Data processing system with improved work flow system and method

• US 5,535,322 A
• Filed: 10/27/1992
• Issued: 07/09/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hecht, Matthew S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Cliff N.
• Application Number:
  US07/967,090
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 395/155, 395/149, 395/161, 395/275, 395/650, 364/188, 364/401, 364/222.22
• US Class Current: 705/301
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management

Abstract

A Work Flow Manager (WFM), or process manager, is the software to manage and control the flow of work items from one function to the next in a well-defined application process to achieve the complete processing of those work items. Applications of WFMs include the processing of imaged or multimedia documents such as health and other insurance forms, filmless radiology, IRS tax submissions, and FBI fingerprint and voice identification. The invention WFM:

a. provides an improved, scalable subsystem and method for work flow management;

b. partitions the application (work flow) process into component distributed services, each represented by an OSF Distributed Computer Environment (DCE) service;

c. defines the application process with a state transition diagram (STD);

d. uses centralized control software with a work-in-process (WIP) manager, a work queue manager, and a WIP submission attributes data base manager;

e. defines and uses a common "pull system" protocol for communication between the WFM and the component distributed services;

f. distinguishes WIP submissions from archived submissions; and

g. uses an "attribute-base file system" to store submissions, typically implemented with both a data base for submission attributes (including the current state of WIP submissions), and a distributed file system for submission contents files.

Claims

1. In a data processing system, a method for managing and controlling the flow of imaged documents comprising work items from one function to the next in an application process to achieve the complete processing of said work items, comprising the steps of:

assigning in the data processing system, a unique submission identifier to each incoming submission;

establishing in the data processing system, a repository for work-in-process (WIP) submissions, having an attribute-based file system for WIP submission attributes, and an attribute-based file system for said WIP submission contents;

establishing in the data processing system, a data base of WIP submission attributes that for each submission includes a current state attribute;

storing in the data processing system, said WIP submission contents as files in a distributed file system;

establishing in the data processing system, a repository for archived submissions, having an attribute-based file system for archived submission attributes, and an attribute-based file system for archived submission contents;

defining in the data processing system, when to archive submission contents, when to archive submission attributes, and when to erase submissions from the repository of WIP submissions;

partitioning in the data processing system, an application process into distributed software services and defining a remote procedure call (RPC) interface for each component application service;

defining in the data processing system, an application work flow process with;

a state transition diagram (STD) that uses said application work flow process;

a list of the STD-using application work flow processes;

a service-specific structure of work queues;

for each service, a structure of the work queue, and

policy parameters for the assignment of work queues to services;

executing in the data processing system, a software, work flow, system architecture with functions for a WIP manager, to process incoming work items in priority order from a recoverable priority queue and to move WIP submissions through STD defined states;

a work queue manager, to manage application and service-specific, recoverable work queues and a work queue assignment table, and to assign work queues to services;

a WIP submission attributes data base manager, to maintain the state of each WIP submission; and

performing in the data processing system, a common pull system protocol for the WIP manager and work queue manager together to communicate with application services.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said pull system protocol comprises the steps of:

a. service B notifies the work queue manager with an RPC that it is ready for work;

b. the work queue manager records this potential work assignment in its work assignment table;

c. service A completes work and so notifies the WIP manager with an RPC that adds the work completion notice to an in-box;

d. the WIP manager gets the next item of highest priority from the in-box;

e. the WIP manager updates the state of the WIP submission attributes data base;

f. the WIP manager tells the work queue manager with an RPC to enqueue work items, and in the same RPC tells the work queue manager that work completed;

g. the work queue manager enqueues work items on service-specific queues;

h. when a work queue for service B is ready, the work queue manager assigns it to a ready service B, and records the work assignment in its work queue assignment table;

i. the work queue manager notifies service B with an RPC of the assignment and the name of the work queue file;

j. service B copies the work queue file;

k. service B reads copies of objects it needs from temporary storage;

l. service B performs the work;

m. service B writes changed objects or new objects into temporary storage;

n. service B completes work and so notifies the WIP manager with an RPC that adds the work completion notice to the in-box; and

o. service B notifies the work queue manager with an RPC that it is ready for work.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said submission represents multimedia documents.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said method applies to a distributed architecture.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said embedded STD captures and defines an application and its application-specific services.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said component application service represents either a single instance of that service or multiple instances of that service.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said component application service represents at least partially automated work, with work completion results entered and maintained on-line.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said repository for WIP submissions and said repository for archived submissions can be combined into one repository for both WIP and archived submissions.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said repositories for WIP and archived submissions are implemented with a single attribute-based file system using hierarchical storage with automatic caching and migration between successive levels.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein there is a small set of submission types that partitions the submissions, and the application work flow process is defined by several STDs, one for each submission type.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein said work queue manager maintains one logical work queue for each service and apportions out a batch of work items at a time, with each logical work queue implemented as a collection of files with a policy for determining the number of work items per file.

