observability between tenant queues within a multi-tenant cloud-based queuing database. In some embodiments, the queues may be utilized by both users and merchants for both online and point-of-service interactions. Multiple queues for multiple tenants are hosted by a cloud computing system. Each queue may include one more queue entries, each of which includes a ticket value, and may further include a ticket alias. The ticket values and/or ticket aliases may be decoupled from a queue position for the entry. In some embodiments, the queue entries may be swapped within a queue or between queues, and the system may enable searching in or automated actions between queues and/or tenants based in part upon queue conditions.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a server computer, a first queue insertion request to insert a first entry for a first user into a first queue of a plurality of queues maintained by the server computer, wherein the first queue is associated with a first merchant;

inserting, by the server computer, the first entry into the first queue;

receiving, at the server computer, a second queue insertion request to insert a second entry for a second user into a second queue of the plurality of queues, wherein the second queue is associated with a second merchant;

inserting, by the server computer, the second entry into the second queue;

receiving, at the server computer, a swap request to swap the first entry of the first user with the second entry of the second user;

updating, by the server computer, the first entry and the second entry to cause the first user to be associated with the second entry and the second user to be associated with the first entry; and

transmitting, by the server computer, a swap notification message based upon the updating of the first entry and the second entry.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first queue insertion request is received at the server computer from a mobile device of the first user.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, at the server computer from a single merchant device of the first merchant, a plurality of queue insertion requests to insert a corresponding plurality of entries for a plurality of users into the first queue.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first entry is inserted into the first queue at a first position, and wherein the method further comprises:

updating, by the server computer, the first queue to cause the first entry to be associated with a second position; and

responsive to a determination that the first user is unable to be served by the first merchant at a first time, updating, by the server computer, the first queue to cause the first entry to be associated with a third position.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the server computer, a ticket value, wherein the ticket value is associated with the first entry of the first queue;

transmitting, by the server computer, the ticket value to a mobile device of the first user; and

transmitting, by the server computer, a ticket alias of the ticket queue value to a first merchant device of the first merchant or to a second merchant device of the second merchant.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, at the server computer from the second merchant device of the second merchant, an authentication request including the ticket value and further including a first value that is generated based upon a first token of the first user;

determining, by the server computer, an authentication result based upon transforming the first value using a second token of the first user; and

transmitting, by the server computer to the second merchant device, an authentication response including the authentication result.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said updating the first entry and the second entry comprises:

associating, by the server computer, the ticket value with the second entry; and

disassociating, by the server computer, the ticket value with the first entry.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the server computer, a queue request seeking a data describing a utilization of at least two of the plurality of queues; and

responsive to said receiving the queue request, transmitting a queue response message including the data, wherein the data describes a current utilization of the first queue and further describes a current utilization of the second queue.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the server computer, a queue request including a criterion;

determining, by the server computer, that a set of merchants satisfy the criterion, wherein the set of merchants includes the first merchant and the second merchant;

determining, by the server computer, that the first queue of the first merchant has a smallest current utilization or a largest current utilization of a set of queues associated with the set of merchants; and

transmitting a queue response message that includes an identifier of the first merchant.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at a server computer, a third queue insertion request to insert a third entry for a third user into the first queue; and

responsive to determining that a current utilization of the first queue meets or exceeds a threshold value, automatically inserting the third entry for the third user into a third queue of the plurality of queues, wherein the third queue is associated with a third merchant.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the server computer is part of a cloud-based system for maintaining the plurality of queues, wherein the cloud-based system is operated by a third party on behalf of the first merchant and the second merchant.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of queues are maintained by the server computer in a corresponding plurality of pluggable databases within a single multi-tenant container database.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a server computer, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first queue insertion request to insert a first entry for a first user into a first queue of a plurality of queues maintained by the server computer, wherein the first queue is associated with a first merchant;

inserting the first entry into the first queue;

receiving a second queue insertion request to insert a second entry for a second user into a second queue of the plurality of queues, wherein the second queue is associated with a second merchant;

inserting the second entry into the second queue;

receiving a swap request to swap the first entry of the first user with the second entry of the second user;

updating the first entry and the second entry to cause the first user to be associated with the second entry and the second user to be associated with the first entry; and

transmitting a swap notification message based upon the updating of the first entry and the second entry.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first queue insertion request is received at the server computer from a mobile device of the first user, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from a single merchant device of the first merchant, a plurality of queue insertion requests to insert a corresponding plurality of entries for a plurality of users into the first queue.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first entry is inserted into the first queue at a first position, and wherein the operations further comprise:

updating the first queue to cause the first entry to be associated with a second position; and

responsive to a determination that the first user is unable to be served by the first merchant at a first time, updating the first queue to cause the first entry to be associated with a third position.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein:

the server computer is part of a cloud-based system for maintaining the plurality of queues;

the cloud-based system is operated by a third party on behalf of the first merchant and the second merchant; and

the plurality of queues are maintained by the server computer in a corresponding plurality of pluggable databases within a single multi-tenant container database.

17. A server computing device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first queue insertion request to insert a first entry for a first user into a first queue of a plurality of queues maintained by the server computer, wherein the first queue is associated with a first merchant;

inserting the first entry into the first queue;

receiving a second queue insertion request to insert a second entry for a second user into a second queue of the plurality of queues, wherein the second queue is associated with a second merchant;

inserting the second entry into the second queue;

receiving a swap request to swap the first entry of the first user with the second entry of the second user;

updating the first entry and the second entry to cause the first user to be associated with the second entry and the second user to be associated with the first entry; and

transmitting a swap notification message based upon the updating of the first entry and the second entry.

18. The server computing device of claim 17, wherein the first queue insertion request is received at the server computing device from a mobile device of the first user, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from a single merchant device of the first merchant, a plurality of queue insertion requests to insert a corresponding plurality of entries for a plurality of users into the first queue.

19. The server computing device of claim 17, wherein the first entry is inserted into the first queue at a first position, and wherein the operations further comprise:

updating the first queue to cause the first entry to be associated with a second position; and

responsive to a determination that the first user is unable to be served by the first merchant at a first time, updating the first queue to cause the first entry to be associated with a third position.

20. The server computing device of claim 17, wherein:

the server computer is part of a cloud-based system for maintaining the plurality of queues;

the cloud-based system is operated by a third party on behalf of the first merchant and the second merchant; and

the plurality of queues are maintained by the server computer in a corresponding plurality of pluggable databases within a single multi-tenant container database.