Method and system for mediating enterprise service access for smart devices

• US 8,560,713 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Moreira Sa de Souza, Luciana, Karnouskos, Stamatis, Baecker, Oliver, Savio, Domnic, Spiess, Patrik
• Primary Examiner(s): ALGIBHAH, HAMZA N
• Application Number:
  US12/183,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20100030881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,902 Days
• Field of Search: 709/230
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

Techniques are described for mediating enterprise service access for smart devices. A first message may be received at an enterprise service proxy device from a smart device via a first protocol associated with the smart device. It may be determined that the first message includes a smart device request for processing via an enterprise service located at a backend device. An enterprise service request and an associated enterprise request protocol may be determined based on the smart device request and a service adaptation description associated with the enterprise service and the first protocol. The enterprise service request may be sent to the backend device via the associated enterprise request protocol.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an enterprise service access mediator including;

an enterprise service proxy including;

a service adaptor configured to compile a first virtual proxy device for smart devices of a first type and a second virtual proxy device for smart devices of a second type based on enterprise service descriptions, each of the first virtual proxy device and the second virtual proxy device including one or more service view engines, each service view engine supporting communication exchanges between the smart devices and at least one enterprise service located at a backend device via a different interface, at least one service view engine including;

a mediating receiver configured to receive a first message from a smart device of a first type via a first protocol associated with the smart device of the first type by emulating another smart device of the first type;

a parser configured to determine that the first message includes a smart device request for processing via the at least one enterprise service located at the backend device; and

a mediating converter configured to determine an enterprise service request and an associated enterprise request protocol based on a service adaptation description associated with the first virtual proxy device including translating the smart device request to obtain the enterprise service request based on;

a mapping of the first protocol to the associated enterprise request protocol included in the service adaptation description,

interface type associated with the at least one service view engine,

a mapping of parameters from the smart device of the first device to parameters of the associated enterprise service included in the service adaptation description, and

access control policies included in the service adaptation description; and

the service adaptor configured to send the enterprise service request to the backend device via the associated enterprise request protocol.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the enterprise service access mediator includes a service adaptation repository configured to store service adaptation descriptions, and

the service adaptor is configured to obtain one or more protocol conversion rules based on the service adaptation descriptions and to compile the first and second virtual proxy devices and the service view engines based on the more protocol conversion rules and the service adaptation descriptions.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an enterprise service description repository configured to store the enterprise service descriptions, including information describing enterprise services associated with the backend device, wherein the backend device includes one or more backend servers,

wherein the enterprise service access mediator includes a description manager configured to generate the service adaptation descriptions based on the enterprise service descriptions,

wherein the service adaptation descriptions include information associated with conversion between messages associated with the first protocol and messages associated with the at least one enterprise service.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first protocol includes a proprietary protocol associated with the smart device of the first type.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual proxy device includes:

a service announcement engine configured to send an availability message to the smart device of the first type or the second type indicating an availability of an enterprise service for mediated access by the smart device of the first type or the second type when the enterprise service is newly added to the first virtual proxy device or the second virtual proxy device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the mapping includes:

an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) mapping that includes an indication of a first term associated with the smart device request and an indication of a second term associated with the enterprise service request via translation from the smart device request to the enterprise service request.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the mediating converter is configured to determine the enterprise service request based on obtaining at least one parameter associated with the enterprise service request based on the service adaptation description associated with the enterprise service and the first protocol.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the smart device includes one or more of an embedded device, a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, an RFID-tagged item, a smart items device, a device within a sensor network, a sensor mote, a product embedded information device, a shop floor device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer, a portable computer, a wireless telephone, a power regulation device, a monitoring device, a production machine, a smart power meter, a wireless sensor node, a programmable logic controller, a telephone, a vehicle, a robot, a mobile phone, or a product control device.