12. The method of claim 2 wherein said objects in step (k) are files that represent multimedia documents.

13. The method of claim 2 wherein said pull system protocol operates as a subordinate hierarchical method.

14. The method of claim 2 wherein said service B can selectively request and get work either (a) only when all previous work is completed, or (b) in anticipation to satisfy a fast response time requirement for the the ready for work notice.

15. In a data processing system, a method for managing and controlling the flow of imaged documents comprising work items from one function to the next in an application process to achieve the complete processing of said work items, comprising the steps of:

executing in the data processing system, a work flow method including a work in process (WIP) manager, to process incoming work items in priority order from a recoverable priority queue and to move WIP submissions through state transition diagram (STD) defined states;

said work flow method further including a work queue manager, to manage application and service-specific, recoverable work queues and a work queue assignment table, and to assign work queues to services;

said work flow method further including a WIP submission attributes data base manager, to maintain the state of each WIP submission; and

performing in the data processing system, a common pull system protocol for the WIP manager and work queue manager together to communicate with application services,

said pull system protocol comprising the steps of;

a. service B notifies the work queue manager with a remote procedure call (RPC) that it is ready for work;

b. the work queue manager records said ready to work notification in its work assignment table;

c. service A completes work and so notifies the WIP manager with an RPC that adds the work completion notice to an in-box;

d. the WIP manager gets the next item of highest priority from the in-box;

e. the WIP manager updates the state of the WIP submission attributes data base;

f. the WIP manager tells the work queue manager with an RPC to enqueue work items, and tells the work queue manager that work completed;

g. the work queue manager enqueues work items on service-specific queues;

h. when a work queue for service B is ready, the work queue manager assigns it to a ready service B, and records the work assignment in its work queue assignment table;

i. the work queue manager notifies service B with an RPC of the assignment and the name of the work queue file;

j. service B copies the work queue file;

k. service B reads copies of objects it needs from temporary storage;

l. service B performs the work;

m. service B writes changed objects or new objects into temporary storage;

n. service B completes work and so notifies the WIP manager with an RPC that adds the work completion notice to the in-box; and

o. service B notifies the work queue manager with an RPC that it is ready for work.

16. In a data processing system, a method for managing and controlling the flow of imaged documents comprising work items from one function to the next in an application process to achieve the complete processing of said work items, comprising the steps of:

processing with a work in process (WIP) manager in the data processing system, work items from one function to the next in priority order from a recoverable priority queue and moving WIP submissions through state transition diagram (STD) defined states;

accessing with a work queue manager in the data processing system, application and service-specific, recoverable work queues;

maintaining with a WIP submission attributes data base manager, a state of each WIP submission in the data processing system; and

communicating with a common pull system protocol in the data processing system, between the WIP manager and work queue manager and application services and performing the common pull system protocol to move items from one function to the next to achieve the processing of work items, wherein said step of communicating with said common pull system protocol includes the steps of;

a. service B notifies the work queue manager with a remote procedure call (RPC) that it is ready for work;

b. the work queue manager records said ready to work notification in its work assignment table;

c. service A completes work and so notifies the WIP manager with an RPC that adds the work completion notice to an in-box;

d. the WIP manager gets the next item of highest priority from the in-box;

e. the WIP manager updates the state of the WIP submission attributes data base;

f. the WIP manager tells the work queue manager with an RPC to enqueue work items, and tells the work queue manager that work completed;

g. the work queue manager enqueues work items on service-specific queues;

h. when a work queue for service B is ready, the work queue manager assigns it to a ready service B, and records the work assignment in its work queue assignment table;

i. the work queue manager notifies service B with an RPC of the assignment and the name of the work queue file;

j. service B copies the work queue file;

k. service B reads copies or objects it needs from temporary storage;

l. service B performs the work;

m. service B writes changed objects or new objects into temporary storage;

n. service B completes work and so notifies the WIP manager with an RPC that adds the work completion notice to the in-box; and

o. service B notifies the work queue manager with an RPC that it is ready for work.