Service oriented collaboration

• US 8,943,508 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2009
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ravishankar, Ram, Vaidya, Sham M., van Riel, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Kawsar, Abdullah Al
• Application Number:
  US12/634,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20110138394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,875 Days
• Field of Search: 718100-106, 709217-219, 709225-229, 705 712- 723, 705300-301
• US Class Current: 718/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5038 considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups

Abstract

When a service is requested at a platform in a collaborative services environment, a service orchestration engine accesses a service definition from a repository and schedules a number of tasks at a number of end points in accordance with a number of end point profiles and a number of policies associated with the end points.

Claims

1. A method for providing a collaborative service, the method comprising:

identifying, by a computer, a plurality of data processing system end points associated with the collaborative service, wherein first portions of the plurality of data processing system end points are located in respective vehicles and second portions of the plurality of data processing end points are located at each of a plurality of respective service providers for the vehicles;

obtaining, by the computer, an agreement from each of the plurality of data processing system end points on (a) a service definition that corresponds to the collaborative service and specifies tasks and the plurality of data processing system end points associated with the collaborative service, and (b) a plurality of policies that govern scheduling of tasks corresponding to the service definition;

responsive to and based on (i) data corresponding to the collaborative service received from a first portion of one of the data processing system end points located in a vehicle and (ii) data identifying a geographic location of the vehicle, determining, by the computer, the tasks to be performed and the plurality of data processing system end points each having a second portion located at the plurality of service providers for the vehicle including each of a manufacturer, a dealer, a supplier, and a number of businesses;

responsive to the computer determining the tasks, the plurality of data processing system end points, and the plurality of policies for the collaborative service, assembling, orchestrating, and scheduling, by the computer, a service at the plurality of service providers for the vehicle including each of the manufacturer, the dealer, the supplier, and the number of businesses to perform the tasks corresponding to the service definition in accordance with the plurality of policies that govern the scheduling of the tasks;

transmitting, by the computer, criteria for the service scheduled at the plurality of service providers to the first portion of the one data processing system end points located in the vehicle along with a request to confirm the service; and

responsive to the computer receiving an indication that the criteria for the service scheduled at the plurality of service providers are not accepted, transmitting, by the computer, at least one of alternative service providers and a modification to the criteria for the service to the first portion of the one data processing system end points located in the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

publishing, by the computer, the service definition to a registry.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

publishing, by the computer, the plurality of policies to a registry.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring, by the computer, the tasks for compliance with the plurality of policies.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer is integrated into a service oriented collaboration environment so that the computer, based on an end point profile, accesses a number of communications systems, a number of management systems, and a number of data systems in the service oriented collaboration environment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the computer is integrated into the service oriented collaboration environment so that the computer, based on the end point profile, accesses a number of access channels and a number of business participants.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria for the service are details corresponding to the service scheduled at the plurality of service providers.

8. A computer system for providing a collaborative service, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, and one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, and program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to identify a plurality of data processing system end points associated with the collaborative service, wherein first portions of the plurality of data processing system end points are located in respective vehicles and second portions of the plurality of data processing end points are located at each of a plurality of respective service providers for the vehicles;

program instructions to obtain an agreement from each of the plurality of data processing system end points on (a) a service definition that corresponds to the collaborative service and specifies tasks and the plurality of data processing system end points associated with the collaborative service, and (b) a plurality of policies that govern scheduling of tasks corresponding to the service definition;

program instructions, responsive to and based on (i) data corresponding to the collaborative service received from a first portion of one of the data processing system end points located in a vehicle and (ii) data identifying a geographic location of the vehicle, to determine the tasks to be performed and the plurality of data processing system end points each having a second portion located at the plurality of service providers for the vehicle including each of a manufacturer, a dealer, a supplier, and a number of businesses;

program instructions, responsive to determining the tasks, the plurality of data processing system end points, and the plurality of policies for the collaborative service, to assemble, orchestrate, and schedule a service at the plurality of service providers for the vehicle including each of the manufacturer, the dealer, the supplier, and the number of businesses to perform the tasks corresponding to the service definition in accordance with the plurality of policies that govern the scheduling of the tasks;

program instructions to transmit criteria for the service scheduled at the plurality of service providers to the first portion of the one data processing system end points located in the vehicle along with a request to confirm the service; and

program instructions, responsive to receiving an indication that the criteria for the service scheduled at the plurality of service providers are not accepted, to transmit at least one of alternative service providers and a modification to the criteria for the service to the first portion of the one data processing system end points located in the vehicle.

9. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions to publish the service definition to a registry.

10. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions to publish the plurality of policies to a registry.

11. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions to monitor the tasks for compliance with the plurality of policies.

12. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the computer system is integrated into a service oriented collaboration environment so that the computer system, based on an end point profile, accesses a number of communications systems, a number of management systems, and a number of data systems in the service oriented collaboration environment.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the computer system is integrated into the service oriented collaboration environment so that the computer system, based on the end point profile, accesses a number of access channels and a number of business participants.

14. A computer program product for providing a collaborative service, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage devices and program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable storage devices, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to identify a plurality of data processing system end points associated with the collaborative service, wherein first portions of the plurality of data processing system end points are located in respective vehicles and second portions of the plurality of data processing end points are located at each of a plurality of respective service providers for the vehicles;

program instructions to obtain an agreement from each of the plurality of data processing system end points on (a) a service definition that corresponds to the collaborative service and specifies tasks and the plurality of data processing system end points associated with the collaborative service, and (b) a plurality of policies that govern scheduling of tasks corresponding to the service definition;

program instructions, responsive to and based on (i) data corresponding to the collaborative service received from a first portion of one of the data processing system end points located in a vehicle and (ii) data identifying a geographic location of the vehicle, to determine the tasks to be performed and the plurality of data processing system end points each having a second portion located at the plurality of service providers for the vehicle including each of a manufacturer, a dealer, a supplier, and a number of businesses;

program instructions, responsive to determining the tasks, the plurality of data processing system end points, and the plurality of policies for the collaborative service, to assemble, orchestrate, and schedule a service at the plurality of service providers for the vehicle including each of the manufacturer, the dealer, the supplier, and the number of businesses to perform the tasks corresponding to the service definition in accordance with the plurality of policies that govern the scheduling of the tasks;

program instructions to transmit criteria for the service scheduled at the plurality of service providers to the first portion of the one data processing system end points located in the vehicle along with a request to confirm the service; and

program instructions, responsive to receiving an indication that the criteria for the service scheduled at the plurality of service providers are not accepted, to transmit at least one of alternative service providers and a modification to the criteria for the service to the first portion of the one data processing system end points located in the vehicle.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

program instructions to publish the service definition to a registry.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

program instructions to publish the plurality of policies to a registry.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

program instructions to monitor the tasks for compliance with the plurality of policies.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer is integrated into a service oriented collaboration environment so that the computer, based on an end point profile, accesses a number of communications systems, a number of management systems, and a number of data systems in the service oriented collaboration environment.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the computer is integrated into the service oriented collaboration environment so that the computer, based on the end point profile, accesses a number of access channels and a number of business participants.