Mobile process automation method

• US 7,373,361 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2005
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Descartes Systems Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Airclic Inc. (The Descartes Systems Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Monroe, Andrew, Leamon, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stevens, Robert
• Application Number:
  US11/233,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104.1, 717/170, 705/28, 705/34
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4451 User profiles; Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4498 Finite state machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Remote devices communicate with a central server in order to provide event tracking information pertaining to a business process, which is conducted by persons performing multiple roles. Software, including a state machine, is downloaded onto the device. A first state table is also downloaded and applied to the state machine in order to configure the device to operate in accordance with a first role. While the device is configured to operate in accordance with the first role, field data is captured and processed with the state machine in accordance with the first state table to generate event tracking information, which is transmitted to the server. Then, a second state table is applied to the state machine previously downloaded in order to reconfigure the device to operate in accordance with a second role. The device is reconfigured from the first role to the second role without changing the state machine on the device. While the remote device is configured to operate in accordance with the second role, field data is captured and processed with the state machine in accordance with the second state table to generate event tracking information, which transmitted to the server.

Claims

1. In a system that includes a central server and a plurality of remote devices, wherein the remote devices communicate with the central server in order to provide event tracking information relevant to a plurality of different business processes associated with a plurality of different business entities to the central server, wherein each of the business processes is conducted by one or more persons associated with a service provider that performs services for the plurality of different business entities, wherein said persons perform at least first and second different roles in the business process, wherein said first and second roles each control an operation of one or more of (i) one or more persons and (ii) one or more devices on the network, a method for varying a configuration of at least one of the remote devices, comprising:

(a) downloading software comprising a state machine interpreter onto the remote device;

(b) downloading a first state table to the remote device and applying the first state table to the state machine interpreter in order to configure the remote device to operate in accordance with the first role in the business process;

(c) while the remote device is configured to operate in accordance with the first role;

(i) capturing field data with the remote device;

(ii) processing, with the state machine interpreter and in accordance with the first state table, the field data to generate the event tracking information associated with the business process; and

(iii) transmitting the event tracking information from the remote device to the central server in accordance with output from step (c)(ii);

(d) downloading a second state table to the remote device and after step (c), applying the second state table to the state machine interpreter previously downloaded in step (a) in order to reconfigure the remote device to operate in accordance with the second role in the business process, wherein the remote device is reconfigured from the first role to the second role without changing the state machine interpreter on the remote device;

(e) while the remote device is configured to operate in accordance with the second role;

(i) capturing the field data with the at least one remote device;

(ii) processing, with the state machine interpreter and in accordance with the second state table, the field data to generate the event tracking information; and

(iii) transmitting the event tracking information associated with the business process from the remote device to the central server in accordance with output from step (e)(ii);

(f) at the central server, associating the event tracking information transmitted in steps (c)(iii) and (e)(iii) with an indication that the event tracking information is associated with one of the business entities; and

(g) processing the event tracking information in accordance with the indication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a graphical user interface for inputting a definition of the business process to be stored at the central server;

wherein, based on the definition of the business process, the central server automatically generates the first state table for the first role in the business process and the second state table for the second role in the business process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote device includes a machine reader that automatically detects machine readable articles, and wherein the steps c(i) and e(i) include automatically detecting machine readable articles as part of the field data.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(h) providing to one of the business entities only the processed event tracking information that is associated with the one of the business entities.

5. A system for capturing event tracking information comprising:

a central server;

one or more persons, who are associated with a service provider that performs services for a plurality of different business entities, and who conduct a plurality of different business processes associated with the plurality of different business entities by performing at least first and second different roles in the business process, wherein said first and second roles each control an operation of (i) one or more persons and (ii) one or more devices on the network;

a plurality of remote devices in communication with the central server and used by the persons to gather the event tracking information and provide the event tracking information to the central server, wherein a configuration of the remote devices is varied by

(a) downloading software comprising a state machine interpreter onto the remote device;

(b) downloading a first state table to the remote device and applying the first state table to the state machine interpreter in order to configure the remote device to operate in accordance with the first role in the business process; and

(c) while the remote device is configured to operate in accordance with the first role;

(i) capturing field data with the remote device;

(ii) processing, with the state machine interpreter and in accordance with the first state table, the field data to generate the event tracking information associated with the business process; and

(iii) transmitting the event tracking information from the remote device to the central server in accordance with output from step (c)(ii);

(d) downloading a second state table to the remote device and after step (c), applying the second state table to the state machine interpreter previously downloaded in step (a) in order to reconfigure the remote device to operate in accordance with the second role in the business process, wherein the remote device is reconfigured from the first role to the second role without changing the state machine interpreter on the remote device;

(e) while the remote device is configured to operate in accordance with the second role;

(i) capturing the field data with the at least one remote device;

(ii) processing, with the state machine interpreter and in accordance with the second state table, the field data to generate the event tracking information; and

(iii) transmitting the event tracking information associated with the business process from the remote device to the central server in accordance with output from step (e)(ii);

wherein, at the central server, the event tracking information transmitted in steps (c)(iii) and (e)(iii) is associated with an indication that the event tracking information is associated with one of the business entities and is processed in accordance with the indication.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the system further comprises a graphical user interface for inputting a definition of the business process to be stored at the central server;

wherein, based on the definition of the business process, the central server automatically generates the first state table for the first role in the business process and the second state table for the second role in the business process.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the remote device includes a machine reader that automatically detects machine readable articles, and wherein the steps c(i) and e(i) include automatically detecting machine readable articles as part of the field data.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein one of the business entities is provided only the processed event tracking information that is associated with the one of the business entities.