9. A method comprising:

compiling, by a service adaptor, a first virtual proxy device for smart devices of a first type and a second virtual proxy device for smart devices of a second type based on enterprise service descriptions, each of the first virtual proxy device and the second virtual proxy device including one or more service view engines, each service view engine supporting communication exchanges between the smart devices and at least one enterprise service located at a backend device via a different interface;

receiving, by at least one service view engine, a first message from a smart device of a first type via a first protocol associated with the smart device of the first type by emulating another smart device of the first type;

determining that the first message includes a smart device request for processing via the at least one enterprise service located at the backend device;

determining an enterprise service request and an associated enterprise request protocol based on a service adaption description associated with the first virtual proxy device including translating the smart device request to obtain the enterprise service request based on;

a mapping of the first protocol to the associated enterprise request protocol included in the service adaptation description,

interface type associated with the at least one service view engine,

a mapping of parameters from the smart device of the first device to parameters of the associated enterprise service included in the service adaptation description, and

access control policies included in the service adaptation description; and

sending the enterprise service request to the backend device via the associated enterprise request protocol.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first protocol includes a proprietary protocol associated with the smart device of the first type.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein:

determining that the first message includes a smart device request includes parsing the first message, by the at least one service view engine, to obtain the smart device request for processing via the at least one enterprise service located at the backend device, wherein the backend device includes one or more backend servers.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein:

determining the enterprise service request includes translating the smart device request to obtain the enterprise service request based on an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) mapping included in the service adaptation description associated with the enterprise service and the first protocol, wherein the XML mapping includes an indication of a first term associated with the smart device request and an indication of a second term associated with the enterprise service request via translation from the smart device request to the enterprise service request.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein:

determining the enterprise service request includes obtaining at least one parameter associated with the enterprise service request based on the service adaptation description associated with the enterprise service and the first protocol.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein:

sending the enterprise service request to the backend device includes sending the enterprise service request to a backend device interface based on the associated enterprise request protocol.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the associated enterprise request protocol includes one or more of a web service interface, a Business Application Programming Interface (BAPI), or a Remote Function Call (RFC) interface.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the smart device includes one or more of an embedded device, a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, an RFID-tagged item, a smart items device, a device within a sensor network, a sensor mote, a product embedded information device, a shop floor device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer, a portable computer, a wireless telephone, a power regulation device, a monitoring device, a production machine, a smart power meter, a wireless sensor node, a programmable logic controller, a telephone, a vehicle, a robot, a mobile phone, or a product control device.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a response message from the backend device via the enterprise request protocol;

determining a smart device response based on the response message and the service adaptation description; and

sending a second message including the smart device response from the enterprise service proxy device to the smart device via the first protocol.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein:

sending the enterprise service request to the backend device via the associated enterprise request protocol includes verifying a permission to access the enterprise service based on the service adaptation description associated with the enterprise service and the first protocol.

19. A computer program product being tangibly embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and being configured to cause a data processing apparatus to:

compile at a service adaptor a first virtual proxy device for smart devices of a first type and a second virtual proxy device for smart devices of a second type based on enterprise service descriptions, each of the first virtual proxy device and the second virtual proxy device including one or more service view engines, each service view engine supporting communication exchanges between the smart devices and at least one enterprise service located at a backend device via a different interface;

receive at a service view engine a first message from a smart device of the first type via a first protocol associated with the smart device of the first type by emulating another smart device of the first type;

determine that the first message includes a smart device request for processing via the at least one enterprise service located at the backend device;

determine an enterprise service request and an associated enterprise request protocol based on translating the smart device request to obtain the enterprise service request based on;

a mapping of the first protocol to the associated enterprise request protocol included in a service adaptation description,

interface type associated with the at least one service view engine,

a mapping of parameters from the smart device to parameters of the associated enterprise service included in the service adaptation description, the parameters of the associated enterprise service including at least a service identification (ID) associated with a type of enterprise service and an operation ID associated with a type of operation of the enterprise service, and

access control policies included in the service adaptation description; and

send the enterprise service request to the backend device via the associated enterprise request protocol